Hamlet

An introspective view of the play with critical passages

studied & explained

Basic Background Information

• 1600-01 first performed

• 1603 first printed

• The plot of the play is not complex. It progresses in a linear fashion, with all events happening in chronological order.

Detailed Background Information

• Loosely based on Danish history, the play most likely has its origins in Histoires Tragiques, written by Belle-Forest in 1570; much of Belle-Forest's information is drawn from the Historica Danica, written by Saxo Grammaticus in 1208.

• In Belle-Forest's version of Hamlet, it is a known fact that Claudius, the King's brother, murders him and takes the throne. Claudius then tries to find reason to have Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, put to death in order to ensure his retention of the throne. – Realizing her error in marrying Claudius, Hamlet's

mother begs forgiveness from her son and acts with him to seek vengeance on Claudius.

• During a banquet, Hamlet sets fire to the dining hall and beheads his uncle, the guilty King of Denmark. Hamlet is then crowned King.

Dramatic Structure Overview

Basic Plot Structure

• The basic structure of the plot of Hamlet is remarkably simple; a wrong occurs and the hero seeks revenge to make it right. In the process, everyone is destroyed.

Basic Plot Structure• Shakespeare develops the plot of his

"revenge" tragedy in classical form. – Act I is largely expository in nature, introducing

the main characters and the conflict. – Acts II, III, and IV contain the rising action of

the plot as the conflict develops, largely in Hamlet's mind.

– Act V contains the climax, a short period of falling action, and the denouement, or conclusion, in which Fortinbras takes control of Denmark to bring order to the country once again.

A closer look at the genre…

• The genre of "revenge tragedy" was immensely popular among English Elizabethan dramatists. – In typical revenge tragedies, such as Hamlet,

the plot arises largely out of a situation for which the hero is not responsible.

– Additionally, even though the hero may have a tragic flaw that contributes to his downfall, he is usually undone by circumstances over which he has no control.

A closer look (cont.)…• Accordingly in Hamlet, the crime that

calls for vengeance has already been committed before the play begins. – The real cause of the tragedy is the evil

and intolerable situation surrounding Claudius' murder of Hamlet's father, the King. As Hamlet tries to find a way to avenge his father's death, murder, madness, and ghosts are all brought to the front of the stage, creating interest and tension in the audience.

Motifs& ?s to focus on:

• The Theme of Vengeance • Appearance vs. Reality

• Some things to consider:

– Is Hamlet Crazy?

– Does Hamlet Hesitate?

– Is life worth living?... What is a man,If his chief good and market of his timeIs but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. -- Hamlet

Multiple approaches taken

• Over the years there have been a variety of approaches to the play Hamlet (both on stage and in the analysis of).– Hamlet Seen Solely as the Victim of

External Difficulties – The Romantic Interpretation – The Psychoanalytical Approach – The Historical Approach

Hamlet Seen Solely as the Victim of External Difficulties

• the simplest approach to the play – With his father dead and his mother remarried

to his enemy, Hamlet has no one to turn to for help; therefore, he is totally a victim of circumstance.

– The critics further argue that the external situation prevents him from taking swift action.

• After all, Claudius is an extremely powerful man now that he is King; any person would have faced enormous difficulties in scheming against him.

• They excuse Hamlet's lack of action, and in so doing, make him a much less interesting character.

The Romantic Interpretation

• The Romantic critics of the nineteenth century, led by Coleridge, were more interested in the character of Hamlet than in the plot construction of the play. For them, Hamlet was one of the greatest artistic creations ever.

• They saw Hamlet as an individual torn apart by doubt and fearful of taking action. As an idealist, Hamlet was unable to deal with the harsh realities of life; as a result, he paid a tragic penalty. These critics often quoted Hamlet's own words in support of their interpretation.

The Psychoanalytical Approach

• The psychoanalytical approach focuses on the neurotic tendencies of Hamlet and judges him to suffer from an Oedipus Complex.

• The psychoanalysts believe that Hamlet's possessiveness towards his mother proves his Oedipal Complex; they defend their arguments in specifics from the play. Hamlet explicitly urges Gertrude not to have intercourse with Claudius; moreover, he advises her to curb her desire to have sex as well.

The Psychoanalytical Approach

• The psychoanalysts then argue that Hamlet's repressed Oedipal Complex prevents him from killing Claudius. They feel that Hamlet procrastinates because, in his subconscious, he does not really want to murder the man who killed the father that he so envied.

• They also argue that it is Oedipal Complex prevents him from committing himself to Ophelia.

The Historical Approach

• The historical approach holds that only those theories prevalent in Shakespeare's time should be utilized to interpret his texts. – Supporters of this school of thought argue

that the clue to Hamlet's madness and his hesitancy in killing Claudius lies in his melancholic disposition.

The Historical Approach

• Indeed, Shakespeare calls Hamlet the "melancholy Dane." The malady of melancholy was well known in the Elizabethan age, and several treatises were written on the subject. – Shakespeare had probably read or heard about

these treatises, which state that the primary characteristics of melancholy are sadness, fear, distrust, doubt, despair, and diffidence.

• Sometimes the negative feelings are interrupted by a false laughter or sardonic humor.

