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��Introduction to Hamlet��

Presented by

Dr. P. B. Thorbole

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Publication

  • Probably written in 1600 or 1601

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  • First performed in July 1602

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Setting

  • Denmark
  • Medieval Period

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Hamlet Cont.

  • Critics claim the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English Language.

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The Story

  • Hamlet’s uncle murders father and then marries his mother

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  • Hamlet’s uncle becomes king

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  • Hamlet feigns insanity to exact revenge

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Hamlet

  • Prince of Denmark

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  • About 30 years old

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  • Son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet

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  • Nephew of the present king, Claudius.

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Hamlet continued

  • Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical.

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  • Full of hatred for his uncle's scheming and disgust for his mother's sexuality.

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  • Studied at the University of Wittenberg

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  • Sometimes indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.�

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Claudius

  • The King of Denmark

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  • Hamlet's uncle

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  • Kills Hamlet’s father to become King

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  • The play's antagonist and villain

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  • Calculating, ambitious politician

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  • Driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power�

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Gertrude

  • The Queen of Denmark

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  • Hamlet's mother

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  • Married to King Claudius

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  • Prefers her social status over moral obligations�

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The Ghost (King Hamlet)

  • The specter of Hamlet's recently deceased father
  • Killed by King Claudius
  • Asks Hamlet to avenge his death

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Polonius

  • The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court
  • Pompous, conniving old man
  • Father of Laertes and Ophelia.�

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Ophelia

  • Polonius' daughter
  • Hamlet is in love with her
  • Obeys her father and her brother, Laertes.

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Laertes

  • Polonius's son
  • Ophelia's brother
  • Spends a lot of time in France
  • Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.�

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Famous Actors who have played Hamlet:

  • Laurence Oliver

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  • Mel Gibson

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  • Kenneth Branagh

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Famous Hamlets

  • Ethan Hawke

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  • Jude Law

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  • David Tennent

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Entertainment inspired by Hamlet:

  • The Lion King
  • Gladiator
  • Strange Brew
  • Renaissance Man
  • Episodes of Star Trek, The Simpsons, South Park

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Hamlet

  • Themes:
    • Indecision
    • Inability to Act
    • Uncertainty
    • Impuslivity
    • Death/Suicide

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  • Motif: Decay

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Hamlet Vocabulary�

1. entreated- to beg; to ask

2. assail- to attack

3. fortified - shielded; secured; protected

4. illume- to brighten; to lighten

5. usurp- to seize; to confiscate

6. avouch- to certify; to confirm; to guarantee

7. esteemed- to honor; to respect; to prize; to treasure

8. ratified- approved; confirmed; legalized

9. mettle.- endurance; bravery

10. resolutes- brave; fearless; relentless people

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11. portentous- foreboding; threatening; sinister

12. privy - made participant in a secret

13. discretion - permission to make decisions with own judgement

14. auspicious- delightful; joyous; happy; lucky; favorable

15. dirge- funeral song; death march

16. dole - sadness

17. visage- the face or facial expression of a person

18. denote- to indicate; to mark; to signal; to mean

19. countenance - appearance; facial expression  /  v.- to condone

20. requite - to avenge

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Hamlet Vocabulary �

  1. Beseech-to beg eagerly
  2. Pious- showing an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligation
  3. Insolence-contemptuously rude behavior or speech
  4. Robust- strong and healthy
  5. Distemper- deranged condition of mind or body
  6. Mortised- to join securely
  7. Bulwark- a wall built for defense
  8. Apoplexy- a stroke
  9. Cozened- to cheat or deceive
  10. superflous- excessive

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