THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
TEACHING RESOURCE
HAMLET
By William Shakespeare
WHAT IS NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE?
National theatre Live is the National Theatre’s
ground breaking initiative to broadcast
theatre live from the stage to cinemas around
the world. Each performance is captured and
broadcast live (depending on location) via
satellite to over 2000 venues in more than
40 countries.
Read more about National Theatre Live at:
http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
productions/ntlout10-hamlet
DURATION
3 hours, plus 20 minute interval
CAST
Hamlet
Benedict Cumberbatch
Claudius
Ciarán Hinds
Horatio
Leo Bill
Polonius
Jim Norton
Laertes
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Ophelia
Sian Brooke
Gertrude
Anastasia Hille
Images supplied by National Theatre Live. Photo by Johan Persson.
COUNTRY ARTS SA
This resource has been produced as part of Country Arts SA’s
Arts On Screen Program for the 2016 screening of Hamlet.
For more information on Country Arts SA visit www.countryarts.org.au
Resource written by Robyn Brookes. © Copyright 2016 Country Arts SA.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
1
THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Pre-performance guide
LANGUAGE
Shakespeare can be daunting and confusing for students,
mainly because of the language, which may seem strange
and difficult to understand. However, Shakespeare is meant to
be performed, rather than read. Once performed, the rhythm
of the words seem to make sense and instead of trying to
work out what each word means, it’s easier to use the actions
onstage to help decipher the story.
In terms of the language, Shakespeare nearly always used
‘Iambic Pentameter’ when writing in verse. This means
that there are ten syllables in each line, with five pairs of
alternating unstressed and stressed syllables. The rhythm is
simply - de DUM, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM.
It was used mainly because it most closely mirrors everyday
English speech rhythms. Ask any actor and they will tell you
that verse is easier to learn than prose.
PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES
Task 1: Watch the following trailer
for the National Theatre’s Hamlet
http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
productions/ntlout10-hamlet
Discuss
Having watched the trailer;
• What do you think Hamlet is about?
• What mood does the trailer create?
• What type of genre do you think it
belongs to?
• What in the trailer would motivate
you to see the production?
Task 2: Read the synopsis of Hamlet
leaving out the ending.
For more information on Iambic
Pentameter watch the video:
Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5lsuyUNu_4
Create
Ask students to write their own ending
to the story;
• What happens to Hamlet, Claudius
and Gertrude?
• What happens to the kingdom?
• Perhaps re-visit these endings after
watching the production to see if
there are any similarities.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Synopsis
Set in a royal castle in the town of Elsinore in
Denmark, the tragic tale of Hamlet follows the
tormented soul of Prince Hamlet and his quest to
avenge his father’s death.
For three nights the ghost of Denmark’s dead king has
haunted Elsinore Castle. On the fourth night, Horatio,
a friend of Prince Hamlet brings the prince to see his
father’s ghost. Hamlet is grief-stricken and perplexed
at the mysterious circumstances of his father’s death
two months earlier, and the speed to which his mother
Queen Gertrude, has re-married, to his uncle Claudius,
King Hamlet’s brother.
The ghost of the king informs Hamlet that he was
murdered by Claudius and implores Hamlet to seek
revenge. Daunted by the task, Hamlet becomes
melancholy and feigns madness to find out the truth,
even rejecting his sweetheart, Ophelia. Claudius
worried about Hamlet’s odd behaviour directs
Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, to try to learn
the cause.
A group of travelling actors come to the castle
and Hamlet asks them to perform a scene closely
resembling the murder of his father, so that he can
see how Claudius will react. After the scene is played
out, Claudius leaps up and leaves. Hamlet follows,
ready to kill him, but finds Claudius in prayer, so he
bides his time.
Instead he confronts his mother over her swift union
with Claudius. Hidden behind a tapestry to eavesdrop
is Ophelia’s father, Polonius. Upon hearing a noise
Hamlet draws his sword and stabs through the
tapestry, killing Polonius, thinking that it was the king
in hiding.
Distraught over her father’s death, Ophelia goes
mad before drowning herself in the river. Her brother,
Laertes returns from France in a rage and Claudius
convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for the death
of both his father and sister. He persuades Laertes to
seek revenge in a duel, where he will poison Laertes’
blade, so that if struck, Hamlet will die. To make sure
of Hamlet’s death, the king also adds poison to a
goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink.
