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Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare in around 1601- 1604

e Brief Introduction of the Play. Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare in around 1601- 1604 The play centers around the theme of revenge

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Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare in around 1601- 1604

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  1. eBrief Introduction of the Play • Hamlet waswritten by William Shakespeare in around 1601- 1604 • The playcentersaround the theme of revenge • This playis part of an old tradition of revengeplays, and isbased on an oldlegend about Amleth, a prince whosefatherwaskilled by hisuncle, whothenmarriedhismother. Amlethpretends to be • mad, whileplotting to avengehisfather’sdeath.

  2. Is Hamlet still relevant today? Can we relate to the issues and situations in Shakespeare’splays? Discuss

  3. What are your favorite television programs?

  4. What are your favorite television programs?

  5. All of thesetelevision programs deal with the samethemes and issues as Shakespeare’splays.

  6. Themes and issues found in the play

  7. Hamlet introduction video Click on the the book

  8. The Tragedy of Hamlet • Hamletis a tragedy • Tragedyis a representation of an action, whichisserious, complete and in itself and of a certain length • It must beacted, not narrated • It excites pity or fear and allows catharsis – a healthy release for suchemotions • Tragicheroes are virtuous and good men whosemisfortuneis a tragicflaw in character and not a vice

  9. The moves from happiness to misery – and the protagonist must fall from a great “height” (from nobility to…) • The hero (protagonist) must be an important person (nobility) and his death leads to the downfall of others. • The tragic figure must fall due to a weakness in character – a fatal flaw

  10. Hamlet isalso a • Revenge Tragedy • In a revengetragedy, the heroiscalledupon to punish an evildoer for a crime that has been committed • The ghostcannotrestuntilavenged • Privaterevenge for familyhonor • A revengetragedy must end in death.

  11. Philosophical questions in Hamlet • Hamletisalso a playconcernedwith the question of “Who am I?” • The first line in the play is “Who’s there?” • Hamlet (the main character) struggles with • existential questions which have led critics such as • Harold Bloom and Sigmund Freud to suggest • that Hamlet is a representation of a fully • modern man. • Hamlet questions his own existence and is concerned with the afterlife.

  12. Setting in the play Fortinbras liveshere Hamlet liveshere Denmark Fortinbras willattackPolandlater

  13. Conflict Man vs. Himself (Internal Conflict) • Hamlet faces many doubts • Learning to conquer fear “To be, or not to be?”

  14. Themes in Hamlet • Revenge vs. Justice • Action vs. Inaction • Fate vs. Free Will • Appearance vs. Reality • Loyalty vs. Betrayal • Madness

  15. Revenge vs. Justice • Is there a differencebetweenrevenge and justice? • Is one betterthan the other? • The theme is first introduced when the ghost announced to Hamlet that Claudius had murdered him. At first, Hamlet’s quest was both for justice and revenge. However, with the uncle – mother…complications, Hamlet’s judgment became clouded and confused. • When Hamlet began acting in a less than noble way (ex. Order the murders of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, killing Polonius, being horrible to Ophelia….), his mission to avenge his father because less about justice, and more about revenge.

  16. Action vs. Inaction Is taking action alwaysthe right thing to do? Is it possible to take action whennothingisever certain? • -Hamlet is guilty of inaction throughout the play. He wants to avenge his father’s death, but can’t bring himself to do it. He procrastinates, finding excuses to avoid the deed. • -Laertes, on the other hand, acts very rashly when learning about the death of his father. He bursts into the castle and makes all kinds of demands. Afterward, he plots with the king to murder Hamlet. • -On the one hand, Hamlet does nothing but think and play games – inaction. • -on the other hand, Laertes doesn’t think; he only acts rashly. • Fortinbras acts by planning to invade surrounding countries

