7. Hamlet -for APPSC TGPSC TREIRB JL/DL

 7. Hamlet 

for APPSC TGPSC TREIRB JL/DL

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SHAKESPEARE( 23^rd of April 1564- 23 April 1616.)

Shakespeare was born at Stratford-on Avon (He is known as Bard of Avon), a village in Warwickshire. His father was a prosperous grain dealer. He was sent to a Grammar school where he learnt “small Latin and less Greek”.

At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. He had three children-two daughters and a son (Susanna, Hamnet and Judith).

It is certain from the death bed words of Greene who called him an ‘upstart crow’ that by 1592, he had quite established himself as a playwright. Between 1610 and 1012 he retired to his hometown, Stratford, where he bought the largest house in the town named the New Place.

Besides acting in Ben Jonson’s plays, he acted as the Ghost in Hamlet, Adam in As You Like It, King Duncan in Macbeth, and King Henry in Henry-V (Nicholas Rowe, his biographer said Ghost in Hamlet was the top of his performance). The first notice of Shakespeare as a dramatist occurs in Green’s pamphlet A Groatsworth of Wit (1592). Sidney Lee’s monumental Life of Shakespeare is the most authoritative source of information available to the students. He began his career as reviser of old plays seems to have thus collaborated with Marlowe and Kyd in such plays as Titus Andronicus, Henry VI and Richard III.

            The theatrical company to which he was attached is Lord Chamberlain’s and after Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603, it became the King’s Men. Shakespeare’s company performed at various theaters the Theatre, the Rose, the Curtain, etc. before acquiring the famous Globe theatre built in 1599. As his prosperity grew, he became a share holder of The Globe (1599) and Blackfriars theatres with which the whole of his remaining professional career was identified. (see drama in literary genres)

Shakespeare’s dramatic career covers roughly a period of twenty years from 1591 to 1611. During this period, he wrote 38 plays, besides two narrative love poems and 154 of sonnets. The love poems Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594), dedicated them to the Earl of Southampton.

Only 16 of his 38 plays were published in quarto (on a sheet folded twice, 2 folds= 4 leaves= 8pages) during his life time. It was in 1623 seven years after his death, two of his fellow-actors, John Hemmings and Henry Condell, published the first collected editions of his plays now known as the first Folio (1623). 36 plays were included in it, except Pericles and The Noble Kinsmen which had added in a later year. First folio was prefaced by Ben Jonson in which he wrote, “Shakespeare was not of and age but for all time”. Arden’s Edition is known as most scholarly edition. He died on 23 April 1616.

Quotes:  (See more quotes in Criticism notes under Shakespeare criticism)

Ø  Chronicle plays of Shakespeare are mirror for kings- Schlegel (German critic).

Ø Shakespeare is an upstart crow beautified with our feathers, that with his tyger’s heart wrapt in a player’s hide- (It alludes to “O tiger’s heart wrapp’d in a woman’s hide!”-­Henry-VI)- Greene (about Shakespeare’s plagiarism in his pamphlet)

Ø Shakespeare is an absolute Johannes Factotum (=Jack of all trades) -Greene

Ø No man will ever write a better tragedy than King Lear- G.B.Shaw.

Ø He had small Latin and less Greek -Ben Jonson in First Folio 1623.

Ø Sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy’s Child! -Milton.

Ø Shakespeare has only heroines, no heroes- Ruskin.

Ø Shakespeare is compared to Homer -Dryden.

Ø The most excellent in Comedy and Tragedy- Francis Meres.

Ø For a good poet's made, as well as born. And such wert thou! - in “To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare” By Ben Jonson.

Ø “Honie-tong’d Shakespeare” in Weever’s poem titled “Ad Gulielmum Shakespeare” in Epigrammes in the oldest cut, and newest fashion (1599).

(See Shakespearean Critics in Literary Criticism notes for more quotes)

 

Mathew Arnold’s sonnet on him is “Others abide our question – Thou art free”

 

Most reliable biography of Shakespeare, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems.

Ans:     Edward Chambers

Name the first editor of Shakespeare.

Ans:     Nicholas Rowe

Shakespeare’s Sonnets:

He is the greatest sonneteer of his age. The majority of his sonnets were written probably in 1594 when he had gained the patronage of the Earl of Southampton. He preferred the pattern introduced by Surrey. Thomas Thrope printed a first edition of 154 sonnets titled “Shake-speares Sonnets, Never Before Imprinted” in 1609. It came with a dedication page penned by “T.T.” which reads: To the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets, Mr W H: “All happiness and that eternity promised by our ever-living poet,” wisheth the Well-Wishing Adventurer in setting forth.

The first 126 are addressed to the Mr. W.H (may be Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton or  William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke), the next 28 are addressed to ‘a dark lady’. The rhyme scheme of Shakespeare sonnet is ‘abab-cdcd-efef-gg’.(4+4+4+2)

The Dark Lady of the Sonnets is a 1910 short comedy by George Bernard Shaw in which William Shakespeare, intending to meet the "Dark Lady"

His famous sonnets are:

“Shall I compare love to thee” (sonnet 18)

“Love is not time’s fool” (sonnet 116)

“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun, Coral is far more red, than her lips red.” (Sonnet 130).

 

Shakespeare’s poems:

He wrote narrative poems when the theatres were closed between due to Plague (1593-94).

1.   Venus and Adonis (1594): from Ovid’s Metamorphosis, about unsuccessful seduction of Adonis, a young man, by Venus, goddess of love. Shakespeare describes it as the "first heir of my invention."

2.    The Rape of Lucreece (1594): story of Lucrece, who was raped by his husband’s friend. She writes letter her husband and stabs herself. The angers citizens banished the rapist’s family.

3.   The Passionate Pilgrim (1599):

4.   The Phoenix and Turtle (1601)- about the funeral of 2 birds (turtle is a bird)

5.   The Lover’s Complaint (1609)

Code to remember these poems: V R P P L

Four stages of Shakespeare’s literary life (categorized by Dowden)

1.   1^st period 1585-1594 (9 years)- Early experimentations, youthful love and imaginations, wrote 26 sonnets and 7 plays   

2.   2^nd period 1594-1600 (6 years)- Growth and Development, Wrote Chronicle and History plays, and Joyous comedies, wrote 14 plays

3.   3^rd period 1601-1608 (7 years)- Depression /darkness /bitterness due to death of his father in1601. Wrote tragedies or romances with tragic resonances

4.   4^th period: 1608-1613   (5 years)- Resignation, grave cynicism, wrote tragicomedies

Do you know “Feminine Ending” in Shakespeare?

Standard iambic pentameter (blank line) has 10 syllables. The last syllable is stressed. It is known as masculine ending.

Ex:

 

Shakespeare used iambic pentameter line with 11 syllables. The last syllable is unstressed. It is known as feminine ending. The final stressed syllables are dropped for the poetic effect. (unaccented eleventh syllable)

Ex:--Macbeth  

A Wo/-man’s face/ with na/-ture’s own/hand pain-[ted]                  

                         - Sonnet 20

To be,/or not/ to be,/ that is / the ques-[tion]                               -Hamlet

Three main Categories of Shakespeare’s plays (38): (by E K Chambers in 1930)

 

Comedies (18) ü  Most comedies are Romantic type. ü  Main theme is love. ü  Frequently all conflicts get resolved and ends with marriage/ celebration. ü  Set in imaginative world. Ex: Magical Forest in ‘Midsummer night’s dream’; Forest of Arden in ‘As you like it’.     1.The comedy of Errors (1592-93) 2.The Taming of Shrew (1593-94) 3.Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-95) 4.Love’s Labor Lost (1594-95) 5.A midsummer Night’s Dream (1595-96) 6.The Merchant of Venice (1596-97) 7.Much Ado about Nothing (1598-99) 8. As you Like it (1599-1600) 9.Twlelfth Night (1599-1600) 10.Merry wives of Windsor (1600-1601) 11. Troilus and Cressida (1601-02) 12.All is Well that Ends well (1602-03) 13.Measure for Measure (1604-05) 14.Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-09) 15.Cymbeline (1609-10) 16.The winter’s Tale (1610-11) 17.The Tempest (1611-12) 18. The Two noble Kinsmen (1612-13)	Tragediesn(10) ü  Concerned with a person of high rank, suffers as a result of tragic flaw (error of judgment) ü  Ex: Sexual Jealousy in Othello Lack of Judgment in King Lear Indecision in Hamlet. Black and Deep desires in Macbeth 1.Titus Andronicus (1593-94) 2.Romeo and Juliet (1594-95) 3.Julies and Caesar (1599-1600) 4. Hamlet (1600-01) 5. Othello (1604-05) 6. King Lear (1605-06) 7. Macbeth (1605-06) 8.Antony and Cleopatra (1606-07) 9. Coriolanus (1607-08) 10. Timon of Athens (1607-08)	Histories (10) ü  Related to history. ü  Usually episodic in plots. ü  Primary source is Hollingshead’s Chronicles of England Scotland and Ireland.       1.Henry VI, part-II (1590-91) 2. Henry VI, part-III (1590-91) 3. Henry VI, part-I (1591-92) 4. Richard- III (1592-93) 5. Richard- II (1595-96) 6. King John (1596-97) 7. Henry IV, part-I (1597-98) 8. Henry IV, part-I (1597-98) 9. Henry V (1598-99) 10. Henry VIII (1612-13)
Other Categories are: 1)     Roman Plays: Plays set in Rome; blood, violence, mayhem(confusion), suicide are common features. Inspired from North’s Translation of Plutarch’s “Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.” Ex: Julies Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus. 2)     Problem Plays: Term coined by Frederick S. Boas, used by Ibsen and Shaw. They are centered on problems. Ex: All is well that ends well, Measure for measure, Troilus and Cressida. 3)     Romances: sometimes his late comedies are grouped together as romances. These plays seem more like tragedies than comedies but they have happy ending. Ex: Pericles, Cymbeline, The winter’s Tale, The Tempest.

 

 

Shakespeare’s plays in chronological order:

1.   Henry VI Part-II: Historical play, based on the life of Henry VI on the back drop of War of Roses.

2.   Henry VI Part-III: Historical play, a new king maker Richard Neville emerges to throne. Henry’s marriage to Margaret.  Pistol is a comic character in it.

Famous line: “My crown is in my heart, not on my head”

3.   Henry VI Part-I: about the young King Henry-VI, War of Roses & Defeat of his armies by Joan of Arc (French). Pistol is a comic character in it.

4.   Richard-III: Richard-III taking over the throne by murders of his own family members and his marriage to Queen Anne. His victory was short lived as Henry-VII succeeded him.

5.   The Comedy of Errors: Inspired by Plutus’ Menaechmi. Comical drama of mistaken identities, involving two sets of identical twins (Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse & Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse) separated since birth, united at the end.

6.   Titus Andronicus: Shakespeare’s first tragedy modelled on ‘Spanish Tragedy’. Set against the back drop of Roman Empire. Story of Titus, Roman General, and his thirst of bloody revenge against Tamora, Queen of Goths.

Famous line:

Ø “Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, blood and revenge are hammering in my head” (Aaron, act-II, sce-3),

Ø "These words are razors to my wounded heart"

7.   The Taming of the Shrew: It is a misogynistic play. Taming a shrew’s (unpleasant, nagging, aggressive and ill-tempered woman) independent spirit by man. Story of Petruchio, taming Katherine with various psychological torments. It inspired Heywood’s “Women killed with Kindness”.  George Bernard Shaw famously called the play "one vile insult to womanhood and manhood from the first word to the last."

Famous phrase:

Ø  Breaking the ice.

8.   Two Gentlemen of Verona: first play to introduce cross dressing (heroine dresses as male). Story of two friends, Proteus and Valentine, who fall in love with the same women, Silvia. Second heroine, Julia fiancée of Proteus disguises herself as a boy to spy on him. Ends with marriages.

9.   Love’s Labour’s Lost: Story of Ferdinand, king of Navarre, and his companions who takes oath not to allow women within a mile of the court. When Princess of France and ladies arrive, king and his companions try to woo the ladies. Play ends with famous songs of cuckoo and owl: “When daises pied and violets blue” & ‘‘When icicles hang by the wall'.’

Don Adriono Character is used to satirize Peele’s Euphemism

Holofernes is School Teacher in the play uses different pronunciation (Ex: Great Vowel Shift)

10.    Romeo and Juliet: Based on the Arthur Brooke’s poem “Tragical history of Romeus and Juliet (1562). it is considered as the prelude to his great tragedies. Love Story of Romeo and Juliet from two rival families, Montagues (their only son is Romeo) and Capulets (their only daughter is Juliet). To cancel her marriage with Paris prince, Juliet takes a potion (drug) on the advice of friar to pretend herself as dead (for 42 hours). Friar’s message to Romeo miscarries, Romeo believes her dead and poisons himself. Julies wakes up and stabs herself. Brutus is the famous character.

