Hamlet--- Summary and Analysis

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• no birth records exist, only church records of baptism
• English poet and playwright
• married to a woman named Anne Hathaway
• had a son named Hamnet (I thought it was interesting how it sounded like Hamlet)
• wasn't as famous until the 19th century
• christian; he was buried in the Holy Trinity Church

Setting

• Denmark
• Elsinore Castle
• Graveyard
• Gertrude's bedroom; Closet, which actually was a private intimate space
• Time: late medieval period

Plot

• Act I
• While guarding the Elsinore Castle, Marcellus and Bernardo see a ghost that appears like past King Hamlet and tells Horatio.
• Horatio agrees that the ghost resembles dead King Hamlet and tries to speak with it, but no answer is heard
• Meanwhile, King Claudius, past King Hamlet's brother takes the throne and claims to take Gertrude, his brother's wife as his wife.
• Prince Hamlet is still bitter and mourns for his father's death while Laertes claims to leave to France. 
• Claudius starts to act as a father to Hamlet and tells Hamlet to stay in the castle, for he is the next king.
• Hamlet is in great grief over his father's death and his mother's remarriage and desires to end his life until Horatio tells him about the ghost
• In the Meantime, as Laertes is getting ready to leave, he insists his sister, Ophelia, to stop loving Hamlet. 
• Ophelia's father, Polonius becomes aware of Ophelia and Hamlet's relationship and forbids their love because Hamlet is in higher rank and he will not keep his promise and Ophelia obeys.
• Hamlet finally appears in front of the ghost and is told about his father's death. He also receives an order to seek revenge on Claudius who killed him. 
• Hamlet swears to do so, and tells no one. The ghost only talked to Hamlet. 
• Act II
• Polonius sends a messenger to France to spy on his son Laertes.
• As Ophelia enters and tells him about Hamlet's visit, Polonius decides to tell the King and Queen about Hamlet's emotional state
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's childhood friends, arrive from their college upon the King and Queens order.
• They are ordered to find out what Hamlet is actually thinking and what is bothering him and to cheer him up
• Polonius enters with great news from surrounding countries. He then talks about Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship showing them Hamlet's love letters.
• Polonius and the King and Queen come up with a plan to see how Hamlet confronts Ophelia when no one is present. 
• Rosencrantz and Guilderstern first confront Hamlet, but Hamlet's notices that the King and Queen sent them, they admit it and can't get anything out of him.
• Soon after, the players for the play have arrived, and Hamlet is fond of them more than ever.
• Act III
• Upon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's message, the King and Queen agree to watch the play.
• Meanwhile, King Queen, and Polonius decide to use the plan.
• As Hamlet states the famous "To be, or not to be" speech, he concerns or death and is having trouble distinguishing the ghost as temptation or truly his father's spirit.
• As Ophelia approaches, Hamlet shows disgust and anger. 
• The king and queen both agree that Hamlet's madness is not caused by his love for Ophelia
• Polonius asks once more to spy on Hamlet. They arrange to send Hamlet in Gertrude's room after the play where Polonius will hide and listen.
• The play is about to begin and Hamlet insists them to weave the new story he has written in the play without making it obvious.
• As the play opens up, Hamlet continues to taunt Opehlia and embarrass her. 
• His plan is to see how Claudius reacts to the new scene (scene where a brother kills the king to receive the throne). 
• Once that scene is shows, Claudius becomes furious and leaves, in which Hamlet is now sure that what the ghost said is true.
• The King order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet back to England and Polonius comes in to remind him about the plan
• Polonius tells Hamlet that the queen is waiting for him at her room to talk. 
• As Hamlet makes his way to kill Claudius and go talk to the queen, he sees that Claudius is praying. Hamlet knows that the murder will not benefit him, for Claudius just repented his sins and decides not to.
• Hamlet makes his way into Gertrude's room and is furious of all the actions Gertrude has done and makes her feel guilty for past King Hamlet. 
• As Gertrude cannot take it any longer, she asks for help and Polonius comes out of the curtains. Thinking that it is Claudius, Hamlet desperately stabs and kills him.
• Hamlet shows no regret to his action and leaves with Polonius's body
• Act IV
• Gertrude hurries on to Claudius and tells him of everything that happened with her and Hamlet
• They both agree to send Hamlet off to exile in England and call for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out where Hamlet put the dead body
• Hamlet refuses to say and allows them to take him to the King
• The King explains of Polonius's death and plan to send Hamlet off. Before leaving, Hamlet mentions that the location of the body and agrees to leave.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are ordered to kill Hamlet.
• Meanwhile Horatio convinces Gertrude to talk to Ophelia
• Ophelia is in her sleep clothing and has gone mad in front of the king and queen.
• Once Ophelia leaves, Laertes arrive with a armed force to kill Claudius for his father's death
• The king and queen reveal that it wasn't Claudius, but Hamlet. Laertes also encounters his sister has gone crazy.
• Claudius asks Laertes to meet him in private and discuss the things that have happened
• Claudius then receives a letter stating that Hamlet is not dead and that will be arriving the next day
• Claudius and Laertes plan a scheme to kill Hamlet
• Gertrude then enters with news to Laertes that Ophelia has drowned herself 
• Act V
• As the gravediggers are preparing a burial for Ophelia, they argue if Ophelia has the right to be buried with christian burial
• Hamlet and Horatio appear behind and soon find out that Ophelia is the women getting buried
• unable to control his frustration, Hamlet runs out to the King, Queen and Laertes proclaiming about how much he loved her
• After Hamlet leaves, he tells Horatio how he survived through the pirates and Claudius' plan to kill him
• Meanwhile, Osric comes in with a message from Claudius. Osric flatter Hamlet and then talks about how good Laertes fencing skills are to get Hamlet Jealous.
• Hamlet does not get jealous, but still accepts to fence with Laertes.
• Laertes and Claudius have poisoned the drink and the sword and put pearls in the drink to kill Hamlet. 
• Once Hamlet and Laertes begin to fight, Hamlet sincerely apologizes and Laertes is not sure if he wants to kill Hamlet. 
• As Hamlet receives the first victory, Gertrude drinks the wine even after Claudius said not to and dies. 
• In the meantime, Laertes and Hamlet is already poisoned by the sword and Hamlet also murders Claudius
• Horatio says that he will follow Hamlet's death, but Hamlet doesn't allow him to.
• After the deaths, Fortinbras attacks and takes control of Denmark, Hamlet is the only one Fortinbas allow for burial. 

