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SceneFiend library

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare - Stage play

Stage playStageACT I, Scene 2
Edwin Booth posed in costume as Hamlet.

J. Gurney & Son, N.Y.Public domainWikimedia Commons

Roles

  • King Claudius - Adult (36-50), Senior (>50), Male

About this piece

King Claudius addresses Hamlet about the mourning of his father

Summary

The play is set in Denmark at the Castle Elsinore. The King Hamlet has just died and his brother, Claudius, has replaced him and also married his dead brother's wife, Gertrude. In the second scene of ACT I, Claudius addresses the court on his recent marriage to Gertrude, on political matters and also gives his blessings to Laertes, the son of the Lord Chamberlain Polonius, who is about to leave for France. He then turns to Hamlet, who is still mourning his father and doesn't seem to get over it. Even if is natural to mourn his father's death, he exhorts him to get over it. To persevere in his mourning, he argues, is "unmanly" and shows that he has no character. The king also says Hamlet is the next in line for the throne and urges him not to go back to school in Wittenberg but to remain with them.

Tone

Persuasive

Use cases

classaudition
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Library metadata only. SceneFiend never includes script text here - pick up the published version to rehearse.

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