Summary and Analysis: Hamlet

Hamlet

THE BASICS:

Author - William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, and since his time, this play has always been considered one of his masterpieces. The story goes that Shakespeare wrote this play after his son, Hamnet, passed away, which easily explains the similarity between the choice of names.

Setting - The play takes place in Denmark. Most of the action takes place at Elsinore, the king's castle, however some does take place in the fields and even at sea (though this action is never seen).

Plot -

Hamlet begins at a very tense and important moment at Elsinore. A ghost in the form of Hamlet, Sr. has been sighted outside of the castle. Hamlet, Sr. has passed away and his son and namesake has returned home from his studies in Wittenburg to  mourn his father. His mother and uncle, who has been awarded the crown by the council, are married and Hamlet, Jr. (henceforth, Hamlet) is quite upset that no one seems to care about his father's death or the seeming incest or unholiness in Gertrude's hasty marriage to Claudius. Hamlet is forced to stay in Elsinore against his will and begins to contemplate suicide based on his thoughts on his own identity. He carries a flame for Ophelia, who returns his affection. However, Ophelia's father, Polonius catches wind of this and puts a stop to their relationship. Hamlet is brought to meet with the ghost of his father, where the ghost tells him that Claudius murdered him and orders him to avenge him. This coupled with Ophelia's "spurn" causes him to lose his marbles, leading the court to believe that he is mad in love, rather than revenge. After a confrontation with Ophelia and a hidden threat to Claudius, the action is set in motion. Hamlet uses a play to deduce the true guilt of Claudius but loses a convenient opportunity to avenge his father. Later, he confronts his mother and ends up killing Polonius in a fit of rage (but he meant to kill Claudius). This fatal mistake generates the tragedy, where Hamlet is sent to England, but miraculously escapes and returns to even more scheming by Laertes and Claudius. In the final scene, Hamlet accepts his role in God's game of fate and ends up dueling Laertes. Claudius has poisoned one sword and also poisoned Hamlet's drink in case. Gertrude ends up drinking the wine and dies soon after, but Hamlet is already struck by the poisoned sword as well as Laertes. Hamlet then kills Claudius and dies in Horatio's arms, leaving the kingdom to Prince Fortinbras of Norway.

Characters -

• Hamlet: He is the protagonist.
• Claudies: Antagonist.
• Ophelia: Hamlet's love interest. Kills herself.
• Gertrude:Hamlet's mother. Dies as a consequence of Claudius' scheme.
• Laertes: Ophelia's brother who returns to avenge his father
• Polonius: father to Laertes and Ophelia. Murdered by Hamlet.

NARRATIVE VOICE
There is not much of a voice, since this is a play. If anything the voice truly comes out in the theme statement as that works to exemplify what Shakespeare is trying to say throughout the play.


STYLE
-Pov: The play takes place in the third person perspective, but it almost goes into first person as Shakespeare uses the text to really expose Hamlet's thoughts and feelings. Through introspection, Shakespeare adds a strong dimension to Hamlet and other characters like Claudius. So alongside the action, we also see into the views of many characters.
-Tone: The tone is one of deep questioning. Throughout the play, Shakespeare calls a lot of things into question, especially societal things like morality, duty, and identity. By highlighting these issues, he takes on a very strong stance against the ideas of faking or deceit, even if they may be inherent in human nature.
-Imagery: The language in this play offers some very deep, vivid imagery, especially in relation to Hamlet. There are often times where the text just runs on and on with deep descriptions of ideas or events. One example is when the player describes the scene of Troy or when Hamlet uses his rank, rotten corpse analogy for the House of Denmark.
-Symbolism: There is a lot of Christian symbolism. The names of the characters, Hamlet and Gertrude as opposed to Claudius and Polonius, highlight the difference/tension between Catholics (Roman) and Protestants (Germanic). Hamlet himself is quite the Christ figure due to his ultimate sacrifice in the name of God as well as the fact that he is around 30, like Jesus was during the crucifixion. Elsinore seems to symbolize the insulated isolation of royalty, where a world of schemes and devious ideas is separate from the rest of the world.

QUOTES

• "There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all."

This quote serves to relieve all tension in Hamlet's mind. He has finally realized his transgression against God and decides to accept his fate for what it is. In trying to bend his fate to serve his desires, he has ultimately transgressed against God, which he finally comes to realize in this scene. Here, he returns the power and control to God.

• "That I, the son of a dear father murdered,
  Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
  Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
  and fall a-cursing like a very drab"

This quote exposes the religious conflict Hamlet is facing within his conscience. He wants to avenge his father but also sees that there is just as much evil in the deed as good. This conflict is one of the roots of his indecision.


THEME
Shakespeare's Hamlet cautions that self-doubt coupled to moral corruption can lead to the subversion of providence.

