The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark

A. Background

1. One of the four great tragedies

2. Seneca and the Revenge

Play

3. Renaissance Conceptsa. The great chain of being

b. King as great wheel and

as microcosm

A. Background (continued)

4. Some definitions:a. Tragic hero:

b. Tragic flaw:

c. Tragedy:

d. Comedy:

B. Structure of the Play

1. Five Acts – the 9th grade plot map

2. Three Plot Threadsa. Ghost story all climax in

b. Detective story Act III

c. Revenge story

C. Setting

1. Denmark / Elsinore-microcosm of world

2. King = microcosm of Denmark (world)(I,v,42; I,v,74-75; III,iii,12-24)

3. Denmark as prison (II, ii, 260)-->corrupt

4. World as garden of Eden (I,ii, 141-143; I,v,38)

D. Major Themes

1. Justice vs. Revenge(Eddie Polec story)

2. Illusion vs realitya. Ghost or devilb. “seems”c. Actors (II,ii 555)d. King or murderere. Prostitute / make up imagery (III,I,59; III, I,

152; V, i, 185-188)

D. Major Themes ( continued)

3. The honest man in the corrupt society

4. Father – Son archetypeGhost-------- Hamlet

Past -------- Present

D. Major Themes ( continued)

5. Biblical Level—a new Paradise Lost and Regained(Hamlet as “savior’ figure—sent by heavenly

[ghostly] father)6. Death—the final contagion

a. to be or not to beb. all fathers must diec. worm food imageryd. gravediggers’ scene

and Yoricke. final scene and poisoningsf. a play completely about death

E. Characters

1. Hamlet—perhaps the most complex in English drama

a. Renaissance man

b. Madness?

c. Tragic flaw

d. Philosophical

e. Noble heart

E. Characters

2. Claudius:

3. Gertrude:

4. Polonius:

E. Characters

5. Ophelia

6. Laertes:

7. Fortinbras:

8. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

F. Imagery and Symbolsim

1. Garden imagery

2. Disease, contagion, poison

3. Harlots and make up

4. Death imagery