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Complete |
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Complete |
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Complete except for incidental characters |
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Partial |
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Author: |
William Shakespeare | |
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Bevington, David. Introduction. Hamlet. By William Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Bantam, 1988. Frye, Northrop. Northrop Frye on Shakespeare. Ed. Robert Sandler. Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1986. Lowers, James K. Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ed. G. Carey. Lincoln: Cliffs Notes, 1971. Neill, Michael. Essay. "Hamlet: A Modern Perspective." Hamlet. By William Shakespeare. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Shakespeare,
William. Hamlet., 1603 (First Quatro); 1604,1605 (Second Quatro);
1623 (Folio). Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New
York: Washington Square Press, 1992. |
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Genre: |
Tragedy | |
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Setting: |
Elsinore Castle, Denmark | |
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Period: |
Pre-1500 | |
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Analysis by: |
Katharine E. Monahan Huntley |
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ANALYSIS:
The text used for this analysis is The Folger Shakespeare Library edition of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Comments:
A tragedy in the classic sense. Prince Hamlet's failure to revenge his father's murder causes the destruction of the entire royal family. To clarify, even though Hamlet eventually runs his uncle through with a sword (or rapier), it is to avenge his poisoning and the poisoning of his mother--not to specifically avenge his father's murder.
Brief Synopsis:
Bantam Book Synopsis:
"One of the greatest plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide. Confronted with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, and with his mother's infidelity, Hamlet must find a means of reconciling his longing for oblivion with his duty as avenger. The ghost, Hamlet's feigned madness, Ophelia's death and burial, the play within a play, the "closet scene' in which Hamlet accuses his mother of complicity in murder, and breathtaking swordplay are just some of the elements that make Hamlet an enduring masterpiece of the theater."
Overall Character Mini-Synopsis:
The Ghost--Specter in the form of the late King Hamlet.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark--Son of the dead King Hamlet and nephew to the present ruler of Denmark; he has returned to Elsinore because of his father's death.
Claudius, King of Denmark--Hamlet's uncle who succeeded his brother to the throne and married his brother's wife.
Gertrude--Queen of Denmark and mother of Hamlet; married to Claudius.
Polonius--Elderly Lord Chamberlain and thus chief counselor to Claudius.
Horatio--Commoner who is a fellow student and loyal friend of Hamlet.
Laertes--Polonius' son, a student at the University of Paris who, like Hamlet, has returned to Elsinore because of King Hamlet's death.
Ophelia--Obedient daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes; the young court lady who Gertrude hoped would be Hamlet's bride.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern--One-time schoolfellows and friends of Hamlet.
Fortinbras--Prince of Norway, a valiant young man, who, like Hamlet, has lost a father.
Osric--Affected courtier who plays a minor role as the King's messenger and an umpire of the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
Voltimand & Cornelius--Danish courtiers who are sent as ambassadors to the Court of Norway.
Marcellus & Bernardo--Danish officers on guard at the castle of Elsinore.
Francisco--Danish soldier on guard duty at the castle of Elsinore.
Reynaldo--Young man whom Polonius instructs and sends to Paris to observe and report on Laertes' conduct.
The Gravediggers--Two clowns who dig Ophelia's grave, the first of whom is engaged by Hamlet in grimly humorous conversation. (Lowers 13-14)
Name: Hamlet
ID: Main Character
Gender: Male
Description:
"Leading Romantic critics of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw Hamlet as a young man, attractive and gifted in many ways, but incapable of positive action" (Lowers 9).
Role: Prince of Denmark
Story Activities: Son of the deceased King Hamlet and nephew to the present ruler of Denmark; he has returned to Elsinore because of his father's death. "Hamlet, for his part, is so obsessed with the secret murder that he overreacts to those around him, rejecting overtures of friendship and becoming embittered, callous, brutal, and even violent. His antisocial behavior gives the others good reason to fear him as a menace to the state" (Bevington xx-xxi).
