hamlet – prince of denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died claudius...
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Notes on The Tragedy of Hamlet
Hamlet – Prince of Denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died
Claudius – King of Denmark; brother of King Hamlet; the uncle/stepfather of young Hamlet; took over the throne from his brother King Hamlet, Sr. who died
Gertrude – Queen of Denmark; mother of Hamlet; former wife of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius
Polonius – chief advisor to Claudius; father of Laertes and Ophelia
Ophelia – quasi-love interest of Hamlet
Laertes – same age as Hamlet; home from school because of King Hamlet’s death
Setting
Denmark, within Christian times
Story was from sources placing the tale of Hamlet in pre-Christian times
From information of the play, we can assume it is set in the early Medieval period of Europe when the Danish held sway in England
Themes
Power and position – shifts, FTAs
Hamlet himself – one of the most multi-faceted characters of any Shakespearean play – no clear-cut picture of the man
Madness – Is Hamlet crazy? Is he sane? Who is sane?
Incest and intrigue – NOT necessarily an idea of Hamlet having an Oedipal complex (Freudian reading);
between Claudius and Gertrude
Indecision and revenge
Mortality and beyond
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