Hamlet Summary and Analysis

Author
 William Shakespeare

Setting
 Inside Elsinore castle located in mountainous Denmark during the Middle Ages.
Characters
Hamlet- Prince of Denmark, son to Gertrude and Old Hamlet, nephew to Claudius, and "boyfriend" to Ophelia. He struggles throughout most of the play with deciding if he is meant to be his father's son, or pursue his own destiny. He frequently contemplates suicide as it is one of the few ways he can control his life. He kills Polonious and Claudius. There is controversy among readers concerning Hamlet's madness, relationship with his mother, and with Ophelia.
Claudius- Uncle to Hamlet, recent husband to Gertrude, and King of Denmark. He killed his brother, Old Hamlet, for the throne and is keeping a close eye on Hamlet to make sure he does not try to overthrow him. He plots to kill Hamlet by sending two messengers to kill him in England and later by poisoning him. He is killed by Hamlet.
Gertrude- Hamlet's mother, recent wife to Claudius, Queen of Denmark. She appears to be very close with Hamlet and by marrying her brother-in-law, she seriously injures Hamlet's trust. She is caught between siding with her new husband and her erratic son. She dies by drinking the poisoined drink that Claudius had planted for Hamlet during his duel against Laertes.
Ophelia- Polonious' daughter and Hamlet's lover. She is seen by her peers as young and chaste, which are also the most definitive qualities of her self-worth. However, through her discussions with Laertes and the suggestions that she was pregnant, it is implied that their was a "darker" side to the young girl. It is believed that she drowned herself in a river.
Polonious-The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. He is a "helicopter" parent because he is very concerned with maintaining his public reputation. The obsession to maintain a perfect image causes him to be furtive and conniving.
Horatio- Hamlet's closest friend and is the only character the audience can trust. He is the only survivor who survives the final battle.
Laertes- Polonious' son and Ophelia's older brother. He leaves early in the play for Paris, but returns to avenge his father's death by dueling Hamlet.
Fortinbras- The Prince of Norway and Hamlet's foil. He is the son of Old Fortinbras, who was slayed by Old Hamlet. He wishes to seek revenge on Denmark, but listens to his Uncle and does not try to overthrow Claudius.
The Ghost-The characters believe it is the disturbed spirit of Old Hamlet. He only speaks to Hamlet and sends him on a mission to avenge his untimely death by killing his brother, Hamlet's Uncle, the murder. It is debated among readers if the ghost is from Heaven or Hell and if it knows what would happen if Hamlet killed Claudius.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- Possible hostages of war that Hamlet grew up with. Now as adults, Claudius sends them to spy on Hamlet in England where he is secretly supposed to be killed.
Plot
Act I
Horatio and the night guards encounter a ghost which they believe is the tortured spirit of Old Hamlet. The ghost does not speak to any of the men and the audience learn that prior to his death, Old Hamlet had killed Old Fortinbras of Norway. In Scene ii, Claudius and Gertrude are having their wedding ceremony inside the castle. The audience learns that tensions are building between Denmark and Norway when Claudius sends messengers to prevent a young Fortinbras from attacking. Claudius reaches out to Hamlet during the public ceremony by recognizing him as his own son.Hamlet, however, is disgusted by his uncle and mother's hasty wedding and not allowing enough time (in his opinion) to morn the recent death of his father. On top of his annoyance with their lack of grief, Claudius says Hamlet's sulking makes him "unmanly" and forbids him to go back to school in Wittenberg, Germany.
While he is resenting his uncle, Horatio appears to inform the sulking Hamlet about the wandering ghost and agrees to meet it. Laertes and Ophelia are enjoying the wedding festivities while Laertes warns Ophelia to not fall in love with Hamlet because he can not possibly requite it because he has nothing to lose. Polonious enters soon and begins to lecture them before his son goes off to Paris soon, and orders Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. Horatio takes Hamlet to where he last spotted the ghost and it appears to want to speak with Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him and set him on a duty to avenge his father's death.
Act II
Polonious is wary of his son going off to Paris and damaging his own name, so he sends a spy to keep tabs on him during his trip. Meanwhile, Hamlet sneaks into Ophelia's closet and she tells Polonious that she thinks her "ex-lover" is crazy. Polonious believes Hamlet is crazy and is afraid of the potential consequences of the royal prince falling in love with his daughter. This raises curiosity in the castle making Gertrude and Claudius send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet, but the prince knows all along about their plan. To get back at his deceptive uncle, Hamlet arranges the castle actors to stage a play that reveals Claudius' big secret--he killed his brother for power.
Act III
Polonious and Claudius are determined to find out why Hamlet is acting so oddly and set him up. They convince Ophelia to meet with him "secretly" while the two men eavesdrop on their conversation. When Hamlet meets up with Ophelia, he becomes enraged with her when she returns his love letters and tells her that he never loved her. This proved to Claudius that love was not the source of his nephew/son's madness. In the play that Hamlet arranged, he is convinced that the ghost was correct when he see how startled Claudius is by the performance. Claudius plans to have Hamlet escorted to England by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet almost kills Claudius while he praying, but to ensure he goes to Hell, Hamlet backs out. After the play, Hamlet goes to his mother's room and accidentally kills Polonious , who was eavesdropping on their conversation, believing it was Claudius. Gertrude promises to keep the murder a secret.
Act IV
Gertrude informs Claudius that Polonious is dead, and he demands that when Hamlet goes to England that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern kill him there.
Act V
In the graveyard, Hamlet comes across Yorrick's skull. Hamlet had his "Fall of a Sparrow" speech and begins to accept providence as he heads off to fight Laertes. Hamlet slays Laertes, but is seriously injured and manages to kill Claudius before he dies. In the remaining moments of live, Hamlet relinquishes control to Fortinbras.
Theme Statement