Affiliations & Beliefs: . . . The Prince is revealed as the disillusioned idealist (306-19). Here is a young intellectual who once embraced the Renaissance view of an ordered and moral universe in which man, endowed with reason, was the noblest creature . . . . But Hamlet has learned that mankind has a terrifying capacity to reject reason, to descend to the bestial level: subjects may murder kings, brother may kill brother; wives and mothers may hasten to incestuous sheets; boyhood friends may permit themselves to be used as spies, rejecting the sacred principles of friendship. Philosophy offers poor consolation under such conditions. (Lowers 41)
Skills & Occupations: "Clearly, this young prince and university student has a gift for irony, one which presupposes intellectuality and involves a kind of grim humor" (Lowers 20). To seek revenge for his father's death, Hamlet must use the skills of an actor: "Forced to master his opponent's [Claudius] craft of smiling villainy, he becomes not merely an actor, but also a dramatist, ingeniously using a troupe of traveling players, with their 'murder in jest,' to unmask the King's own hypocritical 'show'" (Neill 314).
Interests: "Hamlet, his mind attuned to philosophical matters, is keenly and poetically aware of humanity's fallen condition" (Bevington xx). "The theme of honesty--an obsession with him" (Lowers 52).
Background & Family History: "This Wittenberg student, devoted to his studies, nevertheless enjoyed the theater just as he treasured companionship" (Lowers 43).
Characteristics:
Motivation: Consider; Pursuit; Oppose
Evaluation: Proven
Purpose: Actuality; Thought; Aware
Name: The Ghost
ID: Impact Character
Gender: Male
Description:
Deceased; former King of Denmark, husband of Gertrude, brother of Claudius, and father of young Hamlet.
Role: The spirit of King Hamlet
Interests: "One of the prime concerns of the Ghost is that, as a mortal, it was denied the opportunity to be shriven (receive absolution for sins prior to death) and thus must endure spiritual purgation before it can admitted to heaven" (Lowers 29).
Background & Family History: But what of the "foul crimes" admitted to have been committed by King Hamlet, the man whom his son so much reveres? Obviously he was not perfect; no mortal is, according to church doctrine because mankind remains tainted as the result of original sin. The Ghost is only too aware of mortal imperfections; it has a conscience practically Calvinistic in its strictness. (Lowers 29)
Characteristics:
Motivation: Conscience
Evaluation: Effect; Unproven; Expectation; Ending
Purpose: Knowledge; Equity; Projection
Name: Claudius
Gender: Male
Description:
Claudius is described as a "satyr. . . . Claudius is a "serpent" and a "mildewed ear" (Bevington xix). "Some commentators . . . have argued that the King's intemperance [suggested in Act 1, Scene 2] . . . is strongly impressed in the play. If this be true, Claudius' appetite for strong drink, according to Renaissance moral philosophy, points to the rejection of reason, which is equated with virtue" (Lowers 19).
Role: King of Denmark
Story Activities: Claudius endeavors to hide the fact he has killed his brother--and his evil intentions towards Hamlet.
Skills & Occupations: Claudius is highly skilled in the art of politics: "He is fully aware that his marriage to Gertrude is incestuous according to canon law . . . . But this new ruler has taken care to obtain the approval of his Court" (Lowers 18). "He is Machiavellian not only in his ability to dissemble and his use of underhanded methods, but also in his capacity for prompt action" (Lowers 48).
Background & Family History: Claudius' soliloquy provides a second and far more detailed self-acknowledgment of guilt. . . . Claudius clearly is not a born villain; nor. . . does he seek to avoid moral and religious truth. He is orthodox and well schooled in Christian doctrine, fully aware that, so long as he holds on to what he has gained through acts of mortal sin, he cannot purge his soul of guilt. (Lowers 63)
Characteristics:
Motivation: Avoidance; Reconsider; Control
Methodology: Protection
Evaluation: Cause
Purpose: Perception; Ability; Inequity
Name: Fortinbras
Gender: Male
Description:
A valiant young man who, like Hamlet, has lost a father.
Role: Prince of Norway
Story Activities: Fortinbras is concerned with regaining the lands his father lost to King Hamlet. His uncle " . . . forbids Fortinbras to march against the Danes and rewards him for his restraint with a huge annual income and a commission to fight the Poles instead. . . . He pockets the money, marches against Poland, and waits for occasion to deliver Denmark as well into his hands. (Bevington xxvi)
Background & Family History: "He is a young man of 'unproved mettle,' one who has recently lost a royal father and who is not content to brood over his loss" (Lowers 17).
