Hamlet
Hamlet - Themes
Uncertainty and Decision Making
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Action is continually postponed
A play about indecisiveness and Hamlet’s
failure to act appropriately
How possible is it to take reasonable,
effective, purposeful actions?
“A procrastinating protagonist”
Act 1, Scenes 1-2
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As you read the first few lines of the opening
scene, how do you envision it? How do you feel or
what mood is conveyed? What purpose does
portraying the scene in this way serve?
◦ Knowing how the Elizabethans felt, the scene
indicates that the ghost symbolizes trouble ahead. It
sets the tone for upcoming plot event. It’s also
expository to let the reader know previous action
about the war with Norway.
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Contradictory words and ideas
◦ Lines 1-14
◦ Ideas sit uneasily with each other
◦ Line 22
 “What, has this thing appeared again tonight?” Horatio
◦ Line 69
 “This bodes some strange eruption to our state.” Horatio
Act 1, Scenes 1-2
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How do Claudius and Gertrude respond to
Hamlet’s melancholy? Are they being fair to
him?
◦ Gertrude is gentle and suggests for Hamlet to get
out of his mourning clothes:
◦ Line 68/80
 “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off,
 And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.”
◦ Claudius is more abrupt and cold and explains
the loss as part of logical course of events:
 Line 89/93 “But you must know your father lost a
father.”
 Line 94/98 “ ’Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most
incorrect to heaven…”
Act 1, Scenes 1-2
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Contrast the attitudes towards the death of the old King
as expressed by Hamlet and Claudius.
◦ Claudius explains death as the course of life events and
shouldn’t be taken personally.
◦ Line 100/104
 “Why should we in our peevish opposition
 Take it to heart?” Claudius
◦ Claudius takes on a fatherly role
◦ Line 108/111-112 “think of us as a father.”
◦ Hamlet has taken his father’s death to heart and is not
merely wearing clothes that he can toss off and leave his
grief behind.
◦ Line 85/88-89
 “But I have that within which passes show These but the trappings and the suits of woe.”
◦ Hamlet is so distraught he has a soliloquy about suicide
◦ Line 129/Line 133
◦ Soliloquy is a monologue in which the speaker reveals
his/her innermost thoughts.
Act 1, Scenes 3-4
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Compare the advice given to Ophelia by Laertes
and that given by Polonius.
◦ Laertes advises Ophelia that Hamlet’s social position
prohibits him from making his own choice in a woman.
◦ Line 17 “His greatness weighed, his will is not his own.”
◦ Lines 30-31 “Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open
◦ To his unmastered importunity.”
◦ Polonius tells Ophelia she is “green,” unskilled in the ways
of love and Hamlet will say anything to have his way with
her.
◦ Line 115 “When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
◦ Lends the tongue vows.”
Act 1, Scenes 3-4
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What does “To thine own self be true” mean?
◦ Polonius says this to Laertes. Stay faithful to who you are
and be the person you truly are. Don’t present yourself as
something you’re not.
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Polonius’s speech to Laertes full of
fatherly advice
◦ Line 60
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 “Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.”
Who says “Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark”? What does he mean?
◦ Marcellus says this to mean that the ghost’s appearance
foreshadows something wrong or troubling in the
government.
Act 1, Scene 3
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Theme of incest seen in this Act
◦ Claudius and Gertrude
 At the time in-laws were not supposed to get
married.
◦ Hamlet and Gertrude
 There’s an issue that Hamlet is a little too close
with Gertrude
◦ Laertes and Ophelia
 Even though Laertes is giving Ophelia advice, is
it more than brotherly concern?
Act 1, Scene 4
Ghost continues to be an omen of
trouble to come.
 Scene also discusses the problems of
Denmark
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Act 1, Scene 4
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Shakespeare wrote the play in poetic
form called iambic pentameter
◦ Iambic means syllables are
stressed/unstressed
◦ Pentameter means 10 beats per line
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Each act ends with a rhyming couplet
Act 1, Scene 4
Other significant quotes from Act 1
 Hamlet: scene 2, line 129
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◦ “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt
◦ Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew”
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Hamlet: scene 2, line 146
◦ “frailty thy name is woman”
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Hamlet: scene 5, line 169
◦ “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
◦ Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Act 1, Summary
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While on guard duty, Bernardo and Francisco see the ghost
of the dead King Hamlet. They feel this shows something is
wrong in Denmark.
They tell Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, and he thinks they
should tell Hamlet.
The new king is Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius, who
married Queen Gertrude.
The King and Queen think Hamlet is grieving too much.
The guys tell Hamlet about his father’s ghost and he
appears to Hamlet that night.
The ghost tells Hamlet that King Claudius killed him.
Polonius: Royal family’s advisor.
