SHAKESPEARE 101 and the play Hamlet How to read and digest

Recognize the layers The narrative story The characters The subplots The language The puns The foils The structure

Iambic Pentameter Iambic- refers to the stress pattern of words; most common in English language– unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable. (This equals one “iambic foot” Pentameter (5 iambic feet per line; thus 10 syllables) Read from punctuation mark to punctuation mark! Do not stop at end of lines

Why the heck did he write like that? The dramatic convention of the day; much the same as Enimen raps in Iambic feet most of the time. Only royalty and so called other upper class character speak in this. Clowns, lower class and “mad men” speak in prose (margin to margin)

How do I approach it? Recognize that Shakespeare is difficult Recognize that his writing is rich, layered and the best English has to offer. Recognize that you need a plan of attack

Recommendations: Pay attention as we read in class. Answer all questions on your own! If asked to read parts alone, you may wish to read a synopis of the scene then read the scene. Read the footnotes!

No fear Shakespeare At IB level, try not to use it. It takes soooo much away from play and language. Use sparknotes.com for the summary and analysis.

Your interpretations You, as an intelligent and thoughtful reader, are entitled to your interpretations and thoughts. Shakespeare’s plays reveal many, many meanings.

Study questions Meant to help you pull out ideas Look for important quotes. Shakespeare’s plays are noted for their universal and timeless themes.

Hamlet At its heart, the ideas of revenge and acting upon an idea! There are many other themes, however!

Characters in Hamlet

Royal House of Denmark A. Hamlet- prince of Denmark; comes home from school to find his father dead and his mom married to his uncle. Confused and upset by this. B. Claudius- the new King of Denmark; Hamlet’s uncle who has married Hamlet’s mom. C. Gertrude- Queen of Denmark. Hamlet’s mom.

Other characters associated with them: Horatio: BFF to Hamlet!!

II. The Lord Chamberlain’s family Note: Lord Chamberlain means Secretary of State A. Polonius- the lord chamberlain; counselor to Claudius; talks a lot; tries to sound impressive B. Laertes- Polonius’ son; goes to college in Paris C. Ophelia: Polonius’ daughter; girlfriend to Hamlet

Other characters associated with the Lord Chamberlain: D. Reynaldo: A young man whom Polonius hires to spy on Laertes when he returns to Paris.

III. Various castle workers: A. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: school mates of Hamlet– not close friends; spy on Hamlet for the King. B. Osric- King’s messenger and referee to a fencing match C. Voltimand and Cornelius: They are sent as ambassadors to Norway.

D. Gravediggers (clowns) low class peasants who speak in prose and dig graves. E. Fransico and Barnardo: Danish officers on guard at the castle of Elsinore.