William Shakespeare's Hamlet

 

William Shakespeare's Hamlet            Download

Hamlet critical analysis, Hamlet themes, Hamlet character analysis, Shakespeare revenge tragedy, Oedipus complex in Hamlet, Hamlet soliloquies explained, Hamlet study guide PDF, Cambridge Shakespeare notes, Elizabethan theatre context.

Introduction: 

This newsletter aims to demystify classic literature for the modern student. In this edition, we turn our attention to what is often considered the pinnacle of English drama: William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Written around 1600, this play continues to captivate audiences and scholars alike with its profound psychological depth, philosophical quandaries, and intricate plot. For today's student, navigating its Elizabethan language and complex themes can be daunting. This guide will break down the play's essential elements, providing you with a clear, comprehensive overview, complete with explanations of the technical terms you will encounter in your studies.

About the Author: 

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Before delving into the play, it is crucial to understand the genius behind it. William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, born in Stratford-upon-Avon. His extensive body of work includes 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several narrative poems. His career is typically divided into three periods: comedies and histories (e.g., A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V), tragedies (e.g., Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth), and finally, the romances or tragicomedies (e.g., The Tempest).

• Key Fact: Shakespeare’s plays were published posthumously in the First Folio (1623), a collected edition without which many of his works might have been lost.
• His Legacy: His profound understanding of human nature, mastery of the English language, and innovative use of dramatic form have cemented his status as a foundational figure in Western literature.

Plot Summary: 

Hamlet is set in the royal castle of Elsinore, Denmark. The plot is triggered by a supernatural event and spirals into a tragedy of epic proportions.

• Act I: The ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet is seen haunting the battlements. The dead king’s brother, Claudius, has seized the throne and married the queen, Gertrude. Prince Hamlet, deeply grieving his father and disgusted by his mother’s hasty remarriage, is visited by the Ghost, who reveals he was murdered by Claudius. The Ghost commands Hamlet to seek revenge.
• Act II: Hamlet, overwhelmed by the task, decides to feign madness to investigate the Ghost’s claims without raising suspicion. He arranges for a troupe of travelling actors to perform a play, The Murder of Gonzago, which mirrors the alleged murder.
• Act III: The play is performed, and Claudius’s guilty reaction convinces Hamlet of his uncle’s guilt. However, when Hamlet finds Claudius praying, he hesitates to kill him, fearing he would send the king’s soul to heaven. In a subsequent confrontation with his mother, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, the king’s chief counsellor, who is hiding behind a tapestry.
• Act IV: Claudius, now fearful for his life, sends Hamlet to England with a secret order for his execution. Ophelia, Polonius’s daughter and Hamlet’s love interest, driven mad by her father’s death and Hamlet’s rejection, drowns. Her brother, Laertes, returns from France seeking vengeance for his father’s death.
• Act V: Hamlet escapes the plot against him and returns to Denmark. Claudius manipulates Laertes into a duel with Hamlet, poisoning Laertes’s sword and preparing a poisoned cup. The duel results in the deaths of Gertrude (who drinks from the cup), Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet himself. The play ends with the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, arriving to take control of the Danish throne.

Critical Appreciation: Why is Hamlet a Masterpiece? Download

Hamlet is more than a simple revenge story; it is a deep exploration of the human condition. Its greatness lies in several factors:

• Psychological Realism: Shakespeare delves into the mind of his protagonist with unprecedented depth. Hamlet’s introspection, doubt, and feigned madness feel remarkably modern, making him one of the first truly complex psychological characters in literature.
• Philosophical Depth: The play grapples with fundamental questions about life, death, morality, and the afterlife, most famously in the "To be or not to be" soliloquy.
• Structural Complexity: The play’s intricate plot, which includes a play-within-a-play, multiple layers of deception, and several subplots (e.g., Fortinbras’s threat, Ophelia’s tragedy), creates a rich and suspenseful narrative.
• Linguistic Innovation: Shakespeare’s use of language—from sublime poetry to crude puns—is unparalleled. He uses iambic pentameter (the rhythmic heartbeat of much of his verse) to convey everything from royal dignity to intense emotional turmoil.

cMajor Themes 

Hamlet is a treasure trove of thematic material. Here are the central themes:

• Revenge

• This is the engine of the plot. However, Shakespeare subverts the typical revenge tragedy genre by focusing on the avenger’s moral and psychological paralysis rather than the action itself. Hamlet’s delay contrasts with the decisive actions of Fortinbras and Laertes, prompting the audience to question the morality and efficacy of revenge.

• Technical Term: Revenge Tragedy - A dramatic genre popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, where the plot is driven by a protagonist's quest to avenge a wrong, typically a murder. It often features elements like a ghost, madness, and a bloody conclusion.