Characteristics:
Motivation: Logic
Name: Francisco;
Barnardo; Marcellus
Gender: Male
Description:
Loyal to the Court
NOTE: The name Barnardo is sometimes spelled as Bernardo.
Role: Danish Officers
Background & Family History: "Long live the king!" exclaims Bernardo, voicing the password when he is challenged by Francisco. "What king?" one asks; and as details relating to Denmark are provided, it seems to be evident that the changing of the guard is symbolic, "a re-enactment of those dynastic changes which frame the play" (H. Levin, p. 20, qtd. in Lowers 16).
Name: Gertrude
Gender: Female
Description:
"Hamlet's indictment of his mother may provide the key to her character--weakness manifested by sensual passion" (Lowers 20).
Role: Queen of Denmark
Story Activities: Hamlet compels his mother to compare Claudius to King Hamlet. "Only with reluctance can she move just a step toward moral awareness and self-criticism: O, speak to me no more/These words like daggers enter in mine ears" (Lowers 66).
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: Sensual
Background & Family History: "She willingly became a partner in an incestuous marriage" (Lowers 40). "The Queen has yielded to Claudius's importunity without ever knowing fully what awful price Claudius has paid for her and for the throne" (Bevington xxiii).
Characteristics:
Motivation: Feeling; Faith; Support; Temptation
Methodology: Inaction
Purpose: Desire
Name: Horatio
Gender: Male
Description:
Commoner who is a fellow student and loyal friend of Hamlet.
Role: Hamlet's Friend
Story Activities: "Hamlet asks Horatio to keep close watch on the King, just as he himself will do, and to note the King's reaction to one speech in particular. If Claudius does not reveal his guilt at that point, the Prince continues, both have seen "a damned ghost," not the honest spirit of the late King Hamlet. The faithful Horatio assures the Prince that he will follow the instructions carefully" (Lowers 54).
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: "Hamlet praises Horatio for his steady temperament" (Lowers 54).
Skills & Occupations: "Horatio properly is called upon to question it [the Ghost] because he is a scholar . . . trained in Latin and knowledgeable in arcane things. Among the mortals in this scene, only he is qualified to exorcise an evil spirit" (Lowers 16).
Characteristics:
Motivation: Disbelief; Help
Name: Laertes
Gender: Male
Description:
A student at the University of Paris and the brother of Ophelia. "He appears as the well-bred son of the Lord Chamberlain, observing the amenities appropriate to his station and the occasion" (Lowers 20).
Role: Polonius' Son
Story Activities: Laertes thinks he has received an unambiguous mandate to revenge, since Hamlet has undoubtedly slain Polonius and helped to deprive Ophelia of her sanity. Accordingly Laertes comes back to Denmark a fury, stirring the rabble with his demagoguery . . . in his quest for vengeance. . . . Laertes has only superficially identified the murderer in the case. He is too easily deceived by Claudius because he has accepted easy and fallacious conclusions, and so is doomed to become a pawn in Claudius's sly maneuverings. (Bevington xxv)
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: ". . . in the total of fifty-three lines of blank verse which constitute Laertes' lecture on sisterly conduct, the note of artificiality and lack of spontaneity come through strongly. This is the contrived style of the young courtier, with a succession of metaphors, studied parallelisms, and antitheses" (Lowers 24).
Skills & Occupations: Student at the University of Paris; skilled in fencing
Characteristics:
Methodology: Proaction; Probability
Name: Ophelia
Gender: Female
Description:
Obedient daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes; a court lady who Gertrude hopes will marry Hamlet.
Role: Daughter of Polonius
Story Activities: Ophelia is accustomed to doing what she is told, however, grief-stricken over the death of her father and Hamlet's abandonment, she loses her mind and ". . . is left with no language other than the disconnected fragments of her madness to express outrage at a murder which authority seems determined to conceal" (Neill 318).
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: Ophelia is a vulnerable, sweet beauty. "Ophelia metaphorically is the flower destroyed by 'Contagious blastments" (Lowers 93).
