Hamlet
Since “brevity is the soul of wit.”
Hamlet
• Permeates our culture: The Simpsons episode, The Lion King,
etc.
• Origins of the play:
– Source = Ur-Hamlet-lost play. Popular in London in the 1580s.
• Based on 9th century Saga. Pre-Viking Prince named Amleth
[Move the “h” to the beginning of the word]
• Recorded by Saxo Grammaticus, a 9th century Danish monk
• It is a Revenge Tragedy
Revenge Tragedy
• A drama of retribution in which an evil is avenged and often the
vengeance is repaid in a series of bloody and horrible deeds.
• The form of a revenge tragedy dates back to classical Greek
drama.
• The theme of a r.t. is the revenge of a father for a son or vice
versa. Other traits include
– Hesitation of the hero
– The use of real or pretended insanity, suicide, intrigue, and
evil scheming villain
– Philosophic soliloquies and the sensational use of horrors.
(the horrors are murders on the stage and exhibition of dead
bodies on the stage.)
– There are supernatural visitations.
Characters
Denmark
Norway
1. King Hamlet/ Ghost
2. Queen Gertrude
3. Hamlet / Prince of
Denmark/ college
student
4. Claudius: new King/
brother of King Hamlet
7. Polonius: adviser to the
king of Denmark
8. Laertes: his son/ college
student
9. Ophelia: Polonius’s
daughter/ “girlfriend” of
Hamlet
5. Horatio: Friend of
Hamlet
6. Guards: Marcellus,
Bernardo, Francisco,
10-11. Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern: childhood
friends of Hamlet
1. Old Fortinbras = King of
Norway/ Old Norway
2. Young Fortinbras /
Prince of Norway
Denmark
King Claudius
King Hamlet
Queen Gertrude
Polonius
Hamlet
Norway
Fortinbras
Young Fortinbras
Courtesy of Mr. Pugliesi
Ophelia
Laertes
I.i
• Why is the ghost dressed for battle and why
doesn’t he speak?
• Make a list answering: What is the mood AND how
is it established in the first scene of the play?
• Answer: What is the purpose of the opening
scene, based on the movie and the play?
Hamlet I.ii
• What must Claudius do in the
speech?
• Is he successful in promoting
the image of a competent
leader? Explain.
• What advice about mourning
does he give to Hamlet?
• What conclusions about
Claudius’s character can you
draw based on his speech?
• How should Hamlet behave
upon the recent death of his
father?
• He must…
SWBAT
• Discuss the DN/M;
• Note what Claudius must do in the speech;
– read it to discover what he does, and analyze it to see if he is
successful in promoting the image of a competent leader.
• ID/note the advice about mourning he gives to Hamlet;
– make conclusions about Claudius’s character based on his
speech;
• Answer: how should Hamlet behave upon the recent
death of his father?
SWBAT
• complete the above DN/M and share responses;
continue reading, acting and discussing I.ii;
• Answer: how do you think H. will react to the news
Horatio and Marcellus bring him?;
• Note Hamlet’s humor, his reaction to the news of the
ghost;
• Answer the aim and the SGQs;
• Where would you expect the next scene to take
place? Do you think the ghost will be meeting with
Hamlet in I.iii? Explain your answer.
Hamlet’s first soliloquy:
“O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt..”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
For what does he wish in lines 133-138?
How does he view the world now?
Explain the metaphor of the unweeded garden.
Explain the comparison b/t KH & KC? Why is it
made? [note: Allusions to Greek mythology]
To whom does Hamlet compare himself? Why?
What do we learn about Hamlet’s feelings
toward his father? Include line numbers.
With whom is this soliloquy most concerned
with? How do you know? Give line numbers.
What is the author’s purpose in writing this
soliloquy?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hamlet wishes for death; suicidal in regards to
wanting to be with his father
He wishes that god, the supreme being, had not
made it a religious law to not commit suicide.
After
you’ve
To Hamlet,
the world
is dead,answered
dull, and boring.
