Friday, December 07, 2007

Hamlet Quotations to be (or not to be) committed to memory.


By way of comments in response to this post let us see if we can build up a series of worthwhile quotations as a resource for the A2 Hamlet exam. I will get the ball rolling.

80 comments:

  1. ' 'tis bitter cold,
    And I am sick at heart.'

    These lines not only work to exploit pathetic fallacy, they also imply the malaise affecting the character(s) and Denmark, in general.

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  2. Anonymous11:59 am

    'Sit down awhile,
    And let us once again assail your ears'

    (Act 1 Scene 1)

    These lines suggest they are about to be told a story which will terrify them, and shows superstitious and frightened they are about the existene of a ghost.

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  3. Anonymous12:01 pm

    'Sit awhile,
    And let us once again assail your ears,
    That are so fortified against our story..'

    These lines show us a sense of irony as it is capturing the characters attention, but in fact, is also, getting the readers to listen to Barnardo's story.

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  4. Anonymous12:01 pm

    'Sit awhile,
    And let us once again assail your ears,
    That are so fortified against our story..'

    These lines show us a sense of irony as it is capturing the characters attention, but in fact, is also, getting the readers to listen to Barnardo's story.

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  5. Anonymous12:01 pm

    'our sometime sister, now our Queen'
    (Act 1 Scene 2)

    This shows the ambiguity of Gertrude's position, after her quick marriage to her dead husband's brother.

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  6. "Frailty, thy name is woman"

    Here, Hamlet criticises women as the weaker sex. he is disgusted by what he sees as an inability to control their lust and sexual conduct, especailly as in this case, his mother has married his father's murderer.

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  7. Anonymous12:05 pm

    (Aside) 'A little more than kin, and less than kind'

    Act 1 Scene 2

    These, Hamlet's first lines, immediately reveal his resentment of the new King. It is interesting that they're an aside, that they are said secretly, since this is the first hint of the play's theme of acting & playing.

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  8. Anonymous12:08 pm

    "This bodes some strange eruption to our state"

    what horatio says after he sees the ghost of the king, preempting what will happen in the play.

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  9. Anonymous12:08 pm

    'Who's there?'

    This line at the beginning of the play is an effective way of starting the play, as the beginning is very dramatic and full of suspense. This is a prefiguration of what is to come in the whole play.

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  10. Anonymous12:10 pm

    Well may it sort that this portentous figure"-line108


    The ghost is presented as an ominous figure, it's presence is seen as a warning by the characters in this scene.

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  11. Anonymous12:10 pm

    'How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable
    Seem to me all the uses of this world!'

    These lines that Hamlet say, reflect back on what he thinks of the state of Denmark.

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  12. Anonymous12:14 pm

    'In the same figure like the King that's dead.'

    This quotation portrays the fear that is circulating through Barnado as him and Marcellus have seen the ghost and the description of the ghost is the exact the description of the dead King. The audience may see this part of the play as a plot being set, as the ghost may have unfinished business to attend to.

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  13. Anonymous12:14 pm

    "The serpent that did sting thy father's life
    Now wears his crown"

    Hamlet uses a metaphor to describe Claudius, whom he believes murdered his father. (also, there's an evil snake in adam and eve story thing, serpent = eeeeevil)

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  14. Anonymous12:15 pm

    'Extorted treasure in the womb of earth'

    This line implies that the King was taken from Denmark by unfair means and is now layed to rest in the earth

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  15. Anonymous12:15 pm

    'in the same figure as the King that's dead'

    Act 1 Scene 1

    This sentence is emphasised due it's abrupt shortness, and reveals more of the plot. It suggests a bad omen, and unfinished business in Denmark.

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  16. Anonymous12:15 pm

    'Fie on't, ah fie, 'tis an unweeded garden
    That grows to seed, things rank and gross in
    nature'

    The garden is symbolic of the country, as it connotes man's control over nature. The fact that it is an 'unweeded' garden, implies that the state has become out of their control.

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  17. Anonymous12:17 pm

    'This spirit dumb to us will speak to him.'