Shakespeare’s Hamlet suggests that you should be cautious of whom you allow yourself to be influenced by, because a lack of identity leads to immoral decisions. 

In the beginning of the play, the audience is quickly introduced to the notion of immorality in the family when Hamlet detests the marriage of his mother and uncle. There is a sarcastic tone in how Hamlet talks about his family and he often uses words that relate to decaying. As the play goes on and Hamlet is behaving outrageously, there is evidence of moral decay. In Hamlet's case, he can not decide if he is meant to avenge his father's death or follow his own path. His lacking ability to think for himself causes him to be volatile and behaving out of character to please the Ghost's wishes. The climax of the story is when Hamlet finds Yorick's skull and realizes that the Jester was greater father figure to him than Old Hamlet. He decides with the theory of providence in that his path is already written for him and his ultimate destiny is to die.
Tone
Hamlet has a dark tone. Through language and syntax the reader is forced to recognize how dreary and morbid it is to live in Elsinore and the wild state of confusion that Hamlet is suffering from.

Point of View
Hamlet is a play so there is no narrator who is guiding us through the story. The audience is made aware of plots and schemes when certain characters are not and they only know the characters by what is spoken about them.
Imagery
The quote 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," is an example of the picturesque language in Hamlet that evoke images of decay. The toxic environment in Elsinore is created through important word choice such as, "rotten", "worms", "poison", and frequent discussion of death. 

Symbolism
Yorick's Skull- in Act V, Hamlet discovers Yorick's skull in a graveyard and becomes fascinated with death. He realizes while thinking of Yorrick's decayed body that once we die, regardless of the valor we had when alive, we all rot and are eaten by worms.

Ophelia's Flowers- In her final scene, Ophelia passes out flowers that hold symbolic meaning as a closing statement and last goodbye before she kills herself. The flowers include: rosemary (remembrance), Fennel (strength and worthiness), columbine (folly), daisies (innocence), and violets (modesty).

Quotes
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain. ” 
This deals with the motif of duality, more specifically one's public image contrasting with their true self. To outsiders, Hamlet is an agreeable young man, Claudius is a fair ruler, and Polonious is loyal and confident. Throughout the play, the audience realizes that these personas assumed by the public are not accurate. 

“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” 
This quote pairs nicely with the motif of surveillance. These words of advice are a caution to listen to those around you, but do not make your opinions known. This is done to avoid confrontation or being framed because you never know who is listening.
Motifs

• Ambiguity
• Insularity

• Incest
• Identity
• Providence
• Revenge
• Control
• Religion
• Duality (Natural vs. Unnatural, identity vs. public appearance, father & son, light vs. day, pure vs. impure)
• Death
• Surveillance
• Misogyny
• Ears & hearing
• Synecdoche
• Fortune/luck
• Lack of trust
• Mystery of death- afterlife
• Nation as a poisoned body
• Putting on persons- inner vs. outer self
• Lies
• Groups of 3
• Madness