Nothing succeeds
in
making
him
the Q’s, removehappy.
this box.
The world is like an unweeded garden, where the
weeds are choking the living plants. The weeds
represent corruption, which destroys an orderly
garden.
He compares his father to the sun titan Hyperion and
his uncle to a Satyr.
Hamlet compares himself to Hercules. Claudius is as
weak to old king Hamlet as Hamlet is to Hercules.
It appears as Hamlet idolizes his father as he
compares him to the sun god.
The soliloquy is focused on his mother, Gertrude, as
he believes she is a weak for marrying a lesser man
so quickly.
Show us Hamlet’s current state of mind: Depressed,
and infuriated with his mother.
As you watch the movie: I.iii
Laertes talks to his sister, Ophelia.
• What does he caution her about?
• Why does he do it? / Are his concerns valid? [focus on Hamlet’s responsibilities and ability to make
choices]
• How does Ophelia respond? What does this tell us about her personality?
• List all the pieces of advice Polonius gives his son as he goes back to college.
Are they valid?
• Explain the irony of: “To thine own self be true”.
• Summarize the conversation b/t Polonius and Ophelia
As you watch the movie…I.iv:
Reunions
•
What Danish custom are Hamlet / Horatio ashamed of? Why?
•
Why is it important to know if the ghost is a good ghost or a bad ghost? (l. 70-86)
•
Marcellus says, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Prove he is right.
•
What does the ghost tell Hamlet? Summarize the whole speech: 49-98. ID the religious
issues (ex: no confession b4 death)/ Mention of Gertrude.
•
Explain what Hamlet is saying by “O, my prophetic soul!”
•
What concern does Horatio have about the ghost?
•
Why does Hamlet swear them to secrecy?
SWBAT
• Elizabethan belief that ghosts could be
representatives of Satan sent to lead one astray;
• Begin analyzing I.iv, noting Denmark’s reputation for
drunkenness and Horatio’s concerns about the
ghost’s intentions.
• Answer: Why should the ghost’s intensions concern
Hamlet and Horatio?
Act I: The Advice Act
• Polonius gives advice to
Laertes-dress nicely,
don’t loan or borrow
money, value your true
friends, avoid fights, be
true to your self
The ghost advises Hamlet to
• Laertes gives advice to
Ophelia -- stay away
from hamlet he can’t
marry you.
More advice
• Claudius tells hamlet
every one loses a father
get over it.
• Gertrude tells hamlet to
stop wearing black and
stop grieving over your
father.
• Horatio, Bernardo, and
Marcellus realize the
ghost wont talk to them
and decide to go tell
hamlet.
SWBAT
• SWBAT: discuss the DN/M and share responses; Id/note the
requirements for a revenge tragedy;
• Read, act, and analyze Hamlet’s exchange with the ghost,
noting the repetition of “hear” and its purpose;
• Discuss why the marriage of Gertrude and Claudius is
incestuous and why it is Hamlet’s duty as Prince to rectify the
situation for the good of the people;
• Note the manner in which the king was killed;
• ID/note what Hamlet has been asked to do and how he plans
to do it.
Act II
• Aim: Prove that Denmark is rotten.
• Do Now/M: With a partner, create a list events that
show corruption in Denmark and that show how
appearances can be deceiving.
• NOTE: Act II is the act of the spies.
• HW: Take notes on the scene (while watching the
movie)
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• Continue reading II.i:
• Discuss why Polonius is sending Reynaldo to spy on L.
and spread stories about him;
• ID/note why does Polonius think Hamlet is acting
strangely;
• Why does Hamlet behave like a lovesick boy?;
• Identify the reasons Ophelia would report H’s behavior
to her father;
• Discuss the 2 reasons H’s “madness” is plausible.
• Add to the “Denmark is Rotten” list.
• Aim: How do Gertrude and Claudius show their
concern for Hamlet’s well-being?
• HW: Take notes on today’s reading.
