H A M L E T

William Shakespeare

> “ahmlet”>Best known of Shakespeare’s tragedies>Origin is Belle-Forest’s Histoires Tragiques (1570)

William ShakespeareBorn: April 1564, Stratford-upon-AvonDied: 1616Buried: Stratford-upon-AvonParents: John and Mary ArdenSchool: Edward VI Grammar SchoolWife: Anne Hathaway (m. 1582)Children: Susanna (b. 1583),

(twins b. 1585) Hamnet (d. 1596) & Judithhttps://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/hamlet/william-shakespeare-biography

No. of Plays Written: 37Comedy: 17Tragedy: 10History: 10

Poetry:The Sonnets

A Lover’s ComplaintThe Rape of LucreceVenus and Adonis

Funeral Elegy by W.S.

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/

• Work: Play

• Genre: Tragedy

• POV: Objective Third Person (uses dialogue and without author’s commentary)

• Literary Period Written: >Renaissance, Reign of Elizabeth I

• Literary devices Used: soliloquy

Historical Background:Church:

> a widow is forbidden to marry her deceased husband’s brother (incestuous)

> maimed rites are given to those who committed suicide

> burial should be near the parish church

Society: > daughters should be obedient

> Scandinavian Territorial Wars

> Advantages of being a royalty, or in a high social rank

> Public trial

>Loquacious courtier (scholars are coining words from Greek and Latin)

Succession:> Chief Men (Council) elect the

successor from the immediate male relatives of the late ruler. The interested party may present himself before the assembly.

Setting:

>Time: Medieval Period

> Year: 15th Century

> Place: Elsinore Castle, Denmark

Act I:

>The ghost of King Hamlet

showed up and asked his son

to avenge his death.

Act II:>Hamlet feigned insanity.

>He invited the king and Queen to watch ‘ The Mouse-Trap’ Play which is intended to invoke the guilt of the King.

Act III: >Hamlet and Horatio succeeded in invoking the guilt of the King.

>The Queen broke down under her son’s indictment.

> Hamlet accidentally killed the eavesdropper Polonius.

Act IV:

>Ophelia went insane and died by drowning.

>Laertes returns and attempted revolution.

>Hamlet is ‘exiled’ to London.

> The evil plot of Laertes and the King.

Act V:>Death of the main characters.

>Horatio is tasked to tell the truth.

>Fortinbras summons the greatCouncil.

Conflicts:> Man vs Man (Hamlet vs the King)(Hamlet vs Laertes)

> Man vs Self (Hamlet vs his conscience)(Ophelia vs her feelings)

> Man vs Fate (the King vs Death)

> Man vs Society (the King vs the Mob)

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

HAMLET: >is a complex character >astute>he lacks the necessary power to overthrow his Uncle Claudius>a loyal son who used deception to achieve justice>wants to avenge his father’s death just like Laertes and Fortinbras

CLAUDIUS: >poisoned his own brother for the crown. >strong, gracious and dignified, astute and knows how to manage men. >not entirely evil for he considers the love of Gertrude for Hamlet.

HORATIO:

>poor, loyal, fellow student and friend of Hamlet

>one of the finest minor characters in Shakespearean plays.

>the balancing character since Hamlet is rather impulsive

>displays composure and uses his intelligence in a much calmer way.

GERTRUDE:

>Unsuspicious queen

>obviously in love and proud of Claudius.

>can be suspected as a conspirator in the death of her husband

>does nothing to stop Claudius from sending Hamlet to England

>she was able to warn Hamlet of the poisoned cup of wine.

POLONIUS: >an advisor to the King>this Lord Chamberlain is a selfish fool who loves to be in the center of the stage >crafted three espionage throughout the play in which the last one got him killed.

OPHELIA:

>submissive daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes

>major dilemma is whether to follow her heart or to obey her father’s orders

>her choice sealed her fate when she lied to Hamlet

LAERTES: >man with low moral standards who warns her sister about Hamlet >like Hamlet was driven by hatred and thirst for justice thus was compelled to jeopardy.

THE GHOST:

>is King Hamlet

>appeared several times in the play but only to certain people

>The soul is condemned to walk on the earth until his soul is cleansed of its sins.

ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDERNSTERN:

>the boyhood friends turned into spies of Hamlet

>conventionally treacherous

>their excessive obedience to the crown to execute Hamlet earned them death.

Theme:Hamlet’s duty to avenge King

Hamlet’s death. (p. 100, Shakespeare Hamlet quotes)

Death eliminates differences among people. (https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/hamlet/critical-essays/yoricks-skull-as-a-major-symbol)

Morals: What goes around, comes around.

REFERENCES>Stockton, Carla Lynn. CliffsNotes on Hamlet. 10 Aug 2016</literature/h/hamlet/hamlet-at-a-glance>.

>Roberts, James L. Shakespeare Hamlet Notes. © 1959. Cliffsnotes Incorporated

>DiYanni, Robert. Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay 4th Ed. ©1998. Mc Graw Hill

>(ed. Beaty, et.al.). The Norton Introduction to Literature 8th Ed. ©2002. W.W. Norton Company

Elaine Antonette P. Gunsi4 AB English A

European Literature