November 17, 2015
Journal:
Defend or refute the
following statement:
Revenge is sweeter
than forgiving and
forgetting.
AGENDA
Journal
Hamlet characters
Homo Rhetoricus
Learning Target: I can explain homo
rhetoricus and its purpose in theatre.
Reminders:
Short
story essays and analysis rough
draft due Monday
Vocab Quiz Friday
Blanket drive ends Friday.

Ideas into Themes
This will help with your fever
Revenge:
chart…..


Appearance vs. Reality:


True and false friends, players assume new identities. Claudius
appears to be a true and just king and Gertrude his virtuous queen.
Pay close attention to references to “seems”, “shows”, “plays” and
“practices.” Also, carefully examine the role of the acting troupe in
the play as well as Polonius’ words and actions.
Sanity vs. Insanity:


Hamlet questions whether or not to avenge his father’s death. His
inner turmoil stems from his concern with right and wrong on
religious, moral and political grounds.
Is Hamlet really insane? Or does he show clarity of thought?
Decay and Corruption:

Personal terms for Hamlet; political terms for Denmark. Pay close
attention to the references to decay in the play.
Hamlet Fever Chart
The purpose of the fever chart assignment
for Hamlet is to allow you to do a close
reading of the text, which will lead to an
essay that supplies evidence for the idea
you are developing.
 The basic idea of a fever chart is that you
are tracking Hamlet’s psychological state
through the course of the play.

Basic layout
Y axis contains what it is you are tracking (levels
of sanity/insanity, levels of revenge,
decay/corruption, etc)
 X axis are the quotes to prove case
 Title contains your theory/opinion, which chart
then proves

Where do you stand?

If you agree with the following
statements, stand up.

If you disagree with the following
statements, remain seated.
Agree or Disagree







1) There is an afterlife, and spirits are real.
2) Murder is always wrong.
3) There is no way to know if a person is truly
mentally ill.
4) A parent has the right to control who their
child dates.
5) A bad person can be a good leader.
6) Suicide is a sin.
7) There is such a thing as a perfect family.
Setting

Denmark

Medieval Period
The Story

Hamlet’s uncle murders Hamlet’s father
and then marries his mother

Hamlet’s uncle becomes king

Hamlet feigns insanity to exact revenge
Hamlet

Prince of Denmark

About 30 years old

Son of Queen Gertrude
and the late King Hamlet

Nephew of the present
king, Claudius.
Hamlet continued

Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical.

Full of hatred for his uncle's scheming and
disgust for his mother's sexuality.

Studied at the University of Wittenberg

Sometimes indecisive and hesitant, but at
other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.
Claudius

The King of Denmark

Hamlet's uncle

Kills Hamlet’s father to become
King

The play's antagonist and villain

Calculating, ambitious politician

Driven by his sexual appetites
and his lust for power
Gertrude

The Queen of Denmark

Hamlet's mother

Married to King Claudius

Prefers her social status
over moral obligations
The Ghost (King Hamlet)

The specter of
Hamlet's recently
deceased father

Killed by King Claudius

Asks Hamlet to
avenge his death
Polonius

The Lord Chamberlain
of Claudius's court

Pompous, conniving
old man

Father of Laertes and
Ophelia.
Ophelia

Polonius' daughter

Hamlet is in love with
her

Obeys her father and
her brother, Laertes.
Laertes
Polonius's son
 Ophelia's brother
 Spends a lot of time
in France
 Passionate and quick
to action, Laertes is
clearly a foil for the
reflective Hamlet.

Motifs

Motifs are recurring
structures, contrasts,
or literary devices
that can help to
develop and inform
the text's major
themes.
Symbols

Symbols are objects,
characters, figures, or
colors used to
represent abstract
ideas or concepts.
Fun Fact

“We are each so atomically numerous and
so vigorously recycled at death that a
significant number of our atoms—up to a
billion for each of us, it has been
suggested—probably once belonged to
William Shakespeare” – Bill Bryson, A Brief
History of Nearly Everything
Annotate as you read…
Annotate as you read for the theme/idea
that you’re tracking for your fever chart.
 Also, annotate for other
ideas/symbols/motifs

 A/R:
appearance vs. reality
 O: Order
 When
the order of the state, a community, a family,
or even one’s personal order is upset, it must be put
back into order again no matter the cost
 H/H:
Head vs Heart
 Balance
between intellect and emotion

P/K: Power/Kingliness
 Who has the power? How those who have the
power is a big issue. What is the best way to
use power?

F/D: Free will vs. destiny
 How
much is what we do and what happens
to us actually under the power of our free
will?
The End
I.i
How do the opening lines set the
mood of the play?
SCENE I. Elsinore. A platform before
the castle.
BERNARDO
'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to
bed, Francisco.
 FRANCISCO
For this relief much thanks: 'tis
bitter cold,
And I am sick at heart.
 BERNARDO
Have you had quiet guard?

Describe the ghost. What
information do we have so
far?
 BERNARDO: It was about to
speak, when the cock crew.
 MARCELLUS: It faded on the
crowing of the cock. Some say
that ever 'gainst that season
comes Wherein our Saviour's birth
is celebrated, The bird of dawning
singeth all night long:And then,
they say, no spirit dares stir
abroad…
 HORATIO: This spirit, dumb to
us, will speak to him.
Do you consent we shall acquaint
him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our
duty?
Homo Rhetoricus
“talking man”
 Very dangerous rhetorical strategy, used
to manipulate.
 Claudius uses language skillfully to
manipulate by telling his audience what to
think.

I.ii

How would you describe Hamlet as a character? What do we know about
him so far?
I.ii.264
KING CLAUDIUS
Take thy fair hour, Laertes; time be thine,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will!
But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son,- HAMLET
[Aside] A little more than kin, and less than kind.
 KING CLAUDIUS
How is it that the clouds still hang on you?


How does Hamlet feel about his family situation?



See I.ii 129-159
See I.ii 1-38
Hamlet says to Horatio: “…the funeral bak'd-meats did coldly furnish forth the
marriage tables” I.ii.181