In Shakespeare’s Time

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Going to the Globe

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark By William Shakespeare

Publication: Setting: Danish castle of Elsinore in the late Medieval periodPublication: Setting: Danish castle of Elsinore in the late Medieval period Background of the Play

Elizabethan Beliefs The marriage of a widow to her brother- in-law is forbidden. Ghosts are real. Suicide is considered an unforgivable sin for which the victim is condemned to hell or purgatory. A suicide victim cannot be buried in holy ground.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction There ’ s something rotten in the state of Denmark...

King Hamlet Gertrude Claudius Hamlet Polonius (King’s advisor) Laertes Ophelia (Hamlet’s love interest) Horatio=Hamlet’s friend Rosencrantz and Guildenstern=Hamlet’s school acquaintances King Fortinbras and Young Fortinbras (King of Norway and his son) (King Hamlet’s brother)

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction And now Claudius has declared himself king. Prince Hamlet returns home from university to discover that his father is dead and his mother has married his uncle Claudius.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction As if that’s not bad enough, the ghost of his father appears to Hamlet... He tells Hamlet that he’s been murdered by Claudius and demands that Hamlet get revenge.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction What should Hamlet do? Instead of jumping into any action, Hamlet broods over his options— and then starts acting very strange.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction He starts talking in riddles. He acts cruelly to Ophelia, a girl who loves him. He’s suspicious of everyone.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Introduction Will he make up his mind to take action? Why is Hamlet acting like this? Is he insane? Or faking insanity? Should he kill his uncle?

Three Plots 1.Main plot 2.Romance with Ophelia 3.Looming war with Norway

ThemesRevengeMortality Appearance and Reality CorruptionMadnessDoubt

The Characters…

Hamlet Tragic hero Educated Renaissance man living in a Medieval world A man of thought rather than action

King Claudius An effective, capable ‘ruler’-- he’s able to handle matters of state Power-hungryLustfulGreedy

Queen Gertrude Lustful Truly loves her son Unsuspecting, clueless Suspects that Hamlet is “mad” due to the death of his father/the remarriage of his mother

HoratioEducated Hamlet’s equal in intelligence He’s the only person Hamlet trusts Actually, everyone trusts him

Polonius Talks too much Spies on Hamlet and even his son, Laertes Uses his daughter as bait to trap Hamlet

Ophelia The only truly innocent person Hamlet’s love interest

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Educated but NOT as intelligent as Hamlet Old school friends of Hamlet Hamlet compares them to sponges!

Laertes Rash, bold, bad- tempered Cares deeply for his sister and father Plots with Claudius (Vengeful)

The Play Within the Play Murder of Gonzago is a play used to “catch the conscience of the king.”

Look for the following: Soliloquies Hamlet Claudius Allusions Irony Flashbacks Comic Relief Foreshadowing

Interpreting Hamlet… The victim of external difficulties? The sentimental dreamer? The victim of excessive melancholy? The victim of the Oedipus complex? Motivated by ambition? Misled by the ghost?

Hamlet Annotations Directions: As you read, you will need to annotate in your book. 1 st Color: Highlight the lines that illustrate a literary device and write the device in the margin and brief explanation if necessary.

2 nd Color: Highlight the lines that pertain to theme and write the theme in the margin. Revenge Mortality Appearance and reality Corruption Madness Doubt

3 rd Color: For each soliloquy, highlight the lines and summarize in the margin.

Beginning of each ACT Write how much time passes during the act (ex. Act I – 24 hours: 12AM – 12AM)

Beginning of each SCENE Bullet point important events that happen (include specific names and places)