    This line impies that the ghost is more likely to speak to Hamlet than anyone else

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  18. Anonymous12:17 pm

    " This spirit dumb to us will speak to him."-p171

    This mention of Hamlet prepares us for his entrance later on in Scene 2. This is a dramatic device used by Shakespeare to further engage the audience with the play, as we question why is it only Hamlet who can speak to the spirit.

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  19. Anonymous12:19 pm

    'Such was the very armour he had on
    When he the ambitious Norway combated..'

    This quotation portrays the King in a ghost form, also the first line of the quotation 'Such was the very armour he had on' depicts the ghost as war-like and the second line 'When he the ambitious Norway combated..' portrays the King as a Warrior King.

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  20. Anonymous12:19 pm

    'tis an unweeded garden
    That grows to seed, things rank and gross and nature Possess it merely'\Act 1 Scene 2

    This quotation refers to Hamlet's view that Denmark is being left to ruin by the new King, and also reflects the way that he feels that his father's rise to the throne is unnatural and ethically wrong.

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  21. Anonymous12:21 pm

    'My father's brother, but no more like my father
    Than i to Hercules'

    Hamlet is putting himself on the other end of the scale by using a classical reference such as Hercules. Shakespeare's audience will readily understand and at the same time, ensuring we feel the universal nature of Hamlet's present experience.

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  22. Anonymous12:23 pm

    'A heart unfortified, a mind impatient'

    Act 1 Scene 2

    The King is telling Hamlet he needs to calm down and get over his father's death. Also, it could reveal that he is trying to stop Hamlet being troublesome, so that his guilt is not revealed.

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  23. 'This bodes some strange eruption to our state.'

    This quotation represents the theme of war or impending chaos, as it is threatening and it is focused on the state, it is a sign of unrest, as well as unfinished business and it portends disaster.

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  24. Anonymous12:27 pm

    'But break, my heart, for i must hold my tongue.'

    Hamlet distresses of how he cannot speak of the suddenness with which his mother's wedding followed the funeral of his father whom he had plainly loved and admired.

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  25. Anonymous12:27 pm

    'Foul deeds will rise,
    Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to
    men's eyes' Act 1 Scene 2

    This associates the ghost with the Claudius's crime, and confirms that Hamlet will reveal the King's guilt even if it goes against nature.

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  26. Anonymous12:33 pm

    'His will is not his own,
    For he himself is subject to his birth'

    Act 1 Scene 2

    Polonius is warning Ophelia that Hamlet's plavce in Danish society means that he has many duties to perform, and should not be trusted in love. Play on words- subject, being subject to

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  27. Anonymous9:10 am

    I do not know my lord what I should think.

    (Act 1 scene 3)

    This line from Ophelia suggests that she has been controlled, particularly by her father, and can no longer think for herself.

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  28. Anonymous9:17 am

    "A dream itself is but a shadow"

    Act 2 Scene 2

    Hamlet's line suggests his fractured sense of reality.His life haunts his dreams, a darkness that hides in his subconscious, linking to the theme of the suopernatural and the Ghost of old Hamlet

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  29. Anonymous9:22 am

    "But my good brother,
    Do not do as some ungracious pastors do"

    Act 1 Scene 3

    these lines link to the theme of corruption with Ophelia suggesting the hypocracy of her brother's lecture. it also demonstrates her wider knowlege of the society in which she lives.

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  30. Anonymous9:24 am

    Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
    {Act 1 scene 4}

    This shows how aware the people of Denmark are becoming of the corruption in their country. It also ties into the theme of the body politic.

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  31. Anonymous9:29 am

    "To thy own self be true"

    Act 1 Scene 3

    Polonious' line although addressed to Laertes can be applied to most the characters in the play. Each character hides their true nature and intentions at various points in the narrative showing Shakespeare's use of the theme of deception

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  32. Anonymous9:31 am

    'More matter with less art'

    The queen's curt remark to Polonius lets slip her true opinion of him as a waffling old fool.

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  33. Anonymous9:38 am

    "the play's the thing
    Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King."

    Act 2 Scene 2

    At this point in the play Hamlet shows his ability to be a man of action, however, it is still another example of Hamlet's procrastination as he will passively watch the king.