Significant Characters:

• Hamlet
• Protagonist
• Prince of Denmark
• Son of present Queen Gertrude and late King Hamlet
• Studies at University of Wittenberg 
• Has mixed feelings about the ghost
• Plans to revenge King Claudius
• Throughout the play, Hamlet begins to trust no one.
• He is very witty, sarcastic, and bitter
• Had a love relationship with Ophelia  
• Claudius
• Present King of Denmark
• Uncle to Hamlet
• Married his brother's wife, Hamlet's mother, Gertrude
• Assumed to have poisoned his brother/late king.
• Tries to kill Hamlet towards the latter Acts.
• Very ambitious and fake
• Gertrude
• Queen of Denmark
• Prince Hamlet's mother
• Re-married to present King Claudius
• Thrives to keep her status 
• Gertrude doesn't decide or have a say in anything
• Lonely
• Ghost
• Resembles past King Hamlet
• Only seen by Marcellus, Bernardo, Horatio and Hamlet
• Only talks with Hamlet
• Asks Hamlet to revenge Claudius for his death
• Claims to have been poisoned by Claudius
• Appears once in a while to Hamlet to remind him about the revenge
• Never sure if it actually exists, or it was a temptation
• Horatio
• Friend of Hamlet
• Also studies at University of Wittenberg
• Only person Hamlet trusts throughout the play, although Hamlet's trust is questioned by critics
• One of the first people to see the ghost
• The one who ends up telling the story of Hamlet
• Skeptical about the ghost
• Ophelia
• Polonius's daughter
• Status doesn't meet Hamlet's status
• Hamlet's love (?)
• Desperate to get Hamlet back
• Described as lovely, pretty, beautiful
• Obedient to her father and brother, Laertes
• Assumed to have been pregnant with Hamlet's child
• Polonius
• Lord Chamberlain (noble) of Claudius
• Father of Laertes and Ophelia
• Manipulative and controlling
• ambitious for power
• Laertes
• Son of Polonius and older brother of Ophelia
• Apparently really good at fighting (fencing).
• He is sent to France majority of the play
• serves as a foil to Hamlet, who has a contemplative behavior
• towards the end, Laertes revenges for his sister and father's death

