Poison in Hamlet

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1033337873359302&set=vb.100000492987038&type=2&theater

MOVIE

Poison in Hamlet

• Inspired by oriental/ninja type movies
• Concentrated our parody on Claudius' plans to murder Hamlet (R & G, L)
• N: Rosencrantz/Gertrude; F: Guildenstern/Laertes; M: King Claudius; E: Hamlet
• Based our parody on all forms/types of poison discussed earlier

Conclusion

Whenever poison is referred to :

PEOPLE ALWAYS DIE

How a single fault, "some vicious mole of nature" (Act 1, Scene 4), can destroy the reputation of a nation or an individual.

Words can be used in a poisonous manner that leads to death...

Poison is a substance of high toxicity which corrupts or disturbs organisms. The various language and words used in the play display the same effect. The manner of which certain characters communicate or interact with each other often leads to corruption and later on death.

Ghost of King Hamlet

towards Hamlet

1

Hamlet towards Ophelia

Quotes from Act 1, Scene 6

2

Polonius towards Ophelia

GHOST

"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder"

HAMLET

"Murder!"

GHOST

"Murder most foul, as in the best it is;

But this most foul, strange and unnatural.

HAMLET

"Haste me to know't that I, wit wins as swift

As meditation or the thoughts of love,

May sweep to my revenge."

Quote from Act 3, Scene 1

"get thee to a nunn'ry why woulds't thou be a breeder of sinners?"

Quote from Act 3, Scene 1

"Ophelia, walk you here - Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves"

• In this scene, Hamlet condemns Ophelia after she attempts to return tokens of their love
• He insults her many times and basically denounces ever loving her in the first place ( while also stating that he HAS loved her)
• Unbeknownst to him and her, this scene corrupts her seeing as it's followed by her mourning his "once noble mind that has lapsed into apparent madness" (Act3,Scene1).

• After Hamlet's encounter with the ghost he becomes hell-bent on revenge, melancholic and suicidal
• Hamlet's encounter with he ghost completely corrupts him seeing as how he instantly changes after their meeting.
• The previous scene displays a vengeful Hamlet, mindlessly ready to rid whoever the ghost speaks of.
• Evidently, in the end his revenge leads to his death.

• A majority of the dialogue between the two is Polonius giving her orders. (furthers the theme of spying)
• Seeing as how their relationship is displayed as master-server (though Polonius seems to love her very much) he was slowly corrupting her.
• She finally snaps after Polonius' death and fall into a madness leading to death.

Claudius sits upon a cowardly throne that leads to his hamartia...

Polonius poisons and corrupts Ophelia's mind...

• During Elizabethan period, there was a code of honor called Chivalry (Braveness and Honesty)
• His mischievous measure in acquiring the throne = humility
• Use of poison is considered "unchivalrous" because it's a weapon of a coward; act of a man with no honor and honesty...a cheat!
• This led to his hamartia along with the royalty family's death.

• Justifies his control over his daughter with his fatherly power
• Goes as far as to forbidding her to associate herself with Hamlet
• Links to motif of gender roles; where women must obey to men
• Ophelia goes to the brink of insanity after her father's death and commits suicide
• ^Proof that she was reliant of her father's constant power (though all he did was poison her mind)

Quote from Act 3, Scene 3

"That cannot be, since I am still possess'd

Of those effects for which I did the murder,

My crown, mine own ambition and my queen"

Quote from Act 4, Scene 5

"O, this is the poison of deep grief; it springs

All from her father's death."

Power can be used in a poisonous manner that leads to death...

Power was often given to those superior with nobility. Those who gained such authority were overwhelmed. Power can be used in a poisonous way, insinuating madness and ultimately leading to death.

The literal use of poison leads to death...

When poison is used literally it will always lead to the death of one or more people.When it is used, the plan does not always follow through correctly; shows that fate and destiny can also come into play. All in all, when poison is used literally it signifies that its use is, of course, to kill people.

How does Shakespeare manipulate the motif of poison?

3

1

2

Claudius kills King Hamlet with ear poison

Laertes' sword kills Hamlet, Claudius and himself

Quote from Act 1, Scene 5

"...Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole

With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,

And in the porches of my ears did pour..."

Quote from Act 4, Scene 7

Quotes from Act 5, Scene 2

Laertes' death : "Here I lie, Never to rise again : thy mother's poison'd : I can no more : the king, the king's to blame"

Hamlet's death : "The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit"

"I'll have prepar'd him A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, If he by chance escape your venom'd stuck, Our purpose may hold there.

Gertrude drink the poison and dies

Quote from Act 5, Scene 2

"The drink, the drink! I am poison'd"

• The literal use of poison is explored through the unjustly and merciless murder commit by Claudius on his brother King Hamlet for the throne of Denmark.

• The literal use of poison is intensified during the controversial final act.
• Laertes' sword had poison on it, Hamlet's drink is poisoned as well.
• Laertes is poisoned by his own blade and Hamlet already poisoned, kills the king and finally fulfills his revenge.

• The literal use of poison is illustrated when Gertrude drinks from a goblet poisoned by Claudius that was meant for Hamlet.

Thesis

Shakespeare explores the motif of poison throughout various forms in Hamlet, which helps us understand that the powerful presence of this recurring symbol always leads to the death of one or multiple characters.

Outline

• Women strived to look of higher nobility by painting their faces white.
• Those makeup mixes often included arsenic which caused great damage.

Intro

• Poison in Elizabethan
• Darkness of poison
• Poison in other Shakespeare plays

Thesis

Arguments

• Literal
• Power
• Words

Conclusion

Dramatization

• Movie (Parody)

Jeopardy

Motif of Poison

Intro...

• Darker side of Poison
• People believed in witches/witchcraft : poisons, potions,powers,etc.
• The punishment was very serious : boiling, branding,beating

Poison is found in many other Shakespeare plays such as:

• Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, and more

Works Cited

JEOPARDY : HAMLET EDITION

Thank you!

- Duel, Diana. “Arsenic Poisoning 101.” Examiner.com, AXS Network, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

- “Elizabethan Knights.” Elizabethan Era. n.p, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

- “Hamlet – The Theme Of Power.” Tiernan English. n.p, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

- “Hamlet Characters.” Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Shmoop, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

- Mabillard, Amanda. “Violence in Shakespeare's Plays.” Shakespeare Online. 19 Aug. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2014

- “Poison in Hamlet”. SchoolWorkHelper. St. Rosemary Education Institution, 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

- Shakespeare Authority. WordPress, 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

- Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Toronto: Harcourt Canada Ltd., 2003. Print.

- Untermacher, John. Miller, W.C. ed. "Hamlet Themes". GradeSaver, 30 August 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

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