This document provides an overview of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet in the context of Elizabethan England. It discusses the political and social conditions of the time period, including the rise of theater and technology. The document then examines Hamlet as both a medieval revenge tragedy and a work that demonstrates Renaissance ideals through its main character. Several key themes of the play are introduced, such as the reality of revenge, the search for truth and meaning, and the struggle with mortality. Students are directed to analyze passages reflecting these themes and discuss Hamlet's reactions.

1. A R E N A I S S A N C E M A N I N E L I Z A B E T H A N E N G L A N D
HAMLET

2. THINK ABOUT IT….
• Hamlet is a tale of:
• Murder
• Revenge
• Philosophy
• Supernatural

3. HAMLET IN 60 SECONDS
• Using your iPad, please go to the following website:
www.misspellegrini.wikispaces.com

4. OBJECTIVES:
• Explain the historical and social conditions of
Elizabethan England and their relation to Hamlet
• Evaluate the central themes of the revenge-
tragedy
• Analyze and explore the writing of Shakespeare in
terms of major themes

6. SHAKESPEARE’S ELIZABETHAN
ENGLAND
• The reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw the rise of
what we refer to in history as the “Elizabethan Era”,
or the English Renaissance.
• Famous for theatre
• Exploration and Expansion abroad, political “calmness”
after the Protestant Reformation at home
• Technological Advancements mostly restricted to
navigation
• Education was available through endowments- remains of
Renaissance humanism

7. LIFE DURING ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND
• Lifestyle very much depended on social standing
• Breakdown of the feudal system and population boom
• Apprenticeships and paid labor opportunities were also
increased.
• Leisure time- all plays were tightly regulated
• Believed in ultimate power of the monarch/divine
right of kings
• Emphasis on order
• Strong religious convictions

8. HAMLET: A MEDIEVAL REVENGE
TRAGEDY WITH A RENAISSANCE MAIN
MAN
• “There’s more to me than meets the eye”
• Hamlet’s Characteristics as a Renaissance Man:

9. HAMLET: THE PLAY
• Traditional medieval revenge-tragedy.
• Hamlet is expected to revenge his father, which is the
primary driving force of the plot.
• The major themes of the play are:
• The reality of revenge
• The search for truth and meaning in uncertainty
• The struggle with mortality

10. CENTRAL THEMES IN HAMLET
• Act I Scene V
• Hamlet encounters his fathers ghost and promises to
revenge his murder at the hands of his uncle, but
then….

11. CENTRAL THEMES:
REALITY OF REVENGE
HAMLET
O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else?
And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, hold, my heart,
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee!
Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee!
Yea, from the table of my memory
I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past
That youth and observation copied there,
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmixed with baser matter. Yes, by heaven!
O most pernicious woman!
O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!
My tables!—Meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.
At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark. (writes)
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word.

12. CENTRAL THEMES IN HAMLET
• The search for truth and meaning and
absolution of uncertainty
• Near the end of Act II Scene II, Hamlet
believes that his hatred for his uncle for
murdering his father is justified, but
questions whether he was so angry he
believed the ghost because he wanted
to…

13. CENTRAL THEMES IN HAMLET
The spirit I have seen, May be a devil, and the devil
hath power T’assume a pleasing shape, yea, and
perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy As
he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to
damn me.

14. INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY
Using information from today’s discussion, read the
passage on the website and with a partner, write
down (using proper grammar and spelling!) what you
think Hamlet is saying in his monologue. Be sure to
support your response with details. Why does Hamlet
have this reaction?
When complete, swap iPads with another group and
give feedback on their reactions in the same note
document.
www.misspellegrini.wikispaces.com