Changing the way you learn

Hamlet - Themes

Action v Inaction
1. dilemma of how/if to take action comes from genre of revenge tragdey where someone must take revenge on those who have wronged him
  1. Hamlet reshapes theme by H not being able to take nesassary action and creates the classic indecisive, but v complex character
  2. Horatio said H thinks 'too curiously' > too deeply
2. although H doesn't act other people's actions are seen to have undesirable consequences as well
  1. Claudius' scheming = end up in everyone dying
  2. Gertrude marries Claudius > husband's killer > dies
  3. Laetres = deceived by desire to take revenge (action) and dies from it
  4. Fortinbras = only one who's actions = lead to victory
3. play dosn't give answer of inaction v action > suggests that they both end in death anyway
4. H = contradictory > obssesses over whether action is right thing but every time he does act it's impulsive and he usually doesn't feel remorse
  1. first time H takes action = Act1Sc4 > goes after Ghost
  2. killing of Polonious = goes against his prev. morals against killing and doesn't show remorse
    1. shows it wasn't killing that we was afraid of?
    2. links murder w mother's 'crime' of marrying husband's murderer > testing her?
  3. sending R and G to deaths = no remorse
5. inaction in H on taking revenge = what drives the play
  1. even though he promises to act in Sc1 Act 5 he's cursing fate immediately
    1. curses mum before C
    2. 'O cursed spite! That I was ever born to set it right!''
  2. inaction = excuses/procrastination
    1. play within a play to determine C's guilt
      1. 'the play's wherein i'll catch the conscience of the King'
    2. play shows C's guilt but prevents H taking revenge
    3. after play H shows he has no excuse
  3. religious reasons about killing whilst C is praying
6. H's reason for inaction = wants to die > doesn't see point in world so what the point in revenge
  1. '...yet to me what is this quintessence of dust?'
  2. only thing that stops him = religious beliefs that suicide is sin
    1. '...everlasting had not fixed himself against delf-slaughter'
  3. resolved in Act5 Sc1 > agrees to fight L bc he doesn't care about dying anymore >ironically now able to take action
7. H's inaction = key comparison point for 'mirror' characters
  1. Laertes = straightfoward man who wastes no time in acting > complete opposite to H
    1. when he learns of father's death he comes to palace directly to confront king/hamlet
      1. ironically he looks like more of a king when he storms in > better king?
      2. let come what comes, only I'll be revenged most throughly for my father
      3. Claudius' manipulation of him shows him as acting w/o thinking type
        proves H = right to not act?
        L even forfiets religious beliefs to get revenge > after C had manipulated him
        ..cut his throat in a church
        exactly the thing Hamlet couldn't do to C
    2. Claudius = all about action but devious underhand action > can't really be called proper action?
      1. e.g. Act 3 Sc1 wastes n otime in sending H to England when he in unsure of motives > suspects him of murder
      2. shows inaction at not killing H for Polonious > for ore calculated reasons than H
    3. Fortinbras = willing to take action for honour > H sees nobility in his actions but knows they're foolish
      1. Frotinbras & H = v similiar > key dif = Fortinbras doesn't need to think before acting
        both princes who have lost dad in battle and are looking to avenge them
        both will
  2. Ophelia = takes all of H's actions he talks about and actually does them
    1. suicide
    2. goes mad
Appearence vs Reality
1. every character is constantly trying to figure out what other is really thinking
  1. tries to do so by use of deception
    1. where motifs of spying and plotting come in
2. Hamlet obsessed with discerning appearance from reality
  1. 'Seems, nay it is, I know not seems'
  2. not just other people's reality but his own
    1. reality of life and death
  3. obsession w reality = three efects
    1. as he become more obsessed he becomes less and less able to act
    2. in order to find realty he hides his own reality behind appearance of madness
      1. shows line between reality and appearance = indistinct
        soon cant tell if madness real or feigned
      2. as soon as he finds reality in Ghost he starts to hide behind appearance of madness > can't handle reality?
    3. more closely Hamlet looks, more and more incoherent and false everything seems
      1. suggests world is founded on fundamental inconsistences that people miss that allow them to act
  4. H's fatal flaw = that he's right to see uncertainties in everything and everyone doesn't see them
3. from v start theme = prevalent
  1. 'Horatio: who's there?'
    1. develops concept of uncertain reality
    2. Horatio = proven as realistic/honest character through admitting weird speed of marriage
4. Claudius = character most ssosaited w using appearance to hide true thoughts/actions
  1. speech in Act1Sc2 = shows him using fancy words and long formal sentences to give appearance of morality and power and make court forget about Old H
    1. appearance = shown as fake from quick subject change
      1. trying to make people forget about immoral action of marrying dead brother's wife and taking throne
  2. Act 1 Sc4 on battlements = shows his imorrality and how even 'great men' by appearance are corrupted
  3. manipulates Laetres w lang to sacrifice morals for revenge to alter perception in his favour
    1. using deceptive flattery of swordsmanship he gets Laetres to alter appearance of noble art of swordmanship w poison >
    2. C's reality revealed by L when dying > death = inescapable reality
  4. HOWEVER he willingly admits actions and doesn't lie to himself about not being able to ask for forgiveness
  5. always thinking about appearances and how things affect his appearance
    1. e.g. when thinking of ways to send H away w/o annoying public who loves H
