Hamlet opens with a question, "Who's there?", and there are 421 question marks in the text (well, at least in the New Folger edition). The word "question" also appears 15 times in the text. As you read the play, wonder for a while about all these questions.
Read the first exchange between Bernardo and Francisco. Pause. Read it again. Who is coming on duty? Who asks the question? What on earth is going on here?
Starting at line 70, Marcellus tells us a little about the state of the kingdom of Denmark right now. Starting at line 79, Horatio tells him why things are like this. The language is a little dense here, but it's worth pausing & trying to summarize (in your own words) what's happening in Denmark as the play opens. Aim for just a few sentences.
Consider how language reveals character in this scene. Start with Claudius's speech (1.2.1-39)
Look for:
Use of royal “we” (public issues) vs. “I” (private issues): Why does Claudius continue to use the royal “we” when addressing Hamlet, whom he calls “son”?
Antithesis: Balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases or sentences in parallel grammatical form. (“An auspicious and a drooping eye.”) What feelings do these juxtapositions evoke?
Diction: why does Claudius remember old Hamlet with “wisest” sorrow rather than with “deepest” sorrow? Why does he say it “befitted” them to bear their “hearts in grief”?
Order of ideas he presents: Although Hamlet’s mourning is of major concern to Claudius, why does he justify his marriage to Gertrude, deal with Norway’s impending invasion, and respond to Laertes’s petition before he addresses Hamlet?
Next, think about the exchange between Claudius & Hamlet 1.2.66-116
When Claudius says, “But now, my cousin Hamlet and my son,” what does he really want? What is he thinking? Why might he choose a public place to greet Hamlet?
When Hamlet says “ ‘Seems,’ madam? Nay, it is. I know not ‘seems,’” what does he really mean? What is he thinking about his mother?
Why does Hamlet use puns (like the pun on “kind” which can mean “affectionate” or “natural and lawful” in line 67, and the pun on “common” which can mean both “universal occurrence” and “vulgar” in line 76) and riddles (like his reply in line 69, “Not so, my lord. I am too much in the sun,” to Claudius’s question “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?”) When he speaks to Gertrude and Claudius?
Now, onto the first soliloquy. Watch several versions. Which do you think best conveys the richness of the text? Why?
directed by Laurence Olivier, Hamlet played by Laurence Olivier (1948)
directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson (1990)
directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh (1996)
directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke (2000)
directed by Gregory Doran, Hamlet played by David Tennant (2009)
1.3 Read and paraphrase this scene using contemporary language. Can you imagine a parallel situation from the modern world in which the words make sense?
Next, notice the relationships in this scene: Laertes- Ophelia; Polonius - Laertes; Polonius - Ophelia
What does each of these people want?
How do they treat each other?
How is this family similar to or different from the Claudius/Gertrude/Hamlet family?
the Old Hamlet/Gertrude/Hamlet family?
Finally, notice Polonius’s language in his “Give thy thoughts no tongue” speech; pay particular attention to his use of “but” constructions. What is their effect?
What can we infer about Polonius from his choice of words? What do Polonius’s words reveal about his beliefs, philosophy & values?
1.5.1-91 keep a list of the information revealed by the Ghost. What is the significance of this information?
1.5.92-199: Examine Hamlet’s language after he sees the Ghost and during his conversation with Horatio & Marcellus. What assumptions can we make about Hamlet’s state of mind from the words he uses and the way he speaks to his companions at this point in the play? Why does Hamlet decide to put on an “antic disposition”?
Branagh: https://youtu.be/g05x9X7mpcY
Zeffirelli: https://youtu.be/xH8cOhjdvHU