1. Hamlet … a brief introduction

2. "Hamlet. Act I. Scene IV. A platform before the Castle of Elsineur. Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost. Painted by H. Fuseli”

3. Hamlet - historical The Historical Hamlet was the son of a Danish "King of the Jutes", who lived during the Dark Ages. The warlord was assassinated and his crown usurped by his brother. This was a coup, not a secret murder. According to current superstition, anyone who killed a crazy person risked acquiring the same disease from the victim's spirit. Therefore, the murdered warlord's son pretended to be crazy, acquiring the nickname "Amlothi", crazy person. Eventually he killed his uncle and became "King of the Jutes" in turn. He ruled successfully, and the nickname stuck. The Geneologies record "Amleth, King of Denmark." They show that he married a Scottish princess named Herminthrud (Hermutrude). He was eventually killed in battle. He is buried in Denmark in a field called "Ammelhede" ("Hamlet's Heath") to this day.Geneologies In a strange twist of fate, Herminthrud married one Viglek, also "King of Denmark", the man whose army defeated and killed Hamlet. http://www.pathguy.com/hamlet.htm

4. Hamlet - characters Who's Who in Hamlet (Be sure to read the “Dramatis Personae” that precedes the first act. It will present the full cast, as the list below contains only the major players.) Hamlet’s Family King Hamlet < Queen Gertrude (married over 30 years) Hamlet (Jr.) Claudius - brother to Hamlet, Sr., newly married (considered incestuously in the day) to Queen Gertrude, and "father-uncle" to Hamlet, Jr. Polonius’ Family Polonius < Unnamed Wife (two children) Laertes Ophelia Rosencrantz & Guildenstern - Two old schoolmates of Hamlet’s. Horatio - Hamlet’s university friend, and confidant. Fortinbras - Prince of Norway

5. Can you identity the people in this picture? Clockwise from the Jester Yorick, Hamlet, Mrs. Polonius, Opehlia, lady-in-waiting, Queen Gertrude

6. Hamlet – character quiz To understand Hamlet, you need to know who is related to whom. The questions below will check your understanding of the important relationships in the play. Hamlet's father is referred to as "Old Hamlet." 1. Hamlet's mother 2. Hamlet's stepfather 3. Hamlet's father 4. Gertrude's first husband 5. Hamlet's girlfriend 6. Old Hamlet was killed by 7. Ophelia's brother 8. Ophelia's father 9. Gertrude's present husband 10. Polonius' daughter 11. Claudius' wife 12. Laertes' sister 13. Laertes' father 14. Claudius' stepson 15. Old Hamlet's wife

7. Denmark and Norway in Hamlet countrypresent ruler former ruler and his killer the sons and their motives DenmarkClaudius, who is Old Hamlet's brother Old Hamlet - killed by poison in the garden by Claudius Young Hamlet (Prince of Denmark) must avenge Old Hamlet's death by killing Claudius NorwayOld Fortinbras' brother Old Fortinbras - killed in battle by Old Hamlet Young Fortinbras (Prince of Norway) must avenge his father's death by gaining back that land his father lost in battle

8. Denmark and Norway in Hamlet Hamlet's father is referred to as "Old Hamlet" and Fortinbras' father as "Old Fortinbras." 1. Who is Old Hamlet's killer? 2. Who killed Old Fortinbras? 3. Which two characters must avenge their fathers' deaths? 4. Who is the present ruler of Norway? 5. Who is the present ruler of Denmark? 6. Who is the former ruler of Norway? 7. Who is the former ruler of Denmark? 8. Who was killed in battle? 9. Who was poisoned in a garden? 10. Who must avenge his father's death by killing King Claudius?

9. Hamlet - setting Kronberg Castle, in Helsingor ("Elsinore"), near Copenhagen, Denmark, is supposedly Hamlet's castle Norway, Poland, and England are also part of the action of the play

10. Scandinavia

11. Hamlet – study links Are you having trouble understanding Shakespeare’s English? This website offers side-by-side text in modern English and the original. http://www.lynchmultimedia.com/hamlet_pbook1chpt1.html Want to test your understanding of Hamlet? To help ensure that you understand the relationships and events in the play, TeachersFirst has created a set of interactive quizzes. These include general introductory quizzes, as well as quizzes on quotations from each act and specific events in each scene. Each quiz offers immediate feedback - and occasional hints - to help you better understand Shakespeare's text. http://www.teachersfirst.com/quiz/hamlet-intro.htm

12. (1996) Kenneth Branagh (1991) Mel Gibson

13. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide Frequent Shakespeare interpreter Franco Zeffirelli gives Hamlet a go with this gritty and unglamorous version, starring Hollywood actors like Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. Gibson may have struck some viewers as quite the wrong choice, destined to be overmatched, but he displays surprising subtlety and range, not to mention wearing the cropped hair and scraggly beard to good effect. The actor's playful flickers of madness translate quite well to the scenes in which Hamlet gleefully toys with those he's trying to confuse. As he has done in his other adaptations of the Bard, Zeffirelli aims for accuracy in his production design, forgoing the anachronisms some directors use to amplify themes. Hence, the dank Danish castle feels like the genuine article, purposely lacking in grandeur. But the director continues to betray Shakespeare in familiar ways, too; not only does he truncate the text, but he even commits the cardinal sin of blending several scenes, which is usually avoided. It's decisions like this that rob the film of some depth and emotional resonance, not to mention scholarly respect. In fact, this Hamlet was likely an important motivator for Kenneth Branagh in his decision to film an elaborately unabridged, four-hour version of the play six years later.

14. ~ Tom Keogh, Amazon.ca Kenneth Branagh's four-hour production of Shakespeare's full text for Hamlet is visually lush (shot in 70mm, which is rarely done) and full of fascinating story moments that normally get cut from shorter stage versions. (Your idea of what kind of fellow Polonius is may change quite a bit.) The unexpurgated approach is truly enlightening, and Branagh intermittently succeeds at giving familiar moments in the drama an original cinematic spin, including Hamlet's spooky confrontation with his father's ghost (Brian Blessed). (Branagh also imposes some Hollywood glitter on the proceedings by casting the likes of Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Charlton Heston, and Jack Lemmon in the smaller parts.) The pre-Titanic Kate Winslet is very good as the doomed Ophelia, and Derek Jacobi delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance as Claudius, whose character is definitely filled out by the restored material. Branagh's own performance is a little revisionist--some viewers have quibbled with it while others seem fine with it.