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  34. Anonymous9:42 am

    "get thee to a nunnery"

    Act 3 Scene 1

    THis reflects Hamlet's misogynistic view of women and his preoccupation with chastity and female fidelity.

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  35. Anonymous12:03 pm

    'This is the very ecstasy of of love,
    Whose violent property fordoes itself,
    And leads the will to desperate undertakings'

    Shakespeare shows Polonius's misinterpretation of Hamlet's love for Ophelia, believing that is the reasoon that he has fallen into a state of madness due to it.

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  36. Anonymous12:05 pm

    "a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours"

    Hamlet's depression is conveyed through this extremely melodramatic description of the world around him.

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  37. Anonymous12:06 pm

    'What majesty should be, what duty is,
    Why day is day, night night, and time is time'

    Act 2 Scene 2

    Polonius's remark demonstrates hw much importance he places in kingship and loyalty to the kingdom, they are as integral to life as 'day', night and time.

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  38. Anonymous12:07 pm

    'More matter with less art'

    Act 2 Scene 2

    Thw Queen is telling Polonius not to digress and that his languge is long winded and he should get to the point.

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  39. Anonymous12:12 pm

    '... but a fool and pestilen congregation...'

    Act 2, Scene 2

    These words suggest that the world in Hamlet's eyes is negative and this line portrays his inner feelings, which are not revealed to the other characters in the play.

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  40. Anonymous12:13 pm

    ''Had he the motive and the cue for passion that i have? He would drown the stage with tears'

    Act 2 Sc 2

    Hamlet is appalled by the sincerity of the emotions of the character in the play. Shakespeares plays on the word 'act' as meaning to take action and to petend/portray.Hamlet despite having more reason to act, can't.

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  41. Anonymous12:15 pm

    'So much as from occasion you may glean,
    Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus
    That opened lies within our remedy.'

    As Rosencrantz and Guildenstern keep Hamlet company, Claudius asks them to take every opportunity to pick up pointers about what is troubling Hamlet. The word 'remedy' is used ambiguously, as its purpose is to cure or heal one. However, the King uses this as a remedy to protect himself, and for his own benefit.

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  42. Anonymous12:16 pm

    'For murder, tho it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ.'

    Act 2 Sc 2

    Hamlet is suggesting that the murder and murderers of his father will be revealed, whether they are admitted or not. He has hatched his plan.

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  43. Anonymous12:17 pm

    ' At such a time, I'll lose my daughter to him
    Be you and I behind the arras then;
    Mark te encounter; if he love her not,
    And be not from his reason fall'n thereon'

    Act 2, Scene 2

    At this point in the play Polonius and the King are setting up a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia, but they will be watching the encounter, to find out if Hamlet is really mad or just in love.

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  44. Anonymous12:21 pm

    To be, or not to be, that is the question:
    Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
    The slings and arrows of outrageous,
    Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
    And by opposing, end them?

    Act 3 Sc1

    Hamlet is pondering whether it is more beneficial to take revenge, although it is risky and may bring about his death, or to not act, which in a way would also be killing himself because he thinks he would not deserve to live if his fathers death go unavenged. Also, this quotation has been interpreted as Hamlet thinking about suicide. Yeah.

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  45. Anonymous12:21 pm

    'Why, any thing but to th' purpose. You were sent
    for, and there is a kind of confession in your looks,
    which your modestries have not craftb enough to
    colour. I know the god King and Queen hsve
    sent for you.'

    Act 2, Scene 2

    The King and Queen planned to use Rosencrantz and Guldenstern, to spy on Hamlet and find out what exactly is wrong with him, but here Hamlet has figured out there plan and uses this to his advantage.

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  46. Anonymous12:22 pm

    "as you did command, I repel his letters, and denied his access to me"

    Ophelia is once again demonstrating her submissive nature. She follows her father and brother's commands without any objection. This raises the theme of patriarchal dominance over the "fairer" sex.

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  47. Anonymous12:27 pm

    '...I'll have these players
    Play something like the murder of my father
    Before mine uncle; I'll observe his looks,
    I'll tent him to the quick ; if 'a do blench,
    I know my course.'

