An Introduction to The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark William Shakespeare An Introduction to The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

William Shakespeare Few primary sources to verify the details of Shakespeare’s life 1564: Born in Stratford-on-Avon 1582: Married Anne Hathaway (he was 18; she was 26) Three children: Susanna Hamnet & Judith (twins) 1592: Evidence that Shakespeare had moved to London to act and produce plays 1593: Shakespeare is a managing partner of a London acting company

William Shakespeare Successful during Elizabeth’s reign (six plays performed at Queen’s court) when his company was known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men* Also prospered during reign of King James (when his acting company was renamed the King’s Men) Shakespeare served as principal actor, dramatist, and shareholder S *Lord Chamberlain is the title given to the senior official of the Royal Household.

Shakespeare’s Legacy The Globe theatre burned to the ground in 1613 (rebuilt in 1997) Shakespeare left London sometime between 1610 and 1613; returned to Stratford and lived as a wealthy man until his death in 1616 Works: 17 comedies 10 histories 10 tragedies Countless poems

Shakespeare Influences Elizabethan Period (Renaissance) Rediscovery of classic Greek and Roman works Theatre Open air / natural light Female roles performed by boys Little scenery / language sets the scene Religion Protestant religion grows in strength, but the Catholics still strive to practice their religion The historical record shows that Shakespeare was a member of the Anglican church, but many scholars speculate he may have been a secret Catholic

Shakespeare’s Language Pronouns thou, thee, ye = you thy or thine = your or yours Contractions ‘t = it ‘tis = it is o’er = over e’er = ever ne’er = never

Shakespeare’s Language Verbs hast or hath = have ist = is canst = can dost or doth = does art = are wilt = will wert = were

Shakespeare’s Language Some Common Words anon = soon fain = gladly ho = hey, eh hence = away from here thence = away from there hither = here thither = there whither = where wherefore = why

Literary Terms Anastrophe Sometimes referred to as “inversion” In Star Wars “Powerful you have become” for “You have become powerful” In Hamlet “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!” for “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable the uses of this world seem to me!”

Literary Terms Metonymy A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated In today’s news “France has decided to limit immigration.” Here, “France” is a way of referring to French government officials In Hamlet “Let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark,” Here, “Denmark” is a way of referring to the King of Denmark.

Literary Terms Majestic Plural Sometimes referred to as ‘nosism,’ the majestic plural is an archaic tradition in which members of a royal family would refer to themselves using a plural form of pronoun, rather than a singular form. In Doctor Who Rose tries to get Queen Victoria to say “We are not amused,” which would be how a member of the royal family at that time would say “I am not amused.” In Hamlet Claudius says “We here dispatch you, good Cornelius,” although it’s really just Claudius sending Cornelius out on an errand.

Literary Terms Pun A humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings In The Lion King The hyenas taunt Simba and Nala by saying, “We’d love to have you stick around for dinner. We could have whatever’s lyin’ around!” (Lyin = lion) In Hamlet Gertrude tells her son, “Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die,” to which Hamlet archly replies, “Ay, madam, it is common.” (Gertrude means ‘pertaining to all of life,’ whereas Hamlet means ‘of inferior quality; low.’

Literary Terms Soliloquy v. Monologue Both involve a solitary speaker A monologue is a speech given by a single person to an audience--the speech might be delivered to an audience within a play or directly to the audience in the theater A soliloquy is a speech that one gives to oneself. In a play, a character delivering a soliloquy is speaking to himself (thinking out loud), so that the audience better understands what is happening with the character internally.

Sources Thomas Kyd's Hamlet in the 1580s (now lost); this is referred to as the “Ur-Hamlet.” Thomas Kyd's Spanish Tragedy (1587) (Revenge tragedy)

Sources Based on a Norse legend from Saxo Grammaticus's Historica Danica written in Latin in the second half of twelfth century

Sources In Saxo’s legend, the central character is Amleth (a word that means “fool” or “one who feigns madness” in Danish.) In the original, Amleth feigns madness to keep away from his murderous uncle

Elements of the Revenge Tragedy A crime gone unpunished Inescapable fate, often brought on by long- lived curse passed on from father Supernatural manifestations Exotic poisons Madness Sword fights Bloody, bloody, bloody!

Chain of Being The great chain of being: (literally "ladder or stair-way of nature"). It details a strict, religious hierarchical struture of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God. The chain starts from God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen/renegade angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, men, wild animals, domesticated animals, trees, other plants, precious stones, precious metals, and other minerals.

Chain of Being