Jack Tragert
Hamlet Journal
Act 1
King- “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death, The memory be green, and that it
us befitted. To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom, To be contracted in one
brow of woe,Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature, That we with wisest sorrow
think on him, Together with remembrance of ourselves” (21).
Here we see the King’s take on Hamlet’s fathers death. At this point no one knows that
Claudius killed Hamlet’s father, and this quote shows us how he is trying to cover it up
and make it seem as though everyone should just move on and forget about it. This
quote is very important because Claudius killing Hamlets father is the main event in the
play, and this gives us a good idea as to whats going on inside Claudius’s head. He
thinks that there is no way he can be caught, and he has gotten everything he wanted.
Laertes- “His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own; For he himself is subject to his
birth: He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
The safety and health of this whole state; And therefore must his choice be
circumscribed, Unto the voice and yielding of that body, Whereof he is the head.” (43)
Laertes is a very important supporting character in the play. He is Ophelia’s brother, and
Ophelia is Hamlet’s lover. The context of the quote is Laertes giving Ophelia advice to
no longer be involved or have sexual relations with Hamlet. Laertes knows that Hamlet
cannot just choose his wife, it has to be of royal blood because he must marry someone
who hold the throne. He is saying that he can’t choose whoever he wants for his wife.
This is important to the story because Hamlet also has to deal with his feelings for
Ophelia, and we can see that this will bring even more troubles with this family issue.
Hamlet - “How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, (As I perchance hereafter shall think
meet, To put an antic disposition on)” (67)
Even though this is a very short quote from Hamlet, I believe that it is very important. It
is telling us that Hamlet is going to pretend to be mad, and it is in the context of him
telling his best friends. This is a major part of act one, and it is important that one knows
Hamlet is pretending to be mad. By using the word antic, it tells us that he will act crazy.
Its amazing what Hamlet does for his revenge and to deal with his grief, and we can see
that in this quote.
Hamlet- “Ghost- Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Hamlet-Murder!. GhostMurder most foul, as in the best it is;But this most foul, strange and unnatural. HamletHaste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift, As meditation or the thoughts of love,
May sweep to my revenge” (58)
Here, we see the most important conversation in act one. This is the conversation in
which the ghost tells Hamlet that he must take revenge on his uncle for killing his father.
Hamlet did not know that his fathered was murdered, he came home and did not know
anything. This conversation with the ghost causes Hamlet to kill his lover’s father, and
lose everyone he loves. This is such an important quote because it sets the track for so
much in the rest of the play, and that is why I chose to do two quotes by Hamlet for this
act one journal.