IT’S HAMLET TIME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iDds31CdNA

IN YOUR GROUP: DESIGN A POSTER

REQUIREMENTS:▪ AT LEAST 2 VISUAL AIDS▪ 10 FACTS (BULLET POINTS) OR

IMPORTANT INFORMATION▪ TITLE AT THE TOP OF YOUR TOPIC▪ YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON THIS

TOPIC. ▫ DO NOT JUST READ OFF THE

POSTER WHEN YOU PRESENT.

YOU WILL BE TEACHING THE CLASS ABOUT A TOPIC THAT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE HAMLET.

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TOPICS:▪ William Shakespeare▪ Inspiration for Hamlet

▫ Danish revenge story▪ The Renaissance Period▪ Reformation

Two groups will be assigned the same topic. Make yours better (;

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HISTORICAL CONTEXTDEBATABLY THE BEST CONTEXT?

• Known as the Early Modern period or the English Renaissance

• Queen Elizabeth I was an anomaly of the time… a strong, intelligent, & a well-respected woman of power.

• By refusing to marry throughout her 45 year reign as queen, she retained her own power & remained on good terms with other European nations at the same time

• Women, once married, had practically no rights. They could not work outside the home, & so were in charge of the “domestic sphere”

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“ These beliefs are repeated in Hamlet■ Gertrude= woman in charge of her own

sexuality= disgusting thing?■ Can political leaders choose freely in

love?Yet as with all literature, this is open to interpretation. Thus, many questions arise about the nature of Hamlet’s treatment of women:

■ Oedipus complex? --Split personality?■ Puritanical? --Truly in love?■ Immature?

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• Many members of a family would live in a small home, 4-8 people living in one room

• No sanitation measures, no indoor plumbing, no concept of germs or sterilization; Streets were literally filled with waste, both human & animal

LIVING CONDITIONS?

• 2 outbreaks of the bubonic plague occurred in London during Shakespeare’s life, forcing the theaters to close

• Thus, many acting companies went on tour

– Such as those who perform the “play within a play” in Hamlet

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THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT...■ Pay attention to the

language of physicality & sickness in the play

■ The nation of Denmark is often referenced as a “body”

■ Disease & illness imagery abounds

One of the first psychoanalytical approaches to literature: madness & melancholia

■ Is he actually “mad”?

■ Is he simply faking it?

■ How about everyone else?

■ FOLLOW THE LANGUAGE OF MADNESS!

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THE LANGUAGE THO...■ The diction may be challenging

○ Some words we don’t use anymore○ Some words we use differently○ Some words are localized

■ The syntax may be reversed/inverted○ Look for the verb/subject first: “In what

particular thought to work I know not”○ Look for delayed order/separation: “Now,

sir, young Fortinbras,/of unimproved mettle hot and full,/Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there/Sharked up a list of lawless resolutes

○ Look for omitted words○ Pay attention to punctuation, sentences

continuing onto the next line, etc.

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FOR REAL THO, TOUGH IT OUTShakespeare loves puns and figurative language

■ Be aware! Many characters (especially Polonius and Hamlet) speak in puns…so pay attention to double meanings

■ “A little more than kin and less than kind”

Remember iambic pentameter■ It’s supposed to be lyrical, like poetry■ The meter may be split between 2 lines

And always keep in mind that the dialogue is meant to be performed with action

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HAMLET IS:■ A tragedy: Drama which recounts an important series of events in the life

of a person of significance culminating in an unhappy catastrophe-specifically a revenge tragedy (4 revenge plots)

■ Metafiction/Metatheatre– Metafiction is a kind of fiction that comments on the very devices of fiction it employs. It usually

involves irony and is self-reflective. Metatheatre is similar— drama that calls attention to itself as a play or has occasion to comment on its own actions and devices.

■ Catharsis & unity■ A prince whose father has died (been killed?), and whose mother has

since married his uncle. His father’s ghost returns to tell him he must seek revenge. Intrigue, mystery, murder, and a play-within-a-play ensue.

– Will he ever act?– Whom can we trust?– Will anyone survive?

■ A play of questions…Only you have the answers

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MOTIFS + THEMES• Who is Hamlet?

– Mentally?– As an actor?– Is he mature?– Is he a tragic hero?

• Role of revenge– 4 revenge plots– Who does it affect and how?

• Psychoanalysis– Is Hamlet mad? – Representations of madness

in the text– Symbols/Dreams

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MOTIFS + THEMES• The Garden/The Fall

– Representations of Eden/Original sin

– Flower/nature imagery• Role of theatre/ acting/Metafiction

– Who’s acting, who’s not?– Play within a play

• Role of women– Differences in the genders– Women in power– The female experience

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MOTIFS + THEMES• Death/Disease

– Who or what is “rotten”?– How does that rot manifest?

• Obedience/Family Loyalty– Family, self, or state?– Obedience as a virtue?

• Play of questions– Who asks? – Can we answer?– “Who’s there?”

• A motif/theme of choice…

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LITERATURE CIRCLES

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INTRO TO LITERARY THEORY + CRITICISM

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