‘Hamlet’
by
William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare
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Most famous of Shakespeare’s 36 plays
Written 1599 – 1601
Plot borrowed from at least two other source
stories
Revenge Tragedy:
hero met by a ghost asking for revenge
scenes of madness
a play within a play
a graveyard scene
physical violence and death
Cast of Characters
Hamlet’s family
• HAMLET, Prince of Denmark, a student at
Wittenburg University
• CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark, Hamlet’s
uncle and brother to the dead King Hamlet
• GERTRUDE, Hamlet’s mother, now
married to Claudius, following her
husband’s death
• GHOST of OLD HAMLET, the former King
Cast of Characters
At Court
• POLONIUS, chief adviser to CLAUDIUS
• LAERTES, son of Polonius and a similar
age to Hamlet
• OPHELIA, daughter of Polonius and
Hamlet’s ‘love interest’
Cast of Characters
Other Young Men
• HORATIO, also a ‘scholar’ at Wittenburg
University and Hamlet’s closest friend
• ROZENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN,
Hamlet’s schoolfriends
• OSRIC, a courtier
• FORTINBRAS, Prince of Norway and son
of Old Fortinbras
Themes and Images
Our Focus:
• Corruption and Decay
• Revenge
• Madness
• Deception
• Family/Sexuality
‘Hamlet’
Scene Summaries
Act 1 Scene 1
A gun platform on the battlements of Elsinore Castle
• Barnardo and Marcellus take over the guard
from Francisco.
• Barnardo and Marcellus tell Horatio about the
Ghost that has been seen.
• The Ghost appears. It resembles the late
King Hamlet, in full armour.
• Horatio questions the Ghost but it doesn’t
speak.
• The men decide to tell Prince Hamlet what
they have seen.
Act 1 Scene 2
The Great Hall of Elsinore Castle
• Claudius, the new king, addresses the
court.
• Hamlet is disgusted by the new king (his
uncle) and Queen Gertrude (his mother).
• The watchmen tell Hamlet about seeing
the Ghost, and they plan to watch again at
midnight.
Act 1 Scene 3
Elsinore, a private room
• Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet and
her sexuality.
• Polonius gives his departing son advice on
how to conduct himself.
• Polonius orders Ophelia to reject Hamlet
unless he offers more than he has already.
Act 1 Scenes 4 and 5
The gun platform on the battlements of Elsinore
• (These two scenes are continuous.)
• Hamlet joins the watch with Horatio and
Marcellus.
• The Ghost appears and signals to Hamlet to
follow him.
• The Ghost tells Hamlet that he is the spirit of his
father, and orders revenge on his murderer,
Claudius. He also orders him to spare his
mother, who will be judged by God.
• Hamlet accepts his instruction and vows his
friends to secrecy. He plans to act mad (‘put an
antic disposition on’) in order to achieve his goal.
KEY TURNING POINT
Act 2 Scene 1
A state room in the castle
• This scene takes place some weeks after
the events of Act 1.
• Polonius sends Reynaldo to France to spy
on his son, Laertes.
• Ophelia reports Hamlet’s strange
appearance and behaviour to Polonius.
Act 2 Scene 2
The Great Hall of Elsinore Castle
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive to spy on
Hamlet.
• The king allows Fortinbras to march his forces
across Denmark.
• Following Polonius’s advice, the king plans to
spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia.
• Hamlet taunts Polonius.
• Hamlet forces Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to
confess they were sent for by the king.
• The first player delivers the Hecuba speech.
• In his third soliloquy, Hamlet berates himself and
plans to use the play to confirm Claudius’s guilt.
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Act 3 Scene 1
(The Nunnery Scene)
The Great Hall of Elsinore Castle
This scene takes place the next day.
Hamlet’s madness is discussed. Claudius
reveals his guilt to the audience.
Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on
Ophelia and Hamlet’s conversation which
breaks up in bitterness.
Ophelia expresses her despair.
Claudius resolves to deal with Hamlet by
sending him to England.
Polonius volunteers to spy on Hamlet
during another meeting he will set up, this
time with Gertrude.
Act 3 Scene 2
(The play-within-a-play)
The Great Hall of Elsinore Castle
• This scene happens some hours later.
• Hamlet makes preparations for the play,
with which he will test the truth of the
Ghost’s story.
• The play is performed. Hamlet and
Horatio observe the king’s guilty reaction
to it.
• Hamlet is summoned to the queen’s room.
Act 3 Scene 3
(The Prayer Scene)
The king’s private chapel
• Claudius tries to pray for forgiveness.
• Hamlet has Claudius at his mercy but
does not kill him because his soul would
go straight to heaven.
KEY SCENE – HAMLET’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Act 3 Scene 4
(The Closet Scene)
Gertrude’s private room (closet)
• Polonius prepares to eavesdrop on Hamlet
and Gertrude’s conversation.
• Hamlet kills Polonius, believing him to be
the king.
