A Play by William Shakespeare Hamlet A Play by William Shakespeare

Key Facts Full Title: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Author: Will Shakespeare Type of Work: Play Genre: Tragedy, revenge tragedy Time and Place Written: London, England (1600-1602) Date of Publication: 1603 Protagonist: Hamlet Setting (Time): late medieval period Setting (Place): Castle Elsinore, Denmark Tone: Dark, ironic, passionate, desperate, violent

Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula Revenge play popular in English theater from late 1500s to early 1600s. Can be traced back to Roman dramatist Seneca Seneca drew the line of action and his ability to drench the stage in gore This appealed to the Elizabethan audience Hamlet= intense emotion and physical violence Through characters and actions Shakespeare probes the nature of death, fate, and madness.

The Formula 1. A ghost who demands revenge 2. Hero disguises himself to get info to justify his acts of revenge 3. Female character goes mad due to grief 4. Scheming politician, king, or military leader murders for lust and power 5. Some circumstance delays the consummation of his plot 6. The act of revenge demands the death of the revenger

Shakespeare’s Tragedies Most powerful studies of human nature and literature Will’s plays stand as the greatest achievements of dramatic artistry Hamlet, most famous play There are 9 tragedies

All the World’s a Stage The Globe Theater Built in 1599 Capacity 1,200 Performances held only in the day Scenery minimal Very few props Burned in 1613 due to canon in the production of Henry VIII Rebuilt in 1614 Burned 30 years later by Puritans 1997 rebuilt

Royals and Rich sit here Some with money sit here Commoners and Peasants stand on ground for 2 pence

Not Totally Original, But… Play based on story of Amleth, 9th century Danish prince French story (1576) by Francois de Belleforest Some scholars believe Shakespeare most influenced by a play about the Danish work Play is lost How much of Hamlet is really original????? Shakespeare’s characters more thoughtful and dynamic Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most intellectually engaging play

The Players Cast of Hamlet

Hamlet Protagonist Son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, nephew to present king Student at the University of Wittenberg 30 years of age Prone to rash and impulsive acts

Claudius Antagonist Villain of the play Newly crowned king of Denmark Ambitious politician driven by sexual desires and a lust for power Does show signs of human feeling Love for Gertrude seems sincere

Gertrude Queen of Denmark Hamlet's mom Loves Hamlet Weak, needs affection Cares more for status then truth and morals

Ophelia Polonius’s daughter Hamlet’s off-again-on-again girlfriend She is sweet and innocent Obeys the men in her life Dependent on the men to tell her how to behave and what to think

Horatio Hamlet’s best friend 30 years old Studies with him at the university Loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play

Polonius Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court Ophelia and Laertes’ father Conniving and pompous old man

Laertes Spends much of the play in France He is passionate and quick to action Serves as a foil to Hamlet

Ghost Ghost of King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father Not sure to trust the ghost Hamlet suspects that it might be there to trick him into murder Why and where it comes from, never resolved

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Think…Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber Former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg Summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover cause of Hamlet’s behavior

Fortinbras (Prince) Prince of Norway King Hamlet killed King Fortinbras Prince wants revenge Wishes to attack Denmark Foil to Prince Hamlet

Themes and Motifs 1. The Impossibility of Certainty- Hamlet questions: Certain knowledge about ghosts Ghost- is a friend or a foe Certain crime facts if no witnesses Can he know the state of Claudius’s soul by watching his behavior Can we know if our actions will have the consequences we want them to have The play shows us how many uncertainties our lives are built upon

Themes 2. The Mystery of Death- Hamlet obsessed with death after his father’s death Death tied to themes of spirituality, truth, actions and uncertainty Will death bring answers to Hamlet’s deepest questions Death both cause and consequence of revenge Hamlet contemplates suicide- is it morally legit action in a painful world?

Motifs Recurring structures, contrasts, or lit devices that help develop and inform the texts’ major themes 1. Incest and Incestuous Desire Claudius and Gertrude Laertes and Ophelia Hamlet and Gertrude 2. Misogyny Gertrude’s marriage causes Hamlet to become cynical about women 3. Words and Language Hamlet’s difficulty in getting the truth comes from the slipperiness of the language Words can be used to distort truth and manipulate people (men use words to enhance their power)

Save Room For…. Ophelia Syndrome Fratag’s Chart Garden of Evil Reference