Symbols and Allusions of Act I

Hyperion and the satyr

In Hamlet's soliloquy of I.ii, he compares his father the King to Claudius, saying that such a pairing would be like that of Hyperion and a satyr. Hyperion is the sun god, obviously standing for radiance, light, purity, righteousness and morality. Satyrs are mythical creatures that were half man, half goat and often associated with terrible immorality and lewdness. Hamlet's opinion of Claudius becomes apparent at this point, as before the reader wasn't exactly sure how he felt about his uncle. However, by comparing Claudius to a well-known creature of ill-propriety, the reader is able to grasp the poor feelings that Hamlet has towards his uncle. It's interesting to note, though, that Hamlet chooses a creature whose primary stereotype is one of lust and lechery; it's possible that much of Hamlet's disdain stems only from the fact that Claudius married his mother, with no other reasonable evidence to accuse him of being of poor character.

Drink (alcohol)

Different forms of alcohol and drinking are often referenced in Act I: Claudius celebrates throughout the night with a drinking game, Hamlet jokes that the drinks from his father's funeral were served at his mother's wedding and Hamlet speaks about how his country's reputation is often ruined by their drinking habits. The actual purpose of alcohol is to drink, for a celebration or to have fun. Often people go too far and end up getting drunk and making inattentive mistakes that are always harmful in some way. One must be wary with alcohol; it's fun up to a point, where the fun sharply takes a turn in a polar opposite direction. In a way I feel that this could be a symbol for Hamlet himself. An air of mystery seems to surround him and, as evinced by Ophelia,  people are drawn to him and pine for him from afar, like a kid would view driving a car. But Ophelia is warned to stay away from Hamlet, told that his proclamations of love are fabricated and I feel as if this is similar to alcohol's effect. It's a wonderful thing until you reach a certain point, marked by a fine line, where it becomes something that causes you and the people around you harm.

xoxo, Rachel Cantore