Hamlet returns and is in the graveyard when he
discovers Ophelia’s funeral procession. He attacks
Laertes for his overt display of grief and declares his
love for Ophelia, despite his recent rejection of her.
Hamlet is summoned to a duel with Laertes and
scores the first hit. The king offers him a drink from
his goblet, but instead, Gertrude takes a drink and is
swiftly killed by the poison. Laertes wounds Hamlet,
but he does not die of the poison immediately. Then
by chance Laertes is cut by his own swords’ blade. He
reveals that Claudius is responsible for the queen’s
death and asks for Hamlet’s forgiveness, before he
dies from the poison.
Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and
forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned
wine. Claudius dies. Hamlet knowing that his death
is inevitable, announces Prince Fortinbras as his
successor and requests Horatio to tell his tragic story.
Fortinbras enters with ambassadors from England,
who report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
dead. He is stunned by the sight of the entire royal
family lying dead on the floor. He moves to take power
of the kingdom and orders that Hamlet be carried
away in a manner befitting a fallen soldier.
Claudius now frightened of Hamlet’s madness and
fearing for his own safety, orders Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England. With them,
he also sends orders to the king of England to execute
Hamlet or face a war with Denmark. However, Hamlet
escapes and returns to Denmark.
http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout10-hamlet
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Characters
Hamlet
King Claudius
Is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King
Hamlet. He is melancholy and enraged that his
mother has married so shortly after his father’s
death. When his father’s ghost appears to him, he
sets out to avenge his murder and kill Claudius. He
is angry, dejected, depressed, manic, enthusiastic,
and energetic. He is also dark and suicidal, but being
religious, he believes that it is immoral to commit
suicide, so suffers his torment. His religious beliefs
also delays his plan to kill the king, as he won’t kill him
while he is praying.
Is the brother of the late King Hamlet of Denmark. He
has claimed the throne and married Queen Gertrude,
Prince Hamlet’s mother.
To convince himself of Claudius’ guilt he pretends to
be mad, even rejecting his beloved, Ophelia. However,
as he tortures himself with his father’s death and
mother’s incestuous marriage to Claudius, it begins
to occupy his every thought. Gertrude believes that
he has gone completely mad when he starts talking
to himself in her chamber, as she can’t see the king’s
ghost that he is talking to.
Knowing that the king fears him, he stays one step
ahead of the king’s plan to get rid of him and escapes,
making his way back to Denmark after Claudius has
him taken to England.
Throughout the play, Hamlet questions mortality and
the meaning of life, and his famous speech about
poor Yorick makes him realise that we are all equal
in the end. He is heart-broken over Ophelia’s death,
proclaiming his love and his foolishness in his quest
for revenge.
Ghost of King Hamlet
The ghost of King Hamlet, appears first to the men on
watch, then to Horatio and finally to Hamlet. He tells
Hamlet of Claudius’ foul crime and implores Hamlet
to seek revenge. The ghost reappears when Hamlet is
berating his mother. In spite of Gertrude’s betrayal of
him, the ghost shows great tenderness for her.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
He is a shrewd and capable politician, charming,
courageous and self-confident, but he is tainted by
mortal sin, having murdered his brother. Although his
conscience torments him, he is unable to repent or to
give up the throne or the woman that his murderous
act brought him.
He is a worthy and mighty antagonist for Hamlet.
Afraid of Hamlet’s behaviour, first he tries to send him
away to study, then he tries to destroy him by enlisting
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and later, Laertes.
Queen Gertrude
Is Prince Hamlet’s mother, widow of the former
king, now wife to Claudius, the new king. She loves
Claudius, but is ignorant of his murderous ways.
There are signs that she feels she re-married too
quickly, but it isn’t clear whether her marriage to
Claudius had political implications for her or not. She
confesses that when she looks into her soul she sees,
”Such black and grained spots.” (Act III, scene iv)
Hamlet calls her fickle, “Frailty, thy name is woman.”
(Act I, scene ii)
She loves her son, but is worried by his madness,
particularly when he begins talking to a ghost that she
can’t see. The queen defends Claudius to her own son
and doesn’t oppose his actions, following him willingly,
even when he arranges for her son to be exiled.
Her death occurs after she drinks the poison prepared
by Claudius for Hamlet.
