Hamlet: End of the Year Review Andrea Crowley Advance Placement Literature

Title: Hamlet Author: William Shakespeare Author’s Date and Cultural Perspective: Hamlet was written during the early seventeenth century, and is assumed to be derived from other sources. The discovery of the text led to a movement known as “renaissance humanism,” generating a new interest in human experience.

Opposing Forces in the Conflict Hamlet is the story of a Danish prince whose uncle murders the prince’s father, marries his mother, and claims the throne. The young prince is visited by the ghost of his father, who reveals Claudius’s crime and orders the prince to seek revenge. However, Hamlet’s tragic flaw, his inability to act, eventually leads to his demise.

Important Places Denmark: The country in which the royal family resides; “something is rotten in Denmark.” Cemetery: Where Hamlet meets the gravediggers and learns of Ophelia’s suicide; also the place where he confronts Laertes, who believes Hamlet to be the cause of his sister’s death. Elsinore Castle: Where the royal family lives.

Conflict With Self The major part of the conflict within the work is Hamlet’s struggle “to act or not to act.” Though Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death, he procrastinates in this endeavor. His failure to take action is evident throughout the work; for example, Hamlet decides against killing Claudius when he finds him praying, believing that Claudius’s soul would be sent to heaven.

Conflict With Society Hamlet vs. Claudius: Hamlet’s greatest conflict is with Claudius, who had murdered his father and usurped his throne. Claudius becomes suspicious of Hamlet’s motives, and devises a plan to use Laertes’ anger to secure Hamlet’s death. Hamlet vs. Denmark: Hamlet finds himself at odds with his country as he enters into an apparent madness. At one point, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are given orders demanding that Hamlet be put to death.

Anyone Under An Illusion? A ghost resembling the former King Hamlet appears to a pair of watchmen one night, then to Horatio and young Hamlet. The ghost declares that it is indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by Claudius. The spirit orders Hamlet to seek revenge, and he vows to do just that.

Anyone Make an Important Mistake? Hamlet makes the fateful mistake of failing to act earlier. He delays throughout the course of the work, overanalyzing his options. In truth, Hamlet never acts—he simply reacts, in response to a fencing match against Laertes. Hamlet only turns his sword upon Claudius when he learns that the King had been responsible for the poison that had killed his mother. By this time, Hamlet had already drank from the goblet, and his death was inevitable. Had Hamlet acted earlier, his death, as well as others, may have been prevented.

Is There A Villain? King Claudius seems to be the apparent villain in Hamlet. He has murdered his own blood-brother, and married his sister-in- law, Gertrude. Claudius becomes suspicious of Hamlet, especially after viewing “The Mousetrap,” (a play that seems quite reminiscent of the King’s own circumstances) and orders to have him killed. When this plan fails, Claudius convinces Laertes to engage Hamlet in a duel. The King concocts a plan to poison Hamlet, but unintentionally murders his own wife as well.

Are Family Relationships Important? Family relationships are the source of conflict for young Hamlet. His father has been murdered by his own uncle, who has claimed the throne, and married Gertrude. Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death, but is too analytical in his approach. The family is plagued by conspiracy and madness, foreshadowing an inevitable demise.

Some Human Value Asserted… Hamlet asserts that taking action is key. Hamlet failed to take action against his uncle, sealing his death, as well as the entirety of the royal families. Hamlet showcases that overanalyzing leads to second-guessing, and has the potential to leave us immobile, despite our motives.

Anyone Lost or Alienated? Ophelia and Hamlet are both alienated as they enter into states of madness. Polonius suggests that Hamlet be watched closely, believing that suggests that he may be mad with love Ophelia. Initially, the prince’s erratic behavior seems to be a façade, but by the end, it is clearly that he has truly approached insanity. Ophelia is stricken with grief over her father’s death and Hamlet’s lack of affection for her, and drowns herself in a nearby river.

Parallels/Contrasts To Other Works Hamlet seems, in many ways, to resemble Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart. Both suffer from a single tragic flaw. Hamlet is pained by his procrastination, whereas Okonkwo suffers from a need to heighten his reputation, in spite of his father. However, where Hamlet overanalyzes, Okonkwo does not think at all. Okonkwo completely disregards the consequences of his actions, while Hamlet examines and reexamines his potential costs.

Tone: Dark, contemplative, desperate Genre: Tragedy Diction: Shakespeare wrote with poetic diction, and the work is filled with eloquent soliloquies. Irony: Hamlet is filled with irony, particularly dramatic irony, in which the audience foresees the oncoming event, yet the character does not. It is also ironic how that, eventually, Hamlet is responsible for his own death. Perhaps most ironic is the fact that Hamlet knows exactly what he needs to do, yet cannot bring himself to actually do it.