shakespears hamlet notes

Hamlet
Delay:
Hamlet claims “there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so”, his delay or inaction is a central and ambiguous concern throughout the play. This key theme becomes prevalent in his soliloquies. The soliloquies are a dramatic technique, which provides an insight into the characters frame of mind, in this case giving reasons for Hamlet’s delay. The “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I” and “How all occasions do inform against me” soliloquies highlight the ways in which cowardice can prevent action. Hamlet reproaches himself for his apparent weakness and lack of action claiming that he has “but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward.” However the notion of Hamlet’s cowardice, made famous by G. Wilson Night who claims Hamlet is a “sick soul” who “infects the state”, is questionable. Hamlet shows considerable courage: when first informed of the ghosts existence he claims that he will “speak to it though hell itself should gape”, this courage also re emerges when Hamlet calmly confronts Laertes, his existential questions “to be or not to be” turns into the accepting “Let be”. Additional theories relative to the cause of Hamlet’s inaction include an attempt to prevent contamination: his delay results from an attempt to convert the Ghost’s injunction into action without being stained by the corruption of Denmark. Coleridge also approaches the notion of Hamlet’s delay stating that Hamlet knows what is expected of him, but he is constitutionally averse to action, his energy evaporates in self-reproach- “Hence great, enormous, intellectual activity, and a consequent proportionate aversion to real action.” The 1948, Laurence Olivier film echoes this statement, it’s opening title stating “This is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind”. This sentiment however is not supported in the text. Hamlet shows that he is capable of making up his mind, often in rash and unthinking ways, such as the murders of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

I think that Hamlet rather than showing a conscious procrastination, displays sense and practicality. His delay can be interpreted as an attempt to ensure Claudius’ guilt and guarantee that “it is an honest ghost”. He clearly shows that he is prone to the quick and often rash decisions but upon comparison with Laertes he appears level headed and rational. Laertes is used as a character foil; both he and Hamlet are revengeful sons, one active and the other passive. Upon hearing of his father’s death Laertes storms Claudius’ chambers and is all too easily pressured by the king into the plot for Hamlet’s murder. His rash actions ensure that he does not gain the audiences sympathy and serves to emphasise the presence of mind shown by Hamlet in attempting to identify the guilt of his target.

Revenge:
Throughout the play Shakespeare raises questions about whether justice is to be left to the state or taken into one's own hands, and about whether it is possible, in a cunning and deceitful world, to tell the good man from the criminal. However not to act is to leave the crime unpunished and allow the murderer to walk free. “Is’t not to be damned/ To let this canker of out nature come / in further evil?” That is the paradox of the play; to seek justice is to commit an injustice and it is from this point that Hamlet’s existential questions derive. In Renaissance times, revenge was a crime but also an irreligious act, considered a sin. And so for Hamlet, Revenge becomes a morality question, the revenger’s soul becomes damned. In this way, the play becomes an allegorical text, designed to prove the fruitlessness of revenge. This is highlighted in the Kenneth Branaugh version where the mirrors are symbolic of reflection and refinement of thought. On the notion of revenge Laertes, Fortinbras and Pyrrhus all serve as comparisons or character foils to Hamlet. They are a textual device to show Hamlet’s moral integrity. Hamlet’s suspicion of the Ghost’s morality, in which he questions “be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned”, shows a superior presence of mind. His integrity in not causing trouble for his mother due to her “incestuous” marriage (“But break my heart for I must hold my tongue”) is countered by Laertes hot-headed attack on Claudius based only on gossip and scandal. There is juxtaposition in the ways Laertes and Hamlet react to the death of their fathers. Disparate to Hamlet, Laertes takes action utilising language typical of the Elizabethan revenger: “To hell allegiance, vows to the blackest devil,/ Conscience and grace to the profoundest pit!/ I dare damnation.”, this is opposed to Hamlet whose conscience prevents him from ‘daring damnation’. Fortinbras, like Laertes, is an active revengeful son: he too seems rash, ordering his soldiers to fight for “a little patch of ground/ That hath no profit but the name.” Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, wishes revenge for his father’s death at the hands of Priam. Like Hamlet he delays: “Pyrrhus stood, And like a neutral to his will and matter,/ Did nothing” The emphasis on the line “Did nothing.” highlights the comparison between Hamlet and Pyrrhus. However, Pyrrhus brutally kills his quarry. Hamlet is not like Laertes, who “would cut his throat i’the church”. Nor is he like Fortinbras “of unimproved mettle hot and full”. Or like Claudius who claims “revenge should know no bounds”. Hamlet is moral, he has scruples, respect for religion, for God’s canons and man’s laws.