Background & Family History: "She [Ophelia] earns our sympathy because she is caught between the conflicting wills of the men who are supremely important to her--her lover, her father, her brother. Obedient by instinct and training to patriarchal instruction, she is unprepared to cope with divided authority and so takes refuge in passivity." (Bevington xxii)
Characteristics:
Motivation: Uncontrolled
Methodology: Reaction; Possibility
Evaluation: Trust
Purpose: Self Aware
Name: Osric
Gender: Male
Description:
Affected
Role: King's messenger
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: Osric, an emissary from the King, enters. Hamlet promptly recognizes him as the affected, overly polite courtier in the service of Claudius. Sardonically, the Prince adopts the same stilted style employed by this "water-fly" and, with a straight face, asks questions and makes comments intended to make Osric exhaust himself in artificial expression. (Lowers 96)
Name: Polonius
Gender: Male
Description:
Elderly Lord Chamberlain and thus chief counselor to Claudius.
Role: Lord Chamberlain
Story Activities: "Many ironies and misunderstandings of the play cannot be understood with a proper awareness of this gap between Hamlet's knowledge and most others' ignorance of the murder. For, according to their own lights, Polonius and the rest behave as couriers normally behave, obeying and flattering a king who, they acknowledge as their legitimate ruler" (Bevington xx).
Physical Traits & Mannerisms: "His lines reveal a vain and limited character" (Lowers 24)
Skills & Occupations: "Just as he [Polonius] had set himself up as an authority on word choice, so now he presents himself as one on drama (412.21). . . . As his advice to Laertes indicated, he is an educated individual; unfortunately, knowledge does not always lead to wisdom" (Lowers 42).
Interests: "Polonius is the perfect inhabitant of this court: busily policing his children's sexuality, he has no scruple about prostituting his daughter in the interests of state security" (Neill 313).
Background & Family History: . . . Polonius's complicity in jaded court politics is deeper than his fatuous parental sententiousness might lead one to suppose. His famous advice to his son . . . is in fact a worldly gospel of self-interest and concern for appearances. . . .Polonius may cut a ridiculous figure as a prattling busybody but he is wily and even menacing in his intent. He has actually helped Claudius to the throne and is an essential instrument of royal policy. (Bevington xxii)
Characteristics:
Motivation: Hinder
Evaluation: Test
Purpose: Speculation
Name: Reynaldo
Gender: Male
Description:
Loyal to Polonius
Role: Polonius' spy
Name: Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern
Gender: Male
Description:
Fair weather friends; none to swift and easily manipulated
Role: Friends of Hamlet
Story Activities: "Claudius engages Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to probe his nephew's threatening transformation (2.2.1-18). 'Madness in great ones,' the King insists, 'must not unwatched go' (3.1.203)" (Neill 314).
Affiliations & Beliefs: Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are former schoolmates of Hamlet's, and they profess their friendship to him, their allegiance is really to King Claudius and Queen Gertrude.
Skills & Occupations: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are unskilled in deception--they are easily manipulated by Claudius and deceived by Hamlet.
Name: The Gravediggers
Gender: Male
Description:
Darkly humorous
Role: Gravediggers
Story Activities: The Gravediggers prepare the ground for Ophelia's burial.
Skills & Occupations: Grave digging
Background & Family History: " . . . the Gravedigger asserts a more sinister kind of intimacy with his claim to have begun his work "That very day that young Hamlet was born" (5.1.152-53).
Name: The Players
Gender: Non-Gendered
Description:
Traveling band of actors known to Hamlet
Role: Actors
Background & Family History: Hamlet is informed why the players are traveling. "He is told that an acting company of children have engaged in an attack upon the 'common plays' and the theatrical performances by the adult companies have been suspended, popular fancy having turned to child actors" (Lowers 36). "But is there possible relevance in the rivalry between the Children's Company and the adult companies (343.ff)? Of course this is a topical allusion to the so-called "war of the theaters"--the rise of the companies of child actors which became serious rivals to the adult companies, including Shakespeare's, at the turn of the century. Having learned the details of this 'late innovation,' as Rosencrantz calls it, Hamlet moves from the particular to the general. His uncle, an object of ridicule when King Hamlet ruled Denmark, is now revered by the populace. The new popularity of both child actor and uncle-king, whom Hamlet sees as a shadow rather than the substance of royalty, illustrates the fickleness of public taste" (Lowers 42).
