HAMLET AP REVISED (2016)

This isn’t Jerry Springer. This is Shakespeare.

The Tragedy of Hamlet: Background

The Tragedy of Hamlet -- 1602 Shakespeare’s longest play (1,530 lines) Often considered his greatest achievement

Translated and performed more than any other play in the world Requires from 4 ½ to 5 hours to perform

Has inspired 26 ballets, 6 operas, 45 film adaptations, and a “Simpsons” episode

“To be or not to be” – the most quoted phrase in the English language

Style this ain’t your mama’s revenge tragedy Shakespeare's Hamlet was a revolutionary departure from contemporary revenge tragedies, which tended to graphically dramatize violent acts on stage, in that it emphasized the hero's dilemma rather than the depiction of bloody deeds.

Oh so quotable!

Shakespeare’s Audience Belief in ghosts and in Purgatory Belief in the power of confession Purgatory- where one would “work off” sins not confessed or atoned for before death Power of confession- absolution through acknowledgement and remorse

Who’s who?

Family # 1 – The Royals Prince Hamlet Claudius Gertrude Ghost of King Hamlet Prince Hamlet – university student (Wittenberg in Germany) and son of the newly deceased King Hamlet of Denmark. Claudius – brother of Hamlet’s dead father; Hamlet’s uncle; assumes the throne after marrying his brother’s widow Gertrude – Hamlet’s mother, widow of former king; marries Claudius just 2 months after the death of King Hamlet “Frailty, thy name is woman!” Ghost of King Hamlet

Family # 2 Polonius Ophelia Laertes Polonius – Lord Chamberlain of the court and Claudius’s chief advisor; Father of Laertes and Ophelia Ophelia – daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes; courted by young Hamlet before the action of the play begins Laertes – son of Polonius, brother of Ophelia; Hamlet’s childhood friend presently fighting for Denmark in France

The Usurpers King Fortinbras Prince Fortinbras King Fortinbras – King of Norway, longtime enemy of old King Hamlet Prince Fortinbras – Prince of Norway, on the move against Denmark as the turmoil unfolds

The “Friends” Horatio – the BFF Rosencrantz & Guildenstern – the “frenemies” Horatio– Hamlet’s most loyal friend; the first to reveal the news of the Ghost to Hamlet Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – boyhood friends of Hamlet; commissioned by Claudius to spy on Hamlet; now synonymous with betrayal

The Plot 11th-century Denmark, castle at Elsinore Bloody, barbaric plot serves as a backdrop for the unhappy young modernist who is Shakespeare’s hero Revenge tragedy: Unless there is a reason why the revenge is delayed, the play is over in one act. Young Hamlet, an intellectual and a dreamer, lives in the world of thought; he is torn between action and contemplation

Hamlet’s Private Tragedy -- Indecision Appearance vs. Reality “Acting” vs. Honesty Love vs. Hate Self vs. State Death vs. Life Loyalty vs. Selfishness Lust vs. Love

Essential Questions Is Hamlet insane? Does Hamlet really love Ophelia? Why is Hamlet among the most frequently quoted works of literature ever written? Is it still relevant today? What are the themes, symbols, and motifs in Hamlet? How do they affect our reading of the play?

Let’s get literary! aside chorus comedy foil prologue revenge tragedy soliloquy tragedy monologue aside a line delivered to the audience while other characters are on stage chorus narrator Comedy drama that is light and funny, usually happy ending foil contrasting character (Hamlet and Laertes or Fortinbras) prologue introduction revenge tragedy a drama in which the primary motive is revenge for a real or imagined injury soliloquy character speaking alone on stage, revealing innermost thoughts Tragedy a drama where someone important experiences a downfall (usually death)