Murder, Revenge, Love, and Hamlet Yes, More Shakespeare! Murder, Revenge, Love, and Hamlet

Hamlet William Shakespeare

Objectives Read, understand and analyze Shakespearean poetry/tragedy Identify a tragic hero and support with textual analysis Identify and analyze poetic elements as they affect the telling of a story, development of a character or emerging of a theme Analyze a theme as it carries throughout an entire work using textual support

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Published in 1604 The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Just Imagine… Your father has just died Your mother marries your uncle You’re visited by the ghost of your dead father who tells you he was murdered by your new dad You have a girlfriend who is mentally unstable You have an unhealthy infatuation with your own mother

Setting Late medieval period in Denmark Hamlet feels the pressure to avenge his father’s death His father’s ghost visits him and reveals that Hamlet’s uncle Claudius has murdered him in order to become king Hamlet struggles with trusting the ghost

Major Characters Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Claudius, King of Denmark, Hamlet’s Uncle Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s Mother Polonius, Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’ court Horatio, Hamlet’s friend Ophelia, Polonius’s daughter, Hamlet’s love Laertes, Polonius’s son Fortinbras, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Ambiguity There are many ambiguities in Hamlet, the audience is left with uncertainty about several things Gertrude’s guilt Hamlet’s love for Ophelia Is Hamlet’s revenge morally justified? and more… Shakespeare may have intended for these ambiguities to enhance the theme of uncertainty

Film Adaptations 1948 – British film directed by and starred Laurence Olivier (Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor) 1964 – Russian adaptation, most soliloquies cut out – Hamlet is delayed not by inner conflict but instead by circumstances 1969 – First color film directed by Tony Richardson; made with a small budget and minimal set; marketed to teenage audiences as a tragic love story (hoping to gain success after the 1968 Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet)

Film Adaptations 1990 –directed by Zeffirelli (same guy who did R & J), starred Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, and Helena Bonham Carter; fits into the “action” genre; highlights the sexual nature of the relationship between Hamlet and his mother 1996 - directed by and starred Kenneth Branagh Full text (runs about 4 hours); also features Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Kate Winslet; vibrant colors, extensive Victorian costumes and furnishings 2000 – Starring Ethan Hawke, Hamlet is a film student and the “kingdom” is the Denmark Corporation and instead of becoming King, Hamlet’s uncle becomes CEO; ghost appears on closed circuit television; also stars Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, and Bill Murray

Reading Deadlines Act I by Friday, October 27th Act II by Tuesday, October 31st Act III by Monday, November 6th Act IV by Wednesday, November 8th Act V by Monday, November 13th

Reading Act I Act I – Scene I Act I – Scene II Barnardo Francisco Horatio Marcellus Act I – Scene II King (Claudius) Queen (Gertrude) Cornelius/Voltemand Laertes Polonius Hamlet Horatio Marcellus