3 Hamlet - An Analysis
Transcript of 3 Hamlet - An Analysis
HAMLET-An Analysis
Submitted by,Group No 1007_001
Amrita University
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Background Date of composition
Between 1598 and 1602
Sources of Hamlet
indebted to the following writers for the plot:
Saxo Grammaticus – Danish writer – Historica Danica –
Latin history of Denmark
Belleforest – French writer – Histories Tragiques
Sources modified by Shakespeare
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Duration of action• Observed the unity of action
• Ignored unity of time
• Action takes place in 7 days
Day 1 – Act I; Sc. i, ii, iii
Day 2 – Act I; Sc. iv, v
Day 3 – Act II; Sc. i, ii
Day 4 – Act III; Sc. i, ii, iii, iv, Act IV; Sc. i, ii, iii
Day 5 – Act IV; Sc. iv
Day 6 – Act IV; Sc. vi, vii
Day 7 – Act V, Sc. i, ii
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Dramatis Personae Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Claudius, King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle
The Ghost of the late king, Hamlet’s father
Gertrude, the queen, Hamlet’s mother
Polonius, Counsellor of State
Laertes, Polonius’ son
Ophelia, Polonius’ daughter
Horatio, friend and confidant of Hamlet
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, courtiers and classmates of Hamlet's in Wittenberg
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Dramatis Personae contd… Fortinbras, Prince of Norway
Osric, a foppish courtier
Voltimand & Cornelius, Danish courtiers, ambassadors to the Court of Norway.
Marcellus and Barnardo, Danish officers on guard at the castle of Elsinore.
Francisco, Danish soldier on guard at the castle of Elsinore.
Reynaldo, a servant of Polonius
Players
A priest
Two Clowns (the Gravediggers), two rustics who dig Ophelia's grave.
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Act-wise synopsis of the play
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ACT 1Hamlet, young Prince of Denmark arrives on account of father’s
death – finds his mother has married his uncle Claudius, present
King – Hamlet encounters King Hamlet’s ghost – bitterness at his
mother’s hasty marriage – ghost’s revelation about King Hamlet’s
death by poison of Claudius – ghost requests to avenge murder –
Hamlet conceives scheme of feigning madness
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ACT 2Polonious appoints Reynaldo to deliver cash & letters to Laertes -
Asks him to spy on Laertes - Ophelia informs about Hamlet’s
madness - Polonious believes Hamlet’s madness is his love for
Ophelia - Claudius suspects reality of Hamlet’s madness - Sets two
spies, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz - Hamlet arranges a play –
story of Priam and Hecuba’s - story similar to his father’s death – to
watch Claudius’ reaction for evidence of guilt – Claudius’ consent to
Fortinbras to march through Denmark
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ACT 3Guildenstern & Rosencrantz fails to find cause of Hamlet’s madness
– Claudius overhears lover’s talk – convinced that a deep thought
other than love causes his madness – Hamlet gets play enacted –
Claudius orders stoppage – convinced of Claudius’ guilt – Hamlet
decides to avenge – bound by morals – Polonius hides in Gertrude’s
closet – gets accidentally killed by Hamlet – Hamlet talks with ghost
– Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England & get him killed
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ACT 4Queen tells King, of Polonius’ death – King convinced of Hamlet’s
madness – sends him to England – Hamlet escapes from captors –
returns secretly to Elsinore – Laertes returns to avenge his father’s
death – Laertes convinced by Claudius that Hamlet murdered his
father & caused Ophelia’s madness – Ophelia drowns herself in a
pool – Laertes’ decision to take revenge – conspires with Claudius –
arranges a fencing match
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ACT 5Ophelia’s funeral – Laertes overcome by grief – throws himself into open
grave – Hamlet follows Laertes – short scuffle between them – paves way
for fencing match – Hamlet wins in first two rounds – Claudius offers him
poisoned drink – Hamlet refuses – Gertrude drinks it to celebrate Hamlet’s
victory – she dies – third round Laertes wounds Hamlet with poisoned
rapier – rapiers exchanged – Laertes too wounded – Hamlet wounds
Claudius – forces him to drink remaining poison – Claudius & Laertes dies
– Horatio attempts to die – Hamlet objects – announces Fortinbras as his