Name: Voltimand
and Cornelius
Gender: Male
Description:
Loyal
Role: Danish courtiers
Story Activities: Voltimand and Cornelius are sent "with a letter to the bedridden King of Norway, requesting him to restrain his nephew" (Lowers 17).
Skills & Occupations: Voltimand and Cornelius are skilled in wartime negotiation.
Character: Claudius
Claudius's Introduction in the story:
Act 1, Scene 2, commences with Claudius holding court. He quickly dispenses with the memory of King Hamlet, asserting his position as the new leader of Denmark with decisive authority.
Claudius's dismissal from the story:
Claudius dies at Hamlet's hand: "Here, thou incestuous, (murd'rous,) damned Dane, Drink off this potion. Is (thy union) here? (Forcing him to drink the poison.) Follow my mother. (King dies.) (5.2.356-58)
Claudius's relationship with Hamlet
Hamlet and Claudius have an antagonistic relationship. ". . . from the very beginning, his [Hamlet] struggle with Claudius has been conceived as a struggle for the control of language--a battle to determine what can and cannot be uttered" (Neill 316). "Obviously, Hamlet deeply resents Claudius referring to him as his son" (Lowers 20).
Claudius's relationship with Laertes
"Claudius and Laertes plot to rid themselves of young Hamlet" (Bevington xix).
Claudius's relationship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . . . are boyhood friends of Hamlet, but are now dependent on the favor of King Claudius. Despite their seeming concern for their one-time comrade, and Hamlet's initial pleasure in receiving them, they are faceless courtiers whose very names, like their personalities, are virtually interchangeable. "Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern," says the King, and "Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz," echoes the Queen (2.2.33-34) (Bevington xxi).
Claudius's relationship with The Ghost
The Ghost represents King Hamlet, the brother Claudius has slain. The Ghost will not rest until Claudius dies as well. Hamlet's father and Claudius typify what is best and worst in humanity; one is the sun-god Hyperion, the other a satyr. Claudius is a "serpent" and a "mildewed ear, / Blasting his wholesome brother" (1.5.40; 3.4.65-66).
Character: Fortinbras
Fortinbras's Introduction in the story:
Claudius introduces the character of Fortinbras in Act 1, Scene 2, when, holding court, he announces that the young Norwegian prince has "collected an army to win back by force the territory fairly won by the Danes . . ." (Bevington xxvi).
Fortinbras's dismissal from the story:
Fortinbras speaks last in the play, stating: "Let four captains/Bear Hamlet, like a soldier to the stage,/For he was likely, had he been put on,/To have proved most royal; . . . " (5.2.441-44).
Fortinbras's relationship with Hamlet
" . . . the young Norwegian Prince, who, like Hamlet, has lost a father and who, unlike Hamlet, has promptly taken positive action to avenge his father's death. But Fortinbras . . . has mastered passion; he will obey his royal uncle, rejecting the idea of revenge, and will expend his energy in an attack upon Poland. Fortinbras . . . is emerging as a foil to Hamlet" (Lowers 38).
Character: Francisco; Barnardo; Marcellus
Francisco; Barnardo; Marcellus's Introduction in the story:
"It is symbolically appropriate that the play should begin with a group of anxious watchers on the battlemented walls of the castle, for nothing and no one in Claudius's Denmark is allowed to go "unwatched" . . . (Neill 312). "The setting is the royal castle at Elsinore. On a platform before the castle, Francisco, a soldier on guard duty, challenges Bernardo, an officer who appears to relieve Francisco at midnight. . . .Horatio and Marcellus, who are to join Bernardo in the watch, arrive and identify themselves as loyal Danes" Lowers 15)
Francisco; Barnardo; Marcellus's dismissal from the story:
Francisco exits Act 1, Scene 1, when relieved from his watch; Barnardo exits Act 1, Scene 2, after, with Horatio and Marcellus, telling Hamlet about the Ghost; Marcellus exits Act 1, Scene 5, after, with Horatio, swearing to Hamlet he will not speak of the Ghost.