Shakespeare's Style:

• Motif
• Recurring biblical references: 
• Hamlet refers to a husband and wife as one flesh. 
• the cock crowing three times is similar to the ghost's appearances
• Polonius's act as Julius Caesar 
• the murder of Claudius's brother, King Hamlet also refers to Cain and Abel
• Betrayal
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray the childhood friendship and try to lead Hamlet to death
• Gertrude betrays her son, Hamlet and tells Claudius what happened in her room and how Hamlet killed Polonius.
• Claudius betrays his brother and takes his throne
• Claudius betrays Hamlet, and makes it look like he's sent to England, but is ordered to be killed
• Uncertainty
• Polonius is very uncertain about Hamlet's love for Ophelia in which he continues to spy on
• King and Queen are uncertain of Hamlet's madness
• Hamlet is uncertain to which he should believe the ghost or not
• Imagery
• Hamlet's description by Ophelia
• Description of the ghost's appearance
• using metaphors to depict an emotional state
• Tone
• revenge, madness tone in Laertes and Hamlet
• witty and sarcasm in Hamlet's madness
• convincing/ persuasive tone from Claudius or Polonius
• Uncertainty 

Quotes:

• "To be or not to be" soliloquy
• The moment Hamlet can't decide if the ghost is right or wrong. He stumbles across dying because everything would be over, and no one would have to worry about anything. (one of the most famous quotes in literature)

PROMPT REVISION

1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.

PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON: A wealthy man had two sons. One day, the younger son asked his father for his portion of the inheritance. Without a say, the father gave him what was going to be passed on to him. Soon after, the son left to a distant place away from his father's home to live off on his home. He spent all the money given and had nothing left. As the country also faced a famine, he desperately asked around for work. A farmer was willing to hire him and sent him off to feed the pigs. Surrounded by pigs, he couldn't hold his hunger and ate the pod alongside the pigs. He realized that servants at his father's house live in a better condition than him. He decided to go back; in the meantime, the father saw his son from a distance and ran to him with joy and threw him a feast to celebrate his arrival. During the celebration, his older son refused to celebrate, for he was the one that stayed by his father's side and never left. His father replied to him saying that everything he has is already his older son's but that they should be happy that his younger brother came back. 

     According to Thomas C. Foster, when in doubt, literature is enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or even other works of Literature. In that case, one can assume that Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller contains allusions from one of the parables in the Bible. The relationship between Willy Loman, Biff, and Happy relate to the prodigal son. With the surface meaning from the parable, Biff resembles the prodigal son, which leads Willy with higher expectations in addition to character contrast that enhances the plot of the Death of a Salesman.

     When comparing the play with the parable, the play follows the surface story and meaning of the parable with slight changes. In the parable, the son leaves to live off on his own and comes back after facing reality. This corresponds to Biff leaving at an early age to the west and living on a farm. Upon Biff's arrival, readers notice Willy's higher expectations for biff, which can be referred to the feast that the father held for his long lost son. Because Willy rarely faces reality, he thinks that the higher expectations will make Biff into a greater person; he feels that this is the best for Biff's arrival.Through this incident, the story unfolds with Biff being forced into the business world. 

