Hamlet ~ Act 1 Scene 1

1) How is interest created in the opening scene? 
Talk about ghosts (and taking to ghosts) and setting up a play full of revenge.



2) What information are we given to help us understand the situation?
The backstory of the upcoming war. Old Fortinbras challenged King Hamlet to duel. They fought in hand-to-hand combat and King Hamlet killed Fortinbras, and took some land. Young Fortinbras wants revenge and wants to get the land back. He is raising an army and Denmark thinks he is going use it to fight for the land.



3) What happens at the end of the scene to create suspense and keep up the reader’s interest?
The three men plan to tell Hamlet that they are pretty sure they have seen King Hamlet's ghost.




4) What is the mood of the scene?
They are timid. The whole situation has an eerie vibe because they are trying to talk to a ghost





5) Why are the sentries apprehensive (there are two reasons)?
They are worried that because Horatio says the appearance of the dead King means something bad will happen to the country, they are afraid that Denmark might loss the war.

They are trying to communicate with a ghost.




6) What reasons are suggested by Horatio for the appearance of the late King’s ghost?
The nation is in trouble and the king has returned to warn the people of oncoming terror. Horatio think that because important figures usually come to warn bad omens, he thinks Denmark it going to lose the war they are preparing for against Norway. 

Beloved - theme and character list

Themes:
Abandonment
Supernatural Hauntings vs. Reality


Characters:
Sethe -
Denver - Sethe's daughter
Baby Suggs -Sethe's dead mother-in-law
Howard - Sethe's son who ran away
Buglar - Sethe's son who ran away
Beloved - Sethe's dead baby girl who haunts the house
Paul D - Man from Sweet Home
Halle - Sethe's possibly/most likely dead husband/baby daddy
Paul A
Paul F
Sixo


Setting:
(Ohio is right across the river from Kentucky)
(Ohio is free state, Kentucky is major slave state)


Sweet Home - ironic because it isn't a sweet home

124 - (3 is missing, Beloved is the 3rd child), Haunted House, before haunted it was a way station,



Motifs:
Ghosts/Hauntings



Symbols:
'Tree' on Sethe's back - Chokeberry tree,



Other Important Stuff:
~Past - acting on - present
~Escaping the past ~ How do you escape something that was traumatic?
~The journey from Slavery to freedom
~Idea of life and death and crossing over
~Ohio River
~Denver is born on the Ohio River, which isn't in KY or OH; this gives her hope for a better life than Sethe had
~