Story of Hamlet is based on a Danish revenge story from the 1100s -Shakespeare modified to fill with dread and uncertainty | … |
Product of Reformation (protestants broke away from church & skeptical humanism) | Hamlet has constant anxiety about appearance vs. reality, concerns with religion (related to the Reformation) |
Prince Hamlet | Son of old king Hamlet and GertrudeVisited by fathers ghost who asked him to seek revenge for his murderDriven by revenge, hatredIs extremely philosophical and moodyLearns to be disgusted by womenMay have had an Oedipal Complex |
Claudius | Brother of Old King Hamlet (Hamlet’s stepdad/uncle)Husband to GertrudeKilled Old King Hamlet |
Gertrude | Wife of Old King Hamlet; now wife of his brother, ClaudiusWas seduced into marrying Claudius by lust and giftsDefined by her need for affectionExtremely dependent on men |
Polonius | Lord Chamberlain – responsible for all court functionsForces Ophelia to stay away from HamletFather of Ophelia and Laertes |
Ophelia | Is completely dominated by menEventually goes insane |
Laertes | Seems to have an incestuous lust for his sister, OpheliaWants to kill Hamlet for what happens to his sister |
Horatio | Hamlet’s best friendFirst to tell Hamlet about the ghost of his father |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of HamletSummoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior |
The Ghost | Claims to have been murdered by ClaudiusNever really know if he is real or in Hamlet’s head |
Fortinbras | Prince of NorwayFather was killed by Hamlet’s fatherWishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honorFoil for Prince Hamlet |
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
August 26, 2019