Hamlet Summary and Analysis Blog

Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, was first performed sometime in the late 1590-early 1600s. Close to the time Hamlet was being written, Shakespeare experienced two deaths in his family. The deaths of his son Hamnet and his father are believed to have significant influence on the play.

CHARACTERS:

Hamlet: Title character of the play and Prince of Denmark, Hamlet is the son of Gertrude and Old Hamlet and nephew to Claudius. There is a sort of relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, though the strength of their relationship and love is disputed. Throughout the play he struggles with following in his father’s (Old Hamlet) footsteps and being his own person, especially when the Ghost charges him with killing Claudius to avenge Old Hamlet. Hamlet accidently slayed Polonius (in a moment of mistaken identity), sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths, dealt the fatal blow to Laertes, and killed Claudius after discovering his treachery. 

Claudius: King of Denmark as elected by a council of elders. Currently married to Gertrude and both uncle and father to Hamlet. While assumed to be a good king, it is revealed that Claudius killed his own brother (Old Hamlet) for his crown and his wife. Claudius schemed with Laertes to kill Hamlet which backfired and ended in his death by Hamlet’s hand.

Gertrude: Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, formerly married to Old Hamlet but currently married to his brother Claudius. She is accidentally killed by Claudius when she drinks the poisoned wine that was intended for Hamlet. 

Ophelia: Daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes, Ophelia is a lady-in-waiting to Gertrude. She has a sort of relationship with Hamlet, though the reality of it is often questioned. Following her father’s death, Ophelia begins to go a little crazy and the possibility of her being pregnant comes up. In the end, Ophelia committed suicide by drowning herself, an act usually committed by single pregnant mothers during the time. 

Polonius: Chief counselor to the King and father to Laertes and Ophelia. Polonius is a prime example of private versus public face and likes to work behind the scenes. He was accidentally slain by Hamlet due to a case of mistaken identity.

Laertes: Son of Polonius and brother to Ophelia. Up until his father is killed, he spends a majority of the play in France. When his father dies he returns to Denmark and schemes with Claudius to kill Hamlet. While he succeeds in delivering the fatal blow to Hamlet, he also receives a fatal blow dealt by Hamlet and dies soon after.

Ghost: Supposedly the ghost of Hamlet’s father Old Hamlet. It instructs Hamlet to avenge him and kill Claudius.

Horatio: Close friend of Hamlet’s; smart and logical; is one of the only characters who does not die in the play. He is most (and perhaps only) reliable character in the play.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Hamlet’s childhood friends but when they are employed by Gertrude and Claudius, Hamlet turns his back on them, even sending them on to their deaths in England.

Fortinbras: Prince of Norway. Unlike Hamlet, he does not pursue avenging his father’s death (who was killed by Old Hamlet). With his dying breath, Hamlet passes the throne onto Fortinbras in the final scene.

SETTING:

Elsinore, court in Denmark in the 13^th century, though the survival of the story throughout time lends to its universal nature.

PLOT: (as stated in the semester 1 final exam collaborative review)

ACT 1:

Scene 1

·         Horatio is told that the Ghost of the old king of Denmark, Hamlet, has been seen

·         Horatio sees the Ghost and attempts to talk to it, but it does not answer Horatio.

·         King Hamlet led a conquest against old Fortinbras

Scene 2

·         Claudius is introduced and makes a speech about his marriage and how young Fortinbras demands the lands taken by King Hamlet. Claudius sends ambassadors to stop an attack.

·         Laertes is given leave to go to France, with permission of Polonius.

·         Hamlet is introduced and is mourning his father, Claudius and Gertrude tell him to get over his father’s death.

·         Hamlet is not given permission to leave and go back to Wittenberg.

·         Hamlet is forced to stay in Denmark. He is upset about his mother’s marriage to his uncle. (Took place “within a month”)

·         Horatio and friends tell Hamlet about the Ghost and he agrees to join them.

Scene 3/4/5

·         Laertes (leaving for France) warns Ophelia not to fall for Hamlet and not to trust him.

·         Polonius says the same thing and orders her not to see Hamlet.

·         Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus are visited by the Ghost.

·         The Ghost wants to only speak to Hamlet.

·         The Ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. The Ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his murder.

·         Hamlet makes his friends swear to secrecy.

Act 2:

Scene 1

·         Polonius does not trust Laertes in France and sends someone there.

·         Ophelia was visited by Hamlet, who seemed crazy.

·         Polonius thinks that Hamlet is crazy because Ophelia will not see him.

Scene 2

·         Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent to spy on Hamlet by Gertrude and Claudius.

·         Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet is crazy with love for Ophelia. They go to spy on Hamlet.

·         Hamlet knows that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying for Claudius.

