| Quotation | Who said it to whom | Act / Scene | What it tells the audience |
| ‘… valiant Hamlet’ | Horatio about King Hamlet | 1.1 | King Hamlet was brave (left a great deal for his son to live up to). He was well respected by his people. |
| ‘… the sheeted dead’ |
Horatio recalls omens that preceded Caesar’s death |
1.1 |
Sets up the idea that disasters lie ahead following the sight of the Ghost. |
| ‘… the morn, in russet mantle clad’ | Horatio as the sun rises | 1.1 | Beautiful personification/imagery of the sunrise. |
| ‘…our dear brother’s death The memory be green…’ | Claudius to court | 1.1 | Irony of ‘dear’ – as he’s his brother’s killer. Acknowledges the death was recent. |
|
‘A little more than kin, and less than kind’ |
Hamlet aside about Claudius |
1.1 |
Uses puns to show that he’s unhappy with Claudius being so closely related now he’s wed Gertrude. First words from Hamlet – tells audience he’s witty, clever and not a fan of Claudius! |
| ‘… my inky cloak’ | Hamlet about his sadness | 1.1 |
A metaphor to show how miserable Hamlet is as he grieves for his father. |
|
‘… ’tis unmanly grief’ |
Claudius to Hamlet |
1.1 |
Claudius suggests that Hamlet’s grieving is excessive. Shows Claudius’ evil nature as it is he who has caused Hamlet’s grief. |
|
‘O, that this too too solid flesh would melt’ |
Hamlet’s first soliloquy |
1.2 |
Considers suicide – won’t because it’s against God’s law. Blank verse shows status and soliloquy reveals honest emotions. |
| ‘Hyperion to a satyr’ | ditto | 1.2 |
Describes father as sun God and Claudius as a satyr (lecherous men / goat creatures). |
|
‘… frailty, thy name is woman’ |
ditto |
1.2 |
Condemns all women for being weak – based on his mother’s too speedy marriage – first evidence of misogynous tendencies? |
| ‘O, most wicked speed’ | ditto | 1.2 |
Hamlet’s fury at how quickly his mother re- married. |
| ‘… incestuous sheets’ | ditto | 1.2 | Sees the marriage as immoral – like incest. |
|
‘But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue’ |
ditto |
1.2 |
Genuine grief – we feel sympathy for Hamlet – wants to try and contain his disapproval. |
| ‘… All is not well. / I doubt some foul play’ | Hamlet on own | 1.2 | He believes that his father’s ghost is a sign that his death was suspicious. |