Hamlet: Basics and Context

Book Basics

• Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.
• It was likely written from 1599 to 1601.
• It is a tragedy performed as a drama.
• It is written in the third person
• Shakespeare uses asides when characters are speaking to the audience
• Shakespeare uses soliloquies when characters are speaking their thoughts aloud
• Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in the present tense.
• Hamlet is a story of mourning, madness, and revenge, and is named after its protagonist.
• The tragedy of Hamlet may stem from William Shakespeare's own life.
• Events in Shakespeare's life that may have influenced his writing include the deaths of his son and father.
• A pivotal piece of Hamlet is based on the 1538 murder of Francesco Maria Della Rovere, Duke of Urbino

In Context

• Shakespeare's plays can be considered timeless.
• Audiences relate to the universality, and the stories, characters, and conflicts have modern analogues.
• The source material for Shakespeare's plays makes the plays timeless.
• Stories, like that of Cain and Abel, have been incorporated into tales for thousands of years.
• Shakespeare masterfully captured universal tales and put his unique spin on them.
• The oldest-known source for Hamlet is historian Saxo Grammaticus's Gesta Danorum from c. 1185–1202
• Shakespeare often uses dramatic and situational irony to draw audiences in and hold their attention.

Author Biography

• William Shakespeare's birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23.
• The closest researchers have is a baptismal record from April 26, 1564.
• His 38 plays were likely written between the late 1580s and 1613.
• Marriage records show that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in November 1582.
• Shakespeare and Hathaway had three children together: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet
• Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at age 11.
• Much of Shakespeare's life was spent in either Stratford or London.
• By 1592 he had success as both actor and playwright with the company Lord Strange's Men
• Shakespeare joined a new company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, during the plague outbreaks.
• Shakespeare would eventually own a share of the theater
• He would stay with both the company and the theater for the rest of his career.
• Shakespeare died in April 1616 and over four centuries later, his writing remains one of literature's greatest influences.

Characters

• Prince Hamlet is gentle, deep-thinking, loving, and loyal.
• Hamlet is intelligent, quick-witted, appreciative of his standing, and self-aware.
• Hamlet is a decent sole who is well-liked by those close to him and consumed with grief after his father's death.
• Polonius is counselor to the king and father to Laertes and Ophelia.
• He might sacrifice their best interests for what is the most politically correct decision.
• Polonius has a tendency toward action without thought
• Laertes is adventurous, obedient, comes across as eager to begin his life and the understanding of his sister and Hamlet
• Ophelia is Hamlet's love interest, she is a young, bright, and gentle woman, comfortable even with those above her in rank.
• She is undoubtedly devoted to Hamlet
• Gertrude is queen to Claudius and the widow of King Hamlet; she is also mother to Prince Hamlet.
• A central quality of Gertrude's character is that she loves her son.
• The ghost is the spirit of Hamlet's father, who has recently died.
• He was murdered by Claudius, his brother, and the ghost urges Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius.
• The ghost's message unnerves Hamlet and instills doubt

Full Character List

• Hamlet: the grief-stricken protagonist in the play
• Polonius: the king's chief advisor and father to Laertes and Ophelia
• Claudius: the corrupt brother of King Hamlet, who has taken the throne as well as married his sister-in-law.
• Horatio: Hamlet's school friend who stays a loyal companion.
• Laertes: Polonius's son, who has a strong, active presence and is also a confidant for Hamlet.
• Ophelia: Hamlet's love interest
• Gertrude: Hamlet's mother.
• Ghost: King Hamlet's spirit.
• Barnardo: a castle guard.
• Captain: part of Fortinbras's Troops, discusses about thoughts and actions.
• Cornelius: a courtier and ambassador to Norway.
• First Player: a member of the acting crew, and provides Hamlet his edited form of the version of the play Murder of Gonzago.
• Fortinbras: prince of Norway and passionate to Hamlet.
• Gravedigger: digger who is responisble for Ophelia's grave and sexton.
• Guildenstern: Is hired by Claudius to spy on Hamlet in secret
• Marcellus: a castle guard.
• Osric: the king's messenger.
• Reynaldo: A man who monitors Laertes outside in France
• Rosencrantz: hired by Claudius
• Sailor: a man who delivers the letter from Hamlet.
• Sexton: The sexton and gravedigger are responsible for digging Ophelia's Grave and looks to be a church official.
• Voltemand: A courtier who acts as ambassador to Norway.

