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William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Mr. Hoffman AP English Literature and Composition. Critical Reviews. “an artistic failure” – T.S. Eliot “the work of a drunken savage” – Voltaire “it is we who are Hamlet” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge . History of the Play. Written in 1601

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William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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  1. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Mr. Hoffman AP English Literature and Composition

  2. Critical Reviews • “an artistic failure” – T.S. Eliot • “the work of a drunken savage” – Voltaire • “it is we who are Hamlet” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

  3. History of the Play • Written in 1601 • No description of settings • Simple and compact plot • Beliefs at the time • Elizabethan view of the universe “Great Chain of Being” • Ghosts • Nature tells things

  4. Shakespeare’s Tragedies • uncertain knowledge of himself and those around him • awareness of good and evil and the ambiguity of both • Revenge Tragedy • Tragic Hero

  5. The Structure of the Play • Originally, no act divisions until 1676 • No true dramatic purpose • Three types of scenes • Big ceremonial scenes involving the court • Domestic scenes concerned with parents and their children • Polonius, Fortinbras, Hamlet • Hamlet’s trenchant, spontaneous, and generalized comments on life

  6. Major Subjects in the Play • The question of appearance vs. reality • The question of a corrupt and diseased society • The question of parents and children • The question of revenge • The question of the relationship of thought to action

  7. Understanding the Language • Listen for general meaning • Look for movement; facial expressions • Wordsmith • Sounds of words • Blend of poetry and prose

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