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• Read/act/ discuss II.ii:
– noting the arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern;
– ID the way they are greeted,
• what they are asked to do, do they have a choice?;
– note Voltemand’s news re Fortinbras;
• that loose end is seemingly tied up;
– note how H “proves” to P that he is crazy b/c of O;
– discuss connotations of fishmonger.
• Aim: How does H treat his friends when he first sees
them and what does this tell us about what Hamlet
was like before his father died?
SWBAT
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• read/act/ discuss II.ii:
– noting the shift from verse to prose and ID reasons for this
change (H has realized R&G are spies);
– note the parental spying in the text (P & L, C & H);
– H reveals his emotional state but not its true cause [he takes
no pleasure in this world];
– ID/note the entrance of the players;
– discuss the significance of Aeneas, Dido, and the death of
Achilles (son’s revenge for father’s death);
– note Hamlet’s request to the player.
• Aim: Why has Hamlet postponed his task?
• Do Now/M: Give advice to Hamlet in a letter.
• HW: Take notes in the rest of this act.
• Study for the test on Act II: Tuesday
SWBAT
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• Read/act/ discuss II.ii:
– by completing yesterday’s discussion; and finishing the act
by analyzing the rogue and peasant slave soliloquy:
• what does Hamlet do in it and what is the purpose of it?
– Discuss “catharsis” and Aristotle’s idea of what a tragedy
must do.
– Review for the test.
What is Tragedy?
Aristotle
Shakespeare
Classic definition:
Renaissance =
Modern definition:
rebirth of classics A common man
can be a tragic
hero
1.
Writers modeled
Unity of time/
place
2.
Hero must be of
great stature
3.
Hero’s fall is due
to a flaw in his
nature
Must produce catharsis:
1.
A purifying or figurative
cleansing of the emotions,
especially pity and fear,
described by Aristotle as an
effect of tragic drama on its
audience.
A release of emotional tension, as
after an overwhelming
experience, that restores or
refreshes the spirit.
2.
their works on
classic works, but
wanted to make
them better
They modified
Aristotle’s #1 and
kept 2, 3, and 4
the same.
Miller
1.
2.
3.
4.
Modified A’s 1
Might do A’s 2
A’s 3 not imp.
Hero still has a
flaw, but it’s
produced by
society, etc.
• Aim: 1. Who are the foils to Hamlet and Gertrude in
II.ii?
• 2. Why has Hamlet postponed his task?
• Do Now/M: What is a foil? Give an example.
• HW: Answer SGQs for the rest of this act.
• Study for the test on Act II: tomorrow.
SWBAT
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• Foil: a person or thing that makes another seem better [or
worse] by contrast.
• Read/act/ discuss II.ii:
– by completing yesterday’s discussion;
– discuss the significance of Aeneas, Dido, and the death of Achilles (son’s
revenge for father’s death);
– note Hamlet’s request to the player.
• and finishing the act by analyzing the rogue and peasant slave soliloquy:
• what does Hamlet do in it and what is the purpose of it?
– Discuss “catharsis” and Aristotle’s idea of what a tragedy must do.
– Review for the test.
Act III
• Aim: How sincere are the feelings of Hamlet for Ophelia?
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the above
• Watch and read along with the encounter b/t Hamlet and
Ophelia,
– discuss the sincerity of their feelings,
– Analyze what he says to her: are you honest/ get thee to a nunnery. Etc.
– What does Ophelia’s soliloquy reveal to us about the man Hamlet used
to be and would have continued to be if not for recent events
• How does Claudius feel he should solve his Hamlet problem?
Will this work?
– What does Polonius offer as another way to find out what’s troubling
Hamlet? Why do you think he does this?
• Aim: How was the performance of the players meant
to be a turning point in the play?
• DN/M: What happened in the banquet scene in
Macbeth? What do you think will happen in a similar
scene in Hamlet?
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
• Watch and read along, note, explain and analyze
– The direction Hamlet gives to the players [parallels
Shakespeare’s directing of his plays = inside joke]. They show
he is not insane.
– What Hamlet thinks of Horatio and why he needs an impartial
party at the banquet.
