Hamlet

Author:  Shakespeare- usually writes in iambic pentameter and he wrote many plays.  He was married and had children.

Setting:  Elsinore in Denmark.  The play takes place at the castle, on the grounds where the guards stand watch, and in a graveyard for Ophelia’s burial.

Plot: In order for Hamlet to avenge his father, Old Hamlet asks Hamlet to kill Claudius.  Throughout the entire play Hamlet is trying to find a way or trying to decide whether or not to kill Claudius. 

•      Hamlet pretends to go mad but he reason for doing so is unknown.
•        Polonius and Claudius try to figure out what is wrong with Hamlet.  Polonius thinks he is madly in love with Ophelia and because Ophelia has been ignoring him, he is now mad.
•        Claudius uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Ophelia to try and figure out why Hamlet is mad.
•        Hamlet puts on a play that is the story of Claudius killing Old Hamlet and steeling his life.       From the play he judges whether or not to believe the ghost of his father and to go ahead with killing Claudius.
•       After the play Hamlet confronts Gertrude about marrying her late husband’s brother.  Whether she feels guilty or not is open to interpretation.
•       During Hamlet’s meeting with his mother he kills Polonius.
•       Claudius sends Hamlet to England to be put to death.
•       Hamlet escapes but before his return Ophelia goes mad and starts to tell the truths of Elsinore and Laertes comes back and tries to overthrow Claudius.
•       A fencing match is set up between Hamlet and Laertes and the king plans to poison Hamlet, but his plan doesn’t quite work and everyone dies!

Characters:

Hamlet:  He is CRAZY!  At least he pretends to be…maybe.  Some may think he is indecisive, but I think he is just trying to find the right time to fulfill his plan/destiny.  He is depressed and he feels betrayed by his friends and family.  His character can be considered a parallel to Jesus as he tries to save Denmark.

Gertrude:  She is Hamlet’s mother and the Queen who married her dead husband’s brother.  Her character can be interpreted as ignorant or oblivious to the larger scheme of incest and murder.

Claudius:  He is the new king after killing his brother and steeling Gertrude and basically Old Hamlet’s life.  He is uncaring toward Hamlet’s feelings regarding his father and only cares for himself.

Horatio:  He is a righteous figure who many confide in and seek approval.  He is Hamlet’s best friend.

Ophelia:  She is Hamlet’s girlfriend who is either smart or innocent and responds to obedience.  She also betrays Hamlet.

Laertes:  He is Ophelia’s brother who is a foil to Hamlet. 

Polonius:  The right hand man to Claudius and he wants Ophelia and Hamlet to be married so he could have a right to the crown.  He is Laertes and Ophelia’s father.  He is also deceitful and selfish.

Narrative Voice:  The narrative voice is not from just one person but instead many because Hamlet is a play.  However, seeing many characters talk we understand that they have each committed some sin whether it is deceit, incest, or murder.  Hamlet’s explanation from the past regarding his father’s death is the only account we have but readers don’t know how reliable Hamlet is.  So the story is mainly from Hamlet’s point of view because he is the only one who keeps bringing up the past.  Due to the play being from Hamlet’s point of view the tone is anticipation for the killing of Claudius but it is also depressed as we realize Hamlet is giving his life to his dead father.  However, this is appropriate considering that Hamlet is a symbol for Jesus.  The author’s style of writing show that Hamlet speaks in prose and verse, which symbolizes how he is a part of both the lower and upper class.  Perhaps it reveals that hamlet wishes he could be in the lower class because he would have more freedom.  Instead he must defend his father who has died and he wasn’t even that close to.  We know this from the way he describes Yorick.

Quotes:  

1.“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act 1, Scene 4, line 100).

This quote speaks for the overall play.  The whole point of Hamlet’s task is to purify Denmark and to do so he has to kill the entire royal court.

2.  “O, that this too solid flesh would melt/
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!/
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!” (Act1,Scene 2,line131-135).

This quote shows Hamlet’s anguish and despair for his father’s death and his uncle and mother’s marriage. 

Theme:  Cleansing Denmark from incest murder and deceit is a theme throughout the play.