Character: Gertrude
Gertrude's Introduction in the story:
Gertrude stands loyally by Claudius' side in Act 1, Scene 2, as he holds court. Her first words are directed to Hamlet: "Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off/And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark" (1.2.70-71)
Gertrude's dismissal from the story:
Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison intended for Hamlet and dies: The drink, the drink! I am poisoned. (She dies.) (5.2.341).
Gertrude's relationship with Hamlet
"The appalling spectacle of Gertrude's "wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets" (1.2.156-157) overwhelms Hamlet with revulsion at carnal appetite and intensifies the emotional crisis any son would go through when forced to contemplate his father's death and his mother's remarriage" (Bevington xx).
Gertrude's relationship with Ophelia
Gertrude expresses sorrow over Ophelia's death: "I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife;/I thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid,/And not have strewed thy grave. (5.1.255-57)
Character: Hamlet
Hamlet's Introduction in the story:
In Act 1, Scene 2, Hamlet, in an aside to the audience, remarks "A little more than kin and less than kind" (1.2.67) to Claudius' introduction of him as ". . . my cousin Hamlet and my son-" (1.2.66). "He is introduced . . . as a mysteriously taciturn watcher and listener whose glowering silence calls into question the pomp and bustle of the King's wordy show, just as his mourning blacks cast suspicion of the showy costumes of the court" (Neill 313).
Hamlet's dismissal from the story:
With his dying breath, Hamlet exhorts Horatio to ". . . tell him [Fortinbras], with th' occurents, more or less,/Which have solicited--the rest is silence. (Dies.) (5.2.394-95)
Hamlet's relationship with Claudius
Hamlet and Claudius have an antagonistic relationship. ". . . from the very beginning, his [Hamlet] struggle with Claudius has been conceived as a struggle for the control of language--a battle to determine what can and cannot be uttered" (Neill 316). "Obviously, Hamlet deeply resents Claudius referring to him as his son" (Lowers 20).
Hamlet's relationship with Fortinbras
" . . . the young Norwegian Prince, who, like Hamlet, has lost a father and who, unlike Hamlet, has promptly taken positive action to avenge his father's death. But Fortinbras . . . has mastered passion; he will obey his royal uncle, rejecting the idea of revenge, and will expend his energy in an attack upon Poland. Fortinbras . . . is emerging as a foil to Hamlet" (Lowers 38).
Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude
"The appalling spectacle of Gertrude's "wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets" (1.2.156-157) overwhelms Hamlet with revulsion at carnal appetite and intensifies the emotional crisis any son would go through when forced to contemplate his father's death and his mother's remarriage" (Bevington xx).
Hamlet's relationship with Horatio
Horatio is, as Hamlet praises him, immune to flattering or to opportunities for cheap self-advancement. . . . Hamlet can trust and love Horatio as he can no one else. (Bevington xxvii) " . . . Horatio [is] the norm character in relation to the tragic hero . . . the individual in the play who possesses the very qualities which Hamlet should have if he is to avoid tragic downfall . . . the true stoic . . . he maintains proper balance . . . between emotion and reason" (Lowers 56-57).
Hamlet's relationship with Laertes
After his conflict with Laertes at Ophelia's funeral, "he expresses regret that he had so "forgot" himself as to offend Laertes, stating that he sees the image of his own cause in that of Ophelia's brother. . . . they have both endured great losses" (Lowers 101).
Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia
"Ophelia is more innocent than her father and brother, and more truly affectionate toward Hamlet" (Bevington xxii) At Ophelia's funeral, Hamlet's declaration "I loved Ophelia" (5.1.285) puts into question his true feelings for the young court lady.
Hamlet's relationship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . . . are boyhood friends of Hamlet but are now dependent on the favor of King Claudius" (Bevington xxi).
Hamlet's relationship with The Players
Hamlet knows of "the tragedians of the city" whose performances have previously pleased him" (Lowers 36).
