By William Shakespeare

Elsinore – The palace Hamlet lives in
Wittenberg – Hamlet & Horatio’s university
Denmark – The country Hamlet is prince of

A soliloquy is a word taken from Latin and it means ‘talking by oneself.’ It is a device that dramatists – especially Shakespeare– used to allow a character to communicate his or her own thoughts directly to the audience.
A soliloquy is essentially a speech in which the character is thinking, rather than actually speaking to anyone.

A monologue is a speech made by one character to another character(s). It is not a dialogue, but rather more like a speech.
Shakespeare’s plays are full of monologues. Among the most famous is
Marc Antony’s ‘Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me your ears’ speech in
Julius Caesar, where Antony is addressing the Roman crowd after the assassination of Caesar.

A character who serves to contrast or emphasize opposing traits in another character, usually our main character.
Hamlet has two foils in this play.

• IAMB- A unit or foot of poetry that consists of a lightly unstressed syllable followed by a heavily stressed syllable. Some words in English naturally form iambs, such as behold, restore, amuse, arise, awake, return, Noel, support, depict, destroy, inject, inscribe, insist, inspire, unwashed.
• PENTAMETER- When poetry consists of five feet in each line, it is written in pentameter. Each foot has a set number of syllables.

• HAMLET – THE PRINCE OF DENMARK
• HORATIO – HAMLET’S BEST FRIEND
FROM COLLEGE
• KING HAMLET’S GHOST – HAMLET’S
DECEASED FATHER

• KING CLAUDIUS – THE NEW KING OF
DENMARK, THE GHOST’S BROTHER, HAMLET’S
UNCLE, HAMLET’S NEW STEP-FATHER
• QUEEN GERTRUDE – QUEEN OF DENMARK,
HAMLET’S MOTHER
• POLONIUS – KING CLAUDIUS’ LORD OR
ASSISTANT, OPHELIA’S FATHER
• LAERTES – STUDENT, POLONIUS’ SON,
OPHELIA’S BROTHER
• ROSENCRANTZ & GULDENSTERN – HAMLET’S
CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

• OPHELIA – HAMLET’S LOVE INTEREST
• FORTINBRAS – PRINCE OF NORWAY,
SERVES AS A COMPARISON TO
HAMLET
• THE GRAVEDIGGERS – COMIC REFIEF,
GIVE AN UNBIASED OPINION OF
HAMLET
• REYNALDO – POLONIUS’ SERVANT

https://www.flickr.com/photos/integraldan/62
67777235/
The Simpsons Do Hamlet http://vimeo.com/55386366

There is one main plot introduced in the first scene as well as a second, sub-plot.
 Main Plotline: Hamlet, the King of Denmark has recently died.
 Sub-Plot: King Hamlet was involved in a war with Norway. In this war he killed King
Fortinbras and took his land.

I. A funeral and a wedding for the Hamlets
II. Prince Fortinbras wants his father’s land back
(We meet Cornelius and Voltimand)
III. Laertes ask permission to leave
IV. Hamlet & Claudius talk death (and we realize Claudius and Gertrude are real jerks)
V. Hamlet tells the audience how he’s feeling
VI. Horatio tells Hamlet some freaky news

Draw
Photo
Here
Characters in scene: ___________________
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Key Facts: __________________________
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Part 1 – Convo between King Claudius and
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
1) How have R&G come to Elsinore?
2) What does Claudius ask them to do?

Part 2 – News from Norway from V&C
1) What message do V&C deliver from
Fortinbras? What is he asking of King
Claudius?

Part 3 – Polonius, Claudius, and Gertrude discuss Hamlet’s “madness”
1) What does Polonius say has caused Hamlet to go mad?
2) What has he brought to Claudius as proof?
3) What plan do Polonius and Claudius devise?

Part 4 – Hamlet & Polonius have a heart to heart
1) What does Hamlet warn Polonius in regards to
Ophelia?
2) Hamlet’s tone towards Polonius can best be described as what?
3) Does Polonius realize this? (referring to answer to #2) What does he still believe Hamlet’s behavior is due to?

1) How does Hamlet treat Ophelia in this scene?
2) How do you think Ophelia is feeling about herself and about Hamlet at this point?
3) Why did Hamlet react the way he did?
4) Did Polonius get the reaction and confirmation he was expecting?
5) What is Claudius thinking about Hamlet and what does he do because of it?
6) What does Polonius say his next plan is?

