Overview
This lecture covers the main plot, characters, and themes of Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet," focusing on Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s murder.
Background and Setting
- "Hamlet" is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and is his longest play.
- The story is based on a 12th-century Latin text and is set in Denmark.
- Prince Hamlet seeks revenge after his father, the king, is murdered by his uncle Claudius.
Plot Summary
- King Hamlet dies and Claudius, his brother, becomes king and marries Queen Gertrude.
- Hamlet is troubled by his father's death and his mother’s quick remarriage.
- Hamlet learns from his friend Horatio that the ghost of his father has appeared.
- The ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him with poison and demands vengeance.
- Hamlet pretends to be mad while plotting to avenge his father.
Claudius and Polonius’s Schemes
- Polonius believes Hamlet is mad due to Ophelia’s rejection and spies on them.
- Claudius recruits Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as spies.
- Hamlet arranges a play reenacting the murder to observe Claudius’s reaction.
- Claudius’s disturbed response to the play convinces Hamlet of his guilt.
Escalation and Tragedy
- Hamlet spares Claudius while he is praying, fearing he’ll go to heaven.
- Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, thinking he is Claudius.
- Claudius sends Hamlet to England with orders for his execution, but Hamlet outsmarts him.
- Laertes returns, angry about his father's death, and plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet using a poisoned sword.
- Ophelia, driven mad by her father's death and Hamlet's rejection, drowns herself.
- During the duel, Gertrude drinks poisoned wine meant for Hamlet.
- Laertes and Hamlet wound each other with the poisoned blade; both die, and Hamlet kills Claudius.
- With the main characters dead, Fortinbras claims the Danish throne.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Tragedy — a genre of drama where the protagonist is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow.
- Revenge — the action of inflicting harm in return for a perceived wrong.
- Purgatory — in Catholic belief, a temporary state for souls to be purified before heaven.
- Soliloquy — a speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud, typically alone on stage.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the major characters and their motivations.
- Read Act I and II for a closer look at Hamlet’s initial conflict.
- Prepare discussion questions about themes of revenge and morality in "Hamlet."