And every player has a part to play

And every player has a part to play
Hamlet And every player has a part to play

This PowerPoint was designed to be used in conjunction with the reading of Hamlet. Feel free to reference as much or as little as needed to develop as deep an understanding of the play as possible. Please let me know if you can think of anything that would make this PowerPoint more complete or more helpful. I appreciate the suggestions.

Cast List King Hamlet/ Ghost
Prince Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, son of the late King Hamlet & Queen Gertrude King Claudius: brother to the late King Hamlet Queen Gertrude: widow of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius Polonius: Councillor to King Claudius, father of Laertes and Ophelia Laertes: son of Polonius, Ophelia’s brother Ophelia: Hamlet’s love interest Reynaldo: servant to Polonius Fortinbras: Prince of Norway Horatio: Hamlet’s friend and confidant Voltemand Cornelius Rosencrantz courtiers at the Danish court Guildenstern Osric Francisco Barnardo Danish soldiers Marcellus

Crash Course: Ghosts, Murder, and More Murder
*I owe all the credit & thanks to Kobe for making this technology possible!

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark (1.5.100)
O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt… ( ) The time is out of joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right! ( ) This above all: to thine own self be true (1.3.84) There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy ( ) Act 1

1.1 Guided Reading Questions & Notes
On the guards’ platform at Elsinore, Horatio waits with Barnardo and Marcellus to question a ghost that has twice before appeared. The Ghost, in the form of the late King Hamlet of Denmark, appears but will not speak. Horatio decides to tell his fellow student, Prince Hamlet, about the Ghost’s appearance. 1. What happens when Francisco & Bernardo meet at the beginning of 1.1? Why is Horatio with Bernardo and Marcellus? 2. What is Horatio's initial response to the story of the apparition? What happens when the ghost appears for the first time ( )? *Notice that Horatio addresses it as "thou." This is the form of address used with friends or inferiors. Shakespeare's audience would have been much more attuned to the difference than we are. What is the effect of Horatio's addressing the ghost as "thou"? 3. What does Horatio 1st assume the appearance of the ghost means (1.1.68)? Why are there such intense war preparations in Denmark? *Read carefully to get the international background of the play. 4. What happens when the ghost appears for the second time? Why does it leave so abruptly? *The questions Horatio asks it represent, according to the thought of the time, the reasons why a ghost could appear. 5. What do we know so far about the nature of the ghost? Do we know yet if it is a "good" ghost or a "damned" ghost (a devil or evil spirit in the shape of the person it appears to be)? Block A Barnardo Samm Francisco Lauren Elise Marcellus Miles Horatio Jess

1.2 Guided Reading Questions King Kat Cornelius Carrie Laertes Holly
In an audience chamber in Elsinore, Claudius, the new king of Denmark, holds court. After thanking his subjects for their recent support, he dispatches ambassadors to Norway to halt a threatened attack from Fortinbras. He gives Laertes permission to return to France but denies Hamlet’s request to return to the university in Wittenberg. Hamlet, mourning for his father’s death, is left alone to vent his despair at what he regards as his mother’s all too hasty marriage to his uncle, Claudius. The audience learns that the marriage took place “within a month” of the former king’s death. Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus arrive and tell Hamlet about the Ghost. Hamlet, aroused by the news, agrees to join them that night. Guided Reading Questions What is Claudius telling the court in the first part of his speech ( )? What does he say about young Fortinbras and his uncle the king of Norway (ll )? How is Claudius responding to the threat? *You may also want to keep in mind that the name "Claudius" appears only in the opening stage direction for 1.2. The name is never spoken in the play. He is simply "the King." 2. What does Laertes want from the King? How does Claudius respond to him? Based on his first 64 lines in office ( ), how would you rate Claudius as a ruler? 3. What do Claudius and Gertrude want Hamlet to do that he doesn't want to do? How does he respond to them? How do they respond to the way he responds to them? *You probably know three names associated with the University of Wittenberg in Germany: Martin Luther, Doctor Faustus, and Hamlet. Can you see any connections among the three? 4. How seriously do you take Claudius' argument against Hamlet's "prolonged" mourning ( )? How long has Hamlet been mourning ( )? *The normal mourning period of a noble or gentle woman for a dead husband at this time [ca. 1600] was a year or more. 5. Read Hamlet's first soliloquy ( ) carefully. What is it that is really bothering him about what has happened since his father's death? How would you describe the tone of his feelings- detached, impassioned, rational, ironic, or what? 6. What is Hamlet's response to the news from Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo? Notice the way Hamlet questions them. How much do we know about how his mind works at this point of the play? What does he suspect as the reason for the ghost's appearance ( )? Block A King Kat Cornelius Carrie Laertes Holly Polonius Elizabeth Hamlet Julia Queen Alex Horatio Jamie Marcellus Gabby

