Reading LogA. Vocabulary

1. rummage 1.1.119- bustle, commotionOf this posthaste and rummage in the land. 2. retrograde 1.2.118- opposite, contraryIt is most retrograde to our desire, 3. censure 1.3.75- critic, judgment, expression of disapproval Take each mans censure, but reserve thy judgment. 4. shrewdly 1.4.1- keenly, intensivelyThe air bites shrewdly; it is very cold. 5. plausive 1.4.33- pleasing The form of plausive manners that these men,

B. SummaryOn a dark cold night outside the royal Danish palace, Barnardo, Marcellus, Horatio and Francisco had an encounter with a ghost, at first Horatio expresses doubt that the ghost will appear. Claudius and Gertrude, the King and Queen of Denmark announced their marriage to the court. This marriage has followed quickly after the death of Old Hamlet, Claudiuss brother. Then, there is Ophelia, Hamlets love interest. Laertes advises her about her relationship with Hamlet, he tells her to forget him because he, as the Prince of Denmark, is too much to hope for as a husband. The guards informed Hamlet about the ghosts appearance; he talked to his fathers ghost and the ghost gave him an advice to get away from the others. Alone with Hamlet, the ghost finally speaks. He tells Hamlet that he has come on a nightly walk from Purgatory, where his soul is under continual torment for the sins of his life. The ghost then reveals that he was not killed by a viper, as officially announced, but was murdered.

C. ReactionReading Shakespeares Hamlet is really a challenge for me, because, firstly, its my first time reading one of William Shakespeares work, I had to read some translation in the internet for me to understand the story further. In act 1, it focuses on the uncertainties and betrayals that accompany such shifts in power and the general sense of anxiety and fear that surround them. After reading, researching and discussing act 1 of Hamlet, I was so fascinated in a way, on how Shakespeare write his works. I am looking forward to read the next acts. He is really a genius.

Reading LogAct 1Scenes 1-5A. VocabularyWordLine1. Comart - 1.1 line 105 - Bargain - Had he been vanquisher, as, by the same comart2. Countenance- 1.2 line 247 - n. Face; expression - A countenance more in sorrow than in anger3. Imminent - 1.3 line 46 - adj. Ready to happen; inevitable - Contagious blastments are most imminent.4. Clepe - 1.4 line 21 - Call - They clepe us drunkards and with swinish phrase.5. Arrant - 1.5 line 138 - Complete - But hes an arrant knaveB. Summary

King Hamlet is dead, and Prince Hamlet has returned to Denmark, only to discover that Queen Gertrude, his mother, has married his Uncle Claudius. Hamlet is informed that what is apparently the ghost of his dead father has appeared to the palace guards. When he later confronts the ghost, Hamlet learns that Claudius murdered his father.

C. Reaction

I could say that Shakespeare is really fascinating by the way he puts up his words and their meanings. It takes time for an ordinary person to apprehend his plays. I have downloaded different versions of the book just to understand it. I notice that when the sentence is translated, the value of the meaning differs. Its like, from sublime to cute. The character of Claudius is common, someone who would kill and betray people even his relatives for the sake of power and lust. As for the Queen, I dont like what she did; it was like betraying his husband though King Hamlet was already dead.