Famous phrases/lines:

Ø  “Wild Goose Chase”;

Ø  “Good night! Good Night! Parting is such sweet sorrow”;

Ø  “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” (Juliet);

Ø  “Thus with a kiss I die (final words of Romeo at Juliet’s tomb)”;

11.    Richard-II: historical play about Richard-II.

12.    A Midsummer Night’s Dream – set in Magical Forest. about the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens and Hippolyta, Queen of amazons; and adventures of 4 young lovers and 6 actors in the forest. Nick Bottom is one of the greatest comic characters in Shakespeare’s plays who provides comic relief throughout the play. Bottom’s head was transformed into that of a donkey by Puck (Robin Goodfellow).

Famous song:

Ø “the spotted snakes with double tongue”

Famous Quotes:

Ø “The course of true love never did run smooth.”-Lysander (act 1, sce 1),

Ø “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” -Robin, (act 3, scene 2);

Ø The lunatic, the lover and the poet Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, -Theseus, (act 5, scene 1)

13.    King John: historical play

14.    The Merchant of Venice or the Jew of Venice-story of two fiends Antonio (good moneylender) and Bassanio. Shylock was a cruel money lender. Antonio borrows money from shylock to arrange it for Bassanio to get her lover Portia. Antonio’s ships sank and losing all his wealth, falling in debt to Shylock. Shylock demand for a “Pound of Flesh” as per the agreement, when Antonio fails to pay it on time. Portia disguises as lawyer pleads the case and delivers her famous “mercy speech” in court and saves the life of Antonio.

Famous songs/lines:

Ø  ”Tell me where is the fancy bred” (Bassanio’s song);

Ø  “All that glitters is not gold";        

Ø  “Love is Blind”.

Anti-Semitism: Hatred of Jews prevailed in Elizabethan society and is reflected in plays of the period. Two examples of anti-Semitic plays are Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta and William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In Marlowe's play, Barabas, the Jew of Malta, is a cruel, egotistic, and greedy

15.    Henry IV Part-I: Falstaff is a famous comic character in it.

16.    Henry IV Part-II: Famous line: “A man can die but once”

17.    Much Ado About Nothing –Noting (Nothing) means gossip, rumour. set in Messina and centers around two romantic couples, the first, between Claudio and Hero, the second between Claudio's friend Benedick and Hero's cousin Beatrice. Comedy is redeemed by the delightful wit-combats of Benedick and Beatrice.

Famous songs/lines:

Ø  “sigh no more ladies,

sigh no more; men were deceivers ever;

one foot in sea, and one in shore;

to one thing constant never.” (Balthazar’s song about men’s infidelity)

18.    Henry V: historical play.

19.    Julius Caesar – Based on Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s lives. It is the first play to be performed at The Globe. Play opens with the victory of Julies Caesar, with a famous line: "“I came, I saw, I conquered’’(Veni, vidi, vici)". A soothsayer warns him to “Beware of Ides of March” (March15th). Conspirators forged letters of support from Roman people and tempts Brutus to kill Caesar. Conspirators stabbed Caesar and Brutus too stabbed him. Caesar utters the famous line: "Et Tu, Brute?" ("You too, Brutus?"); conspirators says that they did it for the sake of Rome. Brutus’ says: “Not I love Caesar less, But that I loved Rome more” and for the moment crowd is on his side. Mark Antony’s famous speech at the corpse: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, Lend me your ears!” and all the public was turned by his speech and drove the conspirators from the Rome. Conspirators (Brutus, Cassius, Casca) prepared a civil war against the Mark Antony and Octavius Caesar (son of Caesar), but was defeated at the battle of Philippi.  Brutus commits suicide by stabbing.

Famous songs/lines:

Ø  “Cowards die many times before their deaths, The Valiant never taste of death but once” (Caesar);

Ø  “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our starts, But in ourselves, that we are underlings”

Ø  “It was Greek to me” (Casca)

20.    As You Like It – Plot from Thomas Lodge’s Rosalind. set as a long picnic in the Forest of Arden(fictional). Duke Senior was exiled to forest when his brother Frederik usurps the throne. Orlando falls in love at first sight with Rosalind, daughter of Duke senior results in punishment to Rosalind and Celia (daughter of Frederik). Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede), Celia (disguised as Alena) along with Touchstone(clown)flees to forest. Frederick repents and makes his brother Duke Senior as king. Play ends with marriages of Rosalind with Orlando, Celia with Oliver and Touchstone with Audrey.

Famous lines:

Ø  “A Fool! A Fool! I met a fool in the forest”. (Speech by Jacques)

Ø  ‘All the world's a stage, we have mere entrances and exits (Speech by Jacques in Act-II, sce-7; about seven ages of man)

 

Ø  “Dead shepherd, now I find thy saw of might: Whoever loved that loved not at first sight? (Shakespeare paid tributes to Marlowe as the Dead Shepherd)

Famous songs: Large number of songs, more than in any of Shakespeare's other plays

Ø  “Under the greenwood”- Song by Amie (Thomas Hardy used it as title for his novel).

Ø  “Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind ……..

Most friendship is feigning,

most loving mere folly” – song by Lord Amiens, a musician, before Duke Senior, Act-II, Scene 7.

 

21.    Twelfth Night or What you will– set in Illyria. Viola shipwrecked and lost contact with her brother, Sebastian. Viola disguised as Cesario and enters the service of the Duke Orsino. Orsino uses Cesario to convince her lover Olivia, but Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario, thinking him as man. Comic subplot involves Malvolio (Olivia’s steward), Sir Toby (Olivia’s uncle) and Feste (a fool). Return of Sebastian (who looks similar as Viola), adds confusion. Play ends with the marriages of Duke Orsino with Viola, and Sebastian with Olivia.

Famous songs/lines:

Ø   “If music be the food of love, play on” (Orsino);

Ø  “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit” (Feste);

Ø  “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them”- Malvolio about Olivia’s Home

Ø  “O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?”….. "Journeys end in lovers meeting" (Feste’s song);

Ø  “Dost, thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more Cakes and Ale” (Sir Toby Belch)- Somerset Maugham’s “Of Cakes’ and Ale” title drawn from this play.

Malvolio’s punishment in Twelfth Night is to mock Puritans

22.    Hamlet– Full title: The tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark”. Source of the play: Thomas Kyd’s Ur-Hamlet, Saxo Grammaticus's story of Amleth in Historia Danica (12^th century) which is translated in French in 1570 by François de Belleforest.

It is the Shakespeare’s longest play. Set in Denmark. The play begins with the lines: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Marcellus in the opening scene). Prince Hamlet, incited by the Ghost of his father, decides to take revenge on Claudius (brother of King Hamlet) who seized both the throne and Gertrude (wife of the King). Prince Hamlet vows to affect madness. Hamlet plans to perform a play within the play, “Murder of Gonzago (mouse trap)”to confirm Claudius as villain. Hamlet stabs Polonius (father of his lover, Ophelia) who spies on him. Claudius plans him to kill Hamlet with the help of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but Hamlet escapes. Ophelia distressed over her father’s death and Hamlet’s behavior drowns. Laertes (brother of Ophelia) plots with Claudius to kill the Hamlet with a poisoned sword in a duel. Laertes wounds Hamlet, and Hamlet with the sword cuts Laertes. Gertrude drinks the poisoned cup intended for Hamlet and dies. Knowing the truth from Laertes, Hamlet stabs Claudius too. Horatio (friend of Hamlet) is the only person survived at the end of the play.

Famous songs/lines:

Ø ‘‘Frailty thy name is woman’’(Hamlet to Gertrude).

Ø “To be or not to be that is the question” (soliloquy by Hamlet, in Act-III, sce-1).

Ø “Readiness is all”- by Hamlet

Ø “Though this be madness, yet there is a method in it’’ (Polonius to Frederick).

Ø “Neither nor a lender”; “Brevity is the soul of wit”; and “Clothes maketh man” (Polonius advice to his son Laertes).

Ø “There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so”- (Hamlet in Act-II, sce-2).

 

Faulkner’s Sound and Fury; Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead; The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch; Nutshell by Ian Mc Iwan are based on Hamlet

23.    The Merry Wives of Windsor- It was written at the behest of Queen Elizabeth who desired to see Falstaff in love. Fallstaff (clown), in short of money, to obtain financial advantage, tries to woo rich married woman.

24.    Troilus and Cressida: Back drop of Trojan war, Troilus, Trojan Prince, woos Cressida (beautiful widow) before Cressida is exchanged to Greek side. This play ends without climax.

25.    All is Well that Ends Well: Based on Boccaccio’s Decameron. story of Helena, daughter of a doctor who cures a king’s disease and as a gift she has chosen a young count, Bertram as her husband.

26.    Measure for Measure: main theme is Justice, love and mercy in Vienna.

Famous song:

Ø  “Take O take those lips away”.

27.    Othello or full Title:  The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice– Based on Cinthia’s Hecatommithi. Othello is a great captain in Venetian army. Iago, enemy of Othello, hatches a plan to wrongfully accuse Othello’s wife Desdemona (she is innocent) of infidelity by using a hand kerchief. Maddened by jealousy Othello kills Desdemona. Emilia, wife of Iago, discloses her husband’s plot and tormented by grief, Othello kills himself. “Motiveless Malignity” phrase belongs to Iago was coined by Coleridge.

Famous lines:

“Put out the light and then put out the light” (Othello in Act-V, Scene2).

 

28.    King Lear – Based on Monmouth’s “Historia Regum Britannia”. King Lear divided his inheritance to his 2 elder daughters (Goneril and Regan) who showed fake affection and ignored his youngest daughter, Cordelia. The Earl of Gloucester and King Lear is bosom friend but they both have failed to judge their eligible children. “Earl of Gloucester subplot” concerns the Earl of Gloucester, who gullibly believes the lies of his illegitimate son, Edmund, and spurns his honest son, Edgar. Driven into exile disguised as a mad beggar, Edgar becomes a companion of the truly mad Lear. Excessive egoism, ungovernable temper, Lack of judgement is the reason for the tragedy. After the ill treatment from his 2 daughters, King Lear realized his mistake, but leads to the deaths of Cordelia and Lear. Reason in madness” phrase belongs to King Lear.

REGAN: Hang him instantly. GONERIL: Pluck out his eyes. (King Lear, Act 3, Scene 7.) When Regan suggests that they kill Gloucester, Goneril outdoes her sister in viciousness and cruelty by coming up with the idea of torturing him by taking out his eyeballs.

 

Famous lines:

Ø  “Ripeness is all” (Lear);

Ø  “Nothing will come of nothing”- King Lear to Cordelia.

Ø  “I am a man more sinned against than sinning”

Ø  “Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.”

Ø  “I love your majesty according to my bond, not more, nor less”- Cordelia to King Lear

Ø   “As flies to wanton boys, are we to gods” (Act 4, Sce1, Golding used this phrase in Lord of the flies).

 

29.    Macbeth – Set in Scotland. play begins with three witches talking “When shall we three meets again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?”. They prophesy that Macbeth will become king and Banquo as a successor to throne. (Shakespeare uses three witches in the play as a type of chorus to foretell Macbeth's demise). Persuaded by his wife Lady Macbeth, he kills King Duncan, but Duncan’s sons Malcom and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland.  Later he kills Banquo. The Ghost of Banquo (only visible to Macbeth) creates fear in Macbeth. The three witches visits Macbeth once again and preaches: (1) Beware of Macduff (2) No one born to woman can kill him (3) He is safe until, Birnamwood comes to Dunsinane Hill. (4) Banquo’s son will reign. So, afraid of Macduff, he seizes his castle kills lady Macduff and children, but Macduff fled to England. Lady Macbeth’s Sleepwalking scene shows the reverse of her earlier claim, i.e., “A little water can clear us of this deed”. Lady Macbeth’s suicide makes him to deliver his famous speech “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and Tomorrow”. Prince Malcom and Macduff raised an army and invaded Macbeth and cuts Birnam Wood to camouflage their number. In the battle, Macduff declares that he is “Untimely Ripped (born by Caesarian, and is not of woman born)” and beheads Macbeth and becomes king. “Stupid Full of Horrors” phrase belongs to Macbeth. Famous line: Fair is foul, and foul is fair. (This phrase is the theme of the play which highlights the hypocrisy that people adopt to hide their true intentions.; King Duncan loves Macbeth dearly, it is Macbeth who ends his life).

Famous line:

Ø "blood will have blood"- Macbeth in Act3.

Ø “what's done, is done" and “What's done cannot be undone”- By Lady Macbeth in Act3;

Ø “Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player, ………Life is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing”- Tomorrow soliloquy

In which tragedy which character describes life as ‘a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing’.

