elizabethan drama the tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark by william shakespeare

Elizabethan DramaElizabethan Drama

The Tragedy of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, Prince of Denmarkof Denmark

by William Shakespeare

Elizabethan TheaterElizabethan Theater Retains much Retains much

of Greek of Greek DramaDrama– Tragic heroes Tragic heroes

are persons of are persons of high noble high noble station station

– Tragic Heroes Tragic Heroes partly brought partly brought to tragic end to tragic end by hamartia or by hamartia or tragic flaw tragic flaw

Hamartia & Elizabethan Physiology

Hamartia may be physical Four humors

– blood = red = passionate, gluttonous– phlegm = white = bookish, sterile– bile = yellow = waspish, hot

tempered– black bile = black = melancholy

Four HumorsFour Humors

Blood = Red

– passionate

– gluttonous

– impulsive


phlegm = white–bookish

–sterile


bile = yellow

–waspish

–hot tempered

Four Humors

Black bile = Black– melancholy– manic

depressive

Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms

Formulated by Freytaq, not Elizabethans CrisisCrisis

– decision by Hero that seals his/her doomdecision by Hero that seals his/her doom– usually found in Act III, Scenes 1 or 2usually found in Act III, Scenes 1 or 2

ClimaxClimax– decisive event, greatest tension/suspensedecisive event, greatest tension/suspense

Moment of final suspenseMoment of final suspense – only in Shakespeareonly in Shakespeare


SoliloquySoliloquy– distinct aura of interior monologuedistinct aura of interior monologue– inner workings of character's mindinner workings of character's mind– reveals his true thoughts & reveals his true thoughts &

emotionsemotions

Solo SpeechSolo Speech– up front stage directional speechup front stage directional speech– cues audience to character's planscues audience to character's plans


Umbrella speechUmbrella speech– often out of characteroften out of character– provides necessary informationprovides necessary information– for both audience & play charactersfor both audience & play characters

Mirror Speeches & ScenesMirror Speeches & Scenes– mimics words or actionsmimics words or actions– dramatic ironydramatic irony– often thematicoften thematic

Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms Mirror Speeches & ScenesMirror Speeches & Scenes

Claudius: O my offense is rank,

it smells to heaven,/ It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,/ A brother’s murder. Pray I cannot,/ Though inclination be as sharp as will/ My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,/

Hamlet: Now might I do it pat, now

a’ is a-praying,/ And now I’ll do’t it, and so a’ goes to heaven,/ And so I am revenged: that would be scanned:

A villain kills my father, and for that,/ I his sole son, do this same villain send / to heaven./ Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge./

Elizabethan Revenge Play Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsConventions

Accepts revenge Accepts revenge as self-justifyingas self-justifying

Avenger, high Avenger, high noble personnoble person

State too corrupt State too corrupt to provide justiceto provide justice

Evildoers are Evildoers are powerful figurespowerful figures


Avenger Avenger obsessed with obsessed with lossloss

Difficult to Difficult to prove identity prove identity of villainof villain

Avenger must Avenger must find an find an ingenious wayingenious way


Avenger Avenger becomes becomes clever, clever, remorselessremorseless& menace to & menace to public orderpublic order

Elizabethan Revenge Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsPlay Conventions

Avenger utters Avenger utters enigmatic threats enigmatic threats & pontificates & pontificates about injustices about injustices of stateof state

Avenger verges Avenger verges on true madnesson true madness

Avenger employs Avenger employs madness as a madness as a cloak for his cloak for his schemesschemes

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Play-within-the-playPlay-within-the-play Revenge play accepts revenge as Revenge play accepts revenge as

self-justifyingself-justifying

Shakespeare will use theseShakespeare will use these

conventions to challenge their conventions to challenge their

underlying valuesunderlying values

Concentric Circles of RevengeConcentric Circles of Revenge Denmark and Norway

– Fortinbras seeks revenge for father’s death Hamlet and Claudius

– Hamlet seeks revenge for father’s death Laertes and Hamlet

– Laertes seeks revenge for father and sister’s death Claudius and Hamlet

– Claudius seeks revenge for Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Ophelia & Hamlet?– Does Ophelia seek revenge for father’s death?