      1. he's loved by the distracted multitude, who like not in their judgement but their eyes .... this sudden sending him away must seem deliberate pause.'
  6. was so deep in reality of lie he didn't save G
5. H uses play to show reality > actors make living out of giving appearance > irony
  1. even lectures players on how to create bridge between reality and appearance
6. Ghost = example of trouble finding reality > could be demon or not exist at all
7. Gertrude = shows appearance of ignorance at Old H's murder
  1. Act 2 Sc2 = shows she didn't know > blames H's behaviour on loss of father and her quick marriage
  2. H says she's ignoring 'truths' of her immorallty
    1. shows her assossiation w theme when she promises to rid herslef of sins but just goes immediately to C
      1. however last scene does show loyalty to H > trying to redeem herself by saving him?
      2. also doesn't tell C about how H killed in cold blood instead of madness > actually believes it?
8. H associates misogyny w hiding under appearance
  1. make-up =makes beauty dishonest
  2. true for him > gets angry at women when 'pretending' to be angry
9. set up meeting of O ad H = show appearance v reality physically and met > literally hiding themsleves
  1. makes Ophelia be dishonest > men corrupting her > has to to survive?
    1. Ophelia shows herself as (probably) only true character > madness = real
      1. in madness shows reality > flowers
10. skull sc Act5 Sc1 = shows H reality of death > comes to everyone no matter what > finds it freeing
  1. freedom from worrying about reality of death shown in match against Laetres > doesn't care about dying
11. whole of Act 5 Sc 2 = revealed truths/ truth winning > reality in death
  1. L tells H C was plotting to kill him
    1. lets H take revenge
    2. L and H forgive each other before deaths > dying honestly
  2. fortibras wins bc always real
Death, Posion and Corruption
1. poison = how Old H was murdered
  1. ears = motif in play bc C pouring poisonous words in people's ears
  2. people sense poison in Denmark under Claudius
    1. e.g. commoners who claudius fears will rise up and soldiers in first scene
2. H often speaks of rot and disease in Denmark
  1. unweeded garden
  2. constantly references dead bodies
    1. seems to prefer dead things
      1. says he loved ophelia when she's dead and can't be lying to him
  3. however he also talks about life generally with same type of disgusting lang
    1. by end of play he realises death = only true reality
  4. obsessed w concept of death and afterlife > wants to die but can't bc will go to Hell
    1. Act 1 Sc 2 = 'oh this too too solid flesh would melt...'
3. Ghost = symbol of something corrupt in Denmark
  1. 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark'
    1. said at the start of the play > foreboding
    2. people in medieval times people believed health of nation = legitamacy of king
4. Hamlet assosiates corruption w women > they use make up to hide age (death)
  1. also shows corruption of women through the dirty and corrupt description of Gertrude's love making to C
    1. but to live in the rank of the wea of an enseamed bed, stew'd in corruption... honeying and making love over the nasty sty
5. when Claudius reveals he did murder King Hamlet and isn't sorry for > audience = knows hamlet is righ to take revenge
6. H uses death and disease to threaten C
  1. how C might end up in the 'guts of a beggar'
7. Laetres = example of character corrupted by revenge
  1. honourable man but cheats and plots w C > uses poison > not honourable weapon
  2. revenge and corruption bc of it kills him
8. Act 5 Sc 1 = grave digger scene > allows H to further indulge facination w death
  1. when gravedigger gives H skull he realises it's his old court jester > realises death in inescapable and comes for everyone no matter what
9. death scene in Sc 5 Sc 2 = consequences of corruption and poison of state and mind
Religion, Revenge and Honour
1. Act 1 Sc 1 = Ghost immediatley connected w revenge > fortinbras
  1. every father/son relationship in play leads to revenge
2. Ghost shows H his unease at state of Denmark = reflected spiritually
  1. Ghost being stuck in purgatory = sympathy w relgious H and contemporary audience
3. central plot of play = H's inability to take revenge for fear of divine retribution and his general lack of willingness
  1. act 1 sc 5 shows his contridiction bc just after he promises to take revenge to father he curses his fate > doesn't want to
    1. oh cursed spite! That I was ever born to set it right!
  2. also doesn't want to take revenge bc suicudal
    1. why take revenge when there's no point to living/dying
  3. Act 3 Sc 3 = didn't take revenge bc C appeared to be plarying > religous reasons = overcome desire to take revenge
    1. immediatley contridited by killing of POlonius > no remorse
  4. Act 4 Sc 4 = H comapres himself to Fortinbras > willing to fight over a worthless piece of land just for honour and evenge
    1. Fortinbras ends up bring only who achieves vengance > bc he doesn't pursue it and doesn't plot
  5. L = direct contrast to H in terms of taking erevenge and trouble w religoin > nearly starts revolution annd willing to kill in church all for revenge
    1. i dare damnation
    2. to cut his throat in a church
    3. L ends up being corrupted by need for revenge > had prided himself on honour
4. code of conduct society lives and actions by = defined by honour and religion
  1. Hamlet discovers honour and religion have contradiciting morals > revenge
    1. reasons for revenge = become muddy and justice = confused
5. Wittenburg = centre of Reformation and new religious ideas
  1. Claudius and Gertrude telling H not to go back = to stop him developing ideas of his own?
6. play within play = makes H unable to avoid taking revenge
7. Act 5 Sc 1 gravediggers = comment on how religion = biased towards wealthy
  1. makes all H's previous agonising over religious implications of dying= pointless

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	Created by Jess Watts almost 8 years ago