Hamlet’s 1st soliloquy O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt… ( ) O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month-- Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman!-- A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she follow'd my poor father's body, Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she-- O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle, My father's brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month: Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue. Commentary Hamlet's passionate first soliloquy provides a striking contrast to the controlled and artificial dialogue that he must exchange with Claudius and his court. The primary function of the soliloquy is to reveal to the audience Hamlet's profound melancholia and the reasons for his despair. In a disjointed outpouring of disgust, anger, sorrow, and grief, Hamlet explains that, without exception, everything in his world is either futile or contemptible. His speech is saturated with suggestions of rot and corruption, as seen in the basic usage of words like "rank" (138) and "gross" (138), and in the metaphor associating the world with "an unweeded garden" (137). The nature of his grief is soon exposed, as we learn that his mother, Gertrude, has married her own brother-in-law only two months after the death of Hamlet's father. Hamlet is tormented by images of Gertrude's tender affections toward his father, believing that her display of love was a pretense to satisfy her own lust and greed. Hamlet even negates Gertrude's initial grief over the loss of her husband. She cried "unrighteous tears" (156) because the sorrow she expressed was insincere, belied by her reprehensible conduct. Notice Shakespeare's use of juxtaposition and contrast to enhance Hamlet's feelings of contempt, disgust, and inadequacy. "The counterpointing between things divine and things earthly or profane is apparent from the opening sentence of the soliloquy, in which Hamlet expresses his anguished sense of being captive to his flesh. His desire for dissolution into dew, an impermanent substance, is expressive of his desire to escape from the corporality into a process suggestive of spiritual release. Immediately juxtaposed to this notion, and standing in contrast to "flesh", is his reference to the "Everlasting", the spiritual term for the duality. Paradoxically, in his aversion from the flesh, his body must seem to him to possess a state of permanence, closer to something everlasting than to the ephemeral nature of the dew he yearns to become" (Newell 35). Another striking juxtaposition in the soliloquy is Hamlet's use of Hyperion and a satyr to denote his father and his uncle, respectively. Hyperion, the Titan god of light, represents honor, virtue, and regality -- all traits belonging to Hamlet's father, the true King of Denmark. Satyrs, the half-human and half-beast companions of the wine-god Dionysus, represent lasciviousness and overindulgence, much like Hamlet's usurping uncle Claudius. It is no wonder, then, that Hamlet develops a disgust for, not only Claudius the man, but all of the behaviours and excesses associated with Claudius. In other passages from the play we see that Hamlet has begun to find revelry of any kind unacceptable, and, in particular, he loathes drinking and sensual dancing. A final important contrast in the soliloquy is seen in Hamlet's self-depreciating comment "but no more like my father/Than I to Hercules" (154-55). Although Hamlet's comparison of himself to the courageous Greek hero could be devoid of any deeper significance, it is more likely that the remark indicates Hamlet's developing lack of self worth -- a theme that will become the focus of his next soliloquy © Amanda Mabillard

1.3 Guided Reading Questions
Block A Laertes Joe Ophelia Jackie Polonius Dana 1. What does Laertes warn Ophelia about? What, apparently, has been the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia since his return from Wittenberg? 2. How seriously do you take Polonius' precepts ( )? Consider especially the last one ( ). 3. How willing is Ophelia to discuss with her father what she has discussed with Laertes? What is his response to Hamlet's interest in her and her response to him? How seriously should she take their warnings about Hamlet's lack of seriousness and his inability to choose his own wife? 4. What do we know about Laertes, Polonius, and Ophelia by the end of 1.3? What sort of people are they? What sort of family are they? Who is missing from this family? How strong- willed in Ophelia? In Polonius’s chamber, Laertes says goodbye to his sister, Ophelia, and tells her not to trust Hamlet’s promises of love. Polonius joins them, sends Laertes off, then echoes Laertes’s warnings to Ophelia, finally ordering her not to see Hamlet again.

Bill Murray as Polonius

1. Why do the trumpets and cannons sound, according to Hamlet? What does Hamlet think of the custom? 2. Read carefully. What is Hamlet saying here? 3. How does Hamlet respond to the ghost? If it is a "damned ghost," is he as safe as he thinks he is in ? Why don't the others want him to go? Why can't/don't they stop him? What does Marcellus still think the nature of the problem is (1.4.67)? While Claudius drinks away the night, Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus are visited by the Ghost. It signals to Hamlet. Hamlet’s friends try to stop him from following the Ghost, but Hamlet will not be held back. Block A Hamlet Dana Horatio Devon Marcellus Sandra

The Ghost tells Hamlet a tale of horror. Saying that he is the spirit of Hamlet’s father, he demands that Hamlet avenge King Hamlet’s murder at the hands of Claudius. Hamlet, horrified, vows to “remember” and swears his friends to secrecy about what they have seen. 1. Is Hamlet surprised when the Ghost asks him to revenge his father's murder? Is he surprised when he learns who the murderer is? 2. Do father and son have the same opinion of Claudius? (Compare , and ) Would others in the court, not knowing about Claudius' crime, see Claudius as this much below his dead brother? 3. How did Claudius murder Old Hamlet? 4. What does the Ghost tell Hamlet to do about his mother? 5. Read Hamlet's second soliloquy carefully ( ). What does Hamlet say he has learned? In other words, what general piece of wisdom does he want to save from this encounter ( ). Is this shockingly new information to us? Or is Hamlet just becoming "grown up"? Notice how quickly Hamlet moves from the specific (Claudius) to the general ("one"). Compare the same movement he makes from the specific person Gertrude to "frailty, thy name is woman" ( ). Given this soliloquy, how soon would you expect Hamlet to go for his revenge? 6. What happens when the others find Hamlet. What does he ask them to swear? What does his mention of an "antic disposition" ( ) suggest about his future plans? How might you expect Hamlet to be acting when next we see him? Block A Hamlet Alex Ghost Lauren Horatio Yash Marcellus Devon Guided Reading Questions

