DRJ #1: Hamlet, Act I

        After reading the first act, I initially felt sorry for Hamlet for the loss of his father. Everyone else seemed to sympathize with him, but they all felt that his grieving process was far too long and that it was time for him to move on with his life. Losing a family member is hard enough as it is, but Hamlet's mother married Claudius soon after his father's death. All of these changes must have been hard to accept. I thought the fact that his mother married Claudius was strange, and wondered why she would get married so quickly.

        So far Hamlet cannot be described as a protagonist or an antagonist. Of course, murdering someone would in no way make you a protagonist, however, he was seeking revenge against his father's murderer. I don't think Hamlet is normally a violent person, so I'm not sure how to categorize him. He doesn't cause any conflict intentionally; the ghost of his father was the one who gave him the idea to seek revenge against the murderer. He didn't exactly give his son an option, he ordered him to do it. Hamlet's loyalty obviously remains with his father and he wouldn't want to disappoint him. Hamlet clearly was angry at the murderer for killing his father, which would be another contributing factor for revenge. 

       One of the main themes in the first act could be loyalty. Remaining loyal to family members was very important to Hamlet, and he wanted to stay faithful to his father even after his death. He was torn between the loyalty of his mother and father. His mother marrying Claudius was much to his dismay, but he did love her.