·         Hamlet decides to prove his uncle’s guilt by staging a play, The Murder of Gonzago.

Act 3:

Scene 1-To Be or Not To Be

·         Rosencrantz and Guildenstern cannot find why Hamlet is mad.

·         Polonius makes Ophelia to find out about Hamlet’s madness and goes to spy with Claudius.

·         Hamlet sees Ophelia and is nice, but then he changes his attitude.

·         Hamlet says he never loved her.

·         After Hamlet leaves Claudius does not think that love is the cause of his madness. He decides to send Hamlet to England.

o   Polonius says not to and wait until Gertrude talks to him.

Scene 2

·         The play occurs. Hamlet and Horatio watch for a reaction from Claudius.

·         The Player King is killed by having poison poured in his ear.

o   Claudius gets upset and leaves

·          Hamlet is asked to go see Gertrude.

Scene 3

·         Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are ordered to take Hamlet to England.

·         Polonius plans to spy on Hamlet and Gertrude.

·         Claudius starts to pray and Hamlet wants to kill him there, but cannot because then Claudius would go to Heaven.

Scene 4

·         Polonius hides behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s room.

·         Hamlet enters and scares Gertrude, who calls for help. Polonius then calls for help.

·         Hamlet, thinking that Polonius is Claudius, stabs the tapestry.

·         Hamlet is then upset at Gertrude for marrying Claudius, when the Ghost appears and he is the only one to see. Gertrude thinks he is mad.

·         The Ghost reminds Hamlet to avenge King Hamlet’s death.

Act 4:

·         Gertrude tells Claudius that Polonius is dead. Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet, and the body.

·         Hamlet does not say where he put the body.

·         Claudius orders Hamlet to leave immediately for England. Claudius tells the audience he plans to have Hamlet killed in England.

·         Hamlet sees Fortinbras and his army.

Act 5:

Scene 1

·         Two clowns (gravediggers) dig up poor Yorick’s bones to make room for Ophelia.

Scene 2

·         Hamlet has his “fall of the sparrow” speech.

·        He then duels with Laertes, is mortally wounded, kills Claudius, then relinquishes his control to Fortinbras

ANALYSIS:

The point of view in Hamlet is that of an outsider looking in like many plays. There is no central narrator or character that gives the audience information; this allows the audience to look in on the characters and know everything.

The tone in Hamlet is solemn and dark as it is a tragedy. Two prominent motifs throughout the play are death and betrayal, both dark topics within themselves, but the constant re-occurrence of the motifs adds to the solemn feel. Characters contemplate killing one another and suicide is brought up multiple times, both by Hamlet and Ophelia. Betrayal by friends and family alike affect the characters as they go about living in Elsinore. Despite the dark nature of the play’s tone, a humorous feel comes through from time to time. One such time is when two gravediggers are conversing with one another, one of whom consistently screws up legal jargon.

In Hamlet, imagery plays an interesting role as it is often representative in the play. Rotting, spoiling, or decaying imagery was often used by Shakespeare to help demonstrate the decay of Hamlet’s family and Denmark. Imagery based around surveillance and spying helps show the distrust amongst the characters. Natural imagery also plays a role in the play and can be seen when Ophelia is handing out flowers and Gertrude is vividly describing Ophelia’s death.

In Hamlet, there are a few important symbols. Yorick’s skull is symbolic in two ways: 1. it represents the fact that death is inevitable, everyone will fall prey to it regardless of who they are 2. it represents a shift in Hamlet’s perception (will be further explained in the thesis section). Ears are also an important symbol in Hamlet as they represent deception and gossip, a key motif in the play.

THESIS:

Shakespeare’s Hamlet suggests that you should be cautious of whom you allow yourself to be influenced by, because a lack of identity leads to immoral decisions. 

While this theme statement is great at encapsulating pretty much the essence of Hamlet, it is difficult to explain how elements such as setting, the title, point of view, tone, and imagery support this theme. The best way to show support for this theme statement is through one important piece of imagery and the plot.

Yorick’s skull, while symbolizing the inevitability of death, is very symbolic in the character Hamlet’s growth. Up until the graveyard scene, Hamlet had been struggling with being his father or being his own person. This dilemma is worsened when the Ghost instructs Hamlet to murder Claudius. It really isn’t a surprising request for the time, avenging one’s father was fairly common, yet Hamlet struggles with the immorality of the act and avenging his father. Here is where Yorick’s skull comes in. When Hamlet picks up the skull and realizes whose it is he also realizes that Yorick was more of a father to him than his biological father, Old Hamlet, ever was. This completely changes Hamlet’s perspective because he doesn’t feel the need to avenge or become his father anymore; the man Claudius murdered wasn’t really a father to him. While Hamlet struggled to discover who he really was he was led down a immoral path of vengeance and murder which he was able to remove himself from when he realized who was really a father to him. 