Doubt thou the stars are fire,/ Doubt that the sun doth move,/ Doubt truth to be a liar,/ But never doubt I love. ( ) O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! ( ) Act 2 The play’s the thing/ Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King. ( ) Though this be madness, yet there is/ method in it. ( )

Block A Polonius Jamie Reynaldo Gabrielle Ophelia Jude How much time has passed between Act 1 and Act 2? How do you know? (Keep watching for evidence.) 2. What is Polonius telling Reynaldo to do? What does this tell us about Polonius and his way of thinking and acting? 3. Why is Ophelia so upset when she enters at ? What has happened to her? Does Hamlet's appearance (in her telling) as a madman (a distracted lover) come as a surprise after what we last heard him say? Why would he appear in this sort of madness to her? Is there any possibility he really is a distracted lover responding to Ophelia's apparent rejection of him? How well has she obeyed her father's orders in 1.3? 4. What is Polonius' response to what Ophelia tells him? Where are they going? Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to Paris to question Laertes’s acquaintances. Ophelia enters, deeply disturbed about a visit she has just had from an apparently mad Hamlet. Polonius decides that Hamlet has become insane because Ophelia is refusing to see him. Polonius rushes off to tell the king.

2.2 Claudius and Gertrude set Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two boyhood friends of Hamlet, to spy on him to discover the cause of his apparent madness. After the returned ambassadors announce their success in stopping Fortinbras’s planned invasion of Denmark, Polonius reports his ‘discovery’ that Hamlet is mad for love. Claudius is unpersuaded but agrees to join Polonius in spying on Hamlet. When Hamlet himself enters, he is confronted first by Polonius and then by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom he quickly identifies as Caludius’s spies. As they talk, a company of touring actors enters. Hamlet persuades one of them to deliver a sppecch, and he recognizes, to his shame, that he has shown less intensity in avenging his father’s murder than the actor has done in performance. Hamlet hopes that, when the players stage The Murder of Gonzago for the court, he can determine whether Claudius is guilty of King Hamlet’s death. Block A King Dana Queen Alex Rosencrantz Devon Guildenstern Liam Polonius Sarah Voltemand Sandra Hamlet Julia/ Jude First Player Elise Narrator Jackie

2.2 Continued…Guided Reading Questions
1. Why have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to court? What is their relation to Hamlet? What use does Claudius have for them? Does this remind you of Polonius' use for Reynaldo? Are there any significant differences? 2. We've now had several different explanations of Hamlet's madness: love (2.1.86, 103), his father's death (2.2.8), and that plus "our o'erhasty marriage" ( note Gertrude's awareness of her own impropriety). Are people content with these explanations? Are you? 3. What results have come from Cornelius' and Voltemand's trip to Norway? Has Claudius' use of diplomacy rather than war been justified? What will Fortinbras be doing next? Can we expect to see him in Denmark after all? Why? 4. How effective is Polonius as a bearer of news? How convinced are Claudius and Gertrude that Polonius has found the answer? How do they plan to test this answer? Does Polonius' plan sound like his normal way of operating ( )? 5. Immediately following the discussion of the plan, Hamlet appears. Wouldn't this be a good time to try out the plan? Do they? 6. How does Hamlet behave when he enters? Does Polonius think he is mad? Is this the way we would expect Hamlet to act after Ophelia's description in 2.1? Why does he call Polonius a fishmonger? *It may help to know that fishmongers' wives, and daughters, apparently because of the fish, were assumed to be extremely fertile and thus able to conceive easily and thus the connection in 7. How does Hamlet behave initially with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (through )? Is it different from the way he just acted with Polonius? How does Hamlet change when he realizes that the two were sent for by Claudius and Gertrude? 8. How seriously should we take Hamlet's view of the world and of "man" ( ). How do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern react to Hamlet's use of "generic" man ( )? 10. What is the significance of Hamlet's referring to Polonius as Jephthah ( )? Jephthah's story is interesting in this context (see Judges 11:30-40). 11. What is unusual about the speech Hamlet begins to recite ( ) and the First Player continues ( ). How is its style different from that of the surrounding lines of Hamlet? Why is its subject matter appropriate? (See Note 2 to line 430.) Do lines echo anything from or about the play Hamlet? Why can't the First Player finish the speech? *Much of refers to contemporary events in London around 12. What play does Hamlet want the players to play? What does he want to do to the play? 13. Read Hamlet's third soliloquy carefully ( ). How does he use the player's response to show how different his own position is? Is the comparison justified by what we have seen happen in the play? He complains that he hasn't acted on his vengeance. Why hasn't he? Why does he need the play? What will he learn from it?