  17. Fate vs. Free Will Hamlet is a victim of fate. • When your ghost father returns from the dead and asks you to avenge his death, you do it. • When he boards the ship to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he just happens to have a replica of the royal seal in his pocket to write new orders for England and to authenticate his message. • As fate would have it, Hamlet’s ship is boarded by pirates – it seems as though fate wants Hamlet to finish what he started. • Hamlet has a tragic flaw of inaction and can’t help himself. Hamlet’s life is determined by free will. • He decides to start acting crazy • He decides to act harshly with Ophelia and with his mother • He decides to play games and to act deceptively instead of dealing with the issue directly • He kills Polonius rashly, without even seeing who was hiding behind the arras • Hamlet needs to accept the consequences of his actions

  18. Appearance vs. Reality • Is deceit a fundamental part of the way society functions? • Is there a “truth” under all the appearance in our lives? • Is Hamlet really insane or is he acting? Hamlet Appearance • Acts mad. • Swift of action. • No love for Ophelia. Reality • Procrastination. • Sane. • Searching for the truth. • Dismay at the world. • Hamlet assumes a different persona reacting to the false persona already applied by Claudius.

  19. Appearance vs. Reality Claudius Appearance • Manages the people in both grief and joy. • Loving husband. • Eagar to please his subjects (Laertes). • Tries to please Hamlet. Reality • Usurper. • Manipulative and cunning. • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find the reason behind Hamlet’s antic disposition. • The killing of Old King Hamlet. • Attempt to send Hamlet to his death in England. • Spying on Hamlet in the ‘nunnery scene.' • Deceives Gertrude into believing he loves her and has Hamlet’s best interests at heart. • Manipulates Laertes into the mock duel.

  20. Loyalty vs. Betrayal • Betrayal begins the play, Hamlet.  Claudius betrays King Hamlet by killing him and taking his fortune, his wife, and his position as King. • Gertrude betrays Hamlet by marrying Claudius so quickly after his father's death.  Hamlet views their relationship as incestuous - because Claudius is Gertrude's brother (by marriage).  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray Hamlet by following Claudius' direction, spying on Hamlet, and reporting back to Claudius. • Claudius betrays Gertrude in the end by not telling her about the poisoned cup.  Polonius stays loyal to Claudius, and thus betrays Hamlet.  Polonius also convinces Ophelia not to continue her relationship with Hamlet, and she severs the tie with him.  Hamlet betrays Laertes by killing Polonius, and after he does this Laertes also betrays Hamlet by remaining loyal to Claudius.  • The only relationship that is not affected by betrayal is between Hamlet and Horatio.  Horatio remains loyal and loving to Hamlet until the end.  Horatio even offers to follow Hamlet in death by drinking the remaining poison. 

  21. Madness • What is insanity? Is Hamlet insane? • Madness is a consistent theme in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and most of it centers on the protagonist, Hamlet. It is true that the appearance of the Ghost makes Hamlet and others question reality (and their own sanity for believing the Ghost exists), and Ophelia suffers from some form of madness after her father's murder and Hamlet's apparent betrayal. The majority of the madness, however, concerns Hamlet.  • After he meets with his father's ghost, Hamlet resolves to avenge King Hamlet's murder by killing Claudius. Though he does not reveal a specific plan, he asks his closest friends to help him pretend that he is crazy. • the primary question of madness in this play is whether Hamlet suffers from real madness at the end.

  22. Themes in Hamlet • Revenge vs. Justice • Is there a differencebetweenrevenge and justice? • Is one betterthan the other? • Whatis the definition of justice? • Whatis the definition of revenge? • Action vs. Inaction • Is action alwaysvirtuous? • Is it possible to take action whennothingisever certain?

  23. Themes in Hamlet continued… • Fate vs. Autonomy • Do we have control over our own lives? • Do we determine what happens to us or is it already determined? • Are our lives preordained? • Appearance vs. Reality • Is deceit a fundamental part of the way society functions? • Is there a “truth” under all the appearance in our lives? • Is Hamlet really insane or is he acting?

  24. Themes in Hamlet continued… • Loyalty vs. Betrayal • What constitutes loyalty? • To whom do we owe loyalty? Family? Lovers? State? Ourselves? • What happens when loyalties conflict? • Madness • What is insanity? Is Hamlet insane? • Corruption • What is corruption? • What do you do when faced with it? • What is our responsibility when faced with corruption?

  25. Meet the characters in Hamlet

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