successor to throne – Hamlet dies – Fortinbras arrives to report victory over
Poland - witnesses tragedy – arrangements for Hamlet’s funeral
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Character SketchHamlet
• a refined mind
• philosophical, sceptical
• Procrastination – tragic flaw
• thought obstructs only main action
• wit & humour
• melancholy & madness
• imaginatively intellectual
Claudius
• a king
• a husband
• a villain
• a hypocrite
• a good schemer
• suspicious in nature
• troubled conscience
• a coarse minded villain
Polonius
• a father
• a courtier
• a fool
• follies due to conceit
• over confident
• sly ways
Horatio
• a friend
• common sense, honesty
• temperance
• honour
• sceptic
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Character Sketch contd…The Ghost
• atmosphere of horror & fear
• motivating the action
• a mirror to reflect the characters
Gertrude
• a weak woman
• innocent
• love for Hamlet
• love for Claudius
Laertes
• determination
• impetuosity
• love for Ophelia
• contrast to Hamlet
Ophelia
• beautiful
• timidity
• love for Hamlet
• innocent but not ignorant
• madness
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Critical Appreciation contd…• neither gross nor crude or extraneous
• appearance of ghost & atmosphere of forewarning
• link between earth & supernatural world
• helps in development of plot
Supernatural element
• reveal inner thoughts of characters
• 7 soliloquies by Hamlet
• reveal his speculative nature, cause of delay, contempt for world Soliloquies
• genuine or feigned madness?
• genuine madness with Ophelia; feigns madness with Polonius, Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
• acts normally with whom it is safe
Problem of madness
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Critical Appreciation• masterly in effect
• arouses interest
• atmosphere of gloom, mystery and unrestOpening Scene
• 3 movements
• act of exposition; creates personality of hero; hero kills father
• main revenge theme - interrelated with other themes -faithlessness, love, ambition, madness
Plot Construction
• prone to think than act; brooding nature
• sets aside a golden opportunity on grounds of moral idealism
• result- though much is expected only little is achieved
Hamlet's irresolution &
procrastination
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Critical Appreciation contd…
• to confirm the Ghost's words of Claudius' guilt
• opportunity to Shakespeare to criticize contemporary actors and playwrights
Play within the play
• transformation in hero's character
• initial state of depression
• final scene - composure comes back
• a change involving maturity & growth in stature & wisdom
Tragic effect & Hamlet's self-
realization
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Credits
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Template Courtesy:
Shakespeare template http://www.m62.net/powerpoint-templates/education-templates/shakespeare-template/
QUIZ
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I. How did Claudius murder King Hamlet?(a) By stabbing him through an arras (b) By ordering him to be hanged(c) By poisoning his wineglass
II. Which of the following characters cannot see the ghost?(a) Marcellous (b) Hamlet (c) Gertrude
III. Which of the following characters survive the play?(a) Fortinbras, Horatio, and Osric (b) Prince Hamlet, Polonius, and Gertrude(c) Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern
IV. In whose history of Denmark did Shakespeare find background material for his play?(a) Oedipus of Thebes (b) Saxo Grammaticus (c) Franz Guntherhaasen
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V. Why, according to Polonius, has Hamlet gone mad?(a) He grieves too much for his father (b) Claudius’ marriage with Gertrude.(c) He is in love with Ophelia.
VI. What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw in the play?(a) Pride (b) Greed (c) Procrastination
VII. How many soliloquies are delivered by Hamlet in the play?(a) 8 (b) 7 (c) 9
VIII. On which story is the Players’ play based on?(a) Priam and Hecuba (b) Priam and Achilles (c) Hector
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ANSWERS
I. (c) By poisoning his wineglass
II. (c) Gertrude
III. (a) Fortinbras, Horatio, and Osric
IV. (b) Saxo Grammaticus
V. (c) He is in love with Ophelia.
VI. (c) Procrastination
VII. (b) 7
VIII. (a) Priam and Hecuba
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Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, 2016
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