Plot Summary

• Claudius now has the throne and Gertrude, which has left Hamlet feeling sad and depressed.
• King Hamlet's ghost is seen at Elsinore which Hamlet tells Horatio, to find out about his father.
• King Hamlet had been poisoned by Claudius
• Claudius's approval for Laertes to leave for France indicates Polonius's influence.
• Polonius and Laertes tell Ophelia not to see Hamlet
• Ophelia tells Polonius about Hamlet being "mad" for her.
• Rosencrantz, Guildenstern try to find out if if he is experiencing strange behavior
• Hamlet wants their play so that he will play it with his trap, and as a result of their sin.
• Polonius will reveal that Hamlet is going to see Gertrude that evening with Hamlet that they want to eavesdrop.
• Hamlet makes Ophelia want to enter the nunnery
• To get rid of Hamlet, Claudius devises a plot that involves sending Hamlet to England, and to get rid of him.
• After everyone that evening leaves, Claudius reveals documents he has sent along to kill Hamlet without knowing.
• Laertes discovers that Ophelia's has been driven mad.
• Ophelia and Hamlet meet at the cementary
• Claudius creates the plan for Laertes and Claudius to die as a consequence

Act 1, Scene 1

• Barnardo and Francisco stand watch at Denmark's Elsinore castle.
• The spirit resembles the late King Hamlet, Prince Hamlet's father which is scary to them
• Fortinbras is "Of unimproved mettle hot and full" and is raising an army to march on Denmark to avenge his father's loss.
• Horatio develops from a skeptic into a concerned about this Ghost

Act 1, Scene 2

• Claudius speaks with Gertrude so that he can have a good will after King's death
• Hamlet wants people to think that is the best action for him to take.
• Gertrude and Claudius encourage them to leave and Hamlet expresses grief
• A growing sense of boldness radiates from Hamlet's actions to

Act 1, Scene 3

• Laertes and Ophelia talk about Hamlet's relationship
• Also that they should be able to speak
• Polonius also advises his son Laertes with the intention to protect Laertes

Act 1, Scene 4

• In this short but very strong scene gives Hamlet to the ghost.
• He is more interested in an attempt to be like his father
• So one person can actually see the person in the vision

Act 2, Scene 1

• In these scenes the theme of deception and the truth is rampant.
• As it seems everything the truth is actually bad.
• In Act 1.

Act 2, Scene 2

• Claudius Gertrude decide to bring in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to see why he has change
• That they can find to their desires.
• Then Fortinbras makes his way to this play.
• Then it sets in something called play in play to give time for hamlet.

Act 3, Scene 1

• The scene provides both scenes being true
• And how well to be truthful in

Act 3, Scene 2

• It means for many reasons like the theater in theater.

Act 3, Scene 3

• So the fact that after Hamlet does make it to the location that there is something that does have them both going to find

Quotes

• "O ... that the Everlasting had not fix'd/His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!" - Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2
• "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." - Marcellus, Act 1, Scene 4
• "One may smile, and smile, and be a villain." - Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5
• "How strange or odd some'er I bear myself." - Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5
• "Why, what an ass am I. ... That I/must like a whore unpack my heart with words." - Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2
• "The spirit that I have seen may be a devil." - Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2
• "To be or not to be, that is the question." - Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

Symbols

• Yorick's Skull represents mortality.
• The Mousetrap is the play Hamlet makes the players the play something like his father and son to catch conscience.
• The Ghost is for the spirit in Health what would they feel about each other

Themes

• Shakespeare uses mortality as a central theme
• The most popular one has to explore is the concept as part of the cycle of life
• They think you should not try deception but actually have a mind to

Characters Involved in Vengeful Action

• The ghost of Hamlet's father wants Hamlet to avenge his death.
• Laertes wants to avenge both Polonius's and Ophelia's deaths.
• Fortinbras wants revenge for his father's death and for military losses.