BRITISH LITERATURE

1. ACHARYA INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
HAMLET
To : NEHA KUMARI MAM
(BRITISH LITERATURER)
By : KARTHIKA MK
MA ENGLISH
SEMESTER 1

2. BY
William Shakespeare

3.  Shakespheare was born 26 april 1564, Startford.
Widely considered as the World’s Greatest Dramatist.
Wrotes 38 plays & 154 sonnets.
 Worked as an actor, playwritter & co-owner of a drama
company called “LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MEN” – later known
as the KINGS MEN.
Greatest play include HAMLET , OTHELLO, KING LEAR &
ROMEO and JULIET.
The first publishing of shakespheare’s work in ‘1st folio’ in
1623.
 His plays have 3 main divisions ; comedies(‘All’s well that
ends well’, ’Much ado about nothing’), Histories(‘Henry
V’),Tragedies(‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Othello’ , ‘Hamlet’ )

4. Tragedy of hamlet :Prince
of Denmark
1st performance between
1601 and 1602
Longest play of William
Shakespheare
Set in Elsinore Castle in
Denmark

5. CHARACTERS :
1. Hamlet : Prince of Denmark
2. Claudius : King of Denmark and Hamlet’s uncle
3. Gertrude : Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother
4. Ghost of Hamlet’s father

6. 5. Polonius : Chief Counselor of Claudius
6. Ophelia : Daughter of Polonius and Hamlet’s
love interest.
7. Laertes : Son of Polonius.
8. Horatio : Loyal friend and Confidante of Hamlet
9. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern : Friends of
Hamlet
10. Fortinbras : Prince of Norway

7. PLOT OF HAMLET’S PLAY
ACT – 1
- Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost of his father.
- Hamlet decides to wait for the ghost at night.
- The ghost arrives and tell Hamlet that his father
was murdered by claudius. Claudius had poured
poison in his ears when he was asleep. The ghost
tells Hamlet to avenge his father’s death.

8. ACT-2
- Polonius thinks Hamlet is mad in love with his
daughter, Ophelia.
- King Claudius and Queen Gertrude welcome
Rozencrantz and Guildenstern, friends of Hamlet and
ask them to find out the reason behind Hamlet’s
weird behavior
- Hamlet decides to stage a play “Murder of Gonzago”
that feature a murder similar to the way his father
was murdered, according to what the ghost said.
- Hamlet wants to study the reaction of Claudius on
watching the play.

9. ACT -3
- Claudius observes Hamlet and Ophelia and is
convinced that Hamlet is not mad for love
- Claudius feels guilty and uncomfortable while watching
the play “Murder of Gonzago”. Leaves the room in
haste.
- Prayer scene : Hamlet watches claudius praying and
decides not to kill him.
- Hamlet visit Gertrude’s chamber and they fight bitterly.
- Hamlet accidently kills polonius who was hiding in
Gertrude’s chamber.

10. ACT-4
- Claudius sends Hamlet to England with
Rosencrantz and Guidenstern. Tells the English
King to execute Hamlet. His plan fails as Hamlet
returns to Denmark fooling his friends.
- Claudius convinces Leartes that Hamlet is solely
responsible for the death of Polonius.
- Claudius proposes a fencing match between Hamlet
and Laertes with the intention of Killing Hamlet.
- Gertrude reports that Ophelia has drowned.

11. ACT -5
- Gravedigger Scene : Hamlet meets Horatio in
graveyard of Ophelia. Contemplates on mortality.
- Hamlet and Laertes engage in the fencing match
planned by Claudius.
- Gertrude accidently drinks the poisoned wine prepared
for Hamlet and dies.
- Both Laertes and Hamlet get wounded by the poison-
tipped sword.
- Before dying , Hamlet kills Claudius.
- Horatio explains the truth to Fortinbras who become
the new King.

12. STRUCTURE OF REVENGE PLAY :
1. Exposition ( usually by a
ghost or a by a victim in
their final moment.)
2. Anticipation (an eloborate
plan for carrying out the
revenge is prepared )
3. Confrontation ( where the
avenger and the villian
comes face to face.
4. Delay(the avenger keeps
postponing taking action due
to moral or personal reason)
5. Fulfillment(both the avenger
and the villain are destroyed
along with innocent
bystanders)

13. CENTRAL THEMES
1. Mortality (begins with the ghost , contemplation
of suicide, graveyard and Ophelias funeral)
2. Reality vs. Appearance (the presence of ghost
and imagination of hamlet, the presence of
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and their spy
work in elsinore, Hamlet’s antique despecition.
3. Thought vs. Action (Laertes and Fortinbras are
foyal for Hamlet where Hamlet is depicted as
the man of thought and other two are depicted
as man of action)

14. 4. Madness ( Hamlet , Ophelia and
Claudius has gone mad over the
course of play)
5. Revenge (Young Fortinbras,
Laertes and Hamlet all were
looking to sieze revenge on their
fathers death)

15. TRAGIC FLAW (HAMARTIA) OF HAMLET:
Failure to act or act fast enough.
He thinks so much about the
consequences of action that
action gets postponed.
Hamlet is a thinking man who
cannot take decisive action at the
right time.

16. 7 SOLILOQUES IN HAMLET
 Soliloque1 appears in ACT-1(scene-2)
‘that this too sullied flesh would melt’
Shows how disgusted Hamlet is at his
Mother’s re-marriage.
 Soliloque2 is in ACT-1(scene-5)
After meeting the ghost, Hamlet commits
to avenge his father’s death.

17.  Soliloquy 3 occurs in ACT-2(scene-2)Where
hamlet feel guilt for not taking revenge.
 Soliloquy 4 ‘To be or not to be’ occurs in
ACT-3 (scene 1) where Hamlet thinks about the
conflict between passion and reason.
 Soliloquy 5 ‘Tis now the very witching time of
night’ occurs in ACT-3(scene-2) before Hamlet
goes to Gertrude’s Chamber.

18.  Soliloquy 6 occurs in ACT-3(scene-3)
Prayer scene : when Hamlet decides not to
kill claudius.
 Soliloquy 7 occurs in ACT4(scene-4) when
Hamlet thinks about his inability to execute
his revenge even with sufficient motive &
cause