Response To Course Material 1/19

Hamlet Discussions

    When the 2nd Hour AP Lit team returned from our self-indulgent break to discuss Hamlet, it was clear that few of us were willing to revert back to our "school minds". Our discussion was just as groggy and slow moving as we were. With that said I can not remember what we discussed that day in great detail. I recall discussing the Ophelia Complex and and asking the group if they witnessed any Hamlet references over their break. The reference I shared was from Anchorman 2, when Ron Burgundy hits rock-bottom (five minutes into the movie) and before he hangs himself, he quotes Horatio with the line "Goodnight sweet prince/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
   The next activity we did was list the major events of the play and identify the turning point. The class agreed that the graveyard scene was a significant moment for Hamlet. I think our final decision for the turning point was when Hamlet is holding Yorick's skull because he realizes that Old Hamlet's death is not worth avenging.
   The following week, the class tried to formulate a thesis statement. We agreed  that the thematic question of the play was "Will Hamlet relinquish control?" However, we had a difficult time constructing an appropriate sentence. What I learned from this activity was that a theme should function like a question. Ms. Holmes explained what a central theme should be like using a spider web metaphor which helped me grasp the concept.
     A highlight of this discussion was when the class was trying to decide how identity connected to control. Some students could not see the connection, while others argued that Hamlet's ultimate struggle for control was mostly the battle of who he wanted to be. We discussed if one's identity is created by their choices and if having control of your identity is having control of who influences your choices. There were a lot of ideas swirling around and I found it difficult to settle on one coherent idea.
Motifs, Motifs, Motifs
      As we realized when reading Hamlet, the lengthy play has many motifs. The class organized the motifs into three categories: Control, Religion, and Duality. This exercise was fun because it was a chance for everyone to share their ideas and it helped me remember important parts of the play. We discussed the power struggle between Father and Son found in the play, as well as the following: The repetition of 3, true self vs. appearance to others, roman mythology, ears, madness, and many others.

The only other activity we did as a class was create our study guide and quizzes. This provided a way to help our classmates and a hint of review for the final. I personally will devote most of my time reviewing the myriad AP Lit vocabulary words this weekend. Good luck AP teammates!

Open Prompt II: 2006

Question
 Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

Response
    Willa Cather's O'Pioneers! plays off the stark differences of living in an urban city and the natural prairies. The main character Alexandra Bergson migrated with her family from Eastern Europe to Hanover, Nebraska in search of prosperity and the American Dream. The country setting is used to illustrate how people are rewarded for their hard work, and the  freedom of the fields allow people to be their best selves.

    When Alexandra was a young girl, Hanover was suffering from a brutal drought during the time of the depression in the mid 1800s. Before her father died, he bequeathed their land to Alexandra and she made a promise to herself to never leave the land her father worked so hard for. Alexandra's neighbor and good friend, Carl Linstrum and his family left Nebraska for the city because of the devastating conditions of the country. Sixteen years later, the prairies have been rejuvenated and the Bergsons are very successful thanks to Alexandra's persistence. Alexandra's determination and other virtuous morals where not left unrewarded in the country. However, in the city, Carl Linstrum's intelligence and hard work did not give him the satisfaction in his job comparable to Alexandra's. With this contrast, Cather is suggesting that  only in the country are good morals valuable and will lead you to success.

     The vast open space of Hanover's prairies offers the visual sense of unlimited freedom to explore and grow. This visual freedom is materialized through the demeanor and self-sufficiency found in the main character. Had Alexandra left the farm for the city, there is no certainty that she would be nearly as successful and satisfied. In fact, it is almost definite that she would not have been due to Carl Linstrum's poor luck working in the city. As a women in the 1800s, the country offered her freedom and opportunities that the city could not. When Carl did return to Hanover as an adult, he is very insecure and meek. However, during his duration in the country he began to show traits of the vivacious boy Alexandra used to know. The freedom of the country allowed him to disown the insecurities he picked up living in the aggressive city and becomes a respectable man. 

     Cather makes an example out of the strong-willed, optimistic Alexandra and the gloomy Linstrum to comment on the stark differences in the habitats they spent the past sixteen years in. Alexandra persevered and remained in the then, unfertile Nebraska and was rewarded with lush crops, dignity, and a lucrative cash flow. Linstrum's family showed unfaithfulness to the country and deserted it the moment things got difficult. As a result, Carl Linstrum's intelligence and good work ethic goes unnoticed in the city and his good qualities begin to fade. It is until his return to the  free lands of Hanover, Nebraska. that the vigor of his youth is restored. This shows that the city is a facade of success. Cather offers to her readers that true success comes from people seeing the results of their efforts and staying true to their roots.