Hamlet Notes

Contextual Information
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon; he lived

during the English Renaissance = rapid development of art, literature,
science, politics. 1450 1750 is also known as the Early Modern period.
He went to London to be an actor, where he began to be recognised as
also a playwright.
He was quite successful even when young; when he was 33 he purchased
a large house.
2 ways in which works were printed: quarto (small, inexpensive, relate to a
paperback) and Folio (larger, more prestigious). Conflated version =
combination of quarto and Folio. Hamlet is twice as long in Folio than
quarto versions, causing debate about which was Shakespeares original
creation.
Hamlet was written in 1600-1601 Elizabethan period (expansion, change,
enlightenment) -, a couple of years before Queen Elizabeth died in 1603.
Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23 1616 aged 52.
Ben Jonson on Shakespeare in the 1600s: He was not of an age, but for all
time!
Most of Shakespeares plays were written in blank verse poetry (iambic
pentameter). Eg. To BE or NOT to BE.
Puns often used similar to metaphors revealing hidden meanings.

Early Modern England

During most of Shakespeares writing career, the cosmology of the

universe (geocentric vs heliocentric) was in question, and this sense of
uncertainty influences some of his plays.
Chain of Being: God > Angels > Men > Women > Animals > Plants >
Rocks.
Divine right of kings: to oppose the king/queens will was the equivalent of
opposing Gods will.
Everything was made of 4 elements; fire (hot and dry yellow bile), earth
(cold and dry black bile), water (cold and moist - phlegm) and air (hot
and moist - blood). Cold dry etc = qualities. Phlegm, blood etc = humors.
 If a persons dominant humor was blood = light-hearted. Yellow bile =
irritable. Phlegm = dull and kind. Black bile = melancholy/sad (Hamlet has
this, and is dressed in black when we first see him).
2 classes: aristocrats (possessing good ancestry, wealth, power) and
everyone else. Shakespeare moved into low aristocracy by securing a
family coat of arms with his money from the theatre.
Family was metaphor for state husband was king of his family; divine
right.
Primogeniture: all the familys wealth goes to the first male child.
When a woman married she gave up all her limited rights, such as owning
property, signing contracts and inheriting (if there was no male heir). If
Gertrude hadnt remarried after King Hamlet died she would have been
excluded to live as a dowager queen in a small household.
Unmarried daughters like Ophelia had to obey their fathers. Thus although
Ophelia may seem to be betraying Hamlet at times she is actually doing
what was morally correct.

The Play

Hamlet is the most widely produced Shakespeare play.

Hamlet is the prince of Denmark. His uncle Claudius killed his father King
Hamlet, the ghost of whom has asked Hamlet to avenge his foul and most
unnatural murder. Claudius married Hamlets mother Gertrude. Hamlet is
caught between his desire for revenge and his conscience. He acts insane
so that Claudius wont suspect his plotting. When Hamlet knows for sure
that Claudius is guilty, the latter realises that he cannot truly repent
because he would have to give up the throne thus he is damned.
Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius who has been spying on him for
Claudius. Claudius realises that Hamlet is a true threat to him and so has
him sent to England, where he discovers that Ophelia has killed herself,
mad with sadness that her father Polonius was killed by her love Hamlet.
Her brother Laertes has now lost bother father and sister and so vows to
kill Hamlet.
Claudius uses this to his advantage by convincing Laertes to challenge
Hamlet to a duel. At the duel Gertrude dies after drinking poison that
Claudius had meant for Hamlet. Hamlet kills Laertes whose poison sword
affects him, and driven by revenge Hamlet kills Claudius before dying.
The story is based on that of Prince Amleth.
Hamlets Hamartia
- Is it that Hamlet has a tragic flaw that creates his downfall? Or is it that all the
cards are

stacked against him at the beginning of the plat and there is no way he
can prevail?

- Hamlets tragic flaw is that he cannot act on impulse for things that
require quick, decisive behaviour, and that he acts on impulse for things
that require more contemplation than is given by him. Thus conscience
does make cowards of us all
- Shakespeare shows us that Hamlet retains his ability to think lucidly and in
depth with his monologues.
- Although Hamlet adores his father he cannot act on his words alone;
hence the mousetrap play. It would have been easier if he hadnt; if he
hadnt alerted Claudius to the fact that he suspects him of murder. <-
acting without rational thought. He also stabs Polonius without knowing
who it is behind the arras, sealing his fate.
- Hamlet is a tragedy because Hamlet could have avoided his own death.
He had many opportunities to kill Claudius but did not. His tragic flaw kept
him from achieving his goals. Hamlet kills Claudius is an impulsive act,
thus overcoming his own tragic flaw.