hamlet – prince of denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died claudius...
TRANSCRIPT
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Notes on The Tragedy of Hamlet
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Hamlet – Prince of Denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died
Claudius – King of Denmark; brother of King Hamlet; the uncle/stepfather of young Hamlet; took over the throne from his brother King Hamlet, Sr. who died
Gertrude – Queen of Denmark; mother of Hamlet; former wife of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius
Polonius – chief advisor to Claudius; father of Laertes and Ophelia
Ophelia – quasi-love interest of Hamlet
Laertes – same age as Hamlet; home from school because of King Hamlet’s death
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Setting
Denmark, within Christian times
Story was from sources placing the tale of Hamlet in pre-Christian times
From information of the play, we can assume it is set in the early Medieval period of Europe when the Danish held sway in England
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Themes
Power and position – shifts, FTAs
Hamlet himself – one of the most multi-faceted characters of any Shakespearean play – no clear-cut picture of the man
Madness – Is Hamlet crazy? Is he sane? Who is sane?
Incest and intrigue – NOT necessarily an idea of Hamlet having an Oedipal complex (Freudian reading);
between Claudius and Gertrude
Indecision and revenge
Mortality and beyond
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