LIT 2001 Major English Writers 1 William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Popularity of Hamlet and Hamlet Over twenty film versions of Hamlet have been produced just since World War II. More has been written about Hamlet than about any other literary character. Is Hamlet the most intelligent character in literature?

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Hamlet as a “Problem” Play Notice the ambiguities in the play Why does it take Hamlet so long to try to kill Claudius? Why does Hamlet decide to act insane? Does Hamlet really go insane? What does Gertrude know?

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Ideas and Themes to Notice in Hamlet Deception / Appearance and Reality Passion and Reason Decay and Corruption Melancholy Madness and Sanity Revenge (Hamlet, Fortinbras, Laertes) Misogyny

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet What does the literary term “foil” refer to, and who are two of the primary foils to Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet? What about these characters makes them foils? “Foil” = “any person that enhances or underscores the distinctive characteristics of another” The terms comes from something similar to the foil used around the bulb in a flashlight. Who are the primary foils to Hamlet in the play, and why? Laertres and Fortinbras: How are they similar to and different from Hamlet?

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Passages to Examine Page 5: Introduction to Hamlet (“Take thy fair hour, Laertes”) Page 6: Hamlet’s first soliloquy (“O, that this too too solid flesh would melt”) Page 10-11: Ophelia and Polonius (“Farewell, Ophelia; and remember well”)

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Passages to Examine Page 25: Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet (“What should we say, my lord?”) Page 31: Hamlet’s second soliloquy (“Now I am alone”) Page 33: Hamlet’s third soliloquy (“To be, or not to be: that is the question”)

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Passages to Examine Page 33: Hamlet and Ophelia (“The fair Ophelia!”) Page 36: Hamlet and Horatio (“Here, sweet lord, at your service”) Page 44: Claudius’ confession (“O, my offense is rank”)

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Summary of Events Hamlet’s bitter argument with Ophelia Hamlet’s cruelty Ophelia’s mistake Ophelia’s comments after Hamlet leaves: “O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!” (page 34) The play within the play (“The Mouse-trap”) and what it reveals Claudius’s confession in soliloquy The killing of Polonius

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Summary of Events Hamlet sent to England and what happens on the way there Laertes returns from France and demands justice from Claudius Ophelia goes mad and drowns Hamlet returns Laertes conspires with Claudius to kill Hamlet

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Changes in Hamlet Hamlet seeing Fortinbras: “How all occasions do inform against me” (page 54) The graveyard scene (pages 68-69) Hamlet and Horatio (page 70, page 74): very important! “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, / Rough- hew them as we will” “There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow”

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Summary of Events All hell breaks loose at the end Claudius’ callousness Many characters die Fortinbras takes over after Hamlet names him as his successor The catharsis. (Aristotle—the end of a tragedy involves a catharsis = a purging or cleansing of the emotions of pity and fear. Tragedy arouses the emotions of pity and fear in order to purge away their excess)

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet All of the Characters who Die are Corrupted Polonius Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Ophelia Gertrude Laertes Claudius Hamlet