– the relationship between Priam and Hecuba; connect to
Gertrude and King Hamlet.
– Discuss Hamlet’s erratic behavior and the reasons for it.
• His conversations w/Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude
• His obnoxious and inappropriate behavior and speech with Ophelia.
• Aim: Why is the play called the “mousetrap play”?
Why does Hamlet miss his opportunity to kill Claudius?
• Do you think Claudius will reveal his guilt while
watching the play? Explain your response.
• DN/M: What is your worst missed opportunity? Why
did you miss it? What did you learn?
HW:
SWBAT
•
•
•
•
Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
Discuss the plot and purpose of the mousetrap play;
Analyze the king’s reaction to it: is it realistic or not
Discuss and debate: should Hamlet even be considering killing
Claudius?
– Is he god’s minister or his scourge?
• Read, note, analyze Claudius’s soliloquy
– Why can’t he pray?
– Why doesn’t Hamlet kill him when he has the chance?
– His missed opportunity is a result of his tragic flaw. Identify it:
procrastination [and additionally here, the need to send Claudius to hell.
This was not part of the ghost’s request. This make Hamlet God’s scourge]
• Aim: Explain the purpose of the encounter
between Hamlet and his mother in her rooms.
• Do Now/M: Why do you think the ghost
reappears in this scene where Hamlet and
Gertrude are in her rooms?
SWBAT
•
•
•
•
•
Complete and share responses to the DN/M;
Discuss what Polonius is doing and why he is doing it.
Read, note, analyze the bedroom scene b/t Hamlet and his mother
Discuss why Polonius is killed
Explain the points Hamlet tries to make to his mother. What is her
reaction to them? Are they believable responses?
• Discuss why the ghost reappears and why only Hamlet can see him
this time
• What does H ask his mother to do? Is this a reasonable request?
• What is the purpose of their encounter?
• Aim: How is Claudius a hypocrite?
• DN/M: To whom does the following apply?
• “How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!”
(IV.iii.2)
SWBAT
• Complete and share the above
• Begin reading/watching Act IV.
Act IV
• Aim: : How and why does Claudius use Laertes’s
anger for his own purposes?
• DN:Copy HW/Aim
• Complete the foils chart on the next slide.
• HW: Answer the SQGs for what we read today in
class.
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the above
• Discuss: complete the foils chart: Hamlet: Fortinbras; Hamlet:
Ophelia; Hamlet: Laertes
• Madness scene: Ophelia speaks of men betraying women,
bawdily.
– How is Opehlia’s madness/fate believable?
– Create a chart of instances in the play when appearance and reality are at
odds with each other. Explain why this is so.
– Answer: what purpose does Ophelia’s madness serve? (notes on foils in
the play);
– Draw conclusions about characters based on this information;
• Analyze Laertes’s return & the way Claudius manipulates him;
• Discuss the issues over Ophelia’s death;
• Analyze Hamlet’s letter to Horatio.
Foils of Hamlet
All make an appearance in Act IV
Hamlet
Laertes
Fortinbras
Father
murdered Father murdered Father
by a loved one
murdered
Vows to …
Vows to …
Vows to …
Slow
to act
Wants to catch
killer when …
Feigns
madness
Talks of suicide
Quick
to act
Will kill even if
…
Quick
Ophelia
Father
murdered
by a loved
one
to act
Goes
mad?
Foils of Hamlet
All make an appearance in Act IV
Hamlet
Laertes
Father
Father
murdered
by a loved one
Vows to avenge
death by killing
murderer
Slow to act
Wants to catch
killer when he’s
sinning
Feigns madness
Talks of suicide
Fortinbras
murdered Father
murdered
Vows to avenge Vows to avenge
death by waging
death by killing
war on enemy
murderer
country
Quick to act
Quick to act
Will kill even if
he has to cut his
throat in the
church
Ophelia
Father
murdered
by a loved
one
Goes
mad
May have
committed
suicide
Act IV Notes
• Ophelia: mad
• Laertes returns: wants vengeance
• Hamlet was jealous of L’s excellent swordsmanship
– Claudius and L plan a “friendly” duel b/t L and Hamlet. Cl.
will place a bet that H. will win and not check the swords:
• 1 will be unbated [Cl’s plan] and envenomed [L’s plan]
• Then Hamlet will be thirsty or a toast will be made to Hamlet: drink
will be poisoned, too.
