1600-ish

1
The Tragical History of Hamlet

• 1600-ish

2
Origins

• The plot of Shakespeares version is based
  largely on the plot of the Scandinavian legend of
  Amleth, son of the king of Jutland (now Denmark).

3
Setting

• The action takes place around Elsinore Castle in
  (what is now) Kronborg, Denmark

4
Plot

• Hamlets father, King Hamlet
• dies under suspicious
• circumstances and Hamlets uncle
• quickly marries the Queen.
• Hamlets fathers ghost visits Hamlet and tells
  him to avenge his death at the hands of Claudius,
  the uncle.
• Hamlet wants to please his father but does not
  want to commit a murder if the ghost is a figment
  of his imagination, so he procrastinates and
  thinks and thinks and thinks, acting insane the
  whole time in order to buy some more time to
  think.

5
Themes

• The nature (and mystery) of life and death
• What it means to be sane and insane
• The workings of fate upon an individual
• The difficulty of achieving certainty before you
  act
• The slipperiness of language and meaning
• Diseased relationships family and societal
  dysfunction resulting in spying and deceit

6
The Pivotal Play Scene

• Has the effect of bringing the audience into the
  play as they watch characters watching a play
• Reveals to King Claudius that Hamlet is aware of
  the details of his fathers murder
• Reveals to Queen Gertrude Hamlets true feelings
  about her quick marriage to Claudius
• All of the action that takes place afterward is a
  direct result of what is revealed in this scene
• (the Kings order that Hamlet be sent to
  England, Poloniuss death, Hamlets rebuke of his
  mother, Laertess quest for revenge, Ophelias
  madness, etc.)

7
Mirror Images (Foils)

• King Hamlet (good) and Claudius (bad)
• King Hamlet is manly, regal, and honest
• Claudius is sneaky, drunken, and conniving
• Gertrude (bad) and Ophelia (good)
• Gertrude is unfaithful, lustful, and a symbol for
  human corruption
• Ophelia is innocence, purity, and a symbol for
  the wholesomeness of nature

8
Mirror Images (Foils)

• Horatio (good) and Polonius (bad)
• Horatio is humble, honest, and wise
• Polonius is vain, deceitful, and a babbler
• Horatio (good) and Rosencrantz/Guildenstern (bad)
• Horatio is loyal, honest, and virtuous
• R G are disloyal, sneaky, and fake

9
Mirror Images (Foils)

• Hamlet and Laertes (both good and bad)
• Both seek revenge for wrongs against their
  families
• Hamlet is more thoughtful while Laertes acts
  without thinking
• Both meet their doom
• Both are generally sympathetic characters though
  very flawed
• Both are similar to the young Fortinbras, but
  Fortinbras gets to live at the end because he
  exercised self-control in not attacking Denmark
  as he had originally planned

10
The Sickness that Spreads from Unnatural Deeds

• The murder leads to
• Relationship dysfunction
• The end of wholesome, young love / the growth of
  unnatural love
• Spying and secrets
• The death of nearly everybody
• Insanity
• Remorse and sadness
• The fall of an entire kingdom

11
Themes Appearances vs. Reality

• Hamlet pretends to be crazy while a good deal of
  the rest of the characters play-act in front of
  Hamlet to try to figure him out
• Hamlet sees through most of what is going on,
  particularly with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
  whose pretend friendship he despises
• Hamlet unmasks King Claudius by the use of
  play-actors, which is ironic because they have
  all been masking their deeds by play-acting
  themselves around Hamlet

12
Selfish Actions Have Consequences

• The murder leads to a cover-up, which leads to
  lying and spying
• The disease of the cover-up spreads as more and
  more characters engage in sneaky activities
• The contagion of the dishonesty and deceit leads
  to the break up of the family and the deaths of
  most of the main characters

13
Language vs. Action

• Hamlet is young and inexperienced. He therefore
  has to talk himself into killing his uncle,
  though the effect of his talk and thoughts is to
  make him less inclined to go through with it.
• Words and thoughts dull the passions and lead to
  questions and uncertainties that delay action.

14
Loss of Hope Ruins the Joy of Life

• Hamlet wants to die because of what was occurred
  to his father
• The shock of the death is compounded both by how
  his father dies and what he is asked to do to
  avenge it.
• Hamlet has an appreciation for the beauty of
  nature and the greatness of mankinds potential,
  but he is completely disappointed by both and
  finds no joy in either, under the circumstances.

15
Hamlet Good Prince or Monster?

• Feels a great deal of loyalty to his father, the
  murdered King
• Has an affectionate, thoughtful nature that
  doesnt turn to violence easily
• Condemns dishonesty and improper family
  relationships
• Is loyal to true friends like Horatio
• Kills Polonius without knowing who is behind the
  curtain
• Condemns King Claudiuss soul to Hell by waiting
  to kill him at a time when he is sinning
• Is the cause of the death of Rosencrantz and
  Guildenstern
• Is cruel to Ophelia after the ghosts visit
• Selfishly quarrels with Laertes on top of
  Ophelias casket

16
Those Tainted by the Contagion are Killed

• Gruesome deaths
• King Claudius dies for his murder
• Hamlet and Laertes die for their lack of
  self- control
• Gertrude dies for her lust and infidelity
• Polonius dies for his foolishness and deceit
• Poetic deaths
• Ophelias death is described as tragic but
  beautiful to show that innocence and
  naturalness cannot survive in such a corrupted
  state as Denmark