•        The setting is at the castle which is the root of all the sin and deceit because this is where the royal court is. Old Hamlet was murdered in the garden and Claudius and Gertrude were married here. 
•        The entire plot revolves around Hamlet’s decision regarding whether or not to kill Claudius.  Although some say he is indecisive, he could be waiting for the right moment.  Perhaps he knows that there is more to be done than to simply kill Claudius, instead he must kill the entire court.  Hamlet is waiting for the right time.
•       The title of the play Hamlet informs readers that the play revolves around Hamlet and that it is a tragedy.  Therefore, it is known that many will die for some reason, and in this case it is to purify Denmark.  
•       The narrative voice is mostly from Hamlet’s perspective.  We see what the other characters are trying to do, but it all revolves around Hamlet.  For example Polonius and Claudius are trying to figure out why Hamlet has gone mad so they devise a scheme involving Ophelia.  We see what the other characters are thinking and it usually is something against Hamlet so through seeing multiple characters and their actions readers are given a chance to understand how rotten Denmark actually is.
•        The author’s style is the use of prose or blank verse when the upper class speaks but verse when lower class people speak such as the gravediggers.  Hamlet however, uses both.  Although this may not seem significant, it is because Hamlet is seen as Jesus.  Jesus was a friend of the poor and the wealthy, so basically anyone who would accept him.  If Hamlet is talking to the poor in verse and to the rich in prose then it shows that he is open to everyone and is willing to save them.
•        The tone of the play is melancholy has we see Hamlet debate over his given task.  He is in conflict with God as he questions destiny and free will.  Hamlet is forlorn as he realizes the task must be done and he considers what could have been his life, but after seeing how his best friends, mother, and girlfriend betray him, he is more motivated to kill Claudius.
•      The imagery in act five scene one about Yorick shows that Yorick was more of a father to Hamlet than Old Hamlet.  The description Hamlet told from memory compared to when he was comparing pictures of Old Hamlet and Claudius to his mother shows how much more Yorick was in Hamlet’s life than his father.  Hamlet is about to give his life and every chance of happiness he had to his dead father when he kills Claudius.  The imagery shows us that even though Hamlet didn’t know his father well he is still willing to obey him and purify Denmark.
•       Hamlet himself is symbol.  He is seen as Jesus who has come to redeem the fallen so that they might be saved.  Old Hamlet is God and his ghost is the Holy Ghost and they have asked Hamlet to purge Denmark of its sins, thus Hamlet must kill the entire court and he must die as well because he is the sacrifice.  Claudius is Satan because he killed old Hamlet in the garden and he is what started the rottenness of Denmark.

Open Prompt Revision (1/20)

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Revision from Open Prompt (9/16)

                In “Gentlemen and Players” by Joanne Harris, the story revolves around St. Oswald’s, a private school for boys.  In this society males of wealth with family backgrounds worth mentioning are held in esteem, the definition of the privileged class.  The distinction between classes is perpetuated through the establishment of prestigious schools.  Even though girls are present in the wealthy families, it still is the males who take preference, even in 20^th century England.  In the still present male dominated society, females of lower wealth stand little chance for achievement. 

               The advantage the elite society has over the poor is present at St. Oswald.  The narrator Julia lives on the campus of St. Oswald with her father who is the janitor.  Julia is rejected by her peers at public school and is chastised for having a desire to learn and to improve her position in society.  Discrimination for being poor and a female furthers Julia’s quest to be someone else.  As a result Julia trespasses into St. Oswald posing as a male, she still is not accepted because she isn’t truly what those young boys are. Angered by the rejection and seemingly by the forces preventing her from overcoming her status in life, she seeks revenge. 

            Julia’s response is driven by anger and hatred for the elite, intending to strike at the heart of St. Oswald.  The rejection she faced leads her to murder pupils and to stage a scandal in which teachers are involved at St. Oswald.  The decisions made by Julia are a response to the divisions in society and the barriers preventing the upward movement of the poor.  Although her means to dissolve the upper class are violent, she is making a point that speaks to all societies, the need for equality in the social system. 

                

Responses to Course Material (1/13)

We have finished reading Hamlet, and it is probably my favorite play that we have read thus far.  Shakespeare’s Biblical allusions, such as the holy trinity and Hamlet being the sacrifice for Denmark’s sins, as Jesus was for us, I found to be really interesting.  In addition I really liked how Shakespeare uses double meanings of words and conversations to create multiple possibilities.  As an example when Hamlet and Ophelia are talking and he tells her to go to a nunnery either because he knows she is not a virgin and thinks her to be a whore, or because he really loves her and doesn’t want her to be with anyone else.  I enjoyed reading Hamlet too because it is a change in writing style from other plays that we have read.

 Death of a Salesman and The American Dream focused on America and the corruption in our society, but I also think that Hamlet confronts issues in Shakespeare’s time.  For example the way in which the royal court lives.  Hamlet doesn’t care for the practices and attitudes the nobility express, such as their immoral actions to gain power and money.  Shakespeare subtly shows the public how corrupt a government is or can be.

We have also started learning how to describe description words.  I find this exercise to be a lot of fun.  I especially like looking at the pictures and then trying to figure out what mood can be interpreted from them.  Hopefully we will keep doing this because I think it will be helpful for the AP exam.