Good evening and welcome to another episode of Brush Up Your Shakespeare, where we make Shakespeare fun and easy.

After covering the introduction to Hamlet in our first episode, we are ready to jump into the play with Act 1, Scene 1.

The line we will be learning from this scene is, Tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart.

Say it with me, Tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart. Say it with me, tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart. And a third time, tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart.

As the curtain rises on Hamlet, we find ourselves outdoors in the middle of the night.

It is cold, very cold. We are in Denmark. That's why it's so cold at the Royal Castle, but not inside the castle, outside the castle on the

battlements with a lone guard standing watch, but he will not be alone for long.

And what is the first line of this greatest of all Shakespeare plays?

Who's there? Not kidding. Totally serious. That's the first line in its entirety.

Who's there?

It's like we've been dropped off unexpectedly in the middle of a knock-knock joke, or more importantly,

we have been dropped off unexpectedly in the middle of the action.

I was surprised on first reading Shakespeare

how quickly he throws the audience into the action of the play.

I was expecting a lot more flowery language and description to move a slowly into the plot.

But that's not how Shakespeare rolls and this is a good example.

Who's there?

So if you just ask who's there, you're already quoting Shakespeare.

See how easy this is?

And as the play progresses, we will see how significant this first line of who's there really is.

But who's there is not the quote we will be learning today. The quote

we will be learning is, Tis bitter, cold, and I am sick at heart, did you remember? Tis bitter, cold, and I am

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