◦ Laertes: Polonius’s son and Hamlet’s friend.
◦ Ophelia: Polonius’s daughter and she likes Hamlet.
Laertes is getting ready to go back to college and he and
Polonius advise Ophelia to stop dating Hamlet.
Act 2
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Recall from your earlier notes what
characteristics Hamlet possesses.
◦ “A procrastinating protagonist”
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What does scene 1 begin to tell you
about Hamlet’s mental state?
◦ It will become increasingly harder to distinguish
between feigned madness and real insanity.
◦ Page 53/54 Hamlet’s speech stating he’s not being
crazy confirms he is becoming unstable.
◦ “I am but mad north-northwest. When the
◦ Wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.”
Act 2, Scene 2
What does Polonius mean in an aside, as he
speaks with Hamlet, “Though this be madness,
yet there is method in’t”?
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There has to be a reasonable explanation for why
Hamlet is acting this way.
What is the significance of the speech which
Hamlet requests from the actor, taken from the
story of the Trojan War?
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It is the story of Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, who comes to
Troy in the Trojan horse to avenge the death of his
father by killing King Priam. Hecuba, Priam’s wife is
upset and he tells the story that Pyrrus is in a bloody
rage. It aligned to Hamlet’s situation in which he cannot
act to avenge his father’s murder.
Act 2, Scene 2
What do you suppose Hamlet’s tone is as he says
“The play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the
conscience of the king”?
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He must say is full of sarcasm and foreboding because
he has asked to players to perform the Murder of
Gonzago and he will write a version for the actors to act
out his father’s death in front of Claudius to watch
Claudius’s reaction/conscience.
What is the significance of Fortinbras in this
scene? How does he differ from Hamlet?
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Fortinbras keeps the subplot alive.
He is unlike Hamlet because he is acting on his anger
and is avenging his father’s death.
Fortinbras serves as a character foil for Hamlet.
Act 2, Scene 2
Longest scene in the play
 In Hamlet’s soliloquy he calls himself a
coward and questions himself that he
cannot weep or avenge his father’s death,
yet the actor cries for a fictional character.
 Fortinbras and Hamlet as foils
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◦ A foil is a character who by contrast emphasizes
the distinct characteristics of another character.
 Both are sons of dead kings
 Both have uncles who inherited the throne
 They act differently:
 Fortinbras is bent on revenge.
 Hamlet is depressed and indecisive; he procrastinates.
Act 2, Scene 2
Hamlet has one fear that the ghost is
lying to mislead him and is the devil in
a pleasing shape. He is looking for
assurance of the truth.
 Horatio and Laertes also serve as foils
to Hamlet.
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◦ Hamlet has admiration for Horatio.
Act 3, Scenes 1-2
What is the point of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”
soliloquy? What is the underlying question?
 Does Hamlet mean what he says to Ophelia? What
does it show you about his view of women in
general?
 Hamlet comments on marriage in these scenes.
Why does he tell Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery”?
Why does he say this? What is he saying about
marriage in general?
 What is Gertrude referring to in Line 226 (white
version)/Line 254 (orange version)? Why is this
line so famous?
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Act 3, Scenes 1-2
What is the point of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”
soliloquy? What is the underlying question?
 Does Hamlet mean what he says to Ophelia? What
does it show you about his view of women in
general?
 Hamlet comments on marriage in these scenes.
Why does he tell Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery”?
Why does he say this? What is he saying about
marriage in general?
 What is Gertrude referring to in Line 226 (white
version)/Line 254 (orange version)? Why is this
line so famous?
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Act 3, Scenes 1-2
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Hamlet comments on marriage in these scenes.
Why does he tell Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery”?
Why does he say this? What is he saying about
marriage in general?
◦ Hamlet is generally angry about marriage due to his
mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle. He is untrusting of all
women and advises Ophelia to go to nunnery to keep her
from marrying and having more “sinners” or children who
will grow up and marry as well. Perhaps he wants her there
to protect her from his increasing instability as well.
Act 3, Scenes 1-2
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What is Gertrude referring to in Line 226 (white
version)/Line 254 (orange version)? Why is this
line so famous?
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Gertrude is referring to the actress Queen that she really vows
to never marry because in that time period, protest means
vow.
This phrase has been used as a figure of speech to show a
person's repeated attempts to convince others of something
have ironically helped to convince others that the opposite is
true, by making the person look insincere and defensive.
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Act 3, Scenes 3-4
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How does Hamlet react after he murders
Polonius? What does this show you about
his current mental state?
◦ Hamlet acts triumphant after he stabs through
the arras. He believes he killed King Claudius.
When he learns it is Polonius, he shows no
remorse. Hamlet’s mental state could be
described as unstable.
