Critical Perspective in Literature ‘Historical Hamlet’

1. Critical Perspective in Literature‘Historical Hamlet’

2. Historical critics approach literature in two ways: • ‘Old historicism’: Providing context of background information necessary for understanding how literary works were perceived in their time. • ‘New historicism: Demonstrate how literary works reflect ideas and attitudes of the era they were written. Historical • Understanding the era a play or written piece is from helps the reader in connecting with the story lines. • Researching main events that happened within the time frame of the novel or play; such as rulers, wars, and economic crises. • Finding messages within the piece of writing that corresponds with historical events and may have been a cause of the inspiration in the literature.

3. Biography of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564; and died on April 23, 1616. Grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. Went to King's new School for education. Was married and had three children. Wrote numerous plays, poems and sonnets

4. Hamlet’s Era One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet, was written and set in the Elizabethan era. At this time, people were going through transitions of the previous traditional and superstitious ways of being, into Renaissance, bringing forth new ideas and beliefs. Some of the new views people held were on the kingdom, the belief that God appointed the kings, and that disruption of natural order would result in chaos and mayhem.

5. Hamlet’s Era These are very evidently reflected in Hamlet throughout the play, including the general public not questioning the suspicious reign of Claudius after his brothers mysterious death, as the majority would not dare to accuse the king- it would be like accusing God. Also appearing during the downward, corrupted spin Denmark was going through after King Hamlet’s murder was this disruption of “natural order” that doomed their fate until the order could be restored.

6. Hamlet’s Era The people of the Elizabethan era were also known for being engaged in plots and conspiracies, usually concerning the highest classes, and with so many events before his eyes to choose inspiration from, Shakespeare was able to give a vivid view of this to audiences. Seen in many characters and situations, Shakespeare explicitly depicts this scheming behaviour, even including the play-within-a-play to show both audiences (the real and the one in the story) the reflection of their behaviour.

7. Hamlet’s Era People of this time were also generally of strong Christian faith, and this heavily influenced the breakdown into prayer that many characters performed, as well as in the character Hamlet’s most famous line “To be or not to be”, where he contemplates going to hell if he kills himself. Also very present in the Elizabethan era, and for many more decades to come, was the disregard of lower class women’s values. It was not a topic that was discussed at the time, everyone knew that the roles for females was to have children and care for them and their husband. This is shown mainly in Ophelia’s character who obeys her father and Hamlet’s every command, rarely ever stating her own opinions. Also, Gertrude represents a factor in this time, as historically the only female who seemed to be somewhat exempt of poor treatment, was the queen; and so it is presumed that Gertrude easily remarries Claudius to remain in her status and receive the same treatment. It is clear to see how much Shakespeare’s surroundings impacted and inspired his work, whether he realized it at the time or not.

8. Shakespeare was influenced by the fundamental themes and problems of the renaissance. The renaissance is a vast cultural phenomenon that began in fifteenth century Italy with the recovery of classical Greek and Latin texts. • Shakespeare borrowed ideas and stories from earlier sources including a twelfth century Latin history of Denmark. • Hamlet was a remake of an already popular play based on historical fiction about an episode from the dark ages, which followed the collapse of the Roman Era Civilization. • Hamlet has its origins in a popular Icelandic saga mentioned for the first time by Snaebjörn, an Icelandic poet of the tenth century. The Danish historian and poet Saxo Grammaticus refers to it at the end of the twelfth century. In this Latin work recounting the history of Denmark, Shakespeare’s future character appears under the name Amleth in this story. Inspiration for Shakespeare’s Plays

9. Hamlet has been compared to the Earl of Essex, who was executed for leading a rebellion against Queen Elizabeth. • Also in the play there is the theme of the older traditional, superstitious generation (Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude) vs. the newer, more free thinking generation (Hamlet, Ophelia, Horatio) which reflects the changing context that the Elizabethans lived in and therefore appealed to the older and younger generations in Shakespeare's time. • The theme of disruption to the natural order stems from medieval superstition still evident in Shakespeare's historical era. • Another key point is that the Elizabethan context was Christian, a lot more than nowadays. They were influenced by fear of Judgment Day (shown in Claudius' prayer scene and soliloquy), and valued Christianity immensely. Inspiration for Shakespeare’s Plays

10. POLITICAL POWER: Claudius is a powerful figure who dominates the Court at Elsinore. He is the King (Ultimately, He holds all the power of the country) THE POWERLESSNESS OF WOMEN: Hamlet expresses his contempt for women by saying “Frailty thy name is woman” and he heaps more angry abuse on the innocent Ophelia as the play progresses “I loved you not…You should not have believed me….Get the to a nunnery, go” CORRUPTIVE POWER: Caused by deception and manipulation within the play. Corruptive power is mainly showcased to us through Claudius' motives and actions, as well as those who supported him. Power Relations Hamlet Reflects, Describes and Embodies

11. Character Resemblances/ Symbols King Hamlet = Hamnet (William Shakespeare’s son); died of an unknown cause. Loyalty to the Catholic faith Sin to commit suicide Claudius= the devil and the rulers of their time; with great power comes greed and selfishness. Troubling relationships= his marriage. Horatio= voice of reason