• Madness

• The play explores both real and feigned madness. Hamlet uses his antic disposition as a tool to obscure his intentions, while Ophelia’s descent into genuine madness highlights the destructive consequences of the court’s corruption and her personal trauma.

• Technical Term: Antic Disposition - This phrase, used by Hamlet, means a deliberate pose of madness or bizarre behaviour. It allows him to speak truths that would otherwise be dangerous.

• Mortality and Decay

• The concept of death permeates the play, from the literal ghost to Yorick’s skull in the graveyard scene. Hamlet is obsessed with the physical and moral decay of the human body and the state of Denmark, which he describes as "an unweeded garden".

• Appearance vs. Reality

• A central question of the play is "Who and what is genuine?" Characters are constantly spying, deceiving, and acting. The dichotomy between what "seems" and what "is" is summed up in Hamlet’s declaration, "I know not 'seems'."

Character Sketches:  Read More

1. Prince Hamlet: The melancholic, intellectual, and philosophical protagonist. He is characterised by his profound introspection and inability to act decisively, a trait often labelled as his tragic flaw or hamartia.
2. Claudius: The play’s antagonist. He is a shrewd, manipulative, and ambitious politician who has committed regicide (killing a king) to gain power. Despite his villainy, Shakespeare gives him moments of genuine guilt, adding complexity to his character.
3. Gertrude: The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother. Her rapid marriage to Claudius is the source of much of Hamlet’s anguish. The play leaves her precise degree of knowledge about Claudius’s crime ambiguous, making her a figure of ongoing critical debate.
4. Ophelia: Polonius’s daughter and Hamlet’s lover. She is a tragic figure, torn between her loyalty to her father and brother and her love for Hamlet. Her eventual madness and death symbolise the destruction of innocence.
5. Polonius: The Lord Chamberlain, father to Laertes and Ophelia. He is often long-winded and meddlesome, representing the pompous and often foolish courtier. His death is the catalyst for the final act of tragedy.
6. The Ghost: The spirit of King Hamlet. It sets the plot in motion by demanding revenge. Its true nature—whether a benevolent spirit, a demonic apparition, or a projection of Hamlet’s psyche—is a point of scholarly discussion.

Famous Excerpt:

"To be, or not to be"

(Act III, Scene I)

This is arguably the most famous speech in the English language. In it, Hamlet contemplates suicide as a means to escape the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

Key Points:

1. He weighs the pain of life against the fear of the unknown after death, which "puzzles the will."
2. The speech is not about revenge but about existential despair. It is a deeply personal meditation on the human tendency to suffer passively rather than take action against life's troubles.
3. The final line, "And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought," perfectly encapsulates Hamlet’s problem: his tendency to overthink paralyzes his ability to act.

Literary Techniques 

Shakespeare’s craftsmanship is evident in his use of specific literary devices.

• Soliloquy

• Description: A speech in which a character, alone on stage, speaks their inner thoughts aloud. Hamlet’s seven soliloquies (e.g., "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt," "To be, or not to be," "How all occasions do inform against me") are the key to understanding his complex psychology. They allow the audience direct access to his doubts, fears, and motivations.

• Contrast with Monologue: A monologue is a long speech delivered by one character to other characters on stage. A soliloquy is a private speech, heard only by the audience.

• Imagery

• Description: Shakespeare uses recurring patterns of images to reinforce themes.

• Disease and Decay: Images of rotting, ulcers, and sickness symbolise the moral corruption in Denmark.

• Ears and Hearing: The murder is committed by poison poured into the king’s ear, and much of the play’s action involves characters "ear"-ing for secrets or being poisoned by words.

• Irony

• Description: The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. Hamlet is rich in dramatic irony, where the audience knows more than the characters on stage (e.g., we know Hamlet is feigning madness, while the other characters do not). This creates suspense and heightens the tragedy.

• Allusion

• Description: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art. Hamlet frequently alludes to classical mythology (e.g., Hyperion, Niobe, Hercules) to express his ideals and contrasts, showcasing his education and intellectual nature.

Essential takeaways

• Genre: Revenge Tragedy, Elizabethan Drama, Shakespearean Tragedy.

• Protagonist: Hamlet; a complex, procrastinating intellectual.

• Central Conflict: Hamlet’s internal struggle between his duty to avenge his father’s murder and his moral/psychological aversion to the act.

• Major Themes: Revenge, Madness (real vs. feigned), Mortality, Appearance vs. Reality, Corruption.

• Key Literary Devices: Soliloquy, Imagery (decay/disease), Dramatic Irony, Allusion.

• Famous Quote: "To be, or not to be: that is the question."

• Why It’s Still Read: Its unparalleled psychological insight into doubt, grief, and the human condition remains universally relevant.