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The king of Denmark is dead. The queen, Gertrude , has married the dead king’s brother, Claudius. The dead king’s son Hamlet, prince of Denmark, meets his father’s ghost on the tower of the castle. The ghost tells him that Claudius is guilty of his murder and asks Hamlet to take revenge. Hamlet pretends to be mad to have more time and observe the behaviour of the king and queen. His brilliant and sensitive mind is undecided about what to do and he even contemplates suicide. Hamlet then asks actors in a Court play to show a scene like that of his father’ s murder, to observe the king’s reaction. The king’ s confusion confirms the ghost’s revelation. Claudius is guilty of Hamlet’s father’s death. Hamlet kills Polonius, father of Ophelia whom Hamlet loves. Ophelia becomes mad and kills herself. Polonius ‘ son, Laertes swears revenge. The king organizes a duel between Hamlet and Laertes to murder Hamlet. Laertes uses a poisoned foil. Hamlet is killed but before that he mortally hurts Laertes and the king. The queen by mistake drinks a poisoned cup made for Hamlet and dies. After these tragic events, Fortinbras,Norwegian prince ,becomes the king of Denmark. The Plot
HAMLET Hamlet is the protagonist of the tragedy. He manifests radical contradictions, his actions are instinctive, uncivil and ferocious but sometimes becomes cautious, courteous and tender. Contrary to the ideal hero he appears with negative qualities : indecisiveness, hastiness, hate, brutality, and obsession, so he seems a common man marked by pain. In particular he tortures himself with memories of his father and he is shocked by the behaviour of his mother. He asks himself about human kind condition and psychological problems. Characters
Gertrude: is the queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother and wife of Claudius Gertrude is the antithesis of her son. Hamlet thinks that she is a disloyal woman without moral principlesbecauseshehasmarriedherbrother-in-lawalmostimmediatelyafter the deathofherhusband. Gertrude is shallow, and thinks only about her body and external pleasures.
Claudius Heisthe brother of the dead king, and his murderer and successor to the throne of Denmark. His primary role in the play is to create Hamlet's confusion and anger. He is an intelligent and capable ruler
Polonius: is the father of Ophelia and Laertes, courtier and minister of the usurper king. He is killed by Hamlet. Ophelia: daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, she loves Hamlet and at the news of the death of his father, she drowns. Laertes: Son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia, accuses Hamlet for the death of Ophelia Fortinbras: prince of Norway
Shakespeare analyzes the meaningof life,and especially the ideasof love and death. Ambiguity and indecisions are the key-note of the tragedy. REVENGE AMBIGUITY DOUBTS AND INDECISIONS Themes
“Hamlet” isconsidered the tragedyofrevenge, a theatrical genre much in vogue at the time of Shakespeare. The play within the play is the moment in which Hamlet gets the proof of the guilt of Claudius so he can begin to prepare his plan against him. In this way revenge can happen only after the research on the name of the guilty: it is necessary to verify the statements of the ghost. HamlethatedClaudiusalsobeforeheknows the truthabout the murder ofhisfather, but his anger increased after her mother’s marriage and after the usurpation of the throne. He wants revenge for his honour and for father’s. Revenge
He pretends to be crazy to achieve its purpose more easily, to confuse his mother and his uncle and to hide his plan. In order to seem harmless and mocks the king, staging the representation of the true death of his father Appearanceis in contrastwith reality thatdisgustshim and hewouldescapefromitthrough suicide A false madness can turn into real madness Ambiguity
It’s also the play ofdoubts and indecisionswhich are familiarto a modernconditionof the life tormentedby a lackofcertainties and aninabilitytocommunicate. Hamlettormentshimselfwithhisthougths . In factwefind a lotofhisphilosophicalreasoningsaboutdeath and the deepessenceof soul. Hamlet thinks that all the pains,after his father's death, can be overcome through death. He doesn’t only refer to himself but to all men ,their injuries,and their insolence. The soliloquy of Hamlet “ to be or not to be” represents those doubts: he asks himself if is better to die, not knowing the future, or to suffer in all the time of the life, knowing the expected events. Man prefers to suffer instead of dealing with the unexpected. Doubts and indecisions
TO BE OR NOT TO BE «Tobe, or nottobe, thatis the question:Whether ’tisnobler in the mind tosufferThe slings and arrowsofoutrageous fortune,Or to take armsagainst a seaoftroubles,And byopposing end them? Todie, tosleep…No more, and by a sleeptosaywe endThe heartache and the thousandnaturalshocksThatfleshisheirto: ’tis a consummationDevoutlytobewished. Todie, tosleep.Tosleep, perchancetodream. Ay, there’s the rub,For in thatsleepofdeathwhatdreamsmay comeWhenwehaveshuffled off thismortalcoilMustgiveus pause. There’s the respectThatmakescalamityof so long life,Forwhowould bear the whips and scornsoftime,Th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangsofdespis’d love, the law’s delay,The insolenceof office, and the spurnsThatpatientmeritofth’unworthytakesWhenhehimselfmighthisquietusmakeWith a bare bodkin? Whowouldfardels bear,Togrunt and sweat under a weary life,Butthat the dreadofsomethingafterdeath,The undiscoveredcountryfromwhosebournNo traveller returns, puzzles the will,And makesusrather bear thoseillswehaveThanflytoothersthatweknownotof?Thusconsciencedoesmakecowardsofusall,And thus the native hueofresolutionIssicklied o’erwith the pale cast ofthought,And enterprisesofgreatpitch and momentWiththisregardtheircurrents turn awry,And lose the nameofaction. »
Cocco RossellaDella Luna FernandoGraduato Alessia Malorni Manuel Musacchio Ornella