Part 5 – Hamlet talks with his old friends
R&G
1) Do R&G admit to Hamlet why they have come to Elsinore?
2) How does Hamlet’s mood change here?
3) Whom do R&G announce is coming to
Elsinore and how does Hamlet react to the news?

Part 6 – Hamlet talks to the traveling actors
1) What play does Hamlet tell the players they will be performing?
2) What does Hamlet say he will add to the play?

Part 7 – Hamlet reveals his PLAN
1) What is the scene Hamlet wrote about?
2) What is Hamlet’s motive behind adding the scene?
3) What does Hamlet say a “guilty” reaction could be?

ACT III, scene 2:
“The play’s the thing Wherein
I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”
1) Observe Hamlet’s behavior during the play scene, specifically towards Ophelia.
2) How much does Horatio know at this point?
3) Look for Claudius’ reaction to the play.
4) Note Hamlet’s reaction to Claudius’ reaction.
5) Listen to the way Hamlet talks to R & G. Does he trust them??
6) Where is Hamlet headed after the performance?

~ Will Hamlet fulfill his father’s request and kill
Claudius?
~ Will Hamlet face consequences for murdering
Polonius? By whom?
~ Will Hamlet indeed go to England and what is in the letters that Rosencrantz & Guildenstern carry?
~ What will happen to Ophelia when she finds out the man she loves murdered her father?
~ How will Fortinbras showing up in Denmark affect what is currently going on?

Character Identification:
Hamlet
The Ghost
Gertrude
Claudius
Polonius
Laertes
Ophelia
Horatio
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
Voltemand & Cornelius
Fortinbras
Marcellus & Bernardo
Quotation Identification:
(May include any lines we have discussed thus far)
Literary Terms:
Soliloquy
Monologue
Foil
Personification
Iambic Pentameter
Dialogue
Stage Direction
Location Identification:
Elsinore
Wittenberg

• How are the female characters portrayed in this play?
• What major similarities do Ophelia and
Gertrude have? What major differences?
• What affect do the female characters have on the male characters?

• Foil – a character who is used to emphasize another character’s shortcomings or weaknesses.
Which character do you believe is
Hamlet’s foil and why? Compare and contrast Hamlet and this character.

• What is a Tragic Hero?
• Explain how Hamlet can be considered a
Tragic Hero.

• Secrecy
• Madness
• Revenge
• Mortality
Come up with the best example for each of these in the context of the play.

• Ophelia’s flowers
• Yorik’s skull
• The Ghost
• Tapestries
• Poison

• What affect do you think the performance is going to have on King Claudius?
• Do you think Hamlet will reveal the truth about his father’s death to Gertrude during their meeting in her closet?
• Do you feel bad for Ophelia at this point of the play? What else do you feel for her character?
• Polonius has already foreshadowed his own murder. Whom do you think will be his murderer and why do you think this person kills Polonius?

• This scene is the climax of the play for several reasons. What are they?
• Gertrude has a choice to support Claudius or
Hamlet after this intense scene. What do you think Gertrude is going to do next?
• What is your opinion of Hamlet’s mental state at this point in the play?

• How will Hamlet avenge his father if he is going to England?
• Will Hamlet go to England and be killed, or will something or someone stop him?
• Where has Ophelia been? How’s she doing?
• Has Laertes heard of his father’s murder yet?
• Where is Fortinbras and his army?

• Where does this scene take place?
• Who has arrived in Denmark? How many are there?
• What does the Captain tell Hamlet the army’s mission is?
• What revelation does Hamlet have about himself based on what the army is about to do?
• Do you think this will affect Hamlet going to
England? Explain

• What do Claudius and Laertes learn from
Hamlet’s letter?
• How can Claudius “use” Laertes’ desire for revenge to his own advantage?
• What plan do Claudius and Laertes develop to take down Hamlet?
• What has happened to Ophelia?
• How is this going to affect Laertes’ actions?

After reading the play, decide whether you believe Hamlet was merely acting insane, or truly had gone insane. Supply one piece of hard evidence for your response.