Christian StoicismChristian Stoicism

All life on earth doomed to pain, All life on earth doomed to pain, suffering & deathsuffering & death

Therefore to fight against Therefore to fight against injustice & suffering is foolishinjustice & suffering is foolish

Individual should look to afterlife Individual should look to afterlife for happinessfor happiness

Christian StoicismChristian Stoicism

To actTo act ((““to take arms against a to take arms against a sea of troublessea of troubles””) ) will only bring will only bring them on soonerthem on sooner

Better to endure Better to endure ((““to suffer the to suffer the slings & arrows of outrageous slings & arrows of outrageous fortunefortune””) ) & not to let one's & not to let one's passions affect onepassions affect one

HamletHamlet Play about Play about insoluble insoluble problems & problems & questionsquestions

CreatesCreates

CLAUSTROPHBIC CLAUSTROPHBIC atmosphereatmosphere

Watch how the Watch how the movie reinforces movie reinforces this with sets & this with sets & cameracamera

HamletHamlet

Tragic Hero must Tragic Hero must undergo undergo developmentdevelopment– toward a sense of toward a sense of

his/her role in his/her role in scheme of thingsscheme of things

– Recognition of Recognition of his/her error his/her error

HamletHamlet

In classical theory, without In classical theory, without

self-knowledge there is no self-knowledge there is no tragedytragedy

HamletHamlet becomes a play that becomes a play that debatesdebates Free Will & DeterminismFree Will & Determinism

ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions

Hyperbolic HeroHyperbolic HeroEffusive and sophisticated use of language Effusive and sophisticated use of language

Impassioned, articulate, verbose hero never Impassioned, articulate, verbose hero never shuts up shuts up

HHyperboleyperbole dramatizes hero dramatizes hero’’s spiritual anguish s spiritual anguish at difference between reality & the way things at difference between reality & the way things ought to beought to be


Voice of Reason CharacterVoice of Reason CharacterPragmatic Counter Voice character Pragmatic Counter Voice character

Usually, a commoner Usually, a commoner

Speaks for practical, common senseSpeaks for practical, common sense

Concerned with Concerned with being reasonablebeing reasonable

getting along, surviving, making bestgetting along, surviving, making best

of the way things areof the way things are


Insanity of Tragic HeroInsanity of Tragic HeroAt some point during play, At some point during play,

tragictragic

hero goes insane for at least ahero goes insane for at least a

short whileshort while

When does this happen to Hamlet?When does this happen to Hamlet?


Obligatory Absence of Tragic HeroObligatory Absence of Tragic HeroAt some point hero makes a journeyAt some point hero makes a journey

Takes him away from central setting Takes him away from central setting of play of play

Hero returns from journey with Hero returns from journey with changed attitude or directionchanged attitude or direction


Obligatory Debate Obligatory Debate between Hero & between Hero & CommonerCommoner

Otherworldly focus Otherworldly focus of Hyperbolic Tragic of Hyperbolic Tragic Hero Hero

Counter pointed Counter pointed with pragmatic, real-with pragmatic, real-world focus of world focus of CommonerCommoner

Classical Figures of SpeechClassical Figures of Speech

Definition:Definition: a use of language that a use of language that departs from customary departs from customary construction, order, or construction, order, or significance in order to achieve significance in order to achieve special effects or meaningsspecial effects or meanings

Classical Figures of SpeechClassical Figures of Speech

Rhetorical Figure Rhetorical Figure achieves achieves special effects without a radical special effects without a radical change in the meaning of wordschange in the meaning of words

TropeTrope causes a basic change or causes a basic change or reversal of the meaning of wordsreversal of the meaning of words

ExampleExample

ANAPHORA:ANAPHORA: repetitive repetitive rhetorical figure rhetorical figure that repeats same expression (word or that repeats same expression (word or words) at start of two or more lines, words) at start of two or more lines, clauses or sentencesclauses or sentencesAnd And shall I couple hell?--O, fie!--Hold, my heart;shall I couple hell?--O, fie!--Hold, my heart;

AndAnd you, my sinews, grow not instant old, you, my sinews, grow not instant old,

ExampleExample

ANTIPHRASIS:ANTIPHRASIS: tropetrope involving irony involving irony to use a word or phrase satirically or to use a word or phrase satirically or humorously to convey an idea exactly humorously to convey an idea exactly opposite to its literal significance. opposite to its literal significance.

Gertrude: Gertrude: ““Why seems it so particular with Why seems it so particular with thee?thee?””

Hamlet: Hamlet: ““Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know not not ‘‘seems.seems.’”’”

ExampleExample

EPISTROPHE:EPISTROPHE: rhetorical figure rhetorical figure involving repetition of closing word or involving repetition of closing word or phrase at end of several clauses, phrase at end of several clauses, sentences, or linessentences, or lines

HamletHamlet:: You cannot, sir, take from me You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willing part withal,anything that I will more willing part withal, except my life, except my life,--except my except my life, except my life,--except my life.life.

elizabethan drama the tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark by william shakespeare

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