• Hamlet returned to Denmark alone, via a pirate ship!
• Ophelia has drowned.
Act V
• Aim: What is the purpose of the gravedigger scene?
• DN: Copy HW/Aim 2. discuss the purpose of humor in
Shakespeare’s tragedies.
• HW: Answer the SGQs for what we read in class.
• Pirate scene extra credit due next Friday.
SWBAT
• Complete the above and share their responses with the
class;
• Note the end of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Hamlet’s
action. He’s no longer inactive.
• Begin reading Act V:
– identify the gravedigger’s philosophy toward death;
– discuss Ophelia’s death and Hamlet and Gertrude’s
reactions to it;
– discuss this scene as foreshadowing.
Act V: Notes
• After a scene of intense emotion, Shakespeare provides 1 of comic
relief:
– the gravedigger scene: full of malapropisms, riddles, and a
discussion of Christian burial: Ophelia is not receiving one b/c her
death is a suicide.
• Hamlet and Horatio discuss the bones being dug up and who they
belonged to
• Yorik: King Hamlet’s jester: philosophical question about what happens
to all after death: Alexander the Great’s remains could stop a whole in
a barrel, etc.
• Gravedigger brings up the problem with Hamlet’s age.
• H & L grapple over Ophelia’s grave. [H seemingly has forgotten why L
should be angry with him]
• H and L also discuss the sealed letters H found on R & G: Cl demands
Eng’s king kill H. Hamlet rewrites and reseals the letters.
• Aim: How will Claudius and Laertes put their
plan into action?
SWBAT
•
•
•
•
•
Complete the above/ share responses;
Recognize the inevitability of Hamlet’s death;
Understand the melodrama in the final scene;
Discuss the purpose of Osric;
Understand the wagers placed on the outcome of the sword
fight.
• Discuss the revenge theme and whether or not Hamlet’s revenge
comes at too high a price
• Whose death does Hamlet ultimately avenge? His father’s? His
mother’s? Or, his own?
• Fortinbras is to become the new king and has the last word of the
play.
SWBAT
•
•
•
•
•
Complete the above/ share responses;
Recognize the inevitability of Hamlet’s death;
Understand the melodrama in the final scene;
Discuss the purpose of Osric;
Understand the wagers placed on the outcome of the sword
fight.
• Discuss the revenge theme and whether or not Hamlet’s revenge
comes at too high a price
• Whose death does Hamlet ultimately avenge? His father’s? His
mother’s? Or, his own?
• Fortinbras is to become the new king and has the last word of the
play.
• Aim: : Whose death does Hamlet avenge?
Victim
King Hamlet
Polonius
Ophelia
Rosencrantz &
Guildenstern
Gertrude
Laertes
Claudius
Hamlet
Killer
Weapon
SWBAT:
• Complete and share responses to the above
• Discuss the catastrophic conclusion of the play [using the
notes on the slideshow handouts]
• Discuss themes and conflicts
– Appearance vs. reality
– Rottenness in Denmark
– Deception/Betrayal
• Review for the Final:
– Day 1: Hamlet essay
– Day 2: College “composition” & How to write a research paper.
1/14/09
Wednesday
• Aim: To conclude discussion of Hamlet.
• DN: Work in a group to create a theme from these topics
– Appearance vs. reality
– Rottenness in Denmark
– Deception/Betrayal
• Identify examples of the following conflicts:
–
–
–
–
man v. man
man v. self
man v. society
explain how they help us better understand characters or themes.
• HW: Study for tomorrow’s final exam.
• Pirate scene extra credit due Monday.
• Novels project due 2/13/09