Both in direct quotations and in allusions, providence is constantly brought up in the context of Hamlet, who constantly vacillates between taking his fate into his own hands or letting God just do his work. In effect, the usurpation that occurs throughout the story is not just against other people, but really works against God's plan, so providence really emerges as a link amongst all of the devious crimes and schemes that people are constantly hatching at Elsinore.

In Hamlet's situation, his lack of a strong sense of identity lies at the root of his inability to act. But within the moral corruption that surrounds him at Elsinore, he eventually contradicts what he believes and goes along with the unnatural, unholy spirit of his father, as opposed to the moral ways of God. This moral corruption is what drives him to commit the first act of murder on Polonius, which leads to the domino effect of death, serving as God's retribution for the usurpation of his power.

Response to Course Materials

So, there has not been an awful lot of material, but we did achieve one pretty impressive benchmark, our theme statement for Hamlet, among some others.

Going into our final discussion of Hamlet, I really felt like we could have gone on for ages listing motifs. I honestly do not know how he does it, but Shakespeare includes a patchwork quilt of patterns throughout this play. As we started to zone in towards our theme statement, I actually really liked Holmes' analogy of the sticky strings as the connections across the play with the central conflict. I find it interesting how we never really talked about the indecision in Hamlet until reading the article, which took such a simple characteristic of Hamlet and built a strong, complex theory out of it. As opposed to other issues like love or loyalty, I found this conflict of Hamlet's moral choice to satisfy my quest for the central conflict, just as it did for the class. As we zoned in on this trait, I also found Hamlet's problem much more relatable, and our discussion of the huge role of religion in his life really clarified his perspective for me. Now that we have completed our discussions, I relate Hamlet to the archetypal story of the confused Indian child that I have seen in countless Bollywood movies. It is the kid who has been raised his entire life towards being a doctor or engineer, and nothing else. He wasn't even asked what he wanted to be. Thinking back to Hamlet's identity crisis, I find this to be a strong connection (who knows, it might even be based on Hamlet's conflict) which easily fits into the play. Hamlet doesn't want to be royal just as the kid doesn't want to be a surgeon. Hamlet is stuck between his rage and morals just as the kid is stuck between his/her loyalty to family and their own life desires.

I actually missed the last two days of final exam review, but I really liked this activity because it exemplified the true team spirit of this class. Sure, I have been in lab groups and done peer reviews, but the collaborative exam review was definitely a new experience for me. Prior to this, I guess I held the independent student mindset: I'm self-sufficient. I don't need any help for this exam. But seeing the awesome work done by all of the hours, I have really come to see this class in a new light.

Open Prompts, Part Two

2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes’ observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

In The American Dream by Edward Albee, the plot revolves around the question of whether or not materialism is a good influence on society. Throughout the play, Albee answers this question using his characters as instruments of a metaphor to depict the answer to this question.

Throughout the play, Mommy and Daddy are depicted as two extremes on a spectrum of masculinity/femininity. Mommy has taken on the role of the alpha male in the family, dominating all discussions and attempting to control every other character's thoughts and actions. Daddy, on the other hand simply stands back and allows her to have her way. This role reversal serves to point out that the rising trend of materialism has completely shifted the gender dynamic towards women, who have power through the money they are willing and determined to spend on aesthetics. Through this continually restated motif, Albee sheds light on an answer to the question, that being yes. Alongside the reversed and often disturbing dynamic dynamic between Mommy and Daddy, Albee uses the family in the play to depict the perversion of the American family unit, which is something that he equates with the rise of materialism and the loss of older American values. The relationship between Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma is continually minimized, and almost means nothing, since none but Grandma actually value these ties. This cold and distant relationship is furthered with Mommy's anecdote about the cap because she continually places emphasis on her own pleasure and her own importance in the story as opposed to the fact that she is sharing something with her husband. By depicting his characters as mindless and heartless, Albee raises the question of the effects of the modern trend of materialism, and whether or not it is truly a progressive development in society. His answer to this question is that it is a horrible development that is destroying the heart and soul of American values as well as the American people.

Another instrument through which Albee answers this question with the new American Dream. The boy, who is linked with materialism through his extreme good looks is disembowled both physically and mentally, wherein he no longer feels anything. His tie to the "bumble" shows how Mommy and Daddy's pursuit of a family that satisfies societal expectations instead of the basic love and compassion that are essential to a normal family has destroyed any sense of the basic human ideals. Grandma's voice of reason acts to contrast with this and emphasize the destruction wrought by the pursuit of idealistic perfection, which is shown in the depressing nature of the young man. He has everything he needs to succeed, but still cannot due to his emptiness.

Materialism is the central issue of this play, and as Albee portrays its threat on traditional values, he questions whether or not it is a beneficial form of progress. His answer to this question is a strong, if not vehement no, which he portrays using his characters to demonstrate the evils of materialistic trends.