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Characters
Ophelia
Polonius
Daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes and beloved
of Hamlet. She is a sweet, docile girl and obedient
girl. She loves Hamlet, but stops seeing him due to
her brother’s worry and her father’s rules. To her
father and brother, Ophelia is the vessel of morality
and purity, whose purpose is to be a dutiful wife and
steadfast. Something they believe Hamlet would never
respect.
Is the king’s advisor and father to Laertes and Ophelia.
He is elderly and demented, but politically ambitious,
having risen to role of King’s Counsel.
Her gentle nature becomes unstable at the shock of
her father’s death, “Ophelia enters with her hair and
whole figure entwined with chains of flowers. She
advances slowly with the strange light of insanity in
her eyes, sits down upon the floor, and plays with the
flowers in a childish way, as she sings. Then she arises,
distributes rosemary, pansies, fennel, columbine and
rue, sings her last song, loiters a moment after her
parting benediction, and runs out in a burst of mad
laughter.” (Act IV, scene v)
Polonius is also vain and full of his own selfimportance, which makes him want to please the
king. He believes that Hamlet’s madness is due to his
daughter’s rejection and offers to eavesdrop twice on
Hamlet to find out the truth for the King; once with
his own daughter Ophelia; and then hiding behind a
curtain in Gertrude’s chamber. This ultimately brings
about his death, as he is mistakenly stabbed by
Hamlet, “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool.”(Act III,
scene iv )
Having lost her father and Hamlet’s love so quickly in
succession, she spirals into madness and unable to
escape, she drowns herself.
Horatio
He is a meddlesome father to Laertes and Ophelia,
trying to control their lives. He sends spies to watch
Laertes in Paris and instructs Ophelia to end her
relationship with Hamlet.
A fellow student at Wittenberg, Horatio is Hamlet’s
friend and confidante.
Laertes
Is Polonius’ son and the brother of Ophelia. He is also
an old friend of Hamlet’s, having grown up together.
He is overprotective of Ophelia and wary of Hamlet,
warning her to stay away from the prince.
Laertes’ actions mirrors Hamlet in many ways, vowing
to seek revenge for his father’s murder. However,
he has more conviction, brushing aside any moral
obligation. He easily succumbs to Claudius’ plan to
kill Hamlet by the poisoned sword. This brings about
his own death as well as Hamlet’s, but not before he
is united with Hamlet against the king, “The king, the
king’s to blame” (Act V, scene ii).
He is well balanced and honourable, loyal and reliable.
Hamlet trusts him implicitly and confides in him freely.
At Hamlet’s death, Horatio wishes to die by his own
hand, but yields to Hamlet who asks him to tell his
story and clear his name.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
Also fellow students of Hamlet at Wittenberg.
Claudius employs them to take Hamlet and send a
letter to the king of England to murder Hamlet. They
do not survive the trip to England.
Laertes’s grief for Ophelia is melodramatic and
overdone. Hamlet comments, “What is he whose grief
bear such an emphasis? Whose phrase of sorrow
conjures the wandering stars?” (Act V, scene i)
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Genre
TRAGEDY
Tragedy: a play dealing with tragic events and
having an unhappy ending, especially one
concerning the downfall of the main character.
Hamlet is classed as a revenge tragedy. Most common
characteristics of this style include; a play within a
play, madness, a vengeful ghost, several gory scenes,
and a central character who has a serious grievance
against another who takes matters into his own hands
to seek revenge.
• Polonius eavesdrops on a set-up conversation
between Ophelia and Hamlet, which leaves
Hamlet enraged at Ophelia’s betrayal.
• Hamlet’s murder of her father sends Ophelia
completely insane.
• Hamlet is overcome with grief and cries, “I loved
Ophelia; forty thousand brothers could not, with
all their quality of love, make up my sum (Act IV,
scene i)
War with Norway;
• Both Denmark and Norway have dead kings who
have been succeeded by their brothers, not their
sons
Some of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies
include: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear and
Othello.
• Horatio says that King Hamlet had slain King
Fortinbras of Norway in combat and reclaimed
land for Denmark.
There are three main plots (or storylines) running
under Hamlet. Revenge, the romance between Hamlet
and Ophelia, and the looming war with Norway.
• Prince Fortinbras is described as, “Of unimproved
mettle hot and full.” (Act I, scene i)
The revenge plot includes;
• The ghost of Hamlet’s father appearing to Hamlet
and uttering, “Revenge is foul and most unnatural
murder.” (Act I, scene v)
• Hamlet pretending to be mad, even to his beloved
• Hamlet deciding to re-enact the murder. “The
play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience
of the king.” (Act II, scene ii)
• The fight between Laertes and Hamlet, both from
seeking revenge.