• Hamlet chastises his mother.
• The Ghost reappears to sharpen Hamlet’s
‘almost blunted purpose’.
• Gertrude promises not to reveal Hamlet’s
secret.
Act 4 Scene 1
Gertrude’s private room
• Gertrude informs Claudius of Polonius’s murder.
• Claudius decides that Hamlet should be sent
away to England.
Act 4 Scene 2
A corridor in the castle
• Hamlet has hidden Polonius’s body and will not
tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where.
Act 4 Scene 3
A state room
• Claudius confronts Hamlet about Polonius.
• He tells Hamlet he is sending him to England for his own
safety.
• Once alone, Claudius reveals his plans to have Hamlet
killed in England.
Act 4 Scene 4
The sea coast near Elsinore
• Hamlet meets Fortinbras’s army.
• Hamlet delivers his final soliloquy: ‘How all
occasions do inform against me’
Act 4 Scene 5
The Great Hall of Elsinore Castle
• Ophelia has been driven mad.
• Laertes returns to avenge the death of his father.
Act 4 Scene 6
A room in the castle
• Hamlet has escaped from the ship that
was taking him to England.
• Horatio receives a letter from him, asking
Horatio to join him.
Act 4 Scene 7
A state room in the castle
• In a letter, Hamlet informs Claudius of his
return to Denmark.
• Claudius and Laertes plot Hamlet’s death.
• Gertrude describes Ophelia’s death by
drowning.
Act 5 Scene 1
A graveyard near the castle
• Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia’s
drowning.
• Hamlet and Horatio contemplate the
mutability of all things.
• Ophelia’s cortege arrives; Laertes’ display
of grief for Ophelia enrages Hamlet and
the two men fight by her grave.
Act 5 Scene 2
• Whilst at sea, Hamlet arranged for the deaths of
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
• The king arranges a fencing match between Hamlet
and Laertes.
• During the bout, Laertes scratches Hamlet with the
poisoned sword and is in turn fatally wounded by it;
Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup prepared by
Claudius for Hamlet.
• The dying queen and Laertes accuse Claudius;
Hamlet, knowing he is dying, takes his revenge and
kills the king.
• Hamlet nominates Fortinbras as his successor and
begs Horatio to tell his story ‘aright’.
• Young Fortinbras orders a soldier’s funeral for Hamlet
and assumes power in Denmark.
Drama Critical Essay Questions
Answers to questions on drama should
address relevantly the central concern(s)/
theme(s) of the text and be supported by
reference to appropriate dramatic
techniques such as: conflict,
characterisation, key scene(s), dialogue,
climax, exposition, denouement, structure,
plot, setting, aspects of staging (such as
lighting, music, stage set, stage directions,
props [properties]…), soliloquy,
monologue…
• Choose a play in which a central character experiences not only
inner conflict but also conflict with one (or more than one)
character…
• Choose a play in which a central character is heroic yet
vulnerable. Show how the dramatist makes you aware of both
qualities…
• Choose a play which has a theme of revenge, or betrayal or
sacrifice…
• Choose a play which has a definite turning point or decisive
moment. Explain briefly what happens at that point or moment and
go on to explain why you think it is so important to the rest of the
play.
• Choose a play in which the conclusion leaves you with mixed
emotions but clearly conveys the dramatist’s message…
• Choose a play in which the dramatist creates a sense of mystery
at or near the beginning of the play…
• Choose a play in which there is a scene involving intense
emotion…
• Choose a play in which a character keeps something hidden or
pretends to be something he or she is not. Explain the reason(s)…
The Character of Hamlet
• Is Hamlet’s journey a descent into
madness or the journey to manhood?
• Is Hamlet a hero or a villain?
• Is he a character we can sympathise with?
• What causes his delay in avenging his
father’s death?
• Is his death at the end of the play an
inevitability or a fitting end because of his
crimes?
Context
Quote
Act 1:2 – Claudius
‘A little more than
addresses the court post
kin, and less than
his brother’s death and his kind.’
claim to the crown and
queen.
‘Tis not alone my
inky cloak good
mother, . . . . .
That can denote
me truly.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 1:2 – Claudius
‘ ’tis unmanly
addresses the court post
grief.’
his brother’s death and his
claim to the crown and
queen.
Act 1:2 – Hamlet’s first
soliloquy
‘O that this too
solid flesh would
melt,
Thaw and resolve
itself into a dew,
Or that the
Everlasting had
not fixed
His canon ’gainst
self slaughter.’
Analysis
Context
Act 1:2 – Hamlet’s first
soliloquy
Quote
’Tis an unweeded
garden
That grows to
seed; things and
rank and gross in
nature
Possess it merely.’
‘Hyperion to a
satyr.’