Hamlet’s 2nd soliloquy O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! ( ) O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, Could force his soul so to his own conceit That from her working all his visage wann'd, Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, A broken voice, and his whole function suiting With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing! For Hecuba! What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? What would he do, Had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have? He would drown the stage with tears And cleave the general ear with horrid speech, Make mad the guilty and appal the free, Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing; no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear life A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, As deep as to the lungs? who does me this? Ha! 'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall To make oppression bitter, or ere this I should have fatted all the region kites With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O, vengeance! Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion! Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard That guilty creatures sitting at a play Have by the very cunning of the scene Been struck so to the soul that presently They have proclaim'd their malefactions; For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players Play something like the murder of my father Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks; I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course. The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds More relative than this: the play 's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king. Commentary In addition to revealing Hamlet's plot to catch the king in his guilt, Hamlet's second soliloquy uncovers the very essence of Hamlet's true conflict. For he is undeniably committed to seeking revenge for his father, yet he cannot act on behalf of his father due to his revulsion toward extracting that cold and calculating revenge. "Hamlet's sense of himself as a coward is derived from a crude, simplistic judgment turning on whether or not he has yet taken any action against the man who murdered his father. His self-condemnation takes several bizarre forms, including histrionic imaginings of a series of demeaning insults that he absorbs like a coward because he feels he has done nothing to take revenge on Claudius" (Newell 61). Determined to convince himself to carry out the premeditated murder of his uncle, Hamlet works himself into a frenzy (the culmination of which occurs at lines 357-8). He hopes that his passions will halt his better judgement and he will then be able to charge forth and kill Claudius without hesitation. But Hamlet again fails to quell his apprehensions of committing murder and cannot act immediately. So he next tries to focus his attention on a plan to ensure Claudius admits his own guilt. He returns to an idea that had crossed his mind earlier -- that of staging the play, The Mousetrap. Hamlet is convinced that, as Claudius watches a re-enactment of his crime, he will surely reveal his own guilt. Hamlet cannot take the word of his father's ghost, who really might be "the devil" (573), tricking him into damning himself. Thus, he must have more material proof before he takes Claudius's life -- he must "catch the conscience of the king." Newell, Alex. The Soliloquies of Hamlet. London: Associated Unversity Presses, Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Betty Bealey. Toronto: Academic Press Canada, 1963.

Act 3 To be or not to be… (3.1.64-98)
I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound. ( ) To be or not to be… ( ) My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;/ words without thoughts never to heaven go. ( ). Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. ( ) Act 3 Get thee to a nunnery. ( ) ‘Tis now the very witching time of night… ( )

3.1 Directed Reading Questions Block A King Dana Rosencrantz Joe
After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report their failure to find the cause of Hamlet’s madness, Polonius places Ophelia where he and Claudius may secretly observe a meeting between her and Hamlet. Hamlet is at first courteous to Ophelia, but suddenly he turns on her: he denies having loved her, asks where her father is, attacks womankind, and tells her she should enter a nunnery. After Hamlet exits, Claudius decides that Hamlet’s erratic behavior is not caused by love and announces a plan to send Hamlet on an embassy to England. Polonius persuades Claudius to take no action until Gertrude talks with Hamlet after the play, which is scheduled for that evening. 3.1 Directed Reading Questions Block A King Dana Rosencrantz Joe Guildenstern Jude Queen Devon Polonius Miles Ophelia Alex Hamlet Jackie How much have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learned from/about Hamlet? 2. Finally the planned meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia is arranged, spies and all. What does Polonius give Ophelia to read (3.1.46)? What response does his remark get (in an aside) from Claudius? Why is this speech of Claudius' important? What do we learn that we have not learned before? 3. Read Hamlet's fourth soliloquy carefully ( ). How is this soliloquy different from the first two? Think about the way Hamlet's mind works within the first two--is the same thing happening here? What is the main idea of this third soliloquy? 4. What happens between Hamlet and Ophelia in the so-called "Nunnery scene" ( )? Does Hamlet know that he's being watched? Does he determine that during the scene? Can you spot a place where he might? Who is the "one" referred to in "all but one" ( )? What does it add to note that in talking about marriage in Hamlet seems to be echoing St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7? *Remember how he changed his way of talking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at 5. How does Claudius respond to what he has seen and heard? Is he convinced that love is the cause of Hamlet's madness? What does he plan to do about Hamlet? How does Polonius respond? Is he willing to give up his "love" answer? What does he propose as an additional way to find out what Hamlet is thinking?

To be, or not to be--that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-- No more--and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-- To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprise of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action. Hamlet’s 3rd soliloquy

“To be or not to be” adaptations
Please copy the following chart into your notebook. Film Impression Kenneth Branaugh (1996) Lawrence Olivier (1948) Mel Gibson (1990) Richard Burton (1964) David Tennant (2009)

5 Adaptations of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”

3.2 Block A Hamlet Jess Player Samm Polonius Elise Rosencrantz Sandra
Horatio Jamie King Holly Queen Lauren Hurley Ophelia Julia Player King Elizabeth Player Queen Dana Lucianus Lauren Hol. Guildenstern Yash Hamlet gives direction to the actors and asks Horatio to help him observe Claudius’s reaction to the play. When the court arrive, Hamlet makes bawdy and bitter comments to Ophelia. The traveling actors perform, in dumb show and then with dialogue, a story that includes many elements of Claudius’s alleged seductions of Gertrude and murder of King Hamlet. At the moment that the Player King is murdered in his garden by his nephew, Claudius stops the play and rushes out. Hamlet is exuberant that the Ghost’s word has been proved true. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern return to tell Hamlet that Claudius is furious and the Gertrude wishes to see Hamlet at once in her sitting room. Hamlet promises himself that he will not harm her, though he will “speak daggers.”