Ans: Macbeth in Macbeth (in Tomorrow soliloquy)

 

30.    Antony and Cleopatra – Love story of Mark Antony of Rome and Cleopatra of Greek. Mark Antony marries Caesar’s widowed sister, Octavia. He learns about the Cleopatra’s charms: “Age can’t wither her, nor custom stale”. He marries Cleopatra and raises a war against Rome but was defeated. He denounces Cleopatra for his failure, she kills herself by a snake bite and then Antony kills himself by sword.

Cleopatra was compared to a lustful “gipsy,” a “wrangling queen”, a “slave”, an “Egyptian dish”, and a “whore”; she is called “Salt Cleopatra” and an enchantress who has made Antony “the noble ruin of her magic”

Famous line:

Ø “His legs bestrid the ocean. His reared arm Crested the world. His voice was propertied As all the tunèd spheres, and that to friends.” (Cleopatra tells Dolabella about a dream she had of “Emperor Antony,” in which he was gigantic)

Ø “There is beggary in the love that can be reckoned”. (Antony says that his love can’t be fathomed to Cleopatra)

Ø “One of the triple pillars of the Roman world transformed into a Strumpet’s fool.” (Roman soldier named Philo tells his fellow soldier Demetrius)

Who is called the ‘turncoat’ in the play ‘Antony and Cleopatra’? Ans: Octavius Caesar

“Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety”.  Who is the person referred to? -About Cleopatra by Mark Antony

 

31.    Coriolanus: story of Caius Marcus (known as Coriolanus), Roman army general who angers easily at trivial things. The Senate nominates him as consul but he cannot win the people's vote, so he is banished from Rome and allies with his old enemy. He comes to attack Rome, his mother persuades him not to, and his new-found ally kills him for the betrayal.

32.    Timon of Athens: Timon, An Athenian noble man, who is generous, ultimately bankrupt. None of his friends helped him. He leaves Athens and lives in a cave by the sea and discovers gold. It is a tragedy of misanthropy (hatred of mankind).

33.    Pericles, Prince of Tyre – Based on Gower’s Confesso Amantis. Gower is the narrator. Play opens in the court of Antiochus, who offers his daughters hand who can answer the riddle, but those who fail shall die. He discovered that the king but discovers that its answer reveals the incestuous relationship between father and daughter. Pericles doesn't reveal the truth, and Antiochus gives him 40 days before his death sentence. Pericles flees to Pentapolis and marries Thaisa, a princess, in a tournament. While he is going back to Tyre with his pregnant wife, the storm separates the baby, mother and father. They all united at the end. This play was not included in first Folio.

34.    Cymbeline, the king of Britain – Based on Boccaccio’s Decameron. Cymbeline is the Celtic King of Britain. His two sons were kidnapped as infants. Play revolves around Imogen, his daughter. Play ends with the king united with his two sons. Its notable character is Imogen, one of his greatest heroines. It contains the beautiful funeral song “Fear no more the heat of the sun”

Imogen (also spelled Innogen) is the daughter of King Cymbeline in Shakespeare's play Cymbeline. She was described by William Hazlitt as "perhaps the most tender and the most artless" of all Shakespeare's women.

 

35.    The Winter’s Tale–Based on Greene’s romance Pandosto. It is unforgettable for the character of that charming rogue Autolycus. Story of two childhood friends Leontes and Polixenes. Famous for Autolycus’ song, “When daffodils begin to peer(bloom)”.

36.    The Tempest – Inspired by a shipwreck that occurred in 1609 within the Bermuda Triangle. Story of Prospero, former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Mirinda (only female character in the play). Prospero was punished to exile to an island (His throne was usurped by his brother Antonio) along with his magic books, and savage creatures Caliban and Ariel. When a group of people washed ashore on same Island in a shipwreck, Antionio (usurper), Alonso (king of Naples), Sebastian (brother of Alonso) and Prince Ferdinand were among the passengers. Mirinda sees a ship full of men from outside world for the first time and delivers her famous speech:

“How beauteous mankind is!

Oh brave new world,

That has such people in’t.”

(Aldus Huxley used the phrase ‘Brave New world’ as title for his novel). Ferdinand falls in love with Mirinda and marries her. Other Characters: Stephano (the drunken butler), Sycorax (a witch), Trincilo.

Famous song:

“Full fathom Five thy Father lies,

of his bones are coral made,

Those are pearls that were his eyes:”

(Act-I, sce-2)

37.    Henry-VIII: story of Henry -VIII’s courtship with Anne Boleyn, separation from Catholic church. generally considered a collaboration between Shakespeare and Fletcher.

38.    Two Noble Kinsmen: dramatization of Chaucer’s Knights tale (story of Palamon and Arcite). Attributed to Fletcher and Shakespeare.

 

 

 

Background:

The story of the play originates in the legend of Hamlet (Amleth) as recounted in the twelfth-century Danish History, a Latin text by Saxo the Grammarian. This version was later adapted into French by Francois de Belleforest in 1570. In it, the unscrupulous Feng kills his brother Horwendil and marries his brother's wife Gerutha. Horwendil's and Gerutha's son Amleth, although still young, decides to avenge his father's murder. He acts the fool in order to avoid suspicion. With his mother's active support, Amleth succeeds in killing Feng and then proclaimed King of Denmark.

Shakespeare was likely aware of Saxo's version, along with another play performed in 1589 in which a ghost apparently calls out, "Hamlet, revenge!" The 1589 play is lost, leading to much scholarly speculation as to who might have authored it. Most scholars attribute it to Thomas Kyd, author of The Spanish Tragedy (1587) whichs is one of the first and most popular Elizabethan revenge tragedies.

Revenge tragedies typically share a few plot points. In all of them, some grievous insult or wrong requires vengeance. Revenge tragedies also emphasize the subjective struggle of the avenger, who often fights (or feigns) madness and generally wallows in the moral difficulties of his situation. Finally, revenge tragedies end up with a dramatic bloodbath in which the guilty party is horribly and often ritualistically killed. The Spanish Tragedy shares many elements with Hamlet, such as a ghost seeking revenge, a secret crime, a play-within-a-play, a tortured hero who feigns madness, and a heroine who goes mad and commits suicide.

Hamlet is generally considered the greatest revenge tragedy, if not the greatest tragedy, if not the greatest play, ever written. The central reason for the play's eminence is the character of Hamlet. His brooding, erratic nature has been analyzed by many of the most famous thinkers and artists of the past four centuries. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe described him as a poet - a sensitive man who is too weak to deal with the political pressures of Denmark. Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud viewed Hamlet in terms of an “Oedipus complex,” an overwhelming sexual desire for his mother. This complex is usually associated with the wish to kill one’s father and sleep with one’s mother. However, Freud is careful to note that Hamlet represents modern man precisely because he does not kill Claudius in order to sleep with his mother, but rather kills him to revenge his father’s death. Political interpretations of Hamlet also abound, in which Hamlet stands for the spirit of political resistance, or represents a challenge to a corrupt regime. Stephen Greenblatt, the editor of the Norton Edition of Shakespeare, views these interpretive attempts of Hamlet as mirrors for the interpretation within the play itself - many of the characters who have to deal with Hamlet, including Polonius, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, also develop theories to explain his behavior, none of which really succeeds in doing so. Indeed, nothing sure can be said about Hamlet except that it has been a perennial occasion for brilliant minds to explore some of the unanswerable questions of human existence.

 

Short Summary

King Hamlet of Denmark has recently died Denmark is now in a state of high alert and preparing for possible war with Young Fortinbras of Norway. Two guards witnessed the ghost of Old Hamlet for two successive nights, on a platform before Elsinore Castle in Denmark.. The guards bring Horatio, a learned scholar and friend of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, to witness this apparition. Though skeptical at first, Horatio sees the ghost and decides to report its appearance to Hamlet.

Meanwhile, a new king of Denmark has been crowned: Claudius, Old Hamlet's brother. Claudius has taken Old Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, as his wife. We watch their marriage celebration and hear about a threat from the Prince of Norway, Fortinbras, which Claudius manages to avoid by diplomacy (he has sent his amabassadors to Norway). Hamlet disgusted by his mother's decision to marry Claudius so soon after his father's demise within a month (in his first soliloquy). Horatio tells Hamlet of the appearance of the ghost and Hamlet determines to visit the spirit himself.

Meanwhile, the court adviser, Polonius, sends his son, Laertes, back to Paris, where he is living. Laertes and Polonius both question Ophelia (sister and daughter, respectively) about her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia admits that Hamlet has been wooing her. They tell her to avoid Hamlet and reject his amorous advances, emphasizing the importance of protecting her chastity. Ophelia agrees to cut off contact.

That night, Hamlet accompanies the watch. The ghost appears once more. Hamlet questions the ghost, who beckons Hamlet away from the others. When they are alone, the ghost reveals that Claudius murdered him in order to steal his crown and his wife. The ghost makes Hamlet promise to take revenge on Claudius. Hamlet appears to concur excitedly. He has Horatio and the guards swear not to reveal what they have seen.

In Act Two, Polonius tells Reynaldo to spy on his son Laertes in Paris. Claudius summons two of Hamlet's school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in order to discover the meaning of this strange behavior of Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's attempts to discover the reason for Hamlet's madness are met with evasion and witticism. Meanwhile, Polonius hatches a theory of his own: he thinks that Hamlet is insane due to Ophelia's rejection of his love. He arranges to test his theory by setting Ophelia on Hamlet when they are apparently alone and then observing the proceedings with Claudius.

Hamlet's only consolation appears to be the coming of a troupe of players from England. Hamlet asks the player's whether they could play a slightly modified version of a tragedy. We realize that Hamlet plans to put on a play that depicts the death of his father, to see whether Claudius is really guilty, and the ghost is really to be trusted.

In Act Three, Ophelia approaches Hamlet when they are apparently alone; Claudius and Polonius hide behind a tapestry and observe. Hamlet suspects Ophelia is spying on him and behaves extremely cruelly toward Ophelia. The king decides that Hamlet is not mad for love of her but for some other hidden reason.

Hamlet prepares to put on his play, which he calls "The Murder of Gonzago" or "The Mouse Trap." After instructing the players in their parts, Hamlet retires to the audience, where Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius have gathered, along with many others. In the course of the play, both Gertrude and Claudius become extremely upset, though for different reasons. Gertrude is flustered by Hamlet's veiled accusation that she was inconstant and hypocritical for remarrying after Old Hamlet's death; Claudius is shaken because he is indeed guilty of his brother's murder. Claudius decides that he must get rid of Hamlet by sending him to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Alone, King Claudius reveals in soliloquy his own knowledge of the crime he has committed (poisoning King Hamlet) and realizes that he cannot escape divine justice.

Following the play, Gertrude calls Hamlet to her room, attempts to scold her son but Hamlet instead scolds his mother for her accusing her of a most grotesque lust and claiming that she has insulted her father and herself by stooping to marry Claudius. In the course of their interview, Polonius hides behind a tapestry; when Queen Gertrude cries out in fear, he thinks that Hamlet is going to attack Gertrude and cries for help. Hamlet stabs Polonius through the tapestry, thinking he has killed Claudius. When he finds that he has merely killed a "rash, intruding fool," Hamlet returns to the business of "speaking daggers" to his mother. Just as Gertrude appears convinced by Hamlet's excoriation, the ghost of Old Hamlet reappears and tells Hamlet not to behave so cruelly to his mother, and to remember to carry out revenge on Claudius. Gertrude perceives her son discoursing with nothing but air and is completely convinced of his madness. Hamlet exits her room, dragging the body of Polonius behind him.

In Act IV, King Claudius speaks with his wife, Queen Gertrude. He learns of Polonius' murder which shocks him; it could easily have been him. Queen Gertrude lies for her son, saying that Hamlet is as mad as a tempestuous sea. King Claudius, now scared of Hamlet, decides to have Hamlet sent away to England immediately. He also sends courtiers and spies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to speak with Hamlet to find out where Hamlet has hidden Polonius' body so they can take it to the chapel.

After much questioning, Claudius convinces Hamlet to reveal the hiding place of Polonius' body. He then makes arrangements for Hamlet to go to England immediately, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius writes a letter to the English court asking them to kill Hamlet immediately upon his arrival and places the letter with his two cronies.

On their way to the ship, Hamlet and his entourage pass Fortinbras' Norwegian army en route to a Polish campaign. Hamlet laments that he does not have in him the strength of Young Fortinbras, who will lead an army into pointless fighting, if only to maintain honor. Hamlet asks himself how he cannot fight for honor when his father has been killed and his mother made a whore in his eyes by becoming King Claudius' wife.

Back at Elsinore (the Danish palace), Ophelia has gone mad following her father's death. She sings childish and bawdy songs and speaks nonsensically. Laertes soon returns to Denmark with a mob in tow, demanding an explanation of Polonius' death. Claudius gingerly calms the young man and convinces him that Hamlet was the guilty party.

