1 / 30

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Basic Background Information. 1600-01 first performed 1603 first printed The plot of the play is not complex. It progresses in a linear fashion, with all events happening in chronological order. Detailed Background Information.

emil
Download Presentation

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. William Shakespeare’sHamlet, Prince of Denmark

  2. Basic Background Information • 1600-01 first performed • 1603 first printed • The plot of the play is not complex. It progresses in a linear fashion, with all events happening in chronological order.

  3. Detailed Background Information • Loosely based on Danish history, the play most likely has its origins in HistoiresTragiques, written by Belle-Forest in 1570; much of Belle-Forest's information is drawn from the HistoricaDanica, written by Saxo Grammaticus in 1208.

  4. The Play

  5. Basic Plot Structure • The basic structure of the plot of Hamlet is remarkably simple; a wrong occurs and the hero seeks revenge to make it right. In the process, everyone is destroyed. • Shakespeare develops the plot of his "revenge" tragedy in classical form. • Act I is largely expository in nature, introducing the main characters and the conflict. • Acts II, III, and IV contain the rising action of the plot as the conflict develops, largely in Hamlet's mind. • Act V contains the climax, a short period of falling action, and the denouement, or conclusion, in which Fortinbras takes control of Denmark to bring order to the country once again.

  6. Themes in Hamlet • Impossibility of Certainty • Mortality • Complexity of Action • Religion & the Otherworldly • Disease and Corruption • Fortune, Fate, Providence

  7. Motifs • Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.

  8. Motifs & Questions: • The Theme of Vengeance • Appearance vs. Reality • Some things to consider: • Is Hamlet Crazy? • Why does Hamlet Hesitate? • Is life worth living? • What is love? • What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw?

  9. Motif of Misogyny • Hamlet becomes extremely cynical, even neurotic, about women in general, showing a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection between female sexuality and moral corruption. • This motif of misogyny, or hatred of women, occurs only sporadically throughout the play, but it is an important inhibiting factor in Hamlet's relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude.

  10. Motif of Ears and Hearing • One facet of Hamlet's exploration of the difficulty of attaining true knowledge is slipperiness of language. Words are used to communicate ideas, but they can also be used to distort the truth, manipulate other people, and serve as tools in corrupt quests for power. • The sinister uses of words are represented by images of ears and hearing, from Claudius's murder of the king by pouring poison into his ear to Hamlet's claim to Horatio that "I have words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb".

  11. Symbols • Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

  12. Yorick’s Skull • Different Aspects of Death • Decay of the Human Body

  13. Hamlet Characters

  14. Hamlet • The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius.

  15. Claudius • The King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, and the play's antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.

  16. Gertrude • The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.

  17. Polonius • The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia.

  18. Horatio • Hamlet's close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet's death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story.

  19. Ophelia • Polonius's daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes.

  20. Laertes • Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.

  21. Fortinbras • The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet's father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father's honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet.

  22. The Ghost • The specter of Hamlet's recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him.

  23. RosencrantzandGuildenstern • Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet's strange behavior.

  24. The Acts!

  25. Hamlet, Act I • Scene 1: The Ghost, the setting & context • Scene 2: Claudius, Gertrude, & Hamlet • Scene 3: Laertes, Ophelia, & Polonius • Scenes 4 & 5: Hamlet and the Ghost

  26. Hamlet, Act II • Scene 1: Polonius and Reynaldo • Scene 2: • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern • Polonius, Gertrude, and Claudius • Polonius and Hamlet • Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern • Hamlet and the Players

  27. Hamlet, Act III • Scene 1: The plot thickens; Hamlet and Ophelia • Scene 2: • Hamlet and the Players • Hamlet and Horatio • Hamlet and Ophelia • The Play within a Play • Scene 3: Claudius’s Prayer • Scene 4: Hamlet & Gertrude; Polonius slain

  28. Hamlet, Act IV • Scene 1: Disposing of the corpse • Scene 2: Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildlenstern • Scene 3: • In search of the corpse • Hamlet and Cladius • Hamlet departs for England

  29. Hamlet, Act IV • Scene 4: Fortinbras marches; Hamlet reflects • Scene 5: • Ophelia’s “madness” • Laertes “storms” the castle • Laertes and Ophelia • Scene 6: Letter from Hamlet re: pirate ship • Scene 7: • Cladius and Laertes conspire • Ophelia dies

  30. Hamlet, Act V • Scene 1: • Clown and gravedigger • Hamlet and Yorick • Ophelia’s burial • Scene 2: • Hamlet explains his trick • Osric invites Hamlet to fencing match • Madness and mayhem ensue • Fortinbras claims Denmark

More Related