Hamlet Journal

(1) Act 1, Scene 5, line 32

Ghost: I find thee apt,
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed
That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,
Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear.
'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forgèd process of my death
Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
Now wears his crown.

(2) Paraphrase: a. The ghost is glad that Hamlet is so excited about revenging the father’s death. The ghost explained how his death was meant to look and that his death was a lie. Then the ghost informed Hamlet who was responsible for his death. Hamlet’s uncle is the one who murdered his father. (3) My comments b. I think that this is the start of the book; before this the book was just getting you use to the characters. When the ghost appears to Hamlet he is eager to get revenge for his father’s death. But when the ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle is the one who kills him; I feel like when this is revealed it took the story to a new level. First your father just died, your mom married your uncle and now all of a sudden a ghost appears to tell you that his death was a lie. On top of it being a lie, the person who did it was your uncle. I think this is going to make Hamlet lose control over him. He will either go into a deep depression or he is going to be so angry and not be able to control himself.

Hamlet Journal #2

(1) Act 2, Scene 1, line 77

Ophelia: My Lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head; his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyvèd to his ankle;
Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosèd out of hell
To speak of horrors—he comes