Letters arrive attesting to a strange turn of fortunes on the sea. Hamlet's ship to England was attacked by pirates, who captured Hamlet and arranged to return him to Denmark for a ransom. Hamlet sends Claudius an aggravating letter announcing his imminent return. Claudius and Laertes decide that Hamlet must be killed their common enemy. They decide to arrange a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet in which Laertes' sword is secretly poisoned so as to guarantee Hamlet's immediate death. As backup, Claudius decides to poison a cup of wine and offer it to Hamlet during the contest.

Just as Act Four comes to a close, more tragic news arrives. Gertrude says that Ophelia has drowned while playing in a willow tree by the river.

Act Five begins at a graveyard. Two gravediggers joke about their morbid occupation. Hamlet and Horatio arrive and converse with them. Hamlet famously realizes that man's accomplishments are transitory (fleeting) and holding the skull of Yorick, a childhood jester he remembered, creates a famous scene about man's insignificance and inability to control his fate following death.

Soon, Ophelia's funeral begins. Because there are doubts about whether Ophelia died accidentally or committed suicide, her funeral lacks many of the customary religious rites. A Priest reveals a widely held belief that Ophelia committed suicide, angering Laertes. Hamlet fights Laertes over Ophelia's grave, angered by Laertes exaggerated emphasis of his sorrow and because he believes he loved Ophelia much more than 40000 brothers. After a short tussle, Hamlet and Laertes part.

Later, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he discovered Claudius' plot to have him killed in England and forged a new letter arranging for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. While they are conversing, Osric, a ridiculous courtier, approaches and proposes the duel between Laertes and Hamlet. Hamlet eventually accepts this challenge.

The duel begins with Osric as referee. Hamlet wins the first two passes, prompting Claudius to resort to the poisoned drink. Hamlet refuses the drink. In his stead, Gertrude drinks a toast to her son from the poisoned cup. After a third pass also goes to Hamlet, Laertes sneak-attacks the prince and wounds him. A scuffle ensues in which Hamlet ends up with Laertes' sword. He injures Laertes. Just then Gertrude collapses. She declares that she has been poisoned. Laertes, also dying, confesses the whole plot to Hamlet, who finally attacks Claudius, stabbing him with the poisoned sword and then forcing the poisoned drink down his throat. Hamlet too is dying. He asks Horatio to explain the carnage to all onlookers and tell his story. Hamlet dies.

Just then, Fortinbras arrives at the court, accompanying some English ambassadors who bring word of the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. With all the immediate royalty of Denmark dead, Fortinbras asserts his right to the crown. He arranges for Hamlet to receive a soldier's burial.

 

Plot/narrative structure:

Act & Sce	Setting & Plot / Narrative Summary
Act I, Sce 1	A platform before Elsinore Castle, Denmark Marcellus and Bernardo (Two Guards) and Horatio witness the ghost of King Hamlet. They decide to inform Prince Hamlet.
Act I, Sce 2	Throne room in Elsinore Castle – Claudius addresses the court; Hamlet grieves. Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost.
Act I, Sce 3	Polonius’s house – Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet. Polonius advises both.
Act I, Sce 4	The castle battlements – The ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to follow.
Act I, Sce 5	Another part of the battlements – The ghost tells Hamlet of Claudius’s crime. Hamlet vows revenge and swears Horatio to secrecy.
Act II, Sce 1	Polonius’s house – Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes and hears about Hamlet's erratic behavior.
Act II, Sce 2	A room in the Castle – Claudius and Gertrude enlist Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet acts mad. The players arrive. Hamlet plans the play.
Act III, Sce 1	A hall in the Castle – Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet delivers “To be or not to be.” Ophelia is rejected.
Act III, Sce 2	The hall/theatre in the Castle – Hamlet instructs the players. The play is performed. Claudius reacts with guilt and storms out.
Act III, Sce 3	A chapel in the Castle – Claudius tries to pray. Hamlet has the chance to kill him but refrains.
Act III, Sce 4	Gertrude’s private chamber – Hamlet confronts his mother and kills Polonius by accident. The ghost reappears.
Act IV, Sce 1	Gertrude’s room – Gertrude tells Claudius about Polonius’s death. Claudius decides to exile Hamlet.
Act IV, Sce 2	A passage in the Castle – Hamlet hides Polonius’s body and mocks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Act IV, Sce 3	Another room in the Castle – Claudius questions Hamlet and sends him to England with secret orders for execution.
Act IV, Sce 4	A plain in Denmark – Hamlet sees Fortinbras’s captain and reflects on his inaction.
Act IV, Sce 5	Elsinore Castle – Ophelia, now mad, sings and speaks incoherently. Laertes storms in demanding justice.
Act IV, Sce 6	A room in the Castle – Horatio receives Hamlet’s letter explaining his escape from the ship.
Act IV, Sce 7	A hall in the Castle – Claudius and Laertes plot Hamlet’s murder. Gertrude reports that Ophelia has drowned.
Act V, Sce 1	A churchyard (graveyard) – Two gravediggers dig Ophelia’s grave. Hamlet reflects on death. He quarrels with Laertes at the burial.
Act V, Sce 2	A hall in the Castle – Hamlet discusses fate with Horatio. The duel occurs. Gertrude drinks poisoned wine. Laertes and Hamlet wound each other. All die. Fortinbras arrives and takes control.

 

Opening line:

BERNARDO: Who's there?

FRANCISCO: Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.

BERNARDO: Long live the king!

FRANCISCO: Bernardo?

 

Closing line:

PRINCE FORTINBRAS

Let four captains

Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage;

For he was likely, had he been put on,

To have proved most royally: and, for his passage,

The soldiers' music and the rites of war

Speak loudly for him.

Take up the bodies: such a sight as this

Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.

Go, bid the soldiers shoot.

 

Character List

Hamlet- The son of Old Hamlet and Gertrude, thus Prince of Denmark. The ghost of Old Hamlet charges him with the task of killing his uncle, Claudius, for killing him and usurping the throne of Denmark. Hamlet is a moody, theatrical, witty, brilliant young man, perpetually fascinated and tormented by doubts and introspection. It is famously difficult to pin down his true thoughts and feelings -- does he love Ophelia, and does he really intend to kill Claudius? In fact, it often seems as though Hamlet pursues lines of thought and emotion merely for their experimental value, testing this or that idea without any interest in applying his resolutions in the practical world. The variety of his moods, from manic to somber, seems to cover much of the range of human possibility.

Old Hamlet- The former King of Denmark. Old Hamlet appears as a ghost and exhorts his son to kill Claudius, whom he claims has killed him in order to secure the throne and the queen of Denmark. Hamlet fears (or at least says he fears) that the ghost is an imposter, an evil spirit sent to lure him to hell. Old Hamlet's ghost reappears in Act Three of the play when Hamlet goes too far in berating his mother. After this second appearance, we hear and see no more of him.

Claudius- Old Hamlet's brother, Hamlet's uncle, and Gertrude's newlywed husband. He murdered his brother in order to seize the throne and subsequently married Gertrude, his erstwhile sister-in-law. Claudius appears to be a rather dull man who is fond of the pleasures of the flesh, sex and drinking. Only as the play goes on do we become certain that he is indeed guilty of murder and usurpation. Claudius is the only character aside from Hamlet to have a soliloquy in the play. When he is convinced that Hamlet has found him out, Claudius eventually schemes to have his nephew-cum-son murdered.

Gertrude- Old Hamlet's widow and Claudius' wife. She seems unaware that Claudius killed her former husband. Gertrude loves Hamlet tremendously, while Hamlet has very mixed feelings about her for marrying the (in his eyes) inferior Claudius after her first husband's death. Hamlet attributes this need for a husband to her lustiness. Gertrude figures prominently in many of the major scenes in the play, including the killing of Polonius and the death of Ophelia.

Horatio -Hamlet's closest friend. They know each other from the University of Wittenberg, where they are both students. Horatio is presented as a studious, skeptical young man, perhaps more serious and less ingenious than Hamlet but more than capable of trading witticisms with his good friend. In a moving tribute just before the play-within-the-play begins, in Act Two scene two, Hamlet praises Horatio as his soul's choice and declares that he loves Horatio because he is "not passion's slave" but is rather good-humored and philosophical through all of life's buffets. At the end of the play, Hamlet charges Horatio with the task of explaining the pile of bodies to the confused onlookers in court.

Polonius -The father of Ophelia and Laertes and the chief adviser to the throne of Denmark. Polonius is a windy, pedantic, interfering, suspicious, silly old man, a "rash, intruding fool," in Hamlet's phrase. Polonius is forever fomenting intrigue and hiding behind tapestries to spy. He hatches the theory that Ophelia caused Hamlet to go mad by rejecting him. Polonius' demise is fitting to his flaws. Hamlet accidentally kills the old man while he eavesdrops behind an arras in Gertrude's bedroom. Polonius' death causes his daughter to go mad.

Ophelia- The daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes. Ophelia has received several tributes of love from Hamlet but rejects him after her father orders her to do so. In general, Ophelia is controlled by the men in her life, moved around like a pawn in their scheme to discover Hamlet's distemper. Moreover, Ophelia is regularly mocked by Hamlet and lectured by her father and brother about her sexuality. She goes mad after Hamlet murders Polonius. She later drowns.

Laertes -Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother. Laertes is an impetuous young man who lives primarily in Paris, France. We see him at the beginning of the play at the celebration of Claudius and Gertrude's wedding. He then returns to Paris, only to return in Act Four with an angry entourage after his father's death at Hamlet's hands. He and Claudius conspire to kill Hamlet in the course of a duel between Laertes and the prince.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- Friends of Hamlet's from the University of Wittenberg. Claudius invites them to court in order to spy on Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are often treated as comic relief; they are sycophantic, vaguely absurd fellows. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are assigned to accompany Hamlet to England. They carry a letter from Claudius asking the English king to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Hamlet discovers this plot and alters the letter so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are put to death instead. We learn that they have indeed been executed at the very close of the play.

Fortinbras- The Prince of Norway. In many ways his story is parallel to Hamlet's: he too has lost his father by violence (Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras in single combat); he too is impeded from ascending the throne by an interfering uncle. But despite their biographical similarities, Fortinbras and Hamlet are constitutional opposites. Where Hamlet is pensive and mercurial, Fortinbras is all action. He leads an army through Denmark in order to attack disputed territory in Poland. At the end of the play, and with Hamlet's dying assent, Fortinbras assumes the crown of Denmark.

Osric- The ludicrous, flowery, stupid courtier who invites Hamlet to fence with Laertes, then serves as referee during the contest.

The gravediggers- Two "clowns" (roles played by comic actors), a principal gravedigger and his assistant. They figure only in one scene -- Act Five scene one -- yet never fail to make a big impression on readers and audience members. The primary gravedigger is a very witty man, macabre and intelligent, who is the only character in the play capable of trading barbs with Hamlet. They are the only speaking representatives of the lower classes in the play and their perspective is a remarkable contrast to that of the nobles.

The players- A group of (presumably English) actors who arrive in Denmark. Hamlet knows this company well and listens, enraptured, while the chief player recites a long speech about the death of Priam and the wrath of Hecuba. Hamlet uses the players to stage an adaptation of "The Death of Gonzago" which he calls "The Mousetrap" -- a play that reprises almost perfectly the account of Old Hamlet's death as told by the ghost -- in order to be sure of Claudius' guilt.

A Priest- Charged with performing the rites at Ophelia's funeral. Because of the doubtful circumstances of Ophelia's death, the priest refuses to do more than the bare minimum as she is interred.

Reynaldo- Polonius' servant, sent to check on Laertes in Paris. He receives absurdly detailed instructions in espionage from his master.

Bernardo- A soldier who is among the first to see the ghost of Old Hamlet.

Marcellus- A soldier who is among the first to see the ghost of Old Hamlet.

Francisco- A soldier.

Voltemand and Cornelis- courtiers.

A Captain- in Fortinbras' army who speaks briefly with Hamlet.

Ambassadors - from England who arrive at the play's close to announce that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

Themes

Death

Death has been considered the primary theme of Hamlet by many eminent critics through the years. G. Wilson Knight, for instance, writes at length about death in the play: "Death is over the whole play. Polonius and Ophelia die during the action, and Ophelia is buried before our eyes. Hamlet arranges the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The plot is set in motion by the murder of Hamlet's father, and the play opens with the apparition of the Ghost." And so on and so forth. The play is really death-obsessed, as is Hamlet himself. As as A.C. Bradley has pointed out, in his very first long speech of the play, "Oh that this too solid flesh," Hamlet seems on the verge of total despair, kept from suicide by the simple fact of spiritual awe. He is in the strange position of both wishing for death and fearing it intensely, and this double pressure gives the play much of its drama.

One of the aspects of death which Hamlet finds most fascinating is its bodily facticity. We are, in the end, so much meat and bone. This strange intellectual being, which Hamlet values so highly and possesses so mightily, is but tenuously connected to an unruly and decomposing machine. In the graveyard scene, especially, we can see Hamlet's fascination with dead bodies. How can Yorick's skull be Yorick's skull? Does a piece of dead earth, a skull, really have a connection to a person, a personality?