3.2 Continued… Directed Reading Questions
1. What advice does Hamlet have for the actors? Why? 2. Why does Hamlet say he especially likes Horatio ( , esp )? Does Hamlet see Horatio as similar to him or different from him? 3. What function is served by the discussion of Polonius as an actor ( )? *Hamlet was written within a year or two of Julius Caesar; what is added to the scene for the audience if Richard Burbage, playing Hamlet, also played Brutus? Can you guess what part the actor playing Polonius might have played in Julius Caesar? 4. Based on , how much time elapsed between Act 1 and Act 2 (since the action has been continuous since the beginning of Act 2)? 5. How does the play-within-the-play ( ) reflect the issues bothering Hamlet? Can you identify the lines he has had inserted? (Don't worry, nobody else can either.) *Interestingly, the story of Gonzago as known outside Hamlet turns into a revenge story, with Gonzago's son revenging his father's death. So what we've seen is only the first few minutes of a much longer play. What lines would hit the intended audience hardest? (Consider, certainly, ) Although Hamlet is interested in Claudius' response, notice that so far Gertrude has taken the strongest "hits" (except, perhaps, for the poisoning in the ear- one of the new "Italianate" evil inventions, a way to murder someone without it appearing to be murder). Consider also the Player King's more abstract speech in How does this speech reflect issues that appear elsewhere in the play? 6. What is Claudius' mood as he stops the play at ? How does Hamlet respond? If Hamlet has learned that Claudius is indeed guilty (if that's why he stopped the play and not for some other reason), Claudius has also learned something from the presentation of the play. What has Claudius learned? 7. What message do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have for Hamlet? Despite the chaos at the end of the play, is this message unexpected after hearing Polonius' suggestion at the end of the Nunnery scene (3.1)? What lesson does Hamlet teach with a recorder? 8. Read Hamlet's fifth soliloquy carefully ( ). How is it different from the other soliloquies? What is the mood of the soliloquy? How do you react to it? What about line 360? What is happening to Hamlet?

Hamlet’s 4th soliloquy ‘Tis now the very witching time of night… ( ) Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood, And do such bitter business as the day Would quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother. O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom: Let me be cruel, not unnatural: I will speak daggers to her, but use none; My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites; How in my words soever she be shent, To give them seals never, my soul, consent! Commentary Hamlet's plan to "catch the conscience of the king" has been a success, and Claudius has retired, distraught, to his chamber. Thrilled that his scheme worked, Hamlet experiences a sudden surge of confidence which prompts the first half of this short soliloquy. Hamlet is now sure that he could easily complete the "bitter business" of revenge; sure that he could murder his uncle without hesitation. However, Claudius is out of reach for the moment, and so Hamlet turns his attention to his mother, revealing in the second half of the soliloquy his intentions to force Gertrude to make a full confession. Although Hamlet still loves his mother, he must be cruel to her in order to facilitate the admission of her guilt. Hamlet says, "My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites" (389), because he knows that he must feign violent intentions towards his mother, and that his words must express those false intentions. Hamlet is becoming like the players who so mystified him in 2.2. Hamlet once wished that he could manipulate his emotions and behavior like a player, and now it seems he can. © Amanda Mabillard.

Guided Reading Questions
3.3 Guided Reading Questions 1. What has Claudius decided to do with Hamlet? Who will go with him? What "theoretical" message about kingship does Rosencrantz tell to Claudius? 2. Where is Polonius going? 3. What does Claudius admit in his attempt to pray? Has the play actually had an effect on him? Why can't he ask for forgiveness? 4. What happens when Hamlet enters? Why doesn't Hamlet kill Claudius then? What is ironic about Hamlet's decision? Block A King Sandra Rosencrantz Devon Guildenstern Liam Polonius Julia Hamlet Jude/ Gabrielle Queen Alex Claudius orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England immediately. Polonius arrives to tell Claudius of his plans to spy on Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude. Left alone, Claudius reveals to the audience his remorse for killing his brother, and he tries to pray. Hamlet comes upon him kneeling and draws his sword, but then stops to think that if he kills Claudius at prayer, Claudius will go to heaven. Hamlet decides to kill Claudius when the king is committing a sin so that Claudius will instead go to hell. After Hamlet leaves, Claudius rises, saying that he has been unable to pray.

Hamlet’s 5th Soliloquy Now might I do it… (3.3.76-101)
Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven; And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd: A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge. He took my father grossly, full of bread; With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May; And how his audit stands who knows save heaven? But in our circumstance and course of thought, 'Tis heavy with him: and am I then revenged, To take him in the purging of his soul, When he is fit and season'd for his passage? No! Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent: When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; At gaming, swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in't; Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damn'd and black As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays: This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. Commentary Hamlet has thought himself prepared to "drink hot blood" ( ) and carry out the murder of the King. Now, as he happens upon the unattended Claudius, the time has come to take action, but Hamlet finds that he is unable to kill. Hamlet's reason for delay is that Claudius is in the midst of praying, and in order for revenge to be complete, the King must be engaged in some sinful act such as sex, gambling, or drinking, and thus be condemned to eternal damnation. While it is true that similar reasoning is common in other revenge plays, such vengence seems unworthy of our noble prince. Many critics believe that Hamlet uses Claudius's prayer as an excuse for further delay because his conscience will not allow him to commit premeditated murder. Others claim that it is not Hamlet's altruism which saves Claudius in this scene, but his own paralyzing habit of "thinking too precisely on th'event" (4.4.41). However, the second argument is moot because the basis of his procrastination is his inability to commit premeditated murder. Ironically, Hamlet's soliloquy is ultimately irrelevant, for Claudius is not sincerely repentant, as he reveals in the concluding couplet of scene 3. © Amanda Mabillard.

