Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2 summary
Act 1, Scene 2 of 20 · 10 min to read the scene
In Act 1, Scene 2, Claudius handles a threat from Fortinbras, permits Laertes to leave, and urges Hamlet to stop mourning and remain at court. Alone, Hamlet condemns his mother's quick marriage, but Horatio's account of a ghost resembling his father turns his distress toward suspected wrongdoing and a plan to investigate.
What happens
- Claudius explains his marriage to Gertrude and sends Cornelius and Voltemand to Norway to seek restraint of Fortinbras.
- With Polonius's consent, Laertes receives permission to return to France.
- Gertrude and Claudius urge Hamlet to moderate his grief and abandon Wittenberg; Hamlet agrees to obey his mother.
- Alone, Hamlet wishes he could die and bitterly condemns his mother's swift marriage to his uncle.
- Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo report sightings of an armored figure resembling Hamlet's father.
- Hamlet asks for secrecy, arranges to join their watch, and suspects wrongdoing.
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In this scene
What to notice
Hamlet turns from private grief toward suspicion. The reported armor helps prompt his decision to investigate the apparition.
Quick check
What does Hamlet arrange after hearing the witnesses?
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