Hamlet is unprecedented for the depth and variety of its meditations on death. Mortality is the shadow that darkens every scene of the play. Not that the play resolves anything, or settles any of our species-old doubts and anxieties. As with most things, we can expect to find very difficult and stimulating questions in Hamlet, but very few satisfying answers.

Intrigue

Elsinore is full of political intrigue. The murder of Old Hamlet, of course, is the primary instance of such sinister workings, but it is hardly the only one. Polonius, especially, spends nearly every waking moment (it seems) spying on this or that person, checking up on his son in Paris, instructing Ophelia in every detail of her behavior, hiding behind tapestries to eavesdrop. He is the parody of a politician, convinced that the truth can only be known through the most roundabout and sneaking ways. This is never clearer than in his appearances in Act Two. First, he instructs Reynaldo in the most incredibly convoluted espionage methods; second, he hatches and pursues his misguided theory that Hamlet is mad because his heart has been broken by Ophelia.

Claudius, too, is quite the inept Machiavellian. He naively invites Fortinbras to march across his country with a full army; he stupidly enlists Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as his chief spies; his attempt to poison Hamlet ends in total tragedy. He is little better than Polonius. This political ineptitude goes a long way toward revealing how weak Denmark has become under Claudius' rule. He is not a natural king, to be sure; he is more interested in drinking and sex than in war, reconnaissance, or political plotting. This is partly why his one successful political move, the murder of his brother, is so ironic and foul. He has somehow done away with much the better ruler, the Hyperion to his satyr (as Hamlet puts it).

It's worth noting that there is one extremely capable politician in the play -- Hamlet himself. He is always on top of everyone's motives, everyone's doings and goings. He plays Polonius like a pipe and evades every effort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do the same to him. He sniffs out Claudius' plot to have him killed in England and sends his erstwhile friends off to die instead. Hamlet is a true Machiavellian when he wants to be. He certainly wouldn't have been as warlike as his father, but had he gotten the chance he might have been his father's equal as a ruler, simply due to his penetration and acumen.

Language

In Act Two scene two Polonius asks Hamlet, "What do you read, my lord?" Hamlet replies, "Words, words, words." Of course every book is made of words, every play is a world of words, so to speak, and Hamlet is no different. Hamlet is distinguished, however, in its attentiveness to language within the play. Not only does it contain extremely rich language, not only did the play greatly expand the English vocabulary, Hamlet also contains several characters who show an interest in language and meaning in themselves.

Polonius, for instance, is often distracted by his manner of expressing himself. In Act Two scene two, for example, he says, "Madam, I swear I use no art at all. / That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity, / And pity 'tis 'tis true. A foolish figure, / But farewell to it, for I will use no art." Of course this is typical Polonius -- absurdly hypocritical, self-enamored, dull-witted. Just as he is extremely windy in recommending brevity, here he is fussy and "artful" (or affectedly artificial) in declaring that he is neither of those things. Polonius' grasp of language, like his political instinct, is quite shallow -- he gestures toward the mastery of rhetoric that seems like a statesman's primary craft, but he is too distracted by surfaces to achieve any real depth.

Another angle from which to consider language in the play -- Hamletexplores the traditional dichotomy between words and deeds. In Act Four, when talking to Laertes, Claudius makes this distinction explicit: "what would you undertake, / To show yourself your father's son in deed / More than in words?" Here deeds are associated with noble acts, specifically the fulfillment of revenge, and words with empty bluffing. The passage resonates well beyond its immediate context. Hamlet himself is a master of language, an explorer of its possibilities; he is also a man who has trouble performing actual deeds. For him, reality seems to exist more in thoughts and sentences than in acts. Thus his trouble fulfilling revenge seems to stem from his overemphasis on reasoning and formulating -- a fault of over-precision that he acknowledges himself in the speech beginning, "How all occasions do inform against me."

Hamlet is the man of language, of words, of the magic of thought. He is not fit for a play that so emphasizes the value of action, and he knows it. But then, the action itself is contained within words, formed and contained by Shakespeare's pen. The action of the play is much more an illusion than the words are. Hamlet invites us to consider whether this isn't the case more often than we might think, whether the world of words doesn't enjoy a great deal of power in framing and describing the world of actions, on stage or not.

Madness

By the time Hamlet was written, madness was already a well-established element in many revenge tragedies. The most popular revenge tragedy of the Elizabethan period, The Spanish Tragedy, also features a main character, Hieronymo, who goes mad in the build-up to his revenge, as does the title character in Shakespeare's first revenge tragedy, Titus Andronicus. But Hamlet is unique among revenge tragedies in its treatment of madness because Hamlet's madness is deeply ambiguous. Whereas previous revenge tragedy protagonists are unambiguously insane, Hamlet plays with the idea of insanity, putting on "an antic disposition," as he says, for some not-perfectly-clear reason.

Of course, there is a practical advantage to appearing mad. In Shakespeare's source for the plot of Hamlet, "Amneth" (as the legendary hero is known) feigns madness in order to avoid the suspicion of the fratricidal king as he plots his revenge. But Hamlet's feigned madness is not so simple as this. His performance of madness, rather than aiding his revenge, almost distracts him from it, as he spends the great majority of the play exhibiting very little interest in pursuing the ghost's mission even after he has proven, via "The Mouse Trap," that Claudius is indeed guilty as sin.

No wonder, then, that Hamlet's madness has been a resilient point of critical controversy since the seventeenth century. The traditional question is perhaps the least interesting one to ask of his madness -- is he really insane or is he faking it? It seems clear from the text that he is, indeed, playing the role of the madman (he says he will do just that) and using his veneer of lunacy to have a great deal of fun with the many fools who populate Elsinore, especially Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Perhaps this feigned madness does at times edge into actual madness, in the same way that all acted emotions come very close to their genuine models, but, as he says, he is but mad north-nothwest, and knows a hawk from a handsaw. When he is alone, or with Horatio, and free from the need to act the lunatic, Hamlet is incredibly lucid and self-aware, perhaps a bit manic but hardly insane.

So what should we make of his feigned insanity? Hamlet, in keeping with the play in general, seems almost to act the madman because he knows in some bizarre way that he is playing a role in a revenge tragedy. He knows that he is expected to act mad, because he thinks that that is what one does when seeking revenge -- perhaps because he has seen The Spanish Tragedy. I'm joking, of course, on one level, but he does exhibit self-aware theatricality throughout the play, and if he hasn't seen The Spanish Tragedy, he has certainly seen The Death of Gonzago, and many more plays besides. He knows his role, or what his role should be, even as he is unable to play it satisfactorily. Hamlet is beautifully miscast as the revenger -- he is constitutionally unfitted for so vulgar and unintelligent a fate -- and likewise his attempt to play the madman, while a valiant effort, is forced, insincere, anxious, ambiguous, and full of doubts. Perhaps Hamlet himself, if we could ask him, would not know why he chooses to feign madness any more than we do.

Needless to say, Hamlet is not the only person who goes insane in the play. Ophelia's madness serves as a clear foil to his own strange antics. She is truly, unambiguously, innocently, simply mad. Whereas Hamlet's madness seems to increase his self-awareness, Ophelia loses every vestige of composure and self-knowledge, just as the truly insane tend to do.

Subjectivity

Harold Bloom, speaking about Hamlet at the Library of Congress, said, "The play's subject massively is neither mourning for the dead or revenge on the living. ... All that matters is Hamlet's consciousness of his own consciousness, infinite, unlimited, and at war with itself." He added, "Hamlet discovers that his life has been a quest with no object except his own endlessly burgeoning subjectivity." Bloom is not the only reader of Hamlet to see such an emphasis on the self.

Hamlet's soliloquies, to take only the most obvious feature, are strong and sustained investigations of the self -- not only as a thinking being, but as emotional, bodily, and paradoxically multiple. Hamlet, fascinated by his own character, his turmoil, his inconsistency, spends line after line wondering at himself. Why can't I carry out revenge? Why can't I carry out suicide? He questions himself, and in so doing questions the nature of the self.

Aside from these massive speeches, Hamlet shows a sustained interest in philosophical problems of the subject. Among these problems is the mediating role of thought in all human life. "For there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so," he says. We can never know the truth, he suggests, nor the good, nor the evil of the world, except through the means of our thoughts. Certainty is not an option. And the great realm of uncertainty, the realm of dreams, fears, thoughts, is the realm of subjectivity.

Suicide

Like madness, suicide is a theme that links Hamlet and Ophelia and shapes the concerns of the play more generally. Hamlet thinks deeply about it, and perhaps "contemplates" it in the more popular sense; Ophelia perhaps commits it. In both cases, the major upshot of suicide is religious. In his two "suicide soliloquies," Hamlet segues into meditations on religious laws and mysteries -- "that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter"; "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come." And Ophelia's burial is greatly limited by the clergy's suspicions that she might have taken her own life. In short, Hamlet appears to suggest that were it not for, first, the social stigma attached to suicide by religious authorities, and second, the legitimately "unknown" nature of whatever happens after death, there would be a lot more self-slaughter in this difficult and bitter world. In a play so obsessed with the self, and the nature of the self, it's only natural to see this emphasis on self-murder.

It's worth mentioning one of the major interpretive issues of Hamlet: was Ophelia's death accidental or a suicide? According to Gertrude's narration of the event, Ophelia's drowning was entirely accidental. However, some have suggested that Gertrude's long story may be a fabrication invented to protect the young woman from the social stigma of suicide. Indeed, in Act Five the priest and the gravediggers are fairly certain that Ophelia took her own life. One might ask oneself -- why does it make such a difference to us whether she died by her own hand or not? Shakespeare seems, in fact, to inspire this very sort of self-interrogation. Are we, like the characters in the play, so invested in protecting Ophelia from the stigma of suicide?

Theater

Which is the star of this play, Hamlet or Hamlet? T.S. Eliot, for one, unequivocally endorses the latter:  “Hamlet the play is the primary problem, and Hamlet the character only secondary." In effect, Hamlet is a play about plays, about theater. Most obviously, it contains a play within a play, detailed instructions on acting technique, an extended conversation about London theater companies and their fondness for boy troupes, several references to other theater (including to Christian mystery plays, and to Shakespeare's own Julius Caesar), and still more references to the stage on which it is being performed, in the globe theater with its ghost "in the cellarage."

But what is the point of this constant metatheatrical winking?Hamlet, among other things, is an extended meditation on the nature of acting and the relationship between acting and "genuine" life. It refuses to obey the conventional restrictions of theater and constantly spills out into the audience, as it were, pointing out the "real" surroundings of the "fictional" play, and thus incorporating them into the larger theatrical experience.

Most specifically, Hamlet is an exploration of a specific genre and its specific generic conventions. It is the revenge tragedy to end all revenge tragedies, both containing and commenting on the elements that define the genre. Modern audiences are quite comfortable with this sort of "meta-generic" approach. Think of modern westerns, heist movies, or martial arts movies. All of these genres have become almost obligatorily self-aware; they contain references to past milestones in their respective genres, they gleefully and ironically embrace (or alternatively reject) the conventions that past films treated with sincerity. Hamlet, in its relationship to revenge tragedy and to theater more generally, is one of the first dramas of this kind and perhaps still the most profound example of such post-modern concerns.

To put it cutely, Hamlet itself is the main character of the play, and Hamlet merely the means by which it explores its own place in the history of theater. To make things yet dizzier, Hamlet seems, deep down, to know that he is in a play, to know that he is miscast, to understand the theatrical nature of his being. And who's to say that we aren't all merely actors in our own lives? Surely, from a philosophical perspective, this is one of the basic truths of modern human life.

 

Important quotes:

ACT-I

"Long live the king"

(Bernardo to Francisco, Act-I, scene-i)

 

"For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And i am sick at heart.

(Francisco to Bernardo, Act-I, scene-i)

 

The head is more native to the heart,  The hand more instrumental to the mouth,

Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father. what wouldst thou have, Laertes?

(Cladius to Laertes while going to France,  Act-I,  scene-ii)

 

"A little more than kin, and less than kind" 

(Aside)(The very first line spoken by Hamlet in the whole play., Act-I, scene-ii)

 

"I am too much i' the sun,' 

(Hamlet to Claudius, Act-I, scene-ii. Figures of speech is Pun: It is a pun on the word 'son. ' Hamlet uses this pun to express his dissatisfaction of being a 'son' to too many people.)

 

"Seek for thy noble father on the dust: Thou knowst 'tis common: all  that lives must die passing through nature to eternity"

(Gertrude to Hamlet,  Act I, Scene ii )

 

“O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!

.... let me not think on't--Frailty thy name is woman.....

....Married with my uncle, my father's brother,  but no more like my father, Than I to Herculus: within a month....

...But break my heart , for I must hold my tongue."

