The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark By

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark By William Shakespeare

SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY STRUCTURE OF FIVE ACTS • • • Act III Exposition Rising Action Climax Act IV II Falling Action Resolution Act I Act V

BACKGROUND • Hamlet is not original to Shakespeare • The story is over 800 years old • Historica Danica by Saxo Grammaticus, 12 th cent. • Saxo’s story was retold by Francois de Belleforest, a Frenchman, in his Histoires Tragiques (1576) • Shakespeare wrote the play around 1601

SYNOPSIS • Ghost of King Hamlet appears to Hamlet, asks him to avenge his death • Hamlet’s mother Gertrude has quickly married his uncle, Claudius; Hamlet grieves heavily for his father • Hamlet stages a play to affirm his belief that Claudius murdered his father • Claudius plots Hamlet’s murder by way of a fencing match • Hamlet comes across gravediggers digging the grave of his girlfriend Ophelia; Hamlet is unaware that the grave is hers • In final scene, Hamlet and Laertes duel, but both die because one of the swords was poisoned; Gertrude and Claudius also die in the final scene from drinking poisoned wine

CHARACTERS • • Hamlet Claudius Gertrude Ghost of Old King Hamlet Polonius Ophelia Horatio Laertes

CHARACTERS • Rosencrantz, Guildenstern • • • Marcellus, Bernardo Reynaldo Fortinbras Players (actors) Clowns (gravediggers) Yorick (deceased)

SETTING • Denmark • Elsinore Castle • Offstage action occurs on a ship bound for England • Time: Possibly Late Medieval Period

GENRE • Critical Date: ca. 1600 • Tragedy. A work which moves towards an unhappy ending, often depicting the fall of illustrious men. • Revenge Tragedy: Popular in England during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in which the basic plot was a quest for vengeance. Typical elements of the genre were scenes of carnage and mutilation, real or feigned insanity, and the appearance of ghosts.

THEMES Major themes of Hamlet: • Hesitation • Revenge • Deception • Madness (feigned or real)

WOMEN IN HAMLET • Portrayed as weak, totally dependent on men • “Frailty, thy name is woman!” • Hamlet believes at all women are corrupt with sexual desires

SOLILOQUY • a type of monologue • character on stage alone speaking inner thoughts aloud • “To be or not to be” (III, i, 66) • Is Hamlet contemplating

Hamlet Act I “Remember me. ”

Act I, Scene i • The play begins with a question, “Who’s there? ” • Four men are guarding the castle, among them is Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend • They are discussing the appearance of a ghost • The ghost appears again to them; it resembles the Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet

• Act I, Scene ii Claudius acknowledges his hasty marriage to Gertrude; says it is for political stability • We meet Hamlet, who is in mourning for his father • Claudius and Gertrude try to console him

Act I, Scene ii (cont. ) • Alone, Hamlet expresses “O, That this too, too sullied flesh would melt” his wish to die; he wishes he could evaporate and cease to exist; he tells us how much his father and mother loved each other • Horatio tells Hamlet that he has seen a ghost that looks like his father

Act I, Scene iii • Polonius lectures Ophelia about falling in love with Hamlet • After saying “brevity is the soul of wit, ” Polonius gives a long-winded speech to his son Laertes before he leaves for France “the fair Ophelia!” • Polonius forbids Ophelia from associating with Hamlet

Act I, Scene iv • Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus wait for the ghost to appear • The ghost appears and asks Hamlet to follow him; he goes • Horatio and Marcellus follow Hamlet and the ghost

Act I, Scene v • The ghost (his father’s spirit) tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him • The ghosts asks Hamlet to seek revenge • Hamlet asks Horatio and Marcellus not to say anything about what they have seen; also tells them he may feign madness

Hamlet Act II “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King. ”

Act II, Scene i • Hamlet accosts Ophelia, acts strangely toward her • Polonius says Hamlet is mad for her love • Lovesickness for Ophelia may be the cause of Hamlet’s moodiness

Act II, Scene ii • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive at Elsinore • War with Norway has been averted • Fortinbras now will attack Poland, will march through Denmark on the way

Act II, Scene ii (cont. ) • Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that • Rosencrantz Hamlet is mad with love for Ophelia • They decide to spy on Hamlet • Hamlet has an erratic conversation with Polonius • Hamlet confronts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about why they are at Elsinore

Act II, Scene ii (cont. ) • A group of actors arrive at Elsinore • Hamlet decides he will set a trap for Claudius • The actors will perform a play, The Murder of Gonzago • The play is about the murder of a king • Hamlet will watch Claudius’s reaction

Hamlet Act III “To be, or not to be. ”

Act III, Scene i • Hamlet enters, speaking about the question of whether or not to commit suicide • Says that life is full of misery • Because we don’t know what lies beyond death, we would rather live and be miserable • Stops his soliloquy when he sees Ophelia

Act III, Scene i (cont. ) • Ophelia returns Hamlet’s love letters; he says he never loved her • Tells Ophelia to enter a nunnery so she won’t be a “breeder of sinners” • Hamlet says women make men act like monsters and are cause of the world’s problems; Hamlet denounces all marriages • After he leaves, Ophelia mourns Hamlet’s “noble mind” that has now lapsed into madness