The plot in this play is very intricate, multiple story lines woven into one, yet certain points can be highlighted that support the theme statement. In the play, Hamlet blatantly admits that he sentenced Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths by sending them to England with a forged letter instructing their deaths. A key detail during this confession is that he sealed the letter with a wax seal inscribed with his father’s signet ring. Here Hamlet is still trying to be his father while trying to be himself. His lack of identity and feeling of betrayal by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern led him to killing his friends, though not by his own hand. Another instance is when Hamlet is speaking with Gertrude and slays Polonius. At this point in the play, Hamlet is trying to fight the call to avenge is father but when speaking with Gertrude in her closet he hears “a rat”. Believing the rat to be his treacherous and murderous uncle, Claudius, Hamlet stabs through the closet’s curtain and into Polonius, killing him. Though Hamlet did not give himself much time to think before he acted, the fact remains the same: if Hamlet did not have to struggle between being his father and being himself he would not feel the need to avenge his father and so would not have stabbed and slayed Polonius.

QUOTES:

“Die two months ago, and not forgotten yet? Then there’s hope a great man’s memory may outlive his life half a year.”(Hamlet speaking to Ophelia)

     I feel this quote is significant for a couple of reasons. First it shows that Hamlet is affected by his father’s death and the way the people around him are reacting to it. To him, everyone has moved on, it’s like his father meant nothing they moved on so quickly, especially in regards to Gertrude, Hamlet is feeling a bit betrayed as is evident through the sarcasm used in this quote. The second reason this quote is significant in my mind is that it is showing the importance of a person’s legacy. There are a few other points where such a point is demonstrated (i.e. burying Ophelia in sacred ground vs. outside the churches graveyard) but I feel this is one of the clearest. Hamlet is obviously worried with what lies ahead and what it will mean for him, but is also concerned that such a great man can be so quickly mourned and dismissed.

”Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind away.” (Hamlet speaking to Horatio)

     I personally love this quote and find it very significant to the growth of Hamlet’s character. He is finally accepting that it doesn’t matter how great you are in life because no matter what, you will die and then what do you become? If a man so great as Caesar is reduced to nothing more than a stopper in a hole, what is there to be said for the rest of man; for those not so great or notorious? This quote makes me think, which I love, but I feel it also addresses a question that wasn’t addressed much in Hamlet: what’s the point of life? If all we are going to end up as is dirt and clay then what meaning does greatness even hold? This quote really puts in perspective what is important in life.

“Even while men’s minds are wild, lest more mischance on plots and errors happen.” (Horatio speaking to Fortinbras)

     I think this quote does a very good job summing up Hamlet. It’s an imperfect world that we live in so even the best planned out plots go awry. Up until the graveyard scene, Hamlet planned on killing Claudius but something always got in the way. Claudius and Laertes’ plan was perfection complete with backups, but when the swords got switched around in the duel, all their careful planning went out the window. One might be able to argue that this quote also lends itself to the idea of providence; that no matter how well you may plan something out, God may have other plans for you. As this quote can be tied into so many parts of Hamlet, I feel it was a perfect quote to end the play (even though Fortinbras briefly speaks afterwards).

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**In regards to symbols in Hamlet I chose not to include mirrors as the symbolism of mirrors was mainly seen in the movie productions of Hamlet and I was focusing on the written play.

Response to Course Material (1/19)

Yet another month has passed in AP Lit, even though we weren't there for most of it. Yet in that little bit of time we were in class in the past month we've done some good work.

The first thing we did upon returning to class is finish up discussing Hamlet. Though our discussions were slow right after break, the did pick up and become more involved as we got back to the play. With second hour, I know a big part of our debate was what the central question of Hamlet was and what the turning point was. This was new to me, in past English classes I've always been told what the turning point was and we rarely talked about the central question of a piece of literature. Having to think about these things without much guidance from Ms. Holmes really got me thinking about Hamlet and what was really going on in the play.

There were a ton of motifs in this play, so many that we ended up grouping the motifs into three main categories: Duality, Control, and Religion. When grouping together our motifs we saw that some fit into more than one category, which was also something new to me. I never really thought about how motifs could relate to each other and to overarching categories. To me it always seemed that a motif was meant to represent one thing and one thing only so this really opened my eyes on how motifs work. Grouping the motifs together also helped with writing a theme statement.

I was pleasantly surprised with writing our Hamlet theme statement. It was nowhere near as hard as I thought it was going to be and I think a big part of that was being able to look at our three motif categories and our central question and say, "Okay, what do these have to do with what is happening in the play?" In the end I was very pleased with our theme statement, especially when we worked out the wording so that it wasn't a black and white statement without any shades of gray.

