William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Lecturer: Audrey Tinkham April 13, 2004

Themes in Hamlet Revenge Revenge Religion & the Otherworldly Religion & the Otherworldly Disease and Corruption Disease and Corruption Appearance vs. “Reality” Appearance vs. “Reality” Fortune, Fate, Providence Fortune, Fate, Providence Impossibility of Certainty Impossibility of Certainty Mortality Mortality Complexity of Action Complexity of Action

Hamlet, Act I Scene 1: The Ghost, the setting & context Scene 1: The Ghost, the setting & context Scene 2: Claudius, Gertrude, & Hamlet Scene 2: Claudius, Gertrude, & Hamlet Scene 3: Laertes, Ophelia, & Polonius Scene 3: Laertes, Ophelia, & Polonius Scenes 4 & 5: Hamlet and the Ghost Scenes 4 & 5: Hamlet and the Ghost

Hamlet, Act II Scene 1: Polonius and Reynaldo Scene 1: Polonius and Reynaldo Scene 2: Scene 2: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Polonius, Gertrude, and Claudius Polonius, Gertrude, and Claudius Polonius and Hamlet Polonius and Hamlet Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Hamlet and the Players Hamlet and the Players

Hamlet, Act III Scene 1: The plot thickens; Hamlet and Ophelia Scene 1: The plot thickens; Hamlet and Ophelia Scene 2: Scene 2: Hamlet and the Players Hamlet and Horatio Hamlet and Ophelia The Play within a Play Scene 3: Claudius’s Prayer Scene 3: Claudius’s Prayer Scene 4: Hamlet & Gertrude; Polonius slain Scene 4: Hamlet & Gertrude; Polonius slain

Hamlet, Act IV Scene 1: Disposing of the corpse Scene 1: Disposing of the corpse Scene 2: Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildlenstern Scene 2: Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildlenstern Scene 3: Scene 3: In search of the corpse In search of the corpse Hamlet and Cladius Hamlet and Cladius Hamlet departs for England Hamlet departs for England

Hamlet, Act IV Scene 4: Fortinbras marches; Hamlet reflects Scene 4: Fortinbras marches; Hamlet reflects Scene 5: Scene 5: Ophelia’s “madness” Ophelia’s “madness” Laertes “storms” the castle Laertes “storms” the castle Laertes and Ophelia Laertes and Ophelia Scene 6: Letter from Hamlet re: pirate ship Scene 6: Letter from Hamlet re: pirate ship Scene 7: Scene 7: Cladius and Laertes conspire Cladius and Laertes conspire Ophelia dies Ophelia dies

Hamlet, Act V Scene 1: Scene 1: Clown and gravedigger Clown and gravedigger Hamlet and Yorick Hamlet and Yorick Ophelia’s burial Ophelia’s burial Scene 2: Scene 2: Hamlet explains his trick Hamlet explains his trick Osric invites Hamlet to fencing match Osric invites Hamlet to fencing match Madness and mayhem ensue Madness and mayhem ensue Fortinbras claims Denmark Fortinbras claims Denmark

Critical Perspectives We are now come to a scene which I have always much admired. I cannot think it possible that such an Incident could have been managed better, nor more conformably to Reason and Nature. The Prince, conscious of his own good Intensions and the Justness of the Cause he undertakes to plead, speaks with that Force and Assurance which Virtue always gives, and yet manages his Expressions so as not to treat his Mother in a disrespectful Manner.... And his inforcing the Heinousness of his Mother’s Crime with so much Vehemence, and her guilty Confessions of her Wickedness... Are all Strokes from the Hand of a great Master in the Imitation of Nature.... The Ghost’s not being seen by the Queen was very proper; for we could hardly suppose that a Woman... Could be able to bear so terrible a Sight. (George Stubbes, 1736)

Critical Perspectives The queen was not a bad-hearted woman, not at all the woman to think little of murder. But she had a soft animal nature, and was very dull and very shallow. She loved to be happy, like a sheep in the sun; and, to do her justice, it pleased her to see others happy, like more sheep in the sun. She never saw that drunkenness is disgusting till Hamlet told her so; and, though she knew that he considered her marriage “o’er-hasty,” she was untroubled by any shame at the feelings which had led to it. It was pleasant to sit upon her throne and see smiling faces round her and foolish and unkind of Hamlet to persist in grieving for his father instead of marrying Ophelia. [She is] genuinely attached to her son (though willing to see her lover exclude him from the throne); and, no doublt, she considered equality of rank a mere trifle compared with the claims of love. The belief at the bottom of her heart was that the world is a place constructed simply that people may be happy in it in a good humoured sensual fashion. (A. C. Bradley, 1904)

Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark Foreshadowings: I.i.69-83, Foreshadowings: I.i.69-83, “Unweeded garden”: I.ii “Unweeded garden”: I.ii “They clepe us drunkards”: I.iv “They clepe us drunkards”: I.iv “Smiling, damnèdvillain”: I.v “Smiling, damnèd villain”: I.v “I lack advancement”: III.ii “I lack advancement”: III.ii “Those many many bodies”: III.iii.8-23 “Those many many bodies”: III.iii.8-23 “Through the guts of a beggar”: IV.iii “Through the guts of a beggar”: IV.iii “‘Th election and my hopes”: V.ii “‘Th election and my hopes”: V.ii.57-70

Hamlet’s “Issues” What troubles Hamlet? I.ii What troubles Hamlet? I.ii “Unmanly grief”: I.ii “Unmanly grief”: I.ii “What an Ass am I!” II.ii “What an Ass am I!” II.ii “A consummation devoutly to be wished”: III.I “A consummation devoutly to be wished”: III.I “When honor’s at the stake”: IV.iv “When honor’s at the stake”: IV.iv “Our indiscretion”: V.ii.4-10 “Our indiscretion”: V.ii.4-10 “Let be”: V.ii “Let be”: V.ii

Hamlet & Ophelia What transpires in their relationship? What transpires in their relationship? I.iii.29-44, I.iii.29-44, II.ii II.ii III.i III.i III.ii III.ii Ophelia’s “madness”: Ophelia’s “madness”: IV.v IV.v.46-74

Hamlet in Performance In preparation for the next two classes, make a few notes for yourself on how you stage the following scenes in your mind’s eye. (How you stage them depends, of course, on how you interpret them): In preparation for the next two classes, make a few notes for yourself on how you stage the following scenes in your mind’s eye. (How you stage them depends, of course, on how you interpret them): Hamlet and the Ghost Ophelia and Polonius Hamlet’s soliloquy in III.i Hamlet and Ophelia Hamlet and Gertrude Scenes concerning Fortinbras