    Act 2, Scene 2


    Hamlet's plan is close to completion seeing that he has prepared a part for the killing of his uncle. There is a sense of dramatic irony, as the audience knows what is going to happen but the rest of the charcters are unaware.

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  48. Anonymous12:29 pm

    'What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, that he should weep for her?'

    Act 2 Sc 2

    Hecuba is a play by Euripedes about the Greek queen of the same name. The players act this tragedy out for Hamlet, and woders how this distant figure can inpsire such emotion in the actor, when events closer to hamlet havent inspired him to act (yet).

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  49. Anonymous5:48 pm

    'You are the Queen, your husband's brother's wife And were it not so you were my mother'

    Act 3 Sc 4

    This quotation demonstrates his resentment at his mothers bettrayal, of her husband and her son. It is so important to him that he refuses to see her as his mother any longer.

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  50. Anonymous12:17 pm

    'My pulse as yours doth temperately keep time,
    and makes as healthful music'

    Act 3 Sc 4

    Hamlet tries to convince his mother of his sanity, since he after all, has the same pulse beat and his body works the same as hers

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  51. Anonymous12:21 pm

    'This bodiless creation ecstacy is very cunning in.'

    This quotation depicts the queen's belief that Hamlet has gone mad and is living in his own world.

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  52. Anonymous12:24 pm

    'Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose -
    From the fair forehead of an innocent love,
    And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows
    As false as dicers' oaths..'

    Shakespeare uses metaphors to show Hamlet's view on his mother's marriage. Hamlet's tone is both blunt and forceful to make the Queen fully aware of what she has done and how he sees it.

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  53. Anonymous12:24 pm

    'Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose -
    From the fair forehead of an innocent love,
    And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows
    As false as dicers' oaths..'

    Shakespeare uses metaphors to show Hamlet's view on his mother's marriage. Hamlet's tone is both blunt and forceful to make the Queen fully aware of what she has done and how he sees it.

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  54. Anonymous12:24 pm

    'Use almost can change the stamp of nature,
    And either... the devil, or throw him out
    With wondrous potency'

    Act 3 Sc 4

    Hamlet explains to his mother that she can better herself if she changes her habits, she can become good natured in the same way that she became bad natured, through marriage to Claudius.

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  55. Anonymous12:26 pm

    "Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul."
    this shows that the Queen acknowledges what she has done.

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  56. Anonymous12:29 pm

    'Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul,
    And there i see such black and grained spots
    As will not leave their tinct.'

    The Queen has grown increasingly distressed under Hamlet's onslaught on insults. He dominates over her and succeeds in making her aware of what she has done.

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  57. Anonymous12:33 pm

    'Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works -
    Speak to her Hamlet.'

    Act 3 Scene 4

    The ghost is lettimg Hamlet know the queen is in a vulnerable position also Hamlet should try to make peace with her.

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  58. Anonymous11:54 am

    'In my heart there was a kind of fighting'
    Act 5 Sc 2

    Explaining his rash behaviour with Laertes on Ophelias grave.

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  59. Anonymous11:58 am

    ' There's a letter for you sir, it comes from th'ambassador '

    Act 4 Scene 6 Line 8

    Dramatic device

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  60. Anonymous11:58 am

    'O gentle son,
    Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
    Sprinkle cool patience.'

    This quotation shows how Gertrude is attempting a motherly role with Hamlet. She tries to calm him down by talking sweetly to him, and does this by using metaphors such as 'sprinkle cool patience.'

    (Act 3 Scene 4 Line 123-125)

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  61. Anonymous11:59 am

    "He that hath killed my king and whored my mother; Popped in between the election and my hopes
    Thrown out his angle for my proper life"
    Act 5 Sc 2

    Here, Hamlet talks for the first time about his 'hopes' to become King, and that maybe his reason for wanting revenge on Claudius is not only that he killed his father and married mother, but that he has usurped him a the net rightful king.

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  62. Anonymous12:00 pm

    'I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers
    Could not, with all their quantity of love..'

    In this quotation Hamlet trries to upstage Laerties by showing his love for Ophelia.

