Hamlet : Introductory Notes

1. Trailer Hamlet: Introductory Notes Hamlet: Prince of Denmark By William Shakespeare

2. 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 world-wide and earned the Oscar for Best Film of the Year. 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.” What’s the Big Deal About Shakespeare? So What?

3. 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. Tragedy: A Comparison

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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: by international events, events within England itself, personal events ½ of the London population was under 20 years old, Contradictions: England was a land of contracted marriages but intensely passionate plays of a strong queen but no heir of mandatory monthly church attendance, Historical Context

8. 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),

9. VocabularyHOW 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.

10. Dramatic Terms • 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.)

11. And Now For Some Fun! Trailer #1 Trailer #2 Trailer #3 Trailer #4 Trailer #5

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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