Since finishing Hamlet, we've moved on to preparing for the final. Can I just say that I love the idea of the collaborative final review? In Brit Lit last year, Mrs. Patnoude just told us everything that was going to be on the review and two years ago in English 10, Mr. Crocker just said "review everything we've covered". I like the idea of everyone contributing to make this one big review because there were things that people had put up that I'd forgotten. Also, some parts of existentialism and theatre or the absurd were cleared up for me (things that I probably wouldn't have understood on my own). Creating practice questions at the end also helped me get in the mindset of taking the final.

Open Prompt Blog part 2 (1/12)

2003: According to critic Northrop Frye, "Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightening." Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

     Tragedies are often seen with the fall of great and powerful men. Kings have often made for some of the most memorable tragic heroes as those with the furthest to fall. Unfortunately, as monarchies disappear, it becomes harder to relate to these great tragic heroes. A new, more relatable, type of tragedy has risen: the tragedy of the common man. Nowhere is the tragedy of the common man seen better than through Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. A father and struggling businessman, Willy may not have a thrown to fall from, but represents a tragic hero none the less. Because of his pride and his refusal to take responsibility, Willy Loman is the every-man's tragic hero and hurts those closest to him.

     In his youth, Willy Loman was a god among men to his eldest son Biff. Willy could do no wrong and solve every problem. Biff was so confident in his father that he asked his father to speak with his math teacher after he failed the class. According to Biff his teacher would have to listen "to a man like [Willy]". His father was his idol until Biff caught Willy in an affair. Suddenly Willy had changed in his son's eyes, he had fallen from his son's graces. Willy proceeded to fall even further when he tried to convince Biff that the woman meant nothing and Biff just didn't understand. Though he did not fall from a thrown or high status, Willy Loman fell from the pedestal his son had placed him on.

     Pride not only led to Willy's fall, but to Willy hurting those around him. Most notably Willy hurt his eldest son Biff. Though his lies regarding his affair and the affair itself hurt his son, Willy's great pride in his first born led to other problems. In high school, Biff had played football and one day "borrowed" a football from his school. Instead of scolding him, Willy praised Biff on his initiative. Later in Death of a Salesman, it is uncovered that Biff has a stealing problem; a problem we can only assume was fostered under Willy's praise. Biff's sticky fingers have led him to move around fairly often, but that is not the only reason. As the eldest son, Willy placed an extreme amount of pressure on Biff. Throughout the play, Biff struggles between his wants and his father's wants. Because Biff strays from the salesman and business world, Willy becomes disappointed in him and his pride refuses to let him accept Biff's dreams. Since Willy cannot accept Biff's choices due to his pride, Biff becomes volatile and miserable in the life he lives.

     Biff isn't the only one affected by Willy's pride. Happy, Linda, and Charley also feel the sting of Willy's pride. As Biff was his first born, Willy put everything into Biff, leaving nothing for his other son Happy. The younger son, Happy was essentially neglected by his father and always came second to Biff. Unlike his brother, Happy is pursuing business like his father would have wanted. Unfortunately, neither of his parents pay Happy any attention so he is left living a life in which he continuously strives to please his parents. Now Linda has had to watch Willy's pride tear her family apart. Despite her pleading, neither her husband nor her eldest son will tell Linda what happened between them. Willy's pride keeps him from taking responsibility for his affair, instead blaming Biff for their falling out. Pride keeps Willy from reconciling with his son, leaving Linda to sit by and watch her family fall apart. Willy's pride affects Charley in an interesting way. Unlike the others affected, Charley is not made miserable by Willy's pride, only insulted by it. In a weird way, Charley and Willy have a sort of friendship and like a good friend, Charley tries to help Willy when he struggles to make ends meet. A number of times throughout the play Charley offers Willy a job, which Willy always turns down. By accepting the job, Willy would have to acknowledge the fact that he has failed in his dreams. With little tact Willy harshly turns Charley down, leading Charley to believe that Willy thinks himself better. This puts an unneeded strain on one of Willy's only friendships. Willy's pride pushed those closest to him away, leading to feelings of inadequacy and the destruction of relationships.

     Pride has been known to topple even the greatest of heroes regardless of that hero's status. Willy Loman, the common man's tragic hero, is no different. His pride leads to a huge rift between himself and Biff, completely ignoring his youngest son Happy and tearing his family apart. He damages one of his only friendships because he is too proud to admit his dreams have failed. With all the elements of  a tragic hero, Willy shows a tragic hero in a modern setting with a fatal flaw we can all relate too. Willy's pride causes him to hurt those he's closest too and leads to the tragic vision of the play.