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    Title: Hamlet Author: William Shakespeare Date, Place of Publication: 1603 (First Quarto), 1604 (Second Quarto) Bio Notes

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    PhuongNam
    William Shakespeare's Hamlet explores themes of revenge, appearance versus reality, and the inevitability of death. Set in Denmark, the plot follows Prince Hamlet who vows to avenge his father's murder by his uncle Claudius, who has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Hamlet struggles with uncertainty over whether the ghost telling him of the murder is real or an evil spirit. His plans for revenge lead to madness and a string of deaths, including Ophelia's suicide and those of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, and finally Hamlet himself. The play examines the complexities of betrayal, grief, and the desire for vengeance.

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    Title: Hamlet Author: William Shakespeare Date, Place of Publication: 1603 (First Quarto), 1604 (Second Quarto) Bio Notes

    Uploaded by

    PhuongNam
    142 views3 pages
    William Shakespeare's Hamlet explores themes of revenge, appearance versus reality, and the inevitability of death. Set in Denmark, the plot follows Prince Hamlet who vows to avenge his father's murder by his uncle Claudius, who has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Hamlet struggles with uncertainty over whether the ghost telling him of the murder is real or an evil spirit. His plans for revenge lead to madness and a string of deaths, including Ophelia's suicide and those of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, and finally Hamlet himself. The play examines the complexities of betrayal, grief, and the desire for vengeance.

    Original Description:

    AP Lit

    Original Title

    Hamlet Review

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    William Shakespeare's Hamlet explores themes of revenge, appearance versus reality, and the inevitability of death. Set in Denmark, the plot follows Prince Hamlet who vows to avenge his father's murder by his uncle Claudius, who has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Hamlet struggles with uncertainty over whether the ghost telling him of the murder is real or an evil spirit. His plans for revenge lead to madness and a string of deaths, including Ophelia's suicide and those of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, and finally Hamlet himself. The play examines the complexities of betrayal, grief, and the desire for vengeance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    142 views3 pages

    Title: Hamlet Author: William Shakespeare Date, Place of Publication: 1603 (First Quarto), 1604 (Second Quarto) Bio Notes

    Uploaded by

    PhuongNam
    William Shakespeare's Hamlet explores themes of revenge, appearance versus reality, and the inevitability of death. Set in Denmark, the plot follows Prince Hamlet who vows to avenge his father's murder by his uncle Claudius, who has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Hamlet struggles with uncertainty over whether the ghost telling him of the murder is real or an evil spirit. His plans for revenge lead to madness and a string of deaths, including Ophelia's suicide and those of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, and finally Hamlet himself. The play examines the complexities of betrayal, grief, and the desire for vengeance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Title: Hamlet

    Author: William Shakespeare


    Date, Place of Publication: 1603 (First Quarto), 1604 (Second Quarto)
    Bio Notes:
    Shakespeare had only grammar school education
    Married Anne Hathaway in 1582, left family in 1590 and moved to London to
    become actor/playwright
    Immediate success--> most popular playwright of Globe Theater
    Theater group adopted by King James as Kings Men in 1603
    Died in 1606?
    Setting: Denmark during the late middle ages (c. 1200)
    occasionally reference things or events from the Elizabethan Age (c. 1500)
    Notes on Period/Place of Pub:
    Written during The Renaissance Literary Period (1500-1660)
    Written as product of Reformation Period protestants broke
    away from Catholic church
    Hamlets anxiety of appearance/reality, struggles
    with religion (suicide = sinful, cant murder while victim praying)
    brought on by breaking religion during Reformation period
    Plot Summary:
    King has died, Claudius (kings younger brother/Hamlets uncle) takes the throne
    and marries Gertrude (Hamlets mother)
    An outraged Hamlet vows revenge (after seeing fathers ghost)
    Hamlet goes crazy Polonius says its because lovesickness for
    Ophelia
    King Claudius calls Rosencrantz & Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet
    Hamlet hires troupe of actors to act out play of King Claudius murdering/Old
    Hamlet
    Claudius runs away from the muder scene guilty
    Hamlet goes to kill Claudius but hesitates because hes praying
    (sinful)
    Hamlet yells at Gertrude for marrying Claudius while Polonius is
    spying Hamlet mistakes P for C and kills P
    Ps son, Laertes, comes home and teams up with C to battle Hamlet
    with poisoned knife for revenge
    Ophelia is sad and drowns (suicide)
    Hamlet is ready to die, agrees to fight with Laertes everyone
    pretty much dies
    Gertrude drinks poisoned wine
    Laertes and Hamlet are both stabbed
    Hamlet kills Claudius
    Horatio tells story as Hamlets body is being taken off stage (closing scene)
    MOWAAW:

