Hamlet
By Shakespeare
Elizabeth I
• Queen of England during the time period
• Had no children
• The country feared her Cousin James I of
Scotland would be her successor
• King James became the king
– Had different views
– Had different beliefs
– The lives of those in the country changed
Characters
• Hamlet – Prince of Denmark
– About thirty years old
– Son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet
– Nephew of the present king, Claudius
– Melancholy, bitter
• Uncle’s scheming
• Mother’s sexuality and quick remarriage
• Father’s death.
– Thoughtful, studied, reflective but also rash and impulsive
• Horatio - Hamlet’s close friend
– Studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg
– loyal to Hamlet and helps him
• Claudius - The King of Denmark
– Hamlet’s Uncle and the play’s villain
– Calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual
desires and power lust
– Sometimes shows human feeling and guilt
– May truly love Gertrude
Characters Continued
• Gertrude - The Queen of Denmark
– Hamlet’s mother
– Married to Claudius per King Hamlet’s death
– Loves Hamlet
– Shallow, weak and depends on men
– Seeks attention, affection, and status more than morality
and truth
• Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’ court
– Arrogant, scheming old man
– Father of Laertes and Ophelia
• Laertes - Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother
– Spends much of the play in France
– Passionate and quick to react
• Ophelia - Polonius’ daughter and Laertes’ sister
– Beautiful woman whom Hamlet has loved
– Sweet and innocent, obeys her father and her brother
– Like Gertrude, dependent on men to tell her how to
behave and live
Characters Continued
• Fortinbras – Prince of Norway
– Father was killed by King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father
– Wants vengeance on Denmark
• The Ghost – Believed to be Hamlet’s recently deceased father
– Claims to have been murdered by Claudius
– Calls for vengeance
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – aristocrats
– Friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg
– Brought to Denmark by the king & queen because of
Hamlet’s behavior
• Marcellus and Bernardo - officers
– First to see the ghost walking the walls of Elsinore
– Calls Horatio to witness the ghost
• Francisco - A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore
• Reynaldo - Polonius’ servant
– Sent to France by Polonius to spy on his son, Laertes
Basic Plot of “Hamlet”
• The Ghost of Hamlet’s father returns and tells
his son Hamlet, a studying student, he wants
vengeance for his murder committed by his
brother Claudius, the current king and
husband of the widowed Queen Gertrude.
Hamlet contemplates the logic and reality of
the situation, is it true? Is the ghost real?
Although dealing with his mourning and
anger towards his mother, Gertrude, and love
interest, Ophelia, Hamlet sets his plan in
motion to find out the truth and satisfy the
ghost’s wishes.
ACT I
• Guards think they see ghost of King
Hamlet (Senior)
• Conflicts between Norway and Denmark
are exemplified
• Hamlet mourns the death of his father,
while Claudius tells him he must move on
from mourning
• Hamlet fantasizes about death
• Hamlet is angered by his mother’s
remarriage so soon after his father’s death
Assignment
• Read Act I
• Summary of the each scene i-v (1-5)
• Email 1 discussion question the night
before class or bring it by the morning of
class before first class.
• Be prepared for a quiz
ACT II
• Polonius is focused on his children and
obsessed with Hamlet’s behavior
• The king and queen bring in
reinforcements to discover the cause of
Hamlet’s behavior
• Plans are made to understand the cause
of Hamlet’s behavior
• Plans are made to discover the guilt of
Claudius for the former king’s murder
Assignment
• Read Act II
• Summary of the each scene I & ii (1 & 2)
• Email 1 discussion question the night
before class or bring it by the morning of
class before first class.
• Be prepared for a quiz
ACT III
• Polonius’ plan to decipher the motivation
behind Hamlet’s strange behavior
• Hamlet’s plan to decipher King Claudius’
guilt
• Hamlet’s moment of revenge
• Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother
Assignment
• Read Act III
• Summary of the each scene i-iv (1-4)
• Email 1 discussion question the night
before class or bring it by the morning of
class before first class.
• Be prepared for a quiz
ACT IV
• Queen Gertrude’s “betrayal”
• What do to with the body?
• Hamlet is sent away
• Fortinbras travels through Denmark
• King Claudius and Laertes’ plan
Assignment
• Read Act IV
• Summary of the each scene i-vii (1-7)
• Email 1 discussion question the night
before class or bring it by the morning of
class before first class.
• Be prepared for a quiz
ACT V
• Graveyard scene
• Hamlet’s obsession with death
• Funeral
• A foiled plot
• The new plot of revenge
Assignment
• Read Act V
• Summary of the each scene I & ii (1 & 2)
• Email 1 discussion question the night
before class or bring it by the morning of
class before first class.
• Be prepared for a quiz