1. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Hamlet

2. Background/Important Vocabulary Hamlet is a tragedy Tragedy – a medieval narrative poem/tale that describes the downfall of a great man  Downfall = loss of power or destruction

3. What is a Soliloquy? A long, serious speech that a character in a play makes to an audience. It reveals the character’s thoughts by a character speaking to himself or herself The character shares his or her thoughts and feelings, (shared with the audience)

4. Example of a Soliloquy A famous soliloquy from Hamlet  “To be, or not to be, that is the question… From Romeo and Juliet  O Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo…

5. Characters Hamlet  Prince of Denmark, son of Queen Gertrude and King Hamlet  He is bitter and full of hatred for his uncle  He is a young man who is indecisive, but also very impulsive Claudius  Hamlet’s uncle, the new King of Denmark  He plays the villain of the play  He craves power

6. Characters Gertrude  Hamlet’s mother, the Queen of Denmark  She married Claudius after Prince Hamlet’s dad died  She is very shallow and weak Horatio  Hamlet’s good friend. He is loyal and helpful.  He tells Hamlet’s story

7. Characters The Ghost  Spirit of Hamlet’s father  Claims that Claudius murdered him  He wants Hamlet to get revenge for killing him Marcellus & Bernardo  Officers who work for Hamlet Polonius  He is a Lord in Claudius’s court  He is arrogant

8. Characters Ophelia & Laertes  Son and daughter of Polonius  Hamlet is in love with Ophelia who is sweet and innocent Francisco  A soldier/guardsman at Elsinore Voltimand & Cornelius  Courtiers - Messengers  Claudius sends them to Norway to convince the king to prevent an attack from Fortinbras The prince of Norway

9. Assignment: Journal What is a tragedy? In your own words, define tragedy. Tell about a tragedy that you know of. This can be something that happened personally to you, your country or to the world. Save this in your English folder as “Hamlet Journal”. Make sure you type the date before responding to the journal. You will keep all journal entries on one page and include the date for each.