3.4 Block A Polonius Sarah Hamlet Dana Queen Alex Ghost Lauren Hurley
Guided Reading Questions: 1. How successful is the first part of the interview between Gertrude and Hamlet? What goes wrong (even before Polonius' death)? Who controls the conversation? Why does Gertrude call for help? 2. Does Gertrude know that Claudius killed Hamlet's father? (Consider , 38-39, ) 3. What device does Hamlet use to force Gertrude to consider what she has done? 4. Hamlet seems to be getting through to Gertrude when the Ghost enters. Why does the Ghost appear at this point? How is his appearance different from his appearances in Act 1? Who saw him then? Who sees him now? What is his message to Hamlet? 5. After the Ghost leaves, does Hamlet succeed in what he came to do? What is Gertrude's state when he leaves? What should she do, and what should she not do? 6. What does Hamlet think of his upcoming trip to England? What does he expect to do? In Gertrude’s room, Polonius hides behind a tapestry. Hamlet’s entrance so alarms Gertrude that she cries out for help. Polonius echoes her cry, and Hamlet, thinking Polonius to be Claudius, stabs him to death. Hamlet then verbally attacks his mother for marrying Claudius. In the middle of Hamlet’s attack, the Ghost returns to remind Hamlet that his real purpose is to avenge his father’s death. Gertrude cannot see the Ghost and pities Hamlet’s apparent madness. After the Ghost exits, Hamlet urges Gertrude to abandon Claudius’s bed. He then tells her about Claudius’s plan to send him to England and reveals his suspicions that the journey is a plot against him, which he resolves to counter violently. He exits dragging out Polonius’s body.

3.4 Goals & Scale Learning Goals: Students will be able to
analyze the conflict in Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4 consider Shakespeare’s use of biblical reference & their function within the scene 4 The student is able to analyze the conflict within 4.3 as well as understand the purpose and function of the biblical references within the scene. Additionally, the student is able to make predictions regarding how this conflict will resolve itself as the play concludes. 3 The student is able to analyze the conflict within 3.4 as well as understand the purpose and function of the biblical references. 2 The student is beginning to understand the conflict Hamlet experiences, but not within the scene presented. The student recognizes that there are biblical references within the scene, but not the function of those references. 1 The student recognizes neither the conflict nor the biblical references within the scene.

3.4 Learning Goals: Students will be able to
analyze the conflict in Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4 consider Shakespeare’s use of biblical reference & their function within the scene 3.4 In order to analyze the conflict, first discuss the commands the Ghost presents to Hamlet in 1.5 Turn to your partner and scan through scene 1.5 Focus primarily on the Ghost’s speech to Hamlet and his commands What does the Ghost demand of Hamlet moving forward? There are about 5 core commands Based on the commands, which do you think will leave Hamlet the most conflicted within this scene with his mother? Before we read: Setting & Freud While we read: Did she know? Polonius death? Why can’t Gertrude see the ghost?

Intertextuality within Hamlet Intertextuality within Hamlet
Learning Goals: Students will be able to analyze the conflict in Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4 consider Shakespeare’s use of biblical reference & their function within the scene Intertextuality within Hamlet With a small group (3 students), read through the excerpts from 3.4. Take notes as you read to get a basic understanding of the scene. Next, discuss which lines within the scene contain biblical references. Highlight those lines and discuss what the purpose and function is within including such references. Intertextuality within Hamlet Finally, look through the second handout including all the references. How many were you able to find? How many additional references were included within the passages? How does this impact meaning?

4.1 Guided Reading Questions:
Block A King Samm Queen Alex Guided Reading Questions: 1. Does Gertrude tell Claudius the truth about what happened between her and Hamlet ( )? Is she following Hamlet's advice at the end of 3.4? 2. How does Claudius respond to the death of Polonius? Does he understand the implications of what happened? What will he do now? Gertrude reports Polonius’s death to Claudius, who sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet and recover the body.

4.2 Guided Reading Question
Block A Hamlet Gabriella Rosencrantz Holly Guided Reading Question 1. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learn from Hamlet? Hamlet refuses to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where he has put Polonius’s body.

4.3 Block A King Sandra Rosencrantz Devon Hamlet Jude Guided Reading Questions 1. Why does Claudius believe he can't simply arrest Hamlet? 2. What is the result of Hamlet's joking about death and worms? What connection do the worms and their diet have with Wittenberg? *The Diet, headed by the Emperor and meeting at Worms in 1521, pronounced its ban on Luther after he refused to recant. Keep the whole "worm" discussion in mind when you get to 5.1, the graveyard scene. This discussion is a prelude to that one. 3. Is Hamlet going to England as a prisoner or in the guise of a royal representative? 4. What do Claudius' letters tell England (i.e., the king of England) to do with Hamlet? Why does Claudius expect to be obeyed? *The situation is more or less historical, since England was ruled by a Danish king from The original Hamlet story seems to date from about this time. Hamlet is brought to Claudius, who tells him that he is to leave immediately for England. Alone, at the end of this scene, Claudius discloses to the audience that he is sending Hamlet to his death.