◦ Line 27 white book, line 32 orange book
◦ Line 32 white book, line 38 orange book.
Act 3, Scenes 3-4
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What occurs beginning on Line 36 (white
version)/Line 40 (orange version) of Scene
3? Compare Claudius’s thoughts on his own
guilt as he tries to pray to Gertrude’s
recognition of her guilt when confronted by
Hamlet.
◦ Claudius tries to pray for confession, but he says
how can he ask for forgiveness when he still
possesses all that he gained from the murder.
◦ Gertrude is horrified to learn about the murder of
King Hamlet and did not know about it.
Act 3, Scenes 3-4
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In Scene 4, how is the theme of incest
seen in Hamlet’s conversation with
Gertrude? (Include quotes from their
conversation that illustrate this.)
◦ Freud wrote that Hamlet had an Oedipus
complex.
◦ Line 20 orange, line 16 white
◦ “You are the Queen, your husband’s
brother’s wife.
◦ Line 104 orange, Line 92 white “In the
rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in
corruption.
Act 3, Scenes 3-4
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How do Gertrude’s changing emotions
convey the idea that women are
unable to act and react without the
direction of men?
Line 202 orange, 181 white she asks Hamlet
what she should do
 Line 224 orange, line 201 white She needs
Hamlet to remind her his departure for
England. She lets other make decisions
about him.
 Lines 99 and 107 orange, 89 and 95 white
She’s begging Hamlet to stop telling her
about the murder and she appears frail.
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Act 3, Scenes 3-4
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Hamlet is now obsessed with gaining
certain, divine knowledge.
◦ Wants to know God’s plan
◦ Wants to know that Claudius will go to
hell after death
Act 4, Scenes 1-2
How does the King react when he
learns that Polonius is dead? Do you
think his reaction shows a side of him
that is self-serving – or
compassionate?
 How is the view of Hamlet shifted
after he kills Polonius?
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◦ Up until this point, he could have been
viewed as a hero.
Act 4, Scenes 3-4
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Why does Claudius decide to have
Hamlet executed in England?
◦ Hamlet has too many faithful followers in
Denmark page 195, lines 3-5
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Does Hamlet think that this fight over
worthless ground is foolish or
admirable? Why? What do you
think?
◦ He thinks it is admirable because
Fortinbras is avenging his father’s death.
◦ page 203 lines 48-51
Act 4, Scenes 3-4
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How might Fortinbras be seen as
Hamlet’s foil in these scenes? What,
specifically, does Hamlet admire
about Fortinbras? (Include quotes
from the passage in Scene 4.)
◦ Fortinbras avenges his father as Hamlet is
supposed to do.
 Page 104, lines 65-66. page 101, lines48 Hamlet admires Fortinbras’s ability to take
action while he cannot. 104, lines 48-49. 102
Act 4, Scenes 5-6
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How does Ophelia react to her father’s
death? Is this consistent with what
you know of her? Or would you have
expected her to be more strong or
vindictive?
◦ Ophelia goes mad. This doesn’t seem to be
consistent with her previous actions.
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Discuss the implication of Ophelia’s song lyrics.
What do they suggest about her relationship with
Hamlet and her grief for her father, especially as
causes for her apparent madness?
◦ Her song lyrics are sexual and speak about a woman who
has sex with a man but doesn’t return to marry her.
Act 4, Scenes 5-6
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How has Denmark declined as a result
of Claudius’s actions?
◦ Claudius is consumed with Hamlet’s
madness and not attending to the
government. Fortinbras is marching with
an army toward them and Claudius is
unaware.
 Page 108 several lines, Claudius is focused on
troubling events that surround him personally,
but not in terms of the government. (page 105)
Act 4, Scene 7
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Laertes wants to know why his father’s
murderer hasn’t been punished. What is
Claudius’s response? Is he telling the truth?
◦ Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet killed him, but
leaves out that it was done accidentally and that
Hamlet has gone mad.
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How does Ophelia die? Do you think she
commits suicide? What reasons might she
have for doing so?
◦ She drowns in a river.
Act 4, Scene 7
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Briefly, what is Claudius’s plot for killing
Hamlet? How does Laertes respond to the
plan? Do you blame him?
◦ Laertes will duel Hamlet. Laertes sword will be
dipped in poison so that even a slight wound will
kill Hamlet. Laertes has poison that he will use.
Act 5, Scenes 1-2
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What famous image from the play is found in
these scenes? What is its significance?
◦ Hamlet speaking to the skull and addressing the
brevity of life.
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What is the significance of the gravediggers?
What do they tell Hamlet?
◦ They offer comic relief.
◦ They tell Hamlet it is Ophelia’s grave they are
digging.