Hamlet: Prince of denmark A Tragedy

William shakespeare Exact date of birth is unknown During Elizabethan times, however, since the infant mortality rate was so high, babies were baptized within several days of being born Shakespeare’s estimated date of birth is April 23, 1564 (date of baptism: April 26, 1564) Born in Stratford-on Avon, England Died in 1616

Family background His father, John, was a prosperous textile and grain merchant and town official His mother, Mary, was the daughter of a gentleman farmer William was their first child (of three) to live past infancy

Family Married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his senior, in 1582: He was 18 and she was 26! Anne and William had three children: a daughter and twins Hamnet and Judeth Hamnet died at age 11

Big plans… He later moved to London to become a playwright and an actor. In 1594, Shakespeare helped to create the acting company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men This company later became known as the King’s Men because King James I became patron after Elizabeth I’s death

The globe theatre Built in 1599 and was a group effort involving Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, whom he met and worked with at the The Theatre in London Shakespeare was a shareholder and part owner Sadly, the Globe burnt down in 1613

The plague Theatres were closed from 1589-1594 in an attempt to stop the spread of disease (bubonic AKA black plague) The Puritans didn’t like theatres and closed all theatres in 1642

accomplishments Wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets (published in 1609) 3 types of plays: Histories, Comedies and Tragedies

Verse versus prose The plays are written in poetic form: verse Iambic pentameter However, most of the time, verse is spoken by characters with elevated status while characters with lower status speak in prose

Tragedies almost everyone dies!!

Plot structure of a tragedy Act I: Exposition, Exciting Force, Rising Action Act II: Rising Action Act III: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action Act IV: Falling Action Act V: Falling Action, Catastrophe

exposition The general atmosphere (setting: time and place), main characters, and opening conditions of the play Exposition: an explanation of present or past events which is necessary to understanding the plot development Ex: Feud between the Montagues and the Capulets

Exciting force AKA Complication Something happens to get the action of the play moving, usually in the first act For example: Romeo and Juliet meet at the masquerade ball

Rising action A series of actions/events that continues over the course of more than one act. This builds the action/suspense leading to the climax. The hero (protagonist) tries to actively make things work in the way he or she intends Ex: Romeo professes his love for Juliet beneath her window, and marries her…

climax At the peak of his or her power, the protagonist experiences a significant change that changes the direction of the action things start to go wrong for the protagonist, continuing in a downwards spiral Ex: Romeo gets in a fight with Tybalt and kills him. He’s Juliet’s cousin!!

Falling action Shows the ways the main events are going against the main character The antagonist gains power Conflict between the protagonist and antagonist becomes the focus Ex: Romeo is banished from Verona and Juliet is told she must marry Paris… the letter does not find its way to Romeo…

Moment of final suspense Usually takes place in Act V The protagonist briefly believes that things will go the way the protagonist intended, and that tragedy will be avoided Ex: Romeo sees that Juliet has not changed (she looks alive) but she doesn’t wake up

catastrophe The complete downfall of the protagonist through death or other devastating circumstance If protagonist is a villain, then his or her death is viewed as a positive thing Ex: Romeo drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes and sees that Romeo is dead and stabs herself

Anticipation activity Work independently to answer the questions then go through each one with the members of your group

Character map See document

Major topics Revenge Loyalty and betrayal Appearance versus reality Action versus inaction Family relationships The supernatural

Focus questions Is revenge ever justified? Is an eye for an eye the right way to get even?