4.4 Block A Fortinbras Jamie Captain Julia Hamlet Jackie Rosencrantz Jess Directed Reading Questions 1. Why is Fortinbras' army passing through Denmark? (Remember ) 2. What sort of judgment does the Captain make about the place they are fighting for? How does Hamlet describe it ( )? 3. Where is Hamlet going when he meets the Captain? 4. Read Hamlet's sixth soliloquy carefully ( ). What is unusual about it given its position in the play? Has Hamlet been delaying, as he says? What example does he compare himself to? (And what other soliloquy does this one remind you of?) 5. Look at closely. What is Hamlet saying? This passage introduces the idea of "honor" that we will be meeting again, particularly as represented by the "code of dueling," something new in the late 16th century that is represented in the play by Laertes and his "French connection" (as opposed to Hamlet's Wittenberg, philosophical connection). *4.4 ends a long "movement" in the play that began at 2.1 with Polonius taking Ophelia to the King and Queen, followed by the arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and then of the players. 3.1 begins the day after the players arrive (the day the play is to be performed); the action of that day runs through the rest of Act 3 and the first scenes of Act 4. In 4.4 we must assume that it is early morning of the next day and that Hamlet is on his way to England. In 4.5 Laertes returns, having had enough time to learn in Paris of his father's death, so some time must pass between 4.4 and 4.5. Fortinbras and his army march across Hamlet’s path on their way to Poland. Hamlet finds in Fortinbras’s vigorous activity a model for himself in avenging his father’s murder; Hamlet resolves upon bloody action.

Hamlet’s 6th Soliloquy How all occasions do inform against me… ( ) How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more. Sure, he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability and god-like reason To fust in us unused. Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on the event, A thought which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom And ever three parts coward, I do not know Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;' Sith I have cause and will and strength and means To do't. Examples gross as earth exhort me: Witness this army of such mass and charge Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd Makes mouths at the invisible event, Exposing what is mortal and unsure To all that fortune, death and danger dare, Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honour's at the stake. How stand I then, That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd, Excitements of my reason and my blood, And let all sleep? while, to my shame, I see The imminent death of twenty thousand men, That, for a fantasy and trick of fame, Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, Which is not tomb enough and continent To hide the slain? O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! Commentary Hamlet's last soliloquy is crucial to our understanding of his character development. By the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet brings to a halt his solemn contemplation on the immoral act of murderous revenge, and finally accepts it as his necessary duty. It is not that Hamlet has presented a solid and reasonable argument to convince himself of his terrible responsibility; rather he has driven himself to the conclusion with intense and distorted thoughts. Hamlet accuses himself of forgetting his father in that "bestial oblivion" (43), yet, he thinks his problem could be "thinking too precisely on the event" (44). Moreover, although Hamlet has seen Fortinbras only for a moment earlier in the play, and knows nothing of his true motives for going to war, Hamlet convinces himself that Fortinbras is fighting to protect his honor. Part of Hamlet relishes the idea of such conviction, however illogical and futile, and so he focuses on the image of Fortinbras courageously leading his troupes. Hamlet's reason, the part of him that has been dominant throughout the play; the part of him that questions the "honor" in murder and revenge, this time cannot provide a rebuttal. So Hamlet is overcome by his obligations to enact revenge. Hamlet was once greatly distressed over having to exact payment for his father's murder, even though the reason for such revenge was weighty indeed. Now, Hamlet commends the idea of the "imminent death of twenty thousand men" for a ludicrous "fantasy and trick of fame" (63-4) © Amanda Mabillard

4.5 Block A Queen Dana Gentleman Elise Horatio Lauren Holl. Ophelia
Elizabeth King Yash Messenger Lauren Hurley Laertes Miles Directed Reading Questions 1. What do we learn about the state of Gertrude's soul in her aside ( )? What does this say about how she has responded to Hamlet's accusations and recommendations in 3.4? 2. The court assumes Ophelia's madness is caused by her father's death. Judging from her songs, are they correct? Is that the only thing that has made her mad? What else is on her mind and coming to the surface in her madness? 3. What is Laertes' approach to revenging his father's death? How does it compare to Hamlet's? How much support does he have? Whom does he initially blame? 4. What is being threatened as Laertes enters ( )? How well does Claudius handle this emergency? 5. How does Laertes respond to mad Ophelia? What offer does Claudius make to get his discussion with Laertes back on track? Reports reach Gertrude that Ophelia is mad. Ophelia enters singing about death and betrayal. After Ophelia has gone, Claudius agonizes over her madness and over the stir created by the return of an angry Laertes. When Laertes breaks in on Claudius and Gertrude, Claudius asserts his innocence with regard to Polonius’s death. The reappearance of the mad Ophelia is devastating to Laertes.