1. A tragic hero is usually a person of noble birth; someone who is highly respected in his society.
2. He has a tragic flaw, a weakness, that leads to his fall from power.
3. The tragic hero is good, though not perfect. He commits an act of injustice either through ignorance or from his fatal weakness. In other words, he makes an error in judgment that will make him fall from his grand stature.
4. The tragic hero’s downfall is his own fault, the result of his own free choice or free will.
5. The hero’s misfortune is not wholly deserved. We do not come away from tragedy feeling that the hero got what he deserved. We are saddened by his punishment.
6. However, the tragic hero’s death does not leave the audience in a state of depression because the loss involves some gain in self-knowledge.
Though the hero may be defeated, he at least has dared greatly, and he gains understanding from his defeat and must become and example for others.
7. All tragic heroes die a noble, yet tragic death.

With a partner, analyze Laertes and
Fortinbras as Hamlet’s foils.
Compare and contrast each character to
Hamlet and identify how they are very similar, yet how they highlight Hamlet’s major flaws.

• SAME: The character of Fortinbras is the foil that is most similar to
Hamlet in regards to circumstance. Hamlet’s father has died, murdered by the hand of his own brother, and Hamlet has been discarded as heir. Similarly, Fortinbras is the prince of Norway,
Hamlet’s father has murdered his father, and his uncle has unjustly stolen the throne from him.
• DIFFERENT: Hamlet is spending time merely contemplating revenge, while Fortinbras is leading an army in an attempt to reclaim the land that is his.
• Fortinbras’ desire for action with which to avenge his father is the catalyst that Hamlet needs to catapult himself out of inaction, as he says, “Rightly to be great is not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honour’s at the stake”
(IV.iv.56-68). These lines show that Hamlet has decided that strong action is better than rational debate, and his foil provides him with the ambition to move ahead with his plans.

• SAME: Hamlet has mistakenly killed Polonius, Laertes’ father, while mistaking him for someone else, and this turn of events places Hamlet in the same role as Claudius.
• DIFFERENT: However, while Hamlet is full of self-doubt and conflicting emotions, Laertes is quick to attempt to revenge his father.
• It is no coincidence that in the final scene of the play, Hamlet says to him, “I’ll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance your skill shall, like a star i’ the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed”
(V.ii.5-7). Even Hamlet himself realizes how closely aligned his situation is with Laertes and he knows that in the future they will be compared to one another, although Laertes will be found to be greater for his courage in action.

Dramatic irony is often employed in tragedies to engage the audience into what is taking place. By having knowledge of something that is occurring, the audience is able to witness a character’s error of action which other characters are unaware aware of.
In turn, the knowledge gives the audience foresight of the particular character’s fate. It is the foresight induces the audiences tragic feeling’s of sorrow and grief.
The dramatic irony in Hamlet is used to emphasize how mischief and dishonesty can lead to tragic occurrences. This can be seen through the deaths of Polonius and Queen Gertrude, as well as the rise of Fortinbras, as the new King of Denmark.

• In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet is asked by his mother, Gertrude, to reveal what was making him act like he was crazy. Hamlet believes that
Gertrude is truly having a heart to heart with him and really desires to put Hamlet’s troubles to ease. However, what Hamlet does not know is that Gertrude allows Polonius to hide being the arras to overhear their conversation for King
Claudius. As the audience, we are aware that
Polonius is in the room with Gertrude and
Hamlet, but Hamlet is unaware of his presence.

• in Act 5 Scene 2, when Gertrude is mistakenly murdered. King Claudius, pretending to be alongside Hamlet, presents a cup of what appears to be an alcoholic beverage to Hamlet for his excellent in fencing against Laertes.
However, the cup is poisoned with the intoxicants acquired by Laertes. The audience is well aware of the King’s plot to dispose of
Hamlet if Laertes fails to do so himself. Luckily,
Hamlet does not drink the deadly concoction saying that “I’ll play this bout first.

• In Act 5, Scene 2, Fortinbras finds King Claudius, Queen
Gertrude, Prince Hamlet, and Laertes dead in front of the throne. He notices that there are no longer any successors to the throne, and therefore he “claim my vantage doth invite me.” (Act 5, Scene 2, Line 412). This is tragic because we are used to having the protagonist succeed with his endeavors. Here, we want Hamlet to succeed by killing
Claudius and taking his rightful place to the throne. But as the course of incidents played out, Hamlet was slashed by the poisoned-tipped sword of Laertes and was not able to become King. It is tragic that things do not turn out as expected, leaving Fortinbras able to exploit the opportunity to crown himself as the King of Denmark as he originally wanted.