Trailer
Hamlet: Introductory Notes
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark
By William Shakespeare
What’s the Big Deal About
Shakespeare?
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In 1998, a film told of the
challenges Shakespeare faced as a
playwright and as a man. The film
was set in the Elizabethan age and
depicted drama rehearsals, the
dangers of playwriting, and the
class differences that marked the
17th century. Although this subject
matter seems like it would not
intrigue the masses, Shakespeare in
Love appealed to audiences worldwide and earned the Oscar for Best
Film of the Year.
So What?
•
When a U.S. senator wanted
words solemn enough to match the
occasion of the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the Pentagon
and the World Trade Center, he
reached for Shakespeare, declaring,
in a moving speech reported in the
Congressional Record,
“Shakespeare wrote, ‘Grief hath
changed me since you saw me last.’
We are all changed. Yesterday
changed all of us.”
Tragedy: A Comparison
• Greek Tragedy:
– Noble hero with a tragic
flaw, or hamartia
• Fall elicits pity or terror
from the audience
through empathy with
the tragic hero
(catharsis)
• Shakespeare’s Tragedy:
– Hamlet is a nobleman
striving to restore order to
the world around him, but
justice comes with the forfeit
of his life.
– Hamlet does not move from
a state of happiness to a state
of suffering typical of most
Renaissance tragedies: the
play begins with Hamlet’s
suffering.
– Not just about the downfall
of the tragic hero, but a play
about politics, murder, and
domestic strife.
Renaissance Beliefs
• Basic Tenets
– Reason led to virtue.
– Order led to reason. Properly tended gardens showed
an orderly world.
– Love was an ideal; lust was a rejection of God-given
reason.
• Belief in ghosts!
– A hallucination
– A spirit returned to perform some deed left undone
in life.
– A spirit seen as an omen of something dreadful
– A spirit returned from the grave by divine permission
– A devil disguised as a dead person
Renaissance Beliefs Continued
• The Nature of Evil
– Inherited defect – does not involve human responsibility;
individual is the victim of fate.
• Complexions – based on the belief in the four
humours; sanguine, melancholic, choleric and
phlegmatic.
– Intellectuals were especially susceptible to
melancholy. “According to the theorists, the melancholy
individual was prone to dwelling at inordinate length
upon his difficulties, real or imagined; but, so far from
remaining lethargic, he often would become hysterical
and would act impulsively.” Hmmmm…HAMLET?
• Man possesses “habits” or flaws that overthrow
reason.
Renaissance Influence on Setting
• In the hierarchy of creation, angels were at the top, beasts were viewed as
the lowest, and man, in between.
• During the Renaissance, man’s ability to reason made him closer to the
angels, or symbols of “pure virtue.”
• Reason had to overcome passion, grief, and “bestiality” in order for man
to be virtuous. Intemperance was viewed as a rejection of reason.
• Mankind remains tainted from original sin; therefore, the ghost
represents the imperfect man, or mortal.
• Elizabethans believed in the divine right of kings. The murder of a king
was “foul and unnatural because the king was God’s minister on
earth.”
• Canonical law said the marriage of a woman to her dead husband’s
brother was strictly forbidden. The law is based on the sacramental
view of a mystical bond formed in marriage.
• Incest was viewed as an offense against the whole of society.
• Suicide was viewed as a mortal sin.
Historical Context
If you were to stop William
Shakespeare on a sunny morning in
1599, (the year Hamlet was
written) he would tell you that few
specific issues were on his mind:
• a) the ever-present threat of the
plague
• b) the concern over who would
be the heir to the throne after
the childless Queen Elizabeth I
dies
• c) the recent threats from an
Irish rebellion and the Spanish
Armada
• d) the death of his only son
HAMNET
•
1599 was an era of boundless
artistic inspiration (about 60
different plays were performed in
London alone that year). Artists
like Shakespeare were inspired:
–
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–
•
by international events,
events within England itself,
personal events
½ of the London population was
under 20 years old,
Contradictions:
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–
England was a land of contracted
marriages but intensely passionate
plays
of a strong queen but no heir
of mandatory monthly church
attendance,
Vocabulary
PROBLEM ONE: OLD WORDS LOOK LIKE MODERN
WORDS.
– “Unfold” in the opening scene
• To open and to identify who you are.
PROBLEM TWO: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.
– Horatio's line at I.i.112
• "A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye." A mote is a speck. A speck in the
eye is irritating and won't give you freedom to do anything else until you
remove it. The ghost is compared to a mote. The eye is compared to the
mind.
PROBLEM THREE: ROOT MEANINGS
– An example is in Act I, scene I, line 154 "extravagant… spirit."
• The spirit isn't spending too much money, but rather wandering, which comes
from the Latin root, vagari, to wander (compare the modern word "vagrant," a
wandering, homeless person),
Vocabulary
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL!
• Read with and use a dictionary.
• Take the time to analyze the footnotes.
• Look for contextual clues for discovering
meaning.
• Refer to glossaries.
Dramatic Terms
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SETTING
PROTAGONIST & ANTAGONIST
CONFLICT
FIVE-ACT STRUCTURE
DILEMMA
SOLILOQUY
– A monologue delivered by a character while alone on stage that reveals
inner thought, emotions, or some other information that the audience
needs to know.
• MONOLOGUE
– an extended narrative (oral or written) delivered uninterrupted and
exclusively by one person(although it may be heard or witnessed
by others.)
And Now For Some Fun!
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Trailer #1
Trailer #2
Trailer #3
Trailer #4
Trailer #5
Ideas into Themes
• Revenge:
– Hamlet questions whether or not to avenge his father’s death. His
inner turmoil stems from his concern with right and wrong on
religious, moral and political grounds.
• Appearance vs. Reality:
– True and false friends, players assume new identities. Claudius
appears to be a true and just king and Gertrude his virtuous queen.
Pay close attention to references to “seems”, “shows”, “plays” and
“practices.” Also, carefully examine the role of the acting troupe in
the play as well as Polonius’ words and actions.
• Sanity vs. Insanity:
– Is Hamlet really insane? Or does he show clarity of thought?
• Decay and Corruption:
– Personal terms for Hamlet; political terms for Denmark. Pay close
attention to the references to decay in the play.
Framework
• King Fortinbras (Norway) was killed by King Hamlet.
• King Hamlet (Denmark) is dead.
• Fortinbras’ uncle persuades Prince Fortinbras not to attack
the Danes, but attack the Poles instead.
• Prince Hamlet (a man of contemplation) contrasts with
Prince Fortinbras (a man of action).
• Claudius, King Hamlet’s brother, marries Queen Gertrude
within two months after her husband’s death.
• A student in Wittenburg, Germany, Prince Hamlet returns to
Denmark after he learns of his father’s death to discover his
mother has married his uncle.
• Elsinore is the castle of King Hamlet.
Sources for Help
Hamlet is arguably the most discussed
Shakespearean play. Evaluate your sources
for reliability and ALWAYS find evidence
in the text for support. A good place for
getting started…
– http://www.pathguy.com/hamlet.htm