Ophelia’s Madness- Slings and Arrows

4.6 Guided Reading Question
Block A Horatio Joe Gentleman Jude Sailor Miles Guided Reading Question 1. Who brings Hamlet's letter to Horatio? What has happened to Hamlet? Horatio is given a letter from Hamlet telling of the prince’s boarding of a pirate ship and his subsequent return to Denmark.

4.7 Directed Reading Questions
Block A King Jackie Laertes Dana Messenger Sarah Queen Alex Directed Reading Questions 1. Claudius has obviously convinced Laertes of his innocence. What things of a personal nature do we learn about Gertrude and Claudius ( )? Laertes wants his revenge, but Claudius tells him "You shortly shall hear more." What does Claudius expect to be able to tell Laertes soon? 2. What does Hamlet's letter tell Claudius? Why does Hamlet want to see him "alone"? What seems to be Hamlet's plan? 3. What plan do Claudius and Laertes develop? What happened when Lamord came to Denmark two months ago? How will Claudius and Laertes use Laertes' reputation to get revenge? 4. What would Laertes do to get revenge (4.7.98)? How does this compare to Hamlet? How does Claudius respond? 5. How many tricks and poisons does it take (according to Claudius and Laertes) to kill a Hamlet? 6. What happened to Ophelia? Did she kill herself, or is her death accidental (based on this description; her death gets a different spin in 5.1)? 7. What is Laertes' response to her death? What does Claudius fear will happen? Claudius, in conversation with Laertes, also gets a letter from Hamlet announcing the prince’s return. Claudius enlists Laertes’s willing help in devising another plot against Hamlet’s life. Laertes agrees to kill Hamlet with a poisoned rapier in a fencing match. If he fails, Claudius will give Hamlet a poisoned cup of wine. Gertrude interrupts their plotting to announce that Ophelia has drowned.

5.1 Block A Gravedigger Other Hamlet Horatio Laertes Doctor King Queen
All Hamlet, returned from his journey, enters a graveyard with Horatio where a gravedigger is singing as he digs. Hamlet tries to find out who the grave is for and meditates on the skulls that are being dug up. A funeral procession approaches. Hamlet soon realizes that the corpse is Ophelia’s. When Laertes in his grief leaps into her grave and curses Hamlet as the cause of Ophelia’s death, Hamlet comes forward. He and Laertes struggle, with Hamlet protesting his own love and grief for Ophelia. Guided Reading Questions 1. What are the two clowns doing while they talk? Who is the "she" of 5.1.1? Why, according to the second clown, is she really being given a Christian burial? 2. What happens in the discussion between Hamlet and the Gravedigger? What does Hamlet learn from his confrontation with Yorick's skull? What does he learn from his meditation on Alexander and Caesar? How does the mood here differ from that in ? 3. How old is Hamlet? 4. What do we learn from Gertrude's farewell to Ophelia ( )? Would Polonius have been surprised if he had heard this? 5. What happens when Hamlet appears to the others? What is significant about him calling himself "Hamlet the Dane”? Why is he so angry?

1. What new sort of attitude to life do you see in the Hamlet of the first 81 lines of 5.2 ? 2. What would have happened to him in England? How did he find out? What did he do about it? What has happened to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Do they know what hit them? How does Hamlet feel about them? 3. What sort of person is Osric? What message does he have for Hamlet? What seems to be the problem with his hat? What is the wager ( )? 4. What is Hamlet's reaction to the idea of the match ( )? How well does Hamlet expect to do? Why does he go ahead with it? How does this reflect the new attitude we saw in Hamlet in 5.1? 5. Hamlet clearly apologizes to Laertes ( ). How does Laertes respond? Given what we know about the plans of Laertes and Claudius, how do you take Laertes' promise ( )? Can we say he has any honor at all? Has he followed his father's precept in ? 6. What is Laertes doing at line 202? 7. What is the "union" Claudius promises to put in the cup at line 210 and perhaps does not put into the cup until after line 225? What problem is created by Hamlet's response in line 227? What happens at line 232? *Look carefully at lines , noting who wounds whom and with what sword, and what happens to Gertrude (including Claudius' lie at line 251). 8. Why is Hamlet so concerned that Horatio stay alive to tell his story? How much do the other people at court know at this point? 9. Do you believe Horatio in his assumption that Hamlet is saved and not damned? Why or why not? 10. Does the Hamlet Fortinbras describes ( ) sound like the Hamlet we have known? What will happen to the kingdom under Fortinbras? Block A Hamlet Horatio King Queen Laertes Fortinbras Osric Lord Ambassador In the hall of the castle, Hamlet tells Horatio how he discovered the king’s plot against him and how he turned the tables on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Osric enters to ask, on Claudius’s behalf, that Hamlet fence with Laertes. Hamlet agrees to the contest, despite his misgivings. Hamlet is winning the match when Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup that Claudius has prepared for Hamlet. Laertes then wounds Hamlet with the poisoned rapier. In the scuffle that follows, Hamlet forces an exchange of rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Laertes. As Gertrude dies, Laertes, himself dying, discloses his and Claudius’s plot against Hamlet. Hamlet kills Claudius. Before Hamlet dies, he asks Horatio to tell the full story that has led to these deaths and names Fortinbras heir to the Danish throne. After Hamlet’s death, Fortinbras arrives, claims the crown, and orders a military funeral for Hamlet.

Crash Course: Ophelia, Gertrude, and Regicide

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