• Several deaths occur as a result of revenge.
• Hamlet’s inner turmoil and growing madness.
Hamlet and Ophelia’s romance;
• Laertes warns Ophelia that Hamlet’s love is
fleeting
• Her father demands that she ends the relationship
with Hamlet
• Hamlet appears to Ophelia pale and dishevelled
which frightens her
• Polonius assumes Ophelia’s rejection has driven
Hamlet mad.
• Polonius presents a love letter from Hamlet to
Ophelia to the king.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
• Prince Fortinbras is massing an army to win back
Norway’s land.
• King Claudius must deal with the threat of
war from the young Prince Fortinbras, sending
ambassadors to the King of Norway ordering him
to restrain his nephew.
• There are reports that Fortinbras is gathering
troops for an attack on Poland.
• One his way to exile in England, Hamlet meets a
captain in Fortinbras’ army.
• Before Hamlet dies he decrees that Prince
Fortinbras will be his royal heir.
He has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited. The rest is silence. (Act I,
scene ii)
• Fortinbras takes charge and the play concludes
with Fortinbras’ speech:
Let four captains
Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage,
For he was likely, had he been put on,
To have proved most royal: and, for his passage,
The soldiers’ music and the rite of war
Speak loudly for him.
(Act V, scene ii)
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Themes
REVENGE
MORTALITY
Horatio tells us in the first scene, “There is something
rotten in Denmark.” The ghost of the former king tells
Hamlet that he must avenge his murder and cleanse
the throne. Hamlet comes up with a plan to exact
revenge, first trying to prove Claudius’ guilt. However,
revenge does not come easy to him,
Human morality is a major theme as almost every
major character is unable to avoid death. Mortality
and the complexities of life and death are introduced
from the beginning with Hamlet pondering the
meaning of life.
What an ass am I! This is most brave
That I, the son of a dear murdered
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 scallion!
(Act II, scene ii)
He convinces a travelling group of actors to perform a
play similar to the death of his father. In the play, the
queen repeatedly swears to her husband (the king)
that she will never remarry, but the king says she will
forget her faithfulness as soon as she’s in her new
husband’s bed. This is offensive to Gertrude and she
says, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” (Act
III, scene ii)
Hamlet’s quest for revenge distances him for Ophelia,
scares his mother and upsets Claudius, who fearing
for his life sends Hamlet away.
Laertes is also consumed with revenge for his father’s
death and subsequent death of Ophelia. In this state,
he is easily lead by Claudius into blaming Hamlet and
plotting his death.
The act of revenge for both characters ultimately only
brings about their own downfall.
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.
(Act III, scene i)
In this soliloquy, Hamlet is asking, is it better to be
alive or dead? It is nobler to put up with bad things,
or put an end to them? Wouldn’t it be simpler to take
out your knife and end it? Is dying really sleeping that
ends heartache? Unless there was something dreadful
after death. This fear makes us all cowards.
More questions emerge throughout the play; what
happens when you die? If you’re murdered, will you
go to heaven? Do kings have a free pass to heaven?
If you’re killed while praying, do you go to heaven?
For Hamlet, it is this uncertainly of the afterlife that
frightens him away from suicide.
Later in the play when Hamlet sees Yorick’s skull in the
graveyard scene he realises that death eliminates the
differences between people.
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio,
A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.
He hath born me on his back a thousand times,
And now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!
My gorge rises at it.
(Act I, scene i)
Eight of the nine primary characters dies in the play,
but the question of morality is not fully answered.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Themes
MADNESS
GUILT
Hamlet’s originally acts mad to fool people into think
he is harmless. This allows him to discover Claudius’s
involvement in his father’s death.
Claudius shows no emotions of guilt in public, but
when he prays he reveals his guilt. (Act III, scene iii)
Early on Polonius says, “Though this be madness,
yet there is method in’t” (Act II, Scene ii). Although he
believes that Hamlet’s madness stems from Ophelia’s
rejection. Claudius tells Gertrude that Polonius, “Hath
found the head and source of your son’s distemper.”