(Hamlet's 1st soliloquy, act 1 scene 2)

 

Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportioned thought his act. 

Be thou familiar,  but thy means vulgar.

... beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in bear it that the opposed may beware of thee...

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice..

Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgement. 

...costly thy habit [cloths] as thy purse can buy..

...Neither a borrower nor a lender be,

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

...This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

(Polonius, while bidding farewell to Laertes, gives instructions about how to behave, act 1, scene 3)

 

“…though I am native here

And to the manner born, it is a custom

More honoured in the breach than the observance.”

(Hamlet, act 1 scene 4)

 

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.“

(Marcellus, act 1 scene 4, Figures of speech is Imagery:  this imagery draws our sense of sight and smell.)

 

“O all you host of heaven! O earth what else?

And shall I couple he'll?

[..... ]

O most pernicious woman!

O villain, villain, smiling damned villaian,

My tables, -- meet it is I set it down,

That one may smile and smile and be a villain.”

(Hamlet's 2nd soliloquy, act 1 scene 5)

 

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in our philosophy.”

(Hamlet, act 1 scene 5)

 

ACT-II

“Brevity is the soul of wit.“

(Polonius to Cladius and Gertrude, act 2 scene 2, about the madness of Hamlet, as he is almost always verbose and overly detailed, repeating his words. Consequently, his phrase “brevity is the soul of wit” contradicts his actions )

 

"That he's mad, 'tis true, 'tis true 'tis pity, And pity 'tis, 'tis true—a foolish figure'

(Polonius to Cladius and Gertrude, act 2 scene 2, about the madness of Hamlet)

 

"Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love”

(Polonius reading Hamlet's love letter to Ophelia; and Cladius and Gertrude are listening, act 2 scene 2, about the madness of Hamlet)

 

"Excellent well; you are a fishmonger"

(Hamlet to Polonius, Act-II, scene-ii, Literally a "fishmonger," is seller of fish (lower class), but it is actually slang for "pimp." In Shakespeare's time, "fishmonger" had an association with men who used women for their own monetary gain. Hamlet thinks Polonius put his selfishness in front of his daughter's happiness.)

 

"Words, words, words."

(Hamlet to Polonius, Act-II, scene-ii, it is the answer to polonious question: what do you read, my lord?)

 

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.”

(Polonius, act 2 scene 2, it is an aside)

 

"Denmark is a prison"

(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, act 2 scene 2, figures of speech is Meraphor)

 

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”

(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, act 2 scene ii, when Rosencrantz says Denmark is not a prison, Hamlet says this)

 

"A dream itself is but a shadow"

(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, act 2, scene-ii )

 

“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and 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? Man delights not me; no, nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to say so..”

(Hamlet, act II, scene ii)

 

I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, 

.....I know a hawk from a handsaw.

(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, act II, scene ii, As the wind only occasionally blows from the north-north-west, so too is he only occasionally struck by madness. Hamlet is warning his friends that he can tell the difference between a friend and an enemy.)

 

"For they say, an old man is twice a child"

(Rosencrantz to Hamlet,  Act II, scene-ii, )

 

"Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light"

(Polinius to Hamlet, in Act-II,  scene-ii,  about a group of players)

 

“O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" ...

.......What Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,...

.......But i am pigeon livered and lack gall

(Hamlet's 3rd soliloquy, act 2 scene ii)

 

ACT-III

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. 

To die, to sleep – To sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there’s the rub,

For in this sleep of death what dreams may come…;
(Hamlet's 4th soliloquy, act 3 scene 1)

Get thee to a Nunnery, go: farewell Or , if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool

(Hamletto Ophelia , act 3 scene 1)

 

“God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another.”

(Hamletto Ophelia , act 3 scene 1)

 

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.“

(Gertrude, act 3 scene 2)

 

“Oh my offence is rank, it smells to heaven".......

.........What form of prayer can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder?..."

The only soliloquy in the play not spoken by Hamlet. Claudius admits murdering his brother, and he describes his guilt in the language of decay.

(Only Soliloquy Spoken by Claudius, Act 3 Scene 3)

 

“Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll don't, And so he goes to heaven"

(6th soliloquy Spoken by Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 3,   Hamlet is ready to kill Cladius, but he is praying, so Cladius has a chance to go to heaven, so he did not killed him. Figures of speech is Dramatic irony: audience know that Cladius is not asking forgiveness in prayers, but Hamlet don't know this; and missed the chance to kill Cladius )

 

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go"

(Cladius after prayer, Act 3 scene 3)

 

"How now! a rat? Dead, for a ducat,dead!"

(Hamlet to Gertrude,  pointing to arras after killing Polonius , act 3 scene 4)

 

"O speak to me no more; these words, like daggers, enter in mine years; No more sweet Hamlet!"

(Gertrude to Hamlet, Act III, Scene iv)

 

"O Hamlet,  thou hast cleft my heart in twain"

(Gertrude to Hamlet, Act III, Scene iv, Figures of speech is Hyperbole)

 

“I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.”

(Hamlet to Gertrude after killing Polonius , act 3 scene 4)

 

ACT-IV

"The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body."

(refer directly to Polonius, a "king" who's been separated from his body through death.)
(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, act 4 scene 2)

 

Cladius: Now Hamlet, Where's Polonius

Hamlet: Ar supper

Cladius: At supper! where

Hamlet: Not where he eats, but where he is eaten

(After Polonius death, Act 4, Scene-ii)

 

 "A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of the worm"

(Hamlet to Claudius, Act 4, Scene-iii)

 

"Truly to speak with no addition, 

We go to a little patch of ground 

That hath in it no profit but the name 

To pay five ducats, five, i would not farm it"

(Captain to Hamlet, Act 4, Scene-iv, The captain is from Norway and they are going to invade Poland for a piece of land which is useless in captain's opinion)

 

Two thousand souls and Twenty thousand ducats

will not debate the question of this straw:

(Hamlet to Captain of Norway, Act 4, Scene-iv)

 

“How all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge.“

(Hamlet's 7th and last soliloquy, act IV scene iv)

 

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions

(Cladius, Act-4, Scene-v, to Gertrude ,  Figure of Speech is Personification: Here, the non-human entity, ‘sorrow’ has been personified as troops)

"Laertes shall be king, Laertes king"

(Gentleman with King and Queen , after the death of Polonius, Act4 Scene-v)

"There's a daisy: I would give you Some violets, but they withered all when my father Died"

(Ophelia, Act-4, Scene-v, she sings song to Laertes after going mad)

 

ACT-V

What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?

(First Clown, act 5 scene 1, answers it as grave maker: his houses will last forever (he says until Doomsday)

“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: A fellow of infinite jest.“

(Hamlet, act 5 scene 1)

 

"I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love"

(Hamlet, act 5 scene 1)

 

"There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow, If it be now, ’tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be now: if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all.”

(Hamlet, act 5 scene 2)

Why, as a woodcock to mine own springe, Osric; I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.
(Laertes, act 5 scene 2, He is caught in his own trap, and shows his confession)

‘I am more an antique Roman than a Dane: Here's yet some liquor left.’
(Horatio to Hamlet, act 5 scene 2, Horatio feels that he is like a Roman soldier to go on living without his friend and so wants to drink from the cup of poison. )

“The rest is silence.”

(Hamlet, act 5 scene 2, Final words of Hamlet)

 

“Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. ”

(Horatio, act 5 scene 2)

 

Act wise and scene wise Summary:

Act-I, Sce 1

The play opens during a bitterly cold night watch outside of the royal Danish palace. There is a changing of the guards: Bernardo replaces Francisco. Soon two more characters arrive, Horatio and Marcellus. We learn that Bernardo and Marcellus, two soldiers, have witnessed an extraordinary sight on both of the previous nights’ watches: the ghost of the former King of Denmark, Old Hamlet, has appeared before them in full armor. On this third night, they’ve welcomed Horatio, a scholar and a skeptic who has just arrived in Denmark, to verify their ghost sighting. Horatio initially expresses doubt that the ghost will appear. Suddenly, it does. The two soldiers charge Horatio to speak to the ghost but he does not. The ghost disappears just as suddenly as it arrived.

Soon after the ghost’s disappearance, Marcellus asks the other two why there has been such a massive mobilization of Danish war forces recently. Horatio answers, saying that the Danish army is preparing for a possible invasion by Fortinbras, Prince of Norway. We learn that Fortinbras’ father (also named Fortinbras), was killed many years before in single combat with Old Hamlet, the now-deceased king whose ghost we have just seen. Now that Old Hamlet has died, presumably weakening the Danes, there is a rumor that Fortinbras plans to invade Denmark and claim that lands that were forfeit after his father’s death.

After Horatio has finished explaining this political backstory, the ghost of Old Hamlet appears once more. This time Horatio does try to speak to the ghost. When the ghost remains silent, Horatio tells Marcellus and Bernardo to try to detain it; they strike at the ghost with their spears but jab only air. A rooster crows just as the ghost appears ready to reply to Horatio at last. This sound startles the ghost away. Horatio decides to tell Prince Hamlet, Old Hamlet’s son, about the apparition, and the others agree.

Act-I, Sce-2

This scene begins at the court of Claudius and Gertrude, the King and Queen of Denmark. They have just been married. This marriage has followed quickly after the death of the former King of Denmark, Old Hamlet, Claudius’ brother.

Claudius also addresses the question of the young Fortinbras’ proposed invasion. He says that he has spoken to Fortinbras’ uncle, the King of Norway, who has made Fortinbras promise to halt any plans to invade Denmark. Claudius sends Cornelius and Voltemand, two courtiers, to Norway to settle this business. Finally, Claudius turns to Laertes, the son of his trusted counselor, Polonius. Laertes expresses a wish to return to France and Claudius grants permission.

At this point, Prince Hamlet, who has been standing apart from the king’s audience this whole time, speaks the first of his many lines. Claudius asks Hamlet why he is still so gloomy. Hamlet’s replies are evasive, cynical, and punning. He declares that his grief upon losing his father still deeply affects him. Claudius goes into a speech about the unnaturalness of prolonged grief; to lose one’s father is painful but common, he says, and Hamlet should accept this as nature’s course. He expresses a wish that Hamlet remain with them in Denmark instead of returning to Wittenberg, where he is a student, and when Gertrude seconds this wish, Hamlet agrees. The king, queen, and all their retinue then exit the stage, leaving Hamlet alone.

In his first soliloquy, Hamlet expresses the depths of his melancholy and his disgust at his mother’s hastily marrying Claudius after the death of his father. He declares his father to be many times Claudius’ superior as a man. After this soliloquy, Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo enter. At first, Hamlet is too aggrieved to recognize Horatio, his old school friend, but finally he welcomes Horatio warmly. After chatting about the state, Horatio tells Hamlet that he has seen his dead father recently – the night before. Hamlet asks him to explain, and Horatio tells the story of the appearance of the ghost. Hamlet decides to attend the watch that very night in hopes of seeing the ghost himself.

Act-I, Sce 3

As the scene opens, Laertes is taking his leave of his sister, Ophelia. In the course of their farewells, Laertes advises her about her relationship with Hamlet, with whom she has been spending much of her time lately. He tells her to forget him because he, as Prince of Denmark, is too much to hope for as a husband. He adds that she should vigilantly guard her chastity, her most prized treasure as a woman. Ophelia agrees to attend to his lesson. As Laertes is about to leave, his father, Polonius, arrives. Polonius gives Laertes a blessing and a battery of advice before sending his son on his way.

With Laertes gone, Polonius asks Ophelia what they had been talking about as he arrived. Ophelia confesses that they had been talking about her relationship with Hamlet. She tells Polonius that Hamlet has made many honorable declarations of love to her. Polonius pooh-poohs these declarations, saying, much as Laertes did, that Hamlet wants nothing more than to assail her chastity and then leave her. He makes his daughter promise that she will spend no more time alone with Hamlet. Ophelia says that she will obey.

Act-I, Sce 4

At the night watch, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus await the reappearance of the ghost. They hear cannons from the castle and Hamlet tells them that this is a sign that Claudius is drinking pledges. Hamlet goes on a short tirade against the Danish custom of drinking heavily. His speech is no sooner over than the ghost appears again. Hamlet immediately addresses the ghost, imploring it to speak. The ghost beckons for Hamlet to come away, apart from the others. Horatio and Marcellus attempt to keep Hamlet from following the ghost, warning him of the many evils that might befall him. Hamlet doesn’t listen. He threatens to kill Horatio or Marcellus if they detain him, and when they stay back he follows the ghost offstage. Horatio and Marcellus determine to follow at a distance to make sure that no harm comes to their friend.