    Revenge does not lead to justice.


    Death is truth in reality whereas life is the multiple appearances masking as
    reality. (Appearance vs reality).
    Opening Sentence for Essay:
    William Shakespeares Hamlet presents a lost prince that confuses the reasons of
    revenge with the idea of justice.
    Style/Characteristic of Work:
    Written with both verse & prose:
    Nobles speak in blank verse (unrhymed iambic
    pentameter) Claudius addressing court in Act 1, Scene II
    Gravediggers/commoners speak in prose, but sometimes Hamlet
    does too
    How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in
    moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how
    like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this
    quintessence of dust? (2.2.327-332)

    Characters:
    Hamlet: protagonist, Prince of Denmark; deeply thinks about
    suicide/death/truth/appearances vs reality/motivation but is also a hormonal teen and is
    obsessive; crushes on Ophelia; hates mother bc she married Claudius and distrusts
    women
    Claudius: antagonist (??), new King of Denmark, King Hamlets younger brother,
    Gertrudes new husband, Hamlets uncle; poisions old Hamlet so he can have the throne
    because hes power hungry;
    Gertrude: Hamlets mother, remarries Claudius so Denmark would be safe from
    Fortinbras; weak and unable to control personal problems; loves Hamlet
    Polonius: Lord Chamberlain of Denmark; pompous, long-winded, is killed by
    Hamlet
    Ophelia: daughter of P, crushee of Hamlet; as woman, must obey
    men around her but is secretly very intelligent and strong-willed; loyalty and
    estrangement from Hamlet makes her crazy and she drowns herself
    Laertes: son of P, mirrors Hamlets character
    Horatio: Hamlets confidant and friend from university; least moved by passion
    The Ghost: reincarnation of Hamlets dead father; orders Prince Hamlet to get
    revenge against Claudius but spare Gertrude
    Opening Scene/Significance: Ghost appears, but doesnt talk to Horatio every
    father/son relationship will lead to revenge, ghost confirms something isnt
    right in Denmark
    Closing Scene/Significance: Horatio tells story of what has happened in Denmark
    as Fortinbra gives Hamlet a soldiers honors, saying he would have made a
    great king Denmark is healed by succession from Hamlet Fortinbras
    (WTF HAS HAPPENED IN THIS PLAY)

    Symbols:
    Yoricks Skull (Act 5, Scene 1): reps inevitability of death
    Memorable Quotes:
    "The glass of fashion and the mold of form, th' observed of all observers."
    [Ophelia, 3.1.167-68] Ophelia says this after Hamlet's "get thee
    to a nunnery" bit, and basically has just witnessed the man she loves acting
    crazy and telling her he doesn't love her. Here, she describes Hamlet (premadness) as having been the mirror (or model) of proper behavior, every bit
    the gentleman, and the model of attractiveness and self-disposition. (This
    Hamlet she describes is quite different from the one we see)
    "O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt."
    [Hamlet,1.2.133] Hamlet says this in his first soliloquy. This is the
    first time he speaks about suicide, wishing that his stained (defiled) skin would
    just fall off his bones and decompose. Hamlet is upset at his mother's marriage to
    Claudius, and not being allowed to return to Wittenberg for school. He's so upset
    with his mother, that he just wants to give up, but later in the soliloquy states that
    he can't commit suicide for religious reasons.

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