Understanding her son she replies, “I doubt it is
no other but the main; his father’s death, and our
o’erhasty marriage. (Act II, scene ii)
Hamlet’s behaviour becomes more erratic throughout
the play, scaring his mother, who overhears him
talking to himself (when he’s really talking to the
king’s ghost); and Ophelia, telling her to, “get thee to
a nunnery.” (Act III, scene i); and his paranoia has him
accidentally killing Polonius.
O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;
It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,
A brother’s murder! Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will:
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent;
And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause where I shall first begin,
And both neglect. What if this cursed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother’s blood,
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy
But to confront the visage of offence?
And what’s in prayer but this two-fold force,
To be forestalled ere we come to fall,
Or pardon’d being down? Then I’ll look up;
My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer
Can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul murder?’
That cannot be; since I am still possess’d
Of those effects for which I did the murder,
My crown, mine own ambition and my queen.
May one be pardon’d and retain the offence?
He laments at his crime and the guilt that he fears. Is
his hand cursed with his brother’s blood? Why can’t
it be cleansed? Shouldn’t God show him mercy and
forgiveness, but what kind of prayer is there for him
when he is a murderer?
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
About William Shakespeare
1564 – 1616
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as
the greatest writer in the English language. His surviving works consist of 38
plays, 154 sonnets, and several poems. His plays have been translated into
every major living language and are performed more often than those of any
other playwright.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18,
he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children; Susanna, and twins
Hamlet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in
London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the
‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’, later known as the ‘King’s Men’.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His
early plays were mainly comedies and histories but he went on to write mainly
tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. All of
these are considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last
phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and he collaborated with other playwrights.
His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse
contexts throughout the world. Shakespeare retired at the age of 48 and died on 23rd April 1616. His wife Anne
Hathaway, died eight years later in 1623. Only their eldest child Susanna survived them.
WORKS
Comedies
All’s Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Much Ado About Nothing
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
The Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Twelfth Night
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Winter’s Tale
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
Histories
Shakespeare’s series of historical
dramas, based on the English
kings from John to Henry VIII
were a tremendous undertaking
to dramatise the lives and rule of
kings and the changing political
events of his time. No other
playwright had attempted such an
ambitious body of work.
King John
Richard II
Henry IV, part 1
Henry IV, part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, part 1
Henry VI, part 2
Henry VI, part 3
Richard III
Henry VIII
Tragedies
Some are re-workings of previous
stories, many based on English or
Roman history.
Romeo and Juliet
Coriolanus
Titus Andronicus
Timon of Athens
Julius Caesar
Macbeth
Hamlet
King Lear
Troilus and Cressida
Othello
Antony and Cleopatra
Cymbeline
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THE ART OF
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Adaptations
Because most of Shakespeare’s plays are long, a director often makes a
decision to cut sections of a play, based on their interpretation of the text.
In Hamlet, the character of Prince Fortinbras can be excised with minimal
difficulty, but doing this removes the political dimension of the play. Before you
can cut a character you need to think about what they stands for, and if they
are left out, what themes can remain intact through other characters?
Another point to bear in mind is the character of Hamlet himself. Does every
speech that he makes need to be included in order to convey his character?
Many of Shakespeare’s plays have also been adapted for the screen. Over fifty
films of Hamlet have been made since 1900. Many famous actors have played
the coveted role of Hamlet including; Laurence Olivier (1948), Richard Burton
(1964), Mel Gibson (1990), David Tennant (2009), Ethan Hawke (2000) and
Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 version that used the full Shakespearean text.
One of the difficulties of adaptation to film, is capturing the essence of a
scene that might take ten minutes on stage, but only a minute on film. Another
difficulty are the soliloquies.
—
Soliloquy
An act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless
of any hearers, especially by a character in a play
—
A soliloquy is used onstage to show the audience what the character is
thinking. Image if we all stopped and spoke our thoughts aloud? When filming
soliloquies, they are often filmed in one sustained shot, like you would see in the
theatre. Close-ups are usually used at a crucial moment in the action, however,
you don’t want every soliloquy filmed in close-up.
The National Theatre’s production is a filmed version of a staged play.
“Adjustments are made for lighting, sound and make-up,” as this is very
different for the camera than for onstage. “However, the aim is to preserve
the integrity of the original design and transposing the stage picture to work
on camera as effectively as possible. The camera choices and set-up vary
according to production, usually ranging from five to eight cameras, which are
cut live into a single feed.”
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Essay questions
1. Why do you think Hamlet delays carrying out the revenge for his father’s death?
2. How is revenge portrayed in Hamlet? Which characters are seeking revenge and how do they
deal with revenge?