Analysis
Context
Act 1:2 – Hamlet’s first
soliloquy
Quote
’Why, she would
hang on him
As if increase of
appetite had grown
By what it fed on,
and yet, within a
month –
By what it fed on,
and yet within a
month –
Let me not think on’t;
frailty, thy name is
woman –’
‘She married. O most
wicked speed, to
post
With such dexterity
to incestuous
sheets!’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 1:2 – Hamlet’s first
soliloquy
‘But break, my heart,
for I must hold my
tongue.’
Act 1:2 – Hamlet alone
once Horatio has
informed him of the
ghost.
‘My father’s spirit, in
arms! All is not well;
I doubt some foul
play.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 1:4 – The ghost
visits Hamlet
‘Angels and ministers
of grace defend us!
Be thou a spirit of
health or goblin
damned, . . . . .
Be they intents
wicked or charitable,’
Act 1:5 – The ghost
speaks to Hamlet
‘I am they father’s
spirit,
Doomed for a certain
term to walk the
night, . . . . . .
Till the foul crimes
done in my days of
nature
Are burnt and purged
away.’
Analysis
Context
Act 1:5 – The ghost
speaks to Hamlet
Quote
‘If thou didst ever
they dear father love
- ……
Revenge his foul and
most unnatural
murder.’
‘The serpent that did
sting they father’s life
Now ears his crown.’
Analysis
Context
Act 1:5 – The ghost
speaks to Hamlet
Quote
‘Thus was I,
sleeping, by a
brother’s hand
Of life, of crown, of
queen at once
dispatched.’
‘If thou hast nature in
thee, bear it not,
Let not the royal bed
of Denmark be
A couch for luxury
and damned incest.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 1:5 – The ghost
speaks to Hamlet
‘Against thy mother –
aught – leave her to
heaven.’
Act 1:5 – Hamlet’s 2nd
soliloquy
‘Adieu, adieu,
Hamlet. Remember
me.’
‘So, uncle, there you
are. Now to my word:
It is ‘Adieu, adieu,
remember me’.
I have sworn’t.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 1:5 – Hamlet swears ‘To put an antic
Horatio and the guards
disposition on - ’
to secrecy
‘O cursed spite,
That ever I was born
to set it right!’
Analysis
Context
Act 2:2 – Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern arrive
at the request of the
King and Queen. Those
around him notice the
changes in Hamlet
Quote
‘My too much
changed son.’
‘Into the madness
wherein he now
raves,
And we all wail for.’
Analysis
Context
Act 2:2 – Hamlet’s 3rd
Soliloquy (post the
arrival of the players)
Quote
‘O what a rogue and
peasant slave am I!’
‘But I am pigeonlivered and lack gall.’
Analysis
Context
Act 2:2 – Hamlet’s 3rd
Soliloquy (post the
arrival of the players)
Quote
‘That I, the son of a
dear father
murdered,
Prompted to my
revenge by heaven
and hell.’
‘The spirit that I have
seen
May be the devil, and
the devil hath power
T’assume a pleasing
shape; yea, and
perhaps
Out of my weakness
and my melancholy.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 2:2 – Hamlet’s 3rd
Soliloquy (post the
arrival of the players)
‘The play’s the thing
Wherein I’ll catch the
conscience of the
King.’
Act 3:1 – Hamlet’s 4th
Soliloquy
‘To be, or not to be –
that is the question.’
Analysis
Context
Act 3:1 – Hamlet’s
interaction with Ophelia
Quote
‘Get thee to a
nunnery.’
‘God has given you
one face, and you
make yourselves
another.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 3:2 – Hamlet’s 5th
Soliloquy (post the play
and his believed
admission of guilt by
Claudius)
‘Now could I drink
hot blood,
And do such bitter
business as the day.’
‘I will speak daggers
to her, but use none.
My tongue and soul
in this be hypocrites ’
Analysis
Context
Act 3:3 – Hamlet has
the opportunity to kill
Claudius and enact
revenge
Quote
‘Now might I do it
pat, now he is
praying.
And now I’ll do’t. . . .
A villain kills my
father; and for that
I, his sole son, do
this same villain send
To heaven’
‘Up, sword, and
know thou a more
horrid hint. . . . .
Then trip him that his
heels may kick as
heaven,
And that his soul
may be as damned
and black
As hell, whereto it
goes.’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 3:4 – Hamlet speaks ‘A bloody deed –
to Gertrude as Polonius almost as bad, good
spies on them.
mother,
As kill a king and
marry with his
brother.’
Act 3:4 – The ghost
visits Hamlet in
Gertrude’s chambers.
‘Do you not come
your tardy son to
chide,
That, lapsed in time
and passion, lets go
by
Th’important acting
of your dread
command? O, say!’
Analysis
Context
Quote
Act 3:4 – The ghost
visits Hamlet in
Gertrude’s chambers.
‘Is but to whet thy
almost blunted
purpose.’
Act 3:4 – Hamlet to
Gertrude post Polonius’
death.
‘I must be cruel only
to be kind.’
‘That I essentially am
not in madness,
But mad in craft.’
Analysis