Hamlet William Shakespeare. History Written 1599-1601 –Inside a series of comedies in the last decade of the transition years between 1500 and 1600s.

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

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History• Written 1599-1601

– Inside a series of comedies in the last decade of the transition years between 1500 and 1600s.

• Midsummer Night’s Dream - 1595• Merchant of Venice - 1596• Much Ado About Nothing - 1598• As You Like It - 1599• Twelfth Night - 1601

– Also came on the tail of his first major forays into tragedy with historical/political themes.

• Julius Caesar - 1599• Henry IV Parts I and II - 1596/1597• Henry V - 1599

• First performed in 1603





Sources?

• Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus wrote the story of Amleth, Prince of Denmark, in the late 1100s.

• Ur-Hamlet in England, a decade before Shakespeare's Hamlet.– Ur is German for primordial– Vague references made to it in playbills and other

documents from the time.– No known written copies or evidence.



Shakespeare famous for his hit song “I’m bringing Saxo back.”

Setting• Denmark












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Characters• Hamlet

– Prince of Denmark– Student at University of Wittenburg

• A well respected school at the time, also the alma mater of Dr. Faustus.

– Indecisive– Prone to violence– Brooding







Claudius• The new King of

Denmark.• After his brother

(Hamlet’s father) died, Claudius married his then-sister-in-law.

• Scheming, murderous, wiling to do whatever it takes for power.

Polonius• Slow-witted, long-

winded.• The head of the royal

court.• Father to Ophelia and

Laertes.

Laertes (LAY-air-TEES)

• Also a student• Over-protective

brother of Ophelia• Meant to be compared

to Hamlet

Up Next?



Ooo… It’s the ladies…

Ophelia• Sweet, innocent

and beautiful.• Long-time love

interest of Hamlet.• Used by her father,

brother and Claudius.

Gertrude•Mother of Hamlet, Queen of Denmark•Not the best mother, for a few reasons.

Not, I repeat, NOT a strumpet.

Kind of a strumpet, at least to Hamlet

Supporting Cast• Fortinbras (FOR-tin-BRAZ)

– King of Norway– Close to Hamlet’s age.– Son of Fortinbras, who was killed by Hamlet Sr

• Hamlet killed Fortinbras, so now Fortinbras wants to kill Hamlet.• Wants to avenge his father’s death

• Horatio– Hamlet’s best friend and friend from University.

• Hamlet Sr. aka “The Ghost.”– Urges Hamlet along a path of revenge.



The comic relief

• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern– Friends of Hamlet that end up working

against him.





–Stock characters•Mercutio and Benvolio•C3PO and R2D2•Timon and Pumbaa•Jay and Silent Bob•The Weasley twins



Themes

• Familial duty

• Action vs. Inaction

• Sanity

• The body as a metaphor for a nation.

Familial Duty

• Hamlet has a duty to his father’s memory.• Gertrude has conflicting duties

– To her son– To her dead husband– To her new husband

• Ophelia has a duty to her father and brother• Polonius has duty to his family and his king.• Laertes has a duty to his father and sister.



Action vs. Inaction

• Early in the play Hamlet is set on a course of revenge.

• Although he has several opportunities, he constantly waits for more and more evidence.

• He ponders revenge, suicide, love, life, death.• Hamlet admires people like Laertes and

Fortinbras who are able to act on their feelings and desires.

• While not to the same degree as Othello, several people lose their minds in the course of the play.– Or do they?

• Hamlet acts on the urges of a ghost.– Or does he?

• Just as indecisiveness is a battle between planning and doing, we see a battle between sanity and insanity in both Hamlet and Ophelia.– Again, the story lies in the middle ground.

Sanity

The body as a metaphor for the nation

• As Hamlet and others get sicker (in the head) and actions become more depraved and dangerous, we see Denmark falling apart.

• And Fortinbras and the Norwegian Army wait in the wings…



Lasting Legacy• To be, or not to be…

• Alas Poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio…

• Brooding heroes with inner demons– Young men with kingdoms seeking to

avenge their fathers’ deaths.


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Hamlet William Shakespeare. History Written 1599-1601 –Inside a series of comedies in the last decade of the transition years between 1500 and 1600s.

Documents

urges hamlet

play hamlet

gertrudemother of hamlet

shakespeares hamlet

guildensternfriends

hamlet acts

hamlet srhamlet

brother hamlets father