Hamlet Act I Scene ii

-Characters: King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Horatio, Marcellus
-Hamlet's first line in the story is, "A little more than kin and less than kind"

-This is situational irony, showing that Hamlet does not like Claudius
-Hamlet's outward expressions of grief are not what hr truly feels
-He acknowledges that people can do a lot of things without integrity and that what's on the outside doesn't always show understanding
-People aren't necessarily grieving for his father; Hamlet is hiding his emotions
-His "parents" (mother and Uncle) make Hamlet aware that he is next in line for the throne, but also try to keep him in check
-"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"
-Hamlet's "best" isn't going to be what he should do, but rather what he wants to do
-Wishes he could be somewhere else where he wouldn't have to deal with everything going on (very angry about it); also wishes suicide wasn't dissent
-he's not giving up, he's just mad
-Queen Gertrude married so quickly; she should've mourned longer if she truly loved Hamlet
-Hamlet tries to make himself honorable in determining what's sinful or sinworthy
-His character changes from "playing" his parents to releasing his feelings and exposing himself in monolog to becoming and investigative detective when it comes to the two guards and his father's "ghost"
-His character is passionate in monlog, diplomatic in parental relations, and controlling and dispassionate when dealing with a "case"
-Hamlet seems to more or less trust and respect his guards