Passage Explications and commentaries

Activity #1 - 1.1.1-80 Analysis– Who are these people? Where are they, and what are they doing?– What information does Shakespeare provide about the physical

setting?– What atmosphere/mood is created by this setting?– What do the physical aspects of the setting suggest about the

characters behavior?– What does the opening question “Who’s there?” imply about

Barnardo and about the situation?– Does anything in the conversation between Barnardo and Francisco

reinforce these implications?– What additional information do we gain about Barnardo and

Francisco from their conversation?– Shakespeare wrote into the body of the play many signals and

directions What do the commands and questions in lines 1-20 suggest about staging this scene?

– What inferences can be drawn about Horatio’s character? About his relationship to the guards?

Activity #2 - Character Analysis

• Character Analysis– Sign up for specific characters.– Work in pairs or small groups with scenes that apply to

your characters. • Identify a specific scene that is pivotal and/or could be

interpreted differently by different directors. – Explain the difference in interpretation of the passage based upon

the language in the text and support from the rest of the play.

» You should demonstrate the difference in how the passage would be performed and the connection to the language and style used.

• Homework: Choose a passage from Hamlet (40 lines or less) and print it out.

Activity #3 - Commentary

• Commentary #1 for Hamlet – a teacher selected excerpt for students to critique using an IOC Detailed Outline appraoch– 20 minutes to prepare for on IOC– 25 minutes to write the detailed analysis

Activity #4 -

• Commentary #2 for Hamlet – A Practice IOC of student generated passages– 15 minutes to prepare an outline– Present IOC to other students (8 minutes

without interruption + 3 min Q&A)– HW in CB: Reflection (of your own IOC)

Activity #5 - Jigsaw• Break into six groups in the class (assigned by teacher)

and review all 8 questions within the allotted time frame.• Questions of focus and Time allotted

– 1. Discuss Shakespeare’s use of humor in the gravedigger’s scene as (a) a reflection of or comment on the major themes of the play; and (b) an illustration of dramatic irony. (5 min)

– 2. Analyze Hamlet’s development, the changes in his nature, in the following three soliloquies: “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt…” (I, ii); “O what a rogue…” (II, ii); and “How all occasions do inform against me…” (IV, iv). Define the evolution of his emotional state from solitary despondency through his subsequent encounters with the visiting players and then with the forces of Fortinbras. (8 min)

– 3. Describe, with reference to the text, Hamlet’s relationship with women. (6 min)

Activity #5 – Jigsaw (cont.)

– 4. Compare the function and purpose of the madness of Ophelia and Hamlet. (6 min)

– 5. Examine the ways in which Shakespeare uses the secondary characters Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Horatio and Fortinbras to reflect the concerns of the main plot and themes of the play, and Hamlet’s own development. ( 8 min)

– 6. Relate Shakespeare’s use of mythology to the major themes of the play. ( 8 min)

– 7. The nature of love (lust, passion, sex) seems to play a dominant note in the melody of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Discuss the concept of love in Hamlet. Trace it throughout the whole play. (10 min)

– 8. Study the following remarks by the Polish writer and drama critic, Jan Kott, from his book Shakespeare Our Contemporary, and then give your own response to his ideas. (12 min)

Activity #5 – Jigsaw (cont.)• #8 continued:

– …I do not regret all the other Hamlets: the moralist, unable to draw a clear-cut line between good and evil; the intellectual, unable to find a sufficient reason for action; the philosopher, to whom the world’s existence is a matter of doubt.

– I prefer the youth, deeply involved in politics, rid of illusions, sarcastic, passionate, and brutal. A young rebel who has about him something of the charm of James Dean….No doubt he is more primitive than all previous Hamlets. Action, no reflection, is his forte. He is wild and drunk with indignation….He does not yet experience deep moral doubts, but he is not a simpleton. He wants to know if his father has really been murdered. He cannot fully trust the Ghost, or any ghosts for that matter. He looks for more convincing evidence, and that is why he arranges a psychological test by staging the crime that has been committed. He loathes the world, and that is why he sacrifices Ophelia. But he does not flinch from a coup d’etat. He knows, however, that a coup is a difficult affair. He considers all pros and cons. He is a born conspirator. “To be” means for him to revenge his father and to assassinate the king; while “not to be” means—to give up the fight…

Activity #6 - Conflict Project

• Conflict Project - Identify and explore the significance of various conflicts in the novel. – Identify a conflict, determine the breadth of its

connections and repercussions and analyze specific passages that allow for an exploration of the depth of the conflict from syntax and style to overarching plot.

• Show these connections on a large sheet of butcher paper.

– The emphasis is NOT on the artistic aspect but on the depth of their analysis.

Works Referenced

• Pinkmonkey Notes http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmHamlet02.asp

• Phelps, Katherine. Having a Climax, the single climax dramatic structure. 1997. http://www.glasswings.com.au/Storytronics/Tronics/plot/single8.htm

• Images:– http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/exhibits/enchant/images/

hamlet-gill1.jpg– http://celebrating-humanity.wikispaces.com/file/view/hamlet-

gill2.jpg/30404793/hamlet-gill2.jpg– http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/5800/5805/hamlet_8_lg.gif