Act-I, Sce 5

Alone with Hamlet, the ghost finally speaks. He tells Hamlet that he has come on a nightly walk from Purgatory, where his soul is under continual torment for the sins of his life. The ghost then reveals that he was not killed by a viper, as officially announced, but was murdered. Moreover, he reveals that his own brother, Claudius, who now wears his crown and sleeps with his wife, was the murderer. The ghost tells of how Claudius snuck into his garden while he was taking his accustomed afternoon nap and poured poison into his ear, killing him most painfully and sending his soul unpurified into the afterlife. The ghost demands vengeance, telling Hamlet not to plot against his mother, whom he describes as merely weak and lustful, but to focus the whole of his revenge on Claudius. The ghost then disappears.

Hamlet, overwhelmed and half-raving, swears that he will kill Claudius. After he has made this vow, Horatio and Marcellus arrive. Hamlet does not tell them what the ghost has revealed, but nevertheless insists that they swear not to speak of the apparition to anyone. They agree. Hamlet then insists that they swear again on his sword. They agree again, confused at these demands. The ghost of Old Hamlet, meanwhile, can be heard under the stage, insisting along with his son that they swear themselves to secrecy. Hamlet leads his friends to several different points on stage, insisting that they swear over and over again. He then reveals, parenthetically, that they might find his behavior in the next while to be strange – he might pretend to be mad and act otherwise unusually – but that they must still keep secret what they have seen. After this final agreement, Hamlet leads the others offstage, uneasily determined to revenge his father’s murder.

Act-II, Sce 1

Act Two begins with Polonius speaking to one of his servants, Reynaldo, about his son, Laertes, who has by this time returned to Paris. We see Polonius in the act of sending Reynaldo after Laertes to inquire into his son’s conduct. He instructs Reynaldo very precisely in the method of obtaining this information. First, Reynaldo is to find out from strangers in Paris about the prominent Danes in the city without revealing that he has any particular attachment to Laertes. When Laertes’ name comes up, Reynaldo is to pretend to have some distant knowledge of him, and is further to suggest that he knows of Laertes as something of a happy-go-lucky youth given to gambling, drinking, fencing, swearing, fighting, and whoring. By this path of insinuation, Polonius explains, Reynaldo will hear from his hypothetical Parisian interlocutor the unvarnished truth about Laertes’ conduct in France. Having thus prepared Reynaldo to spy on his son, Polonius sends him off.

Ophelia enters, distraught. She tells her father that Hamlet has frightened her with his wild, unkempt appearance and deranged manners. After Ophelia describes Hamlet’s behavior, she further reveals that, as per Polonius’ orders, she has cut off all contact with Hamlet and has refused his letters. Polonius reasons, thus, that Hamlet’s madness is the result of Ophelia’s rejection. He had thought that Hamlet was only trifling with her, but it turns out (he now declares) that Hamlet was indeed deeply in love with Ophelia. Polonius hurries off to tell Claudius and Gertrude that he has discovered the reason for their son’s odd behavior.

Act-II, Sce 2

King Claudius has made plans of his own to discover the reasons for Hamlet’s supposed madness. He has summoned two of Hamlet’s school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, both to comfort his nephew-cum-son and to try to discover the reason for his distemper (so he says). The two scholars are only too happy to oblige in this task.

After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave the royal presence, Polonius rushes in, announcing that he has found the reason for Hamlet’s madness. Before he reveals his news, however, he entreats Claudius and Gertrude to hear from the two ambassadors to Norway, Voltemand and Cornelius, who have just returned. They report that the King of Norway, after looking into his nephew Fortinbras’ actions, found out that he was indeed planning to invade Denmark. The King of Norway then rebuked Fortinbras and ordered him to abandon his plan of Danish conquest, which young Fortinbras agreed to do. Overjoyed at his nephew’s acquiescence, Norway then rewarded Fortinbras with a generous annual allowance. Further, Norway granted Fortinbras leave to levy war against the Polish. Finally, the ambassadors report that Norway seeks Claudius’ permission to allow Fortinbras passage through Denmark in this proposed campaign against Poland. Claudius declares his approval of this message and says that he will consider its details anon.

Polonius steps forward to reveal his discovery. He tells the king and queen, in a very roundabout way, that he has discovered Hamlet’s foiled love of Ophelia, and that he believes this lost love to be the root cause of Hamlet’s madness. Claudius asks how they might prove this to be the case. Polonius has a plan. He offers to loose Ophelia on Hamlet while he is reading alone in the library. Meanwhile, he suggests, he and Claudius could hide behind a tapestry and observe the meeting. Claudius agrees.

Just then, Hamlet enters, reading. Gertrude and Claudius exit while Polonius attempts to speak to Hamlet. Hamlet plays with Polonius, mocking him, evading his questions, and turning his language inside out. Nevertheless, Polonius “reads between the lines,” as it were, and interprets Hamlet’s nonsensical replies as motivated by a broken heart. Polonius leaves to contrive the proposed meeting between Hamlet and his daughter.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, surprising their friend Hamlet. The three friends banter philosophically for a good while before Hamlet asks the two why they have come to Elsinore. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to dodge this question, declaring that they have come for no other reason than to visit him. Hamlet, though, won’t let them off the hook, and makes them admit that the king and queen sent for them. When they admit it, Hamlet also tells them why they were sent for – because he has been deeply melancholy, and has foregone his accustomed behavior. He sinks deeply into a speech detailing this misery.

Rosencrantz changes the subject. He tells Hamlet that he and Guildenstern passed a troop of players on their way to Elsinore. They gossip briefly about the city theaters the troop had left before coming to Denmark (presumably those of London). Soon the players arrive with a flourish. Polonius rushes back into the scene, bearing the already stale news that the players have arrived. Hamlet banters with Polonius in the same mocking vein as before until the players burst into court, at which point Hamlet rushes up to welcome them.

Hamlet insists upon hearing a speech straight away, and in particular requests a recitation based on a scene in Virgil’s Aeneid, as related by Aeneas to Dido, recounting the death of Priam during the fall of Troy. Hamlet himself begins the speech and then cedes the floor to one of the players, who recites a long and fustian description of Priam’s death by Pyrrhus’ hand. The player goes on to speak of the wild grief of Hecuba, Priam’s wife, after her husband has been killed. While speaking of her agony, the player begins to weep and shake. Polonius finally cuts him off and Hamlet agrees.

Before the players retire, however, Hamlet pulls the main player aside and asks him whether the company knows a certain play, “The Murder of Gonzago.” The player says that they do, and Hamlet commissions it for the following night, saying that he will write some speeches of his own to be inserted into the play as written. The player says that this would be fine and then takes his leave.

Left alone on stage, Hamlet muses about the strangeness of his situation. He asks himself, “How can this player be so filled with grief and rage over Priam and Hecuba, imaginary figures whom he doesn’t even know, while I, who have every reason to rage and grieve and seek bloody revenge, am weak, uncertain, and incapable of action?” He curses himself and his indecisiveness before cursing his murderous uncle in a rage. Having regained composure, Hamlet announces his plan to make sure that the ghost of his father is genuine – that the apparition was not some evil spirit sent to lure his soul to damnation. He declares his intention to stage a play exactly based on the murder of his father. While it is played he will observe Claudius. If the king is guilty, Hamlet figures, surely he will show this guilt when faced with the scene of the crime.

Act-III, Sce 1

An entourage consisting of the king and queen, Polonius and Ophelia, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enters to begin the Act.Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern what they have learned about Hamlet’s malady. The two reply that they have not been able to find its cause. They do mention, however, that Hamlet was very enthusiastic about the players’ performance that night, which prompts Claudius to agree to attend the play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave. Polonius and Claudius then begin their plan to loose Ophelia on Hamlet and mark their encounter, hoping to find the root of his madness. They instruct Ophelia to pretend that she is simply reading a book and withdraw behind a tapestry.

Hamlet enters and delivers the most famous speech in literature, beginning, “To be or not to be.” After this long meditation on the nature of being and death, Hamlet catches sight of Ophelia. After a short conversation she attempts to return some of the remembrances that Hamlet gave when courting her. Hamlet replies caustically, questioning Ophelia’s honesty. He then berates Ophelia, telling her off sarcastically and venomously, with the refrain, “Get thee to a nunnery,” or in other words, “Go become a nun to control your lust.” After this tirade, Hamlet exists, leaving Ophelia in shambles.

Claudius and Polonius step out of their hiding place. The king states that he does not believe that Hamlet is mad because of his foiled love for Ophelia, or really mad at all, but tormented for some hidden reason. He determines to send Hamlet on a diplomatic mission to England before he can cause any serious trouble. Polonius endorses this plan, but persists in his belief that Hamlet’s grief is the result of his love for Ophelia. He consoles his daughter. Polonius suggests in parting that Claudius arrange a private interview between Hamlet and his mother after the play that evening and Claudius agrees.

Act-III, Sce 2

Just as the play is about to begin, Hamlet instructs the players on the art of acting, telling them to act naturally and to avoid bombast. He sets the players to their preparations and then conferences with Horatio. After complimenting Horatio in the most sterling terms, Hamlet asks his friend to assist him in watching the king’s response to the play they are about to see (apparently Hamlet has by this time told Horatio what the ghost revealed). Horatio seats himself so as to view the king properly. The royal entourage enters. Hamlet manically chatters with Claudius, Polonius, Gertrude and Ophelia, reserving special attention for the latter, whom he sits next to and teases.

The play begins with a “Dumb Show,” which is a pantomime of the drama to come. On stage, the basic form of the alleged murder is repeated: a king and queen are shown happily married; the king takes a nap; a poisoner enters and pours something in the king’s ear, killing him; the poisoner than takes possession of the queen. Ophelia seems confused by this plot but Hamlet tells her to wait for the speaker of the prologue to explain.

The prologue is a short little jingling rhyme. The player king and queen then immediately enter the stage. The king mentions that they have been married thirty years. The player queen expresses a hope that their love last as long over again. The king encourages the queen to remarry if he dies. The queen protests against this notion vehemently, swearing never to love another if were to she turn widow. With this, the king falls asleep and the queen exits. Hamlet asks his mother, Gertrude, how she likes the play, and Gertrude replies with the famous line, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Claudius is also outspokenly apprehensive about the nature of the play. It continues, however, with the entrance of Lucianus, the sleeping king’s nephew. This evil character creeps up to the sleeping player king and pours poison in his ear. Hamlet, unable to contain himself, erupts, telling everyone that Lucianus will soon win the love of the king’s over-protesting wife.

At this, Claudius rises and orders the play to end. He retreats with his retinue. Hamlet and Horatio laugh together, certain now that the ghost was telling the truth. After a short celebration, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter and tell Hamlet that he has made Claudius very angry. They also say that Gertrude has ordered Hamlet to meet her in her chamber. They then entreat Hamlet to tell the cause of his distemper. Hamlet replies mockingly by saying that they are trying to play him like a pipe and that he won’t let them. Polonius enters and entreats Hamlet again to see his mother. All exit but Hamlet. In a short soliloquy, Hamlet reflects that he will be cruel to his mother, showing her the extent of her crime in marrying Claudius, but will not actually hurt her.

Act-III, Sce 3

Claudius gives Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a sealed envelope with orders to convey Hamlet to England and give the envelope to the king there. In highly flattering terms, they agree to do the king’s bidding and exit. Polonius then enters, saying that Hamlet is going to meet with his mother, and declaring his intention to hide behind an arras and listen to their conversation. He exits. Alone, the king looks into his soul. He is deeply disgusted by what he sees. He kneels to pray, hoping to purge his guilt, but reflects that this penance will not be genuine because he will still retain the prizes for which he committed murder in the first place, his crown and his wife.

As Claudius is vainly attempting to pray, Hamlet comes up behind him. He reflects that he now has an opportunity to kill his uncle and revenge his father, but pauses, considering that because Claudius is in the act of prayer he would likely go straight to heaven if killed. Hamlet resolves to kill Claudius later, when he is in the middle of some sinful act. He continues on to his mother’s chamber.

Act-III, Sce 4

In the chamber, awaiting Hamlet’s arrival, Polonius hides himself behind one of Gertrude’s curtains. Hamlet enters. Gertrude attempts to be firm and chastising, but Hamlet comes right back at her, saying that she has sinned mightily in marrying her husband’s brother. He pulls his mother in front of a mirror, saying that he will reveal her inmost part, and Gertrude momentarily misinterprets this, thinking that Hamlet may attempt to murder her. She cries for help. Polonius, hidden from view, also cries out for help. Hamlet thinks that the hidden voice belongs to Claudius. He stabs Polonius through the curtain, killing him. When he sees that he has killed Polonius, Hamlet declares the old man to be a “rash, intruding fool.”

Quickly forgetting about this death, Hamlet seats his mother down and presents her with two portraits, one of her first husband and the other of Claudius. He describes the two as opposites, the one all nobility and virtue, the other all deformity and vice. Gertrude is deeply affected by this comparison and seems to comprehend the enormity of her sin. Hamlet continues to berate her and describe Claudius in the most foul and hurtful language. While in the middle of this harangue, Old Hamlet’s ghost appears once more, telling Hamlet to stop torturing his mother and to remember his duty to kill Claudius. At the ghost’s command, Hamlet consoles his mother. Gertrude, unable to see the ghost, sees Hamlet talking to thin air and resolves that he is indeed insane. The ghost exits.

