The Tragedy of Hamlet William Shakespeare

Hamlet is a long, complicated, and demanding play BUT, it speaks to teenagers Hamlet’s dilemmas involve indecision, powerlessness, and other issues with which teenagers are quite familiar

Background / Setting Written around 1600 Takes place in Denmark – Hamlet is the Prince – Kronborg Castle in Elsinore (still standing) Denmark is depicted as the martial / imperial nation that it was during this time (ongoing conflict with Norway), not as the peaceful, civilized country we know today

Background / Setting Hamlet does not appear to have been written about any specific historical characters However, comparisons can still be made with actual events in the 11 th C The time period of Hamlet is probably around Taken from

Background Reaches us in a book Historia Danica written about 1200 by a Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus It gives an account of some 60 legendary Danish kings (some mythical Norse gods)

Saxo Grammaticus A bloody one (fictional) concerning a prince he called Amlethus (Shakespeare calls him Hamlet) It may have had its origin in dim tales of Viking feuds. It includes ◦ A dead father ◦ A usurping uncle ◦ Feigned madness ◦ Revenge

English Renaissance -occurred during the reign of Elizabeth I ( ) And the early part of James I ( ) Renaissance means “rebirth” A renewed interest in “classical” values People moved away from ‘God” centred society to a more ‘human’ centred (humanistic) society, where earthly pursuits were considered important for their own sake.

Plot Summary For convenience, the play can be divided into 3 main movements: 1. Discovery – Act I (The Ghost Story) 2. Proof – Act II – Act IV, sc iv (The Detective Story) 3. Revenge – Act IV, sc v – end (The Revenge Story)

Characters (Dramatis Personae) Hamlet - Protagonist – 30 – Prince of Denmark - Thoughtful, Melancholy, Cynical, Bitter, Indecisive, Hesitant - Despises his uncle (who is also his step-father, and King of Denmark) - Disgusted by his mother’s sexuality (she is the Queen of Denmark) - Mad?? Acts rather strangely at times

Dramatis Personae Claudius - Current King of Denmark - Hamlet’s uncle - Murdered Hamlet’s father (his own brother) and married Gertrude hastily to become King – but this is unknown to the kingdom Gertrude - Queen of Denmark - Hamlet’s mother - Does not know what actually happened to her previous husband, King Hamlet Gertrude and Claudius try to discover the reason behind Hamlet’s strange behaviour

Dramatis Personae Ophelia - Hamlet’s love interest - Dependent on men (father Polonius, brother Laertes) to tell her how to behave - Told to not get too involved with Hamlet Polonius - Ophelia’s / Laertes’ father - Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’ court (adviser) - Wants to prove that Hamlet’s “strange” behaviour is caused by love

Act I, sc. i Setting: Kronborg Castle – Denmark – Night-time Francisco (soldier) has been guarding the castle all night – his shift has come to an end Barnardo (officer) has come to relieve him of his duties Horatio and Marcellus appear at the castle with some interesting news... Did somebody say GHOST?

Simpson’s Version of Hamlet m/4 m/4

Hamlet Notes/Good website

What is there about Shakespeare that would interest a contemporary American?"

If being a "contemporary American" means being focused on dirty TV sitcoms, greed, casual sex, big-money sports, shout-and-pout grievance-group politics, televangelism, professional wrestling, crybabies, slot machines, postmodernism, political action committees, and "war on drugs" profiteering... then the answer is probably "Nothing."postmodernism

If a contemporary American can still ask, "Is life worth living in a world full of wrong? And can I live well?" -- then the answer is maybe that "Shakespeare deals with basic human issues."