3. How does the pursuit of revenge change Hamlet?
4. Ophelia and Gertrude have been criticised for their weak characterisations in the play.
Choose one of these characters and discuss.
5. How is Hamlet’s madness portrayed? Think not only of words, but actions, costumes and
setting.
6. Why are Claudius and Polonius suspicious of Hamlet and Laertes? What threat do they pose?
Why does Polonius send someone to spy on his own son?
7. Do you think Polonius sacrifices his daughter Ophelia, to his ambitions and/or his fear of
being discarded by the king?
8. Choose one of Claudius or Hamlet’s soliloquies and analyse each line. Discuss how
Shakespeare uses the soliloquies for character development.
9. In your opinion, what does the role of Prince Fortinbras add to the play?
10.An underlying them of politics between Norway and Denmark threads through the play. How
crucial is this to the rest of the play?
11. How relevant is Hamlet to our current social, cultural and political context? Refer to
contemporary issues in the media.
12.Shakespeare is still performed today because his plays explore timeless concepts which
explore basic human nature. Discuss this statement with reference to Hamlet and at least
one other Shakespearean text.
13.Hamlet is described as a tragedy. What do you understand by the term tragedy? Can you
think of other stories that you would call tragedies?
14.What moments did you enjoy in the production? Why?
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THE ART OF
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COMMUNITIES
Production questions
1. It is always difficult to display the ghost of Hamlet’s father, without it
seeming comical. What effects did they use to convey this?
2. Choose one of Claudius or Hamlet’s soliloquies and discuss the staging and
direction of them.
3. Compile a character study for one of the key characters in Hamlet. Be sure
to include relevant quotes and references to scenes.
4. Lighting plays an important role in any production. Explain the various uses
of lighting and the overall effect that it achieved.
5. What are the different ways that music is used? What effect did this create?
6. Decisions were made about close-ups and wide shots. What do you think
they were able to do in the filming of the play that enhanced some of the
moments of the play?
7. Discuss why you think the National Theatre films some of their plays?
8. What do you think are the benefits to filming the plays?
9. Analyse the set design for Hamlet. What features worked well and how did it
represent the themes in the play?
10.What costume elements were used in the development of the characters and
their state of mind?
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
Activities
WRITING
Write your own play exploring the concept of ‘revenge’ in contemporary society.
Include a rationale of your thinking.
Re-write the ending to Hamlet. In what ways would you change the ending,
what would you keep the same? Submit a ‘new ending’ in the script format and
a writer’s statement explaining your thinking.
DESIGN
Explore online design elements of various productions of Hamlet. Create your
own set design with a statement rationalising your decisions.
Create a portfolio of costumes for at least three central characters at two or
more points in the play. Complete a statement explaining your choices for each
design.
PERFORMANCE - Soliloquy
Choose one of the soliloquies in Hamlet that you’d like to perform.
A good actor analyses each soliloquy by noting where it falls in the play and
what happens before and after the speech. Then they analyse the text, thinking
about the development of the character, their emotions and the actions they’re
going to undertake.
Using this as your guide, analyse the soliloquy that you’ve chosen so that you
can provide animation and emotion to your speech. Rehearse and perform to
the class.
PERFORMANCE - Monologue
Choose a villain from a fairy-tale as your character. Write a scene for them
reflecting their guilt at their behaviour. Rehearse your monologue to build your
characterisation before presenting to the class.
COUNTRY ARTS SA TEACHER RESOURCE KIT – HAMLET
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THE ART OF
INSPIRING
COMMUNITIES
References
Books
Gooch, Steve. The [Cut] Shakespeare. Steve Gooch Publications, 2006,
East Sussex.
Wood, Jeff & Lynn, York Notes - Hamlet, William Shakespeare. York Press,
2003, United Kingdom.
Online
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/hamlet/commentary/act_ii.htm
www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/hamlet
www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-does-iambic-pentameter-symboliseshakespeares-196977
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_on_screen
http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout10-hamlet
http://shakespeare.about.com/od/shakespeareslanguage/a/i_pentameter.htm
www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet_2_2.html
www.shmoop.com/hamlet/writing-style.html
www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/section2.rhtml
Mabillard, Amanda. The Norway Subplot of Hamlet. Shakespeare Online. 20
Aug. 2000. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy. Shakespeare
Online. 20 Aug. 2000. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis/
revengetragedy.html
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