A slideshow introducing the first three acts of Hamlet.

1. WEEK 9:
WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE
& HAMLET

2. WHY STUDY
SHAKESPEA
RE?
In Shakespeare’s time,
many English playwrights
competed for attention,
and Shakespeare was
neither the most popular
with the public nor the
most highly regarded by
“the critics.” So why do we
continue to study his
work, when nearly all his
contemporaries have
faded into obscurity?

3. CHARACTERS WITH PERSONALITY
In Shakespeare: The Invention of the
Human (NY: Penguin, 1998), Harold
Bloom explains, “Literary character before
Shakespeare is relatively unchanging;
women and men are represented as aging
and dying, but not as changing… In
Shakespeare, characters develop rather
than unfold” (xvii).
Norton p. 2624: “Rich though it may be in
plot, the most striking thing about
Hamlet is its representation of the main
character’s interiority.” Like so many
Shakespeare protagonists, Hamlet is a
fully realized personality with
psychological complexity.

4. THE STRUCTURE OF THE FIRST
THREE ACTS
Act I: the stage is set for tragedy
with the establishment of
something wrong (“something is
rotten”).
1) The first scene shows us a ghost
haunting the castle of Elsinore,
resembling the recently dead ruler
– sign of chaos.
2) Even before the ghost has told
his tale of murder, Hamlet feels
isolated in his grief and betrayed
by his mother’s remarriage. (See p.
2635, lines 85-86, p. 2636, lines
129-158.)
3) Hamlet wishes to escape the
court (2636, 112-114). Polonius’
son Laertes does escape, at least
temporarily.
4) Laertes and Polonius are both
undermining Ophelia’s relationship
with Hamlet, warning her not to
trust him (ps. 2640-2643).
5) The new King must cope with
the potential threat of invaders
from Norway.
6) Act I climaxes as Hamlet meets
the ghost.

5. STRUCTUR
E,
CONTINUE
D
Act II: The chaos builds, as Hamlet puts on
his disguise of madness. As a “madman,” he
embodies chaos.
1. The King and Queen may appear well-
meaning, as they commission
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out
what’s wrong with Hamlet (ps. 2654-
2655). In reality they’re creating a trust
barrier between Hamlet and two of his
friends, adding to his sense of isolation.
2. Polonius decides Ophelia’s rejection of
Hamlet has driven him insane.
3. The players arrive. Here is Hamlet’s
opportunity to get extra evidence to add
to the ghost’s word.
(Players = deception. With the exception of
Horatio, everyone is an actor in Hamlet’s
world.)

6. STRUCTUR
E,
CONTINUE
D
Act III: The point of no return
1. In the third acts of most of Shakespeare’s
tragedies, someone is killed, an act from which
there is no retreat. Here, Polonius is the unlucky
one (2685).
2. Courtship and the possibility of marriage, a
symbol of order and harmony in Shakespeare’s
comedies, are ruptured here as Hamlet rejects
Ophelia (p. 2671); if we have “no more
marriages” (line 141), order cannot reassert
itself.
3. The King’s reaction to the play gives Hamlet the
evidence he’s looking for.
4. The King now views Hamlet as a threat (p. 2682,
1-2). Polonius’ murder will give him the excuse
he needs to plot against Hamlet’s life.
(Remember that Shakespeare wrote his plays to be
seen and performed. Seek out a good production of
Hamlet to watch as you read.)