Act III, Scene i (cont. ) • Claudius and Polonius watch the entire exchange between Hamlet and Ophelia • Claudius believes Hamlet is not insane, just depressed • Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England

Act III, Scene ii • The play is about to begin and Hamlet and Horatio agree to watch Claudius as the play unfolds • Claudius leaves the play when the murderer pours poison in the sleeping king’s ear

Act III, Scene ii (cont. ) • Because of the king’s reaction, Hamlet is frantic after the play • Polonius enters to escort Hamlet to the queen’s chamber • Hamlet says he will be brutally honest with her: “I will speak daggers to her but use none. ”

Act III, Scene iii • Consumed with guilt, Claudius prays forgiveness • Hamlet comes upon Claudius as he is praying but decides “My word s fly u thoug hts rem p but my not to kill him ain be low” • Claudius says his prayer wasn’t sincere

Act III, Scene iv • Polonius hides so he can eavesdrop on Hamlet and Gertrude • Hamlet becomes loud and agitated, frightening Gertrude; Polonius stirs behind the curtain • Hoping it to be Claudius, Hamlet rushes the curtain with his sword and stabs it; he pulls back the curtain, revealing a

Act III, Scene iv (cont. ) • Hamlet continues to berate Gertrude for her hasty marriage • The ghost appears in the chamber but only Hamlet can see it • The ghost reminds Hamlet of his duty of revenge • Hamlet says to Gertrude that he is not insane, only acting

Hamlet Act IV “This is the poison of deep grief. ”

Act IV, Scene i • Claudius and Gertrude discuss Hamlet, decide that he must be sent to England • Claudius wonders how the behavior of Hamlet (the future king) will appear to the people of Denmark; in other words, Claudius is worried about his political life

Act IV, Scene ii • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern question Hamlet about what he has done with the body of Polonius • Hamlet accuses them of being spies for Claudius

Act IV, Scene iii • Hamlet is ordered to leave England • Sealed orders for the death of Hamlet are sent with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on board the ship bound for England

Act IV, Scene iv • Young Fortinbras and the Norwegian army are marching toward Poland; they encounter Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern • Young Fortinbras says that they will battle the Poles over a small patch of land; Hamlet marvels that humans can act violently over something that seems so insignificant

Act IV, Scene v • Ophelia appears to have gone mad; she is passing out flowers and singing and speaking incoherently • An enraged Laertes enters, vowing to avenge his father’s death • Laertes is also angry after witnessing his sister’s insanity

Act IV, Scene vi To: Horatio From: Hamlet My ship was captured by pirates; they returned me to Denmark. Escort the sailors To the king and queen. I have news for R & G. --Hamlet

Act IV, Scene vii • Claudius buries Polonius, decides not to punish Hamlet because Hamlet is popular with the people of Denmark • Claudius and Laertes discuss ways for Laertes to avenge his father Polonius’s death • They decide to stage a fencing match; however, Laertes will use a poisoned sword, so that even a small scratch will kill Hamlet

Act IV, Scene vii (cont. ) • Gertrude enters with tragic news: Ophelia, mad with grief, has drowned in the river • Gertrude gives a detailed account of Ophelia’s drowning • Laertes becomes enraged at the news of his sister’s death

Hamlet Act V “Good night sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. ”

Act V, Scene i • Two gravediggers are shoveling a grave for Ophelia; they argue whether Ophelia should be buried in the churchyard since her death appears to be suicide. • Hamlet and Horatio watch the gravediggers work • Hamlet muses on mortality amidst some comic relief from the gravedigger.

Act V, Scene i (cont. ) • Hamlet picks up a skull; the gravedigger tells him it is Yorick’s skull, King Hamlet’s court jester • He realizes that all men become dust “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times … and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Where be your gibes now? Your songs? ”

Act V, Scene i (cont. ) • Ophelia’s funeral procession enters; although hidden, Hamlet and Horatio watch • As she is laid in the grave, Laertes leaps in the grave with her • When Hamlet realizes it is Ophelia, he bursts on the scene, claiming his love for her • Hamlet jumps into the grave with Laertes; the two of them fight

Act V, Scene ii • Hamlet explains that he replaced the letter calling for his execution with one that called for the execution of the bearers of the letter, which happened to be Rosencrantz and Guildenstern • Hamlet tells Horatio that he has no sympathy for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they betrayed him

Act V, Scene ii (cont. ) • Before the fencing match, Hamlet asks Laertes forgiveness; Laertes declines • The duel begins. Hamlet wins the first hit and Claudius drinks to Hamlet’s health; he also throws a gem in the drink which is actually poison. • Claudius offers a drink to Hamlet but he refuses to drink

Act V, Scene ii (cont. ) • Hamlet scores another hit and Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup • They fight again and Laertes hits Hamlet drawing blood • They scuffle and exchange swords; Hamlet wounds Laertes with Laertes’s own blade

Act V, Scene ii (cont. ) • Laertes tells Hamlet he has been hit with a poisoned sword • Laertes also says that the king is to blame for the poisoned swords and cup • Hamlet forces the king to drink from the poisoned cup

Act V, Scene ii (cont. ) • Laertes forgives Hamlet • Hamlet asks Horatio to tell his story; he agrees and Hamlet dies • Fortinbras, back from the military campaign in Poland, arrives at Elsinore and is named the new king of Denmark

The End