Hamlet: An Introduction

Characters

Moral Corruption: People who possess power usually corrupt themselves, causing evil to spread to those around them. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

***Pay attention to plant and ear imagery***

Revenge: Seeking revenge never settles anything. It always ends in pain, sorrow and, in this case, death. Vengeance can start to control some one's life if they let it; it consumes them, and they can only focus on revenge.

Appearance and Reality: Appearances can deceive people. Physically, a person's appearance can be deceiving, but even more so, a person's character and actions can be deceiving. ***Actors and acting feature prominently in Hamlet***

Mortality: Death is inevitable and cannot be controlled.

William Shakespeare

• Born in 1564 in Stratford, England and died in 1616 at the age of 52
• Attended grammar school, but not university
• Playwright, poet, actor, and director
• Wrote 38 plays (comedies, histories, and tragedies), 154 sonnets, and a number of other works
• Left his "second-best bed" to his wife, Anne in his will
• Epithet on tombstone: "Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare, To digg the dvst encloased heare. Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones, And cvrst be he yt moves my bones."
• Bardolatry- the reverence or worship of Shakespeare

Humanism

• The English Renaissance saw a flourishing of humanism
• Generally, humanism is a philosophical and ethical movement that values practical and scientific study over professionalism.
• Humanists believed that by studying grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy (the humanities as we know them), one could educate him or herself
• Humanism was often considered reactionary toward elitism and monsticism, although these were not always mutually exclusive.

English Renaissance

Elizabethan Tragedy

• Must end in some tremendous tragedy or catastrophe involving the death of principle characters
• Must be brought on by a trait in the character of the hero
• Protagonist is usually a sympathetic character
• Five Acts:
• Act 1 - disorder that leads to two sides
• Act 2 - development of rivalry
• Act 3 - climax
• Act 4 - reflective act
• Act 5 - final climax

Surveillance and Treason in Elizabethan England

"Rainbow Portrait"

• 1558 (Elizabeth I crowned)- 1642 (English Civil War begins)
• Cultural movement associated with the European Renaissance, although it occurred much later
• Religious: Protestant Reformation, first vernacular translations of the Bible, destruction of medieval church icons
• Intellectual: Rise in humanism and scientific method (Baconian method)
• Arts: Portraiture, poetry and plays, music, architecture
• Many present-day scholars take issue with the term "renaissance" because "rebirth" negates the Middle Ages completely and the English cultural movement of this time is distinct from other cultural movements on continental Europe

- Even though Elizabeth was generally well liked and respected, a number of plots to overthrow her were uncovered

- Spain, the Pope, internal rivals including cousins and half-siblings all had motives for killing Elizabeth.

- As a result, a proto "secret service" was tasked with ferreting out threats to the queen. Anyone connect with a plot was convicted of treason and executed.

- Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's contemporary and influence (author of Doctor Faustus) died in a mysterious bar fight--stabbed in the eye at 29. Some scholars believe he was, or at least was thought to be, a spy for some rival.

What do you notice on Elizabeth's dress? What might this suggest to contemporary audiences?

Elizabethan

Theater

• Most theaters were located outside of city walls to avoid city regulations and laws (decency, hygiene, taxes, etc.)
• Known for being free from censorship and traditional religious morality
• Made of a rectangular stage and pit, usually outside with a covered portion above the stage called the heavens, with wealthy seating options
• Shakespeare's Globe Theater was home to "Lord Chamberlain's Men"
• Theaters and actors of the Renaissance occupied an ambiguous position--drama was both highly popular and borderline immoral. Actors often were thought to be "low" people (actresses were "almost always" prostitutes as well), but Queen Elizabeth's patronage helped change this opinion.

The Globe Theater

Ghosts

and the English Renaissance

Queen Elizabeth I

• 1533-1603, reigned 1558-1603
• Daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn (executed by Henry)
• Imprisoned by her half-sister, Mary on suspicion of Protestant sympathies
• Famed for her virginity and defeat of Spanish Armada in 1588
• Calmed religious turmoil between English Catholics and Protestants
• Patron of the Arts (Shakespeare was one of her favorites) and exploration (Sir Francis Drake)
• Remembered as the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess
• Named James VI of Scotland her successor

• A ghost might . . .
• haunt a former lover who has taken a new lover
• result from the living mourning too much
• want revenge for murder or some other sin
• be sent by God on some heavenly task
• return in the form of a parent to fool the living into communing with the dead
• cause madness in the living
• Cause the evil to suffer and the good to be tested
• Remember: public revenge is OK (sanctified by God); private is NOT
• See http://www.stjohns-chs.org/english/renaissance/ren-gh.html for more information

Setting

Hamlet:

An Introduction

Kronborg Castle, Elsinore

• Hamlet takes place mainly in Elsinore, Denmark.
• There are many different settings. For example, the subplot of Fortinbras takes place in Norway. Also, Hamlet is on a ship for some time, traveling to England.
• Wherever the setting is, it sets the mood as being eerie, mysterious, and dramatic

Major Characters

Hamlet

• Prince of Denmark whose father King Hamlet has just mysteriously died
• Represents the ideal Renaissance, humanist man
• Dramatic, educated, mischievous, determined, mad?

Claudius

• Hamlet's uncle/step-father and the new king
• Represents corruption, sin and murder
• Deceitful, selfish, and evil

Ophelia

• Daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and Hamlet's romantic interest
• Confused, depressed, and is a pawn

Gertrude

• Hamlet's mother and Queen of Denmark who has just buried her husband and married his brother
• Caring, compassionate, impure

Old Hamlet

• Represents revenge and death
• Enables Hamlet's questionable behavior

Minor Characters

Horatio

• Hamlet's best friend and confidant
• Encourages Hamlet and tries to keep him sane. Always in control
• Smart, reasonable, controlled, a good friend

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

• Hamlet's school friends who work for Claudius as spies
• Represent manipulation and are used by the King to get his way

Laertes

• Son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. Acquaintance of Hamlet.
• Helps develop a subplot that eventually ties in to the final catastrophic scene
• Educated, seeks father's approval

Polonius

- King's adviser and father to Laertes and Ophelia

- Represents manipulation and corruption within the kingdom

- Controlling, sneaky, pompous

Themes

(cc) photo by theaucitron on Flickr