Corruption:
Throughout the play, the idea of death and decay is closely tied to the theme of revenge, as death is both the cause and consequence of revenge. Disease and Death Imagery become apparent throughout the play. Caroline Spurgeon noted that “rank” occurs multiple times throughout the play. Spurgeon identified that a “number of images of sickness, disease.... the idea of an ulcer or tumour, as descriptive of the unwholesome condition of Denmark morally.” Characters draw explicit connections between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the nation. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Hamlet ponders both the spiritual aftermath of death, embodied in the ghost, and the physical remainders of the dead, symbolised by Yorick’s skull and the decaying corpses in the cemetery. In the Gravedigger scene, emphasis is placed on death and decay. Hamlet expresses disgust at the physical corruption that follows death: “Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind away.”
Claudius embodies the theme of corruption. The antithesis in his first speech to the court, such as “defeated joy” and “mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage”, establishes Claudius as a suspicious and deceitful character. This is further enhanced by the biblical metaphor for Claudius: “the serpent that did sting thy father’s life, now wears his crown” as well as further biblical allusions such as Cain and Abel, which Claudius makes himself. The juxtaposition of “Hyperion to a satyr” emphasises Claudius’ lecherous and bestial qualities.

Nature of the Ghost:
There is a parallel between Claudius and the Ghost, both use emotional blackmail in order to force the co operation of Hamlet and Laertes: The Ghost says “If thou didst ever thy dear father love/... Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” similarly Claudius blackmails Laertes with “was thy father dear to you?/ or are you like the painting of a sorrow,/ A face without a heart?”

Deception (verisimilitude):
Deception appears throughout the play in three forms: Madness, Theatre and Surveillance. Deception defines the court of Elsinore, exemplified through the metaphor “Denmark’s a prison”. This is displayed in the Branaugh version through the setting, the palace’s hall of mirrors adds to the grandeur of Elsinore but also depict the deceptive appearance. The two way mirrors act to beautify the court but also hide dark secrets. In this way, the court is “an unweeded garden/ That grows to seed things rank and gross in nature”.
Deception is epitomized by Madness. Hamlet’s ‘madness’ is a pretense: he clearly states that his “antic disposition” is an act. It serves as a mask for his bouts of melancholy and deep distress. It also provides him with a fool like persona to match that of Polonius and Osric. This allows him to engage in seeming frivolous banter in an attempt to penetrate the deceit that surrounds him without attracting attention to himself and allows him to deliver insults without being realised by the other characters. The language form and structure is used by Shakespeare to signify ‘madness’. Hamlet uses rhyming couplets when he is sane; this is used countless times throughout the play. However when he is feigning insanity Hamlet’s speech often slips into blank verse, this lack of refinement symbolises the struggle and discord in Hamlet’s mind, which can be extended to include the struggle and corruption of the Court of Denmark. Ophelia also uses prose in madness; this signals the loss of reason. She acts as a character foil to Hamlet, as her tragedy is also one of obedience to a father, the only difference being that her pure and honest mind cannot handle the corruption and deception around her. This drives her to insanity. Hamlet’s assumed madness is comparatively sane in contrast to her sincere madness. Ophelia’s mad ravings suggest the deeper preoccupations that have claimed her mind: the death of a loved one and the longing to have her love for Hamlet returned.
Theatre and Acting is common throughout the play. The recurring notion of “seems” (such as “most seeming virtuous queen” and “I know not seems”) introduces the idea of acting as a method of deception. Hamlet himself is an adept actor, he switches between very different persona’s: he plays the fool, a madman, a commoner with whom the gravedigger can associate, as well as a prince. He often mimics other characters such as Osric and Polonius. He also uses puns to great effect, his very first words “A little more than kin, and less than kind” as well as “I am too much i’th sun” play on Claudius’ use of “son”. The gravedigger is the only other character in the play that uses this style of deception: deliberate misunderstanding.
Polonius’ plot to spy on Laertes introduces the sub theme of surveillance: he asks Reynaldo to “lay a bait of falsehood”. This is mirrored in the following scene, serving to link Claudius and Polonius, as Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet under the pretext of caring for him. The surveillance of Polonius on Gertrude and Hamlet’s conversation in the closet scene is one of the most pivotal points in the play. Hamlet’s rash murder of Polonius, so discordant with his previous character, clearly shows the demise that follows deception and particularly surveillance. Polonius’ corrupt character and his irrational desire to “find /where truth is hid” ultimately lead to his death. These subplots signify the extent of Denmark’s corruption.

Melancholy:
“Bloody, Bawdy, villain!/ Remorseless , treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain.” Tricolon and asyndeton emphasise his hatred and cause for sadness.
“To be or not to be” the use of impersonal pronouns such as “we”, “us” and “who” link the audience and make them question as Hamlet does, now bigger than the court of Denmark – universal existentialism

Themes
Characters
Dramatic Techniques- soliloqueys, play within a play, character foils, rhetorical questions, dramatic irony
Your Perspective
Others perspectives
Elizabethan context- Renaissance humanism, the strength of the mind comes with trouble such as suicide, madness and over thinking.
Textual Integrity- well written- the integration of techniques, structure and character development to create a cohesive whole.