Hamlet tells his mother that he is not in fact insane. He reiterates that she should repent her marriage to Claudius and tells her in particular to stay away from their shared bed for the night. After describing the importance of this abstinence in the most colorful terms, Hamlet reminds his mother that he is ordered to England. Hamlet says that although he will go to England, he will not trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He exits his mother’s bedroom, dragging the body of Polonius behind him.

Act-IV, Sce 1

Immediately after Hamlet exits, dragging Polonius’ body, we see Claudius asking Gertrude to explain what has happened. She tells him of Hamlet’s accidental killing of Polonius and Claudius realizes that he could have just as easily been slain. Claudius asks where Hamlet has gone and Gertrude says that he has taken the body away. The king orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet and discover where he has taken Polonius’ corpse.

Act-IV, Sce 2

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern question Hamlet about Polonius’ whereabouts. Hamlet evades their questions playfully, accusing his former friends of sycophancy to the king and leading them on a wild goose chase.

Act-IV, Sce 3

Claudius is greatly distracted by the death of Polonius and the attempt to find the body. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter with Hamlet. Claudius questions Hamlet as to where he has taken Polonius. After some morbidly humorous replies, Hamlet reveals that he hid Polonius “up the stairs into the lobby.” The king sends attendants to find the body. Claudius then tells Hamlet that he is to depart immediately for England, as planned. Hamlet mockingly departs, leaving Claudius to reflect on his plans for Hamlet. He has prepared letters asking the English king, whom Denmark has recently defeated in war, to kill Hamlet as part of the duties owed by right of conquest.

Act-IV, Sce 4

Next we see Fortinbras’ Norwegian army. They are at the borders of Denmark. Fortinbras sends one of his captains to the court of Claudius to ask permission to cross Denmark in the course of their march to Poland. The captain travels on and Fortinbras and the rest of the army exit.

The captain meets with Hamlet, who is being conveyed by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the ship to England. Hamlet asks the captain about his army and his purpose in going to Poland. The captain says that in Poland there is “a little patch of ground” which Norway claims as her own. He describes this land as perfectly worthless and small. Hamlet suggests that the Poles will not likely defend such a piece of land, but the captain sets him straight, saying that Poland is already garrisoned and ready for their dispute. Hamlet wraps up his conversation with the captain. He hangs back from the others marching to the ship and delivers a long soliloquy on the irony of this occasion – these men are off to risk their lives for a worthless piece of land, while he, who has every reason to risk his life in the cause of revenge, delays and fails to act. Hamlet resolves to recast his mind to bloody thoughts. Ironically, however, just after making this resolution he continues on toward England, leaving Denmark behind him.

Act-IV, Sce 5

Back in the court of Denmark, we see Gertrude speaking with a gentleman who explains that Ophelia has gone mad. She is rambling nonsensically about her father and insisting on seeing Gertrude. The queen reluctantly admits Ophelia, who proceeds to sing a number of simple and haunting songs especially, “To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day.”, some of them quite bawdy. Gertrude describes her as dying almost in slow motion:

“Her clothes spread wide,

And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up,

Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds, 

As one incapable of her own distress, 

Or like a creature native and indued

Unto that element.”The king enters and witnesses her madness. Ophelia then speaks openly of her father’s untimely demise and hasty, unofficial burial. She threatens, “My brother shall know of it,” and exits. Claudius reflects on the difficulty of their situation, admitting that their decision to cover up Hamlet’s deed and bury Polonius so covertly has gone against them. He says that Laertes has come from France, egged on by people who see the court as responsible for Polonius’ death.

On cue, a messenger arrives with word that Laertes has come to court with a mob of followers who wish to depose Claudius and make Laertes king. Laertes bursts in and tells his followers to wait outside. In a half-crazed state he insists that Claudius give him Polonius. Claudius attempts to calm Laertes and tells Gertrude to keep out of their talk and let Laertes question him to his heart’s content. Claudius tells Laertes that Polonius is dead. He also insinuates that he and Laertes are on the same side – that he has been injured by Polonius’ death too.

Just as Claudius is about to explain what he means, Ophelia enters again, bearing a bundle of flowers. The sight of his insane sister deeply grieves Laertes. Ophelia handles all those present gifts of flowers, each symbolizing a reproach to the receiver. She sings another song about her dead father and exits abruptly. As she leaves Claudius tells Laertes to inquire into the matter as deeply as he wishes, confident that he will find himself aligned with Claudius against Hamlet. Laertes agrees.

Act-IV, Sce 6

A messenger approaches Horatio, saying that some sailors have news for him. Horatio receives from these sailors a letter from Hamlet. He reads the letter aloud. It recounts an amazing turn of events: on his way to England, pirates attacked Hamlet’s ship. During the fray, Hamlet boarded the pirate vessel. The two ships parted with Hamlet still aboard. The pirates treated Hamlet “like thieves of mercy,” promising to return Hamlet to Denmark in return for some favors. Hamlet also alludes to a startling development having to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern but says that he must delay telling of this until they meet. He tells Horatio to follow the sailors to where he is hiding. Horatio says that he will help to deliver the rest of their letters, one of which is addressed to the king, and then go with them to see Hamlet.

Act-IV, Sce 7

Claudius and Laertes are in conference. The king seems to have explained the strange occasion of Polonius’ death to Laertes’ satisfaction. He says that he did not try Hamlet for two reasons, first, because his mother loves him so much, and second, because the people of Denmark are supporters of Hamlet. A messenger arrives and delivers a letter to Claudius, who is greatly surprised to learn that the letter comes from Hamlet. The letter announces Hamlet’s imminent return to court.

With this in mind, Claudius and Laertes plot to find a means of killing Hamlet without upsetting Gertrude or the people. They propose to arrange a duel between Hamlet and Laertes, both of whom are accomplished swordsmen, though Laertes is the more reputed. Claudius suggests that Laertes be given a sharp sword while Hamlet’s remains blunt. Laertes does him one better, saying that he will dip his sword in poison so that the least scratch will kill Hamlet. Claudius says that on top of this he will prepare a poisoned cup and give it to Hamlet during the fight.

Gertrude enters with yet more tragic news. She says that Ophelia has drowned. She was watching Ophelia play in the branches of a willow by the water when she fell in. Gertrude says that Ophelia seemed ignorant of danger and went to her death slowly, singing songs. This news reignites Laertes’ rage and Claudius goes to console him.

Act-V, Sce 1

The final Act begins with a conversation between two gravediggers as they dig Ophelia’s grave. They repeat a rumor that Ophelia committed suicide and wonder whether she ought to be buried in hallowed ground. We learn that the king has overridden the objections of the clergy and provided for her burial. After some witty and macabre banter on the nature of gravedigging, Hamlet and Horatio enter. The main gravedigger sends his partner off for a cup of liquor and then commences to dig, singing songs all the while. Hamlet appears fascinated by the gravedigger’s indifference to the gravity of his profession. As the gravediggers throws various skulls out of the grave, Hamlet wonders whom they might have belonged to in life – whether a courtier or a lawyer.

Hamlet approaches the gravedigger and exchanges witticisms about this morbid work. The gravedigger informs Hamlet about the length of time it takes bodies to decay in the ground. He then produces a skull from the grave that he says has been lying there for twenty-three years. The gravedigger says that this is the skull of Yorick, the old king’s jester. Hamlet is amazed – he knew Yorick and loved him as a child. He takes up the skull and speaks about Yorick, a topic that leads him to consider the nature of mortality more generally.

A procession interrupts Hamlet’s reveries – Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes march toward the grave along with a priest and an entourage bearing a body. Hamlet notices that the burial is less elaborate than usual, signifying that the deceased was a suicide. He and Horatio stand aside while Laertes argues with the priest about the paltriness of the burial rites. In the course of his arguing with the priest, Laertes reveals to Hamlet that the dead body is that of Ophelia. Gertrude steps forward to say farewell to Ophelia. Laertes follows. In his intense grief, Laertes leaps into his sister’s grave to hold her body again and orders the gravediggers to bury him alive. Provoked by this show of grief, Hamlet then reveals himself. After grappling with Laertes, Hamlet declares that he loved Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers could. The king and queen dismiss his avowal as madness. Hamlet then exits and Horatio follows him. After they have left, Claudius reminds Laertes of their plan to take care of Hamlet.

Act-V, Sce 2

Hamlet explains to Horatio what happened on his journey to England. He says that he strongly suspected Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of foul play, and so decided to apprehend their letter to England. In the letter he found an order for his death. Hamlet then devised a substitute letter asking for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He happened to have a signet ring in the shape of the seal of Denmark, and so sealed the letter. Hamlet then replaced the letter while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were asleep. At this point, pirates attacked the vessel, as related previously.

A courtier, Osric, interrupts Hamlet and Horatio. In very ornate and silly language, Osric declares to Hamlet that Claudius has proposed a contest of swordsmanship between Laertes and he. Hamlet and Horatio mock Osric’s pompous and artificial mannerisms. Eventually Hamlet agrees to enter the contest. When Horatio worries that Laertes is better at swordplay than he, Hamlet declares that he has been in continual practice for some time.

A table is prepared and the king, queen and other figures of state gather to watch the swordfight. Hamlet begs Laertes’ pardon both for his outburst at Ophelia’s grave and for his rash killing of Polonius. Laertes appears to accept this apology but declares that his honor will not be satisfied until they have had their contest. Hamlet and Laertes choose their swords. Laertes nonchalantly chooses the unblunted sword with the envenomed blade. As they prepare to fight, Claudius proposes a drink to Hamlet.

The fight begins with Osric as referee. Hamlet wins the first point and the king offers him a drink to refresh himself, dropping a poisoned pearl in the wine just before he hands it over. Hamlet declines to take the drink for the time being. They play another round and Hamlet again wins a point. After this second pass, Gertrude toasts to Hamlet’s health. She takes up the poisoned chalice and has a drink despite Claudius’ protestations. Hamlet and Laertes have a third pass which ends in a draw.

After this pass, while Hamlet is unguarded, Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned rapier. They scuffle and Hamlet ends up with Laertes’ poisoned sword. He wounds Laertes with it. Just then, the queen collapses. She declares that she has been poisoned by the drink and then dies. Hamlet asks for the treachery to be found out and Laertes confesses the plan hatched by the king and he. He says that they are both inevitably going to die, having been wounded by the poisoned blade. Hamlet takes the envenomed sword and wounds Claudius, then forces the king to drink from his poisoned cup. Claudius dies. Laertes asks Hamlet’s forgiveness and then also dies. Hamlet, knowing that he is about to die also, asks Horatio to explain this bloody spectacle to the confused onlookers. Horatio, on the contrary, wishes to die with his friend, but Hamlet convinces him to live a while and clear his name. Hamlet declares that Fortinbrasshould become King of Denmark. He then dies – “the rest is silence.”

A flourish is heard and Osric brings news that Fortinbras has arrived from his victory in Poland with ambassadors from England. Fortinbras enters the court only to find four noble bodies sprawled out on the floor. The ambassadors from England enter with news that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been killed. Horatio explains that Claudius would not have welcomed this news even if he had been living to receive it. He orders that the royal bodies be taken up. Horatio further promises to explain the story behind the deaths, a story full of “carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts; / Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters; / Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause.” In short, he promises to tell the story of Hamlet. Fortinbras agrees to hear it. He adds that, given the death of the Danish royalty, he will now pursue his own claims to the throne. Finally, Fortinbras declares that Hamlet shall receive a soldier’s burial. Some soldiers take up his body and bear it from the stage.

 

Criticism;

T.S. Eliot once declared the first lines of the play to be the best lines in English.

 

T.S. Eliot referred to Hamlet as "the Mona Lisa of literature" because of its enigmatic and complex nature. Eliot believed that the play's artistic intricacies and unresolved ambiguities make it a masterpiece that continues to intrigue and puzzle audiences, similar to how the Mona Lisa's mysterious expression captivates viewers.

 

Self reflective protagonist: Hamlet seems somewhat aware that he is playing a role on stage. He notices his own costume and makeup “Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother …” (Act I, Sce-2);

 

A.C. Bradley once illustrated Shakespeare’s gift for characterization by observing that if Othello were in Hamlet’s place the play would be about thirty minutes long – as soon as he learned of the murder, he would kill Claudius – and likewise if Hamlet were in Othello’s he would immediately see through Iago’s plottings and simply laugh the intrigue away.

 

Versions of Hamlet

Hamlet was published in two different quarto editions during Shakespeare's life as well as in the First Folio, the "complete works" edition that appeared within a decade of his death. These editions are known among scholars as Q1 (the first quarto, 1603), Q2 (the second quarto, 1604) and F1 (the first folio, 1623).

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