     The allusion to the parable also creates a contrast between Biff and Happy. According to the parable, as the son arrives, the other son refuses to celebrate for his brother. He finds it unfair that he's been by his father's side the whole time period, but his brother gets the attention. In response, the father says that everything already belongs to the son that stayed with him. This connects perfectly to Happy and Biff. Throughout the play, it's obvious to see that Happy doesn't receive his parent's love. In fact, Happy is a very passive character who continues to joke and keep peace within his family. Although he doesn't get angry or upset like the the older son in the parable, one can definitely see differences in how Biff and Happy are treated. With Biff's arrival, Willy doesn't expect much from Happy because he is settled in the business environment. Moreover, When the father in the parable says that everything belongs to this son already, one can see that all the "belongings" in the play is Willy's personality itself. Happy resembles all the traits of Willy: business world, many women in his surroundings, and false dreams. With this aspect in the play, it provides the readers with deeper understanding of Willy and both his sons.

    Most importantly, the "inheritance" given to the leaving son in the beginning of the parable appears at the end of Death of a Salesman; this reference to the parable serves as an important purpose in the play. Unlike the parable, Biff never asks Willy for his inheritance but it's still given. That is because Willy leaves near the end of the play to kill himself and get his family the insurance money. In reference to the parable, Willy's "inheritance" is the price of his life. With the slight change in sequence between the two stories, Death of a Salesman ends with a powerful message. Through his death "inheritance", one can analyse Willy's character which further explains his relationship with people throughout his life.
     Although the biblical allusion isn't vividly evident, it's hard to ignore it. The correspondence between the parable of the prodigal and Death of a Salesman helps readers compare and see from the point of an outside source. Willy's relationship with people, his false dreams/ expectations, and the contrast between the Loman brothers serve as a recurring topic in the play. Willy's materialistic views are displayed all throughout the similarities from the parable. By comparing the play to the parable, it enhances the play's meaning by emphasizing the theme of  the American dream.

Response to Course Material #5

     After four Course Material Responses, it's a new year and the first semester is almost over. I'm surprised with the amounts of books and stories we've covered and analyzed. Recently, we didn't start on anything too new; we continued on with Hamlet and began some helpful mood/atmosphere exercises. These exercises seem much more interesting and less work. However, Hamlet took some time.

     Last Course Material, I said that we started reading Hamlet aloud and I had no idea. It's a little different now; I understand the plot. I've noticed that a lot of Hamlet  is illogical which helps me annotate it in ways that may help me to understand. There are several things I wouldn't have known if Ms. Holmes hadn't mentioned. Hamlet's famous soliloquy of "To be or not to be" apparently refers to him deciding over his fate of death. That's something that would've taken me hours to finally understand. As we watched different versions of the play, It helped me realize the strengths of character and their unique characteristics. I assumed that Polonius was just a foolish old man, but that wasn't the case. He's actually very manipulative and likes to have things under his control including the actions and words of his children. We also had a small forum assignment regarding a poem about Ophelia. I feel like there was a deeper level of meaning behind the poem because what I wrote and what my peers wrote were very similar. I think that the author saw Ophelia in a different perspective than a lot of us have. It was interesting to see what other people had to say about one specific character and their actions. We also discussed the opening scene of Hamlet. I said that it wasn't successful, but I change my mind. Ms. Holmes said that every Elizabethan knew the meaning behind a ghost appearing and its connection with the revenge tragedy. If I take that into account, I would have to say that the Act One, Scene One of Hamlet was able to give the audience a skeletal plot... maybe with not enough information though. 

     Compared to the diction/tone exercises, I like the mood/atmosphere one much better. Not that I Participate more than usual, but in a sense that I feel comfortable and better at it. I think that tone exercises were so tedious that I had to look for clues in a passage (something AP students shouldn't avoid), but honestly, I feel like what I see or hear could be totally off from everyone else's opinions, I stop myself. However, in the mood exercise, we're given visual material to work on which gives me a better start position.  I learn that so many people in my class are so talented in expressing things into words. I'm hoping that I improve throughout these exercises.