Archetypes in Hamlet

Ophelia

The Innocent

• Sheltered her whole life by her brother and father
• The darkness of the world was too much for her
• Kills herself after being unable to cope with the harsh reality of life

Horatio

The Wise Man

Gertrude

Definition of an Innocent

The Good Mother

• The innocent is most commonly know as the naive and pure character that needs saving
• As the name implies, they are innocent in mind and nature
• Usually more romantic than other types as they dream of their prince charming to come along and rescue them

• She doesn't care that Hamlet has sinned
• Protects him from Claudius
• Helps Hamlet hide the body of the slain Polonius

• Attempts to stop Hamlet from seeking revenge
• Is the voice of reason throughout the story
• Sees the danger in Hamlet talking to the ghost of the previous king

Definition of The Good Mother

• Looks out for the hero
• Embodiment of protection, goodness, and warmth

Definition of The Wise Man

The Friend

• Provides information when needed
• Gives advice to the Hero
• Knows of the danger to come

• Attempts to help Hamlet and warns him against talking to the ghost of his father
• Mourns Hamlet's death

Archetypes by Meggie Hinson

Definition of The Friend

• The hero's confidant
• Always ready to lend a helping hand

The Outcast

• Is sexist, especially to Ophelia
• Is quite suicidal in thinking
• Dislikes the world
• Banished to England

Definition of an Outcast

• Usually destined to be alone and become a wanderer
• Banished from a community

The Villain

The Fall

• Murders his own brother, Hamlet's father
• Attempts to murder Hamlet to prevent anyone from finding out the truth

Battle Between Good and Evil

• In faking madness, he himself becomes quite mad
• His love for Ophelia and his hatred for women drives him further into madness
• Ophelia's death is the final straw that sends him falling deep into insanity

Hamlet

• Throughout the entire story he is attempting to murder Hamlet
• Hamlet attempts to kill him for murdering his father
• In the end both he and Hamlet end up dying

Definition of The Villain

Definition of The Fall

• Goal is to destroy the hero or take over something or someone
• Seeks to rule over others
• Does not have compassion

• A descent from a higher state to a lower state of being
• Involves moral imperfections
• Loss of innocence

Definition of The Battle Between Good and Evil

Claudius

• Battle between two opposite forces
• Normally ends in the good side being victorious

The Ambitious

The Hero

• Murders his own brother to ascend the thrown
• Marries his dead brother's wife to ensure his place in command
• Is willing to betray anyone to achieve his goal

• Wishes to avenge his father's murder
• Impulsive and rash, he doesn't think ahead
• Only in the beginning does he show these qualities

Definition of the Ambitious

• Believe they can do anything
• Think they have the right to rule
• Are often cocky in character

Definition of a Hero

• Performs deeds to bring honor to themselves or their community
• Goes on a quest to achieve a goal

Archetypes of Hamlet

Citations

• http://hamletvsmacbeth5.wikispaces.com/Archetype+Analysis"Table of Contents." HamletvsMacbeth5. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
• http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/summary.html"Hamlet Plot Overview." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
• "The Poem""To Be or Not to Be""for Poems For ESL | ESL Lesson Poetry Practice AudioLesson." Poems for ESL. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
• http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html"The 12 Common Archetypes." The 12 Common Archetypes. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
• http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/archetype?s=t"Archetype." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.

Definition of an Archetype

A stereotypical example of a person or thing usually found in literature or movies