    HS

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  63. Anonymous12:02 pm

    ' Now must your conscience my acquittance seal'

    Act 4 Scene 7 Line 1 YEH YEH =)

    This shows the king is manipulating Laertes by using his grief to make him side with him

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  64. Anonymous12:03 pm

    'Tis a chough, but as i say, spacious in the possession of dirt

    Act 5 sc 2

    Hamlet shows his real opinion of the landed gentry, in tis case he is criticising the obsequious and foolish Osric

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  65. Anonymous12:04 pm

    "Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech"

    The king tries to control Laerties and reminds him about the plan they made about killing Hamlet last night.

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  66. Anonymous12:05 pm

    'She is so conjunctive to my life and soul.'

    Act 4 Scene 7 Line 13

    The king speaking of Gertrude implies that he may love her

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  67. Anonymous12:05 pm

    'This is the very coinage of your brain;
    This bodiless creation of ecstasy
    Is very cunning in.'

    Gertrude implies that Hamlet has gone mad. The 'bodiless..cunning in' implies that the madness is good at creating 'ghosts' or 'visions'. 'Ecstasy' induces madness and hallucination. Gertrude is alarmed to see Hamlet talking to the air, therefore thinks it is a skillful way in which Hamlet gets his point across.

    (Act 3 Scene 4 Line 138-140)

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  68. Anonymous12:09 pm

    'by the image of his cause, I see the portraiture of his'

    act 5 Sc 2

    Hamlet admits that he and Laertes have parallels, and this perhaps shows that Shakespeare meant them to reflect each other, and here he is highlighting their similarities and differences.

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  69. Anonymous12:11 pm

    'Will you be ruled by me?'

    Act 4 Scene 7 Line 59

    This shows a lack of adequate kingship as he's asking to be obeyed not commanding to be obeyed. However it could be argued that he is speaking to Laertes as an equal so to gain his trust and respect.

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  70. Anonymous12:13 pm

    'That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once..'

    This quotation shows Hamlet's emotional side, which makes him interpret the skull in another way.

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  71. Anonymous12:16 pm

    'Mother for love of grace,
    Lay not that flattering uncton to your soul,
    That not your trespass, but my madness speaks.'

    Gertrude is convinced mainly by Hamlet’s insistence and power of feeling. Her tendency to be dominated by powerful men and her need for men to show her what to think and how to feel.

    (Act 3 Scene 4 Line 145-147)

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  72. Anonymous12:17 pm

    'Revenge should have no bounds'

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  73. Anonymous12:17 pm

    'Is she to be buried in christian burial when she wilfully seeks her own salvation?'

    People are questioning whether Ophelia should have a Christian burial or not because she killed herself, so they do not see what reasons are in favour of having a funeral possession.

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  74. Anonymous12:19 pm

    'I must be cruel only to be kind.'

    Hamlet is showing his mother the way in which he needs to take action in order to bring justice to his father's death.

    (Act 3 Scene 4 Line 179)

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  75. Anonymous12:21 pm

    'Heaven hath pleased it so
    To punish me with this, and this with me'

    Though Hamlet has not achieved his vengeance upon Claudius, he believes that God has used him as a tool of vengeance to punish Polonius’s sins and punish Hamlet’s sins by staining his soul with the murder.

    (Act 3 Scene 4 Line 174-175)

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  76. Anonymous12:22 pm

    'You will lose this wager my Lord'

    Act 5 Sc 2

    This suggests that Horatio fears for his friend Hamlet's safety in the duel, that he may be the weaker of the two.

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  77. Anonymous12:24 pm

    'His liberty is full of threats to all;'

    The King speaks to the Queen, telling her that Hamlet is a 'mad young man' who needs to be locked up.

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  78. Anonymous12:25 pm

    'Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince,'

    Act 5 sc 2

    This line is said just Hamlet dies, it is Horatios way of saying goodbye

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  79. Anonymous12:27 pm

    "And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up."

    Act 4 Scene & Line 179

    we are given an angelic image of ophelia. Such an innocent portrial of her character emphasizes the male characters flaws

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  80. i'm having trouble with the part where horatio say's "if there be anygood thing to be done
    that may to thee do ease, and grace me..... etc...etc... (lines 141-152 Act 1 Scene 1). i have to analysis it could someone help me with it? please??

    ReplyDelete