Themes in Hamlet

Themes in Hamlet

1. Revenge

   • Unlawful
     • Church teachings at the time
       • Why Hamlet thinks the "devil" has taken the "pleasing shape" of his father
   • Popular dramatic genre
     • People taking the law into their own hands
     • Hamlet is not typical
       • Hesitant
         • "Oh what a rouge and peasant slave am I"
         • Humanist
           • Education in Wittenburg

2. Madness

   • Typical
     • Titus Andronicus
   • Acting?
     • Hamlet's "antic disposition"
     • "There is method in't"
   • Ophelia
     • Her speech is "half sense"
     • Sings about "young men"
       • Completely inappropriate in contex
   • Depression
     • Desire for "self slaughter"
     • Seeing the Ghost

3. Gender/ Sexuality

   • Context
     • STD's
       • Laertes warns Ophelia of the "Contagious blastments"
       • Men often visited brothels
         • Polonius spying on Laertes during his travels
     • Women were seen as responsible for the fall of man
   • Restrictions

4. Appearances VS Reality

5. Death