Character: Horatio
Horatio's Introduction in the story:
Horatio skeptically waits on the guard's platform with Barnardo and Marcellus to see if what they have told him is true; a ghost in the form of King Hamlet is haunting Elsinore: "Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy/And will not let belief take hold of him/Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us./Therefore I [Marcellus] have entreated him along/With us to watch the minutes of this night,/That, if again this apparition come,/He may approve our eyes and speak to it. (1.1.28-34)
Horatio's dismissal from the story:
Horatio "provides the best epitaph" (Lowers 104) for Hamlet: "Good night, sweet prince,/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest" (5.2.283), then turns to greet Fortinbras and his army.
Horatio's relationship with Hamlet
Horatio is, as Hamlet praises him, immune to flattering or to opportunities for cheap self-advancement. . . . Hamlet can trust and love Horatio as he can no one else. (Bevington xxvii) " . . . Horatio [is] the norm character in relation to the tragic hero . . . the individual in the play who possesses the very qualities which Hamlet should have if he is to avoid tragic downfall . . . the true stoic . . . he maintains proper balance . . . between emotion and reason" (Lowers 56-57).
Character: Laertes
Laertes's Introduction in the story:
Laertes is introduced in Act 1, Scene 2, when he asks Claudius permission to return to France. Claudius grants the favor, which contrasts with his denial of Hamlet's request to return to the university in Wittenberg.
Laertes's dismissal from the story:
Laertes dies in the fencing contest by the poisoned rapier intended for Hamlet "I am justly killed with mine own treachery." (5.2.337)
Laertes's relationship with Claudius
"Claudius and Laertes plot to rid themselves of young Hamlet" (Bevington xix).
Laertes's relationship with Hamlet
After his conflict with Laertes at Ophelia's funeral, "he expresses regret that he had so "forgot" himself as to offend Laertes, stating that he sees the image of his own cause in that of Ophelia's brother. . . . they have both endured great losses" (Lowers 101).
Laertes's relationship with Ophelia
Laertes is Ophelia's older brother and only sibling. As he prepares to return to France, he advises Ophelia "not to take seriously Hamlet's attentions and, above all, must be wary to protect her virtue" (Lowers 23-24).
Character: Ophelia
Ophelia's Introduction in the story:
Ophelia is introduced in Act 1, Scene 3. She is listening to Laertes' brotherly warnings against Hamlet's flirtation as he prepares to leave for France. Immediately afterwards, she must listen to the same admonishment about Hamlet from her father "Do not believe his vows . . . " (1.3.136).
Ophelia's dismissal from the story:
Ophelia is dismissed at her funeral: "Sweets to the sweet, farewell!" (5.1.254)
Ophelia's relationship with Gertrude
Gertrude expresses sorrow over Ophelia's death: "I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife;/I thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid,/And not have strewed thy grave. (5.1.255-57)
Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet
"Ophelia is more innocent than her father and brother, and more truly affectionate toward Hamlet" (Bevington xxii) At Ophelia's funeral, Hamlet's declaration "I loved Ophelia" (5.1.285) puts into question his true feelings for the young court lady.
Ophelia's relationship with Laertes
Laertes is Ophelia's older brother and only sibling. As he prepares to return to France, he advises Ophelia "not to take seriously Hamlet's attentions and, above all, must be wary to protect her virtue" (Lowers 23-24).
Ophelia's relationship with Polonius
Polonius is Ophelia's only parent. When she speaks to him of Hamlet's attentions, "He scoffs at the very thought . . . and he warns her to conduct herself so as not to make him appear a fool. . . . Polonius appears to be much more concerned about his public image than about the welfare of his daughter. And his emphasis is also upon how one should play a role, how one should act, show, seem" (Lowers 24-25).
Character: Osric
Osric's Introduction in the story:
In Act 5, Scene 2 "Osric, an emissary from the King, enters. Hamlet promptly recognizes him as the affected, overly polite courtier in the service of Claudius" (Lowers 96).
Osric's dismissal from the story:
Osric announces the approach of Fortinbras as Hamlet is dying.
Character: Polonius
Polonius's Introduction in the story:
Polonius is introduced in Act 1, Scene 2, when Claudius consults Polonius about Laertes' request to return to France.
Polonius's dismissal from the story:
Hamlet kills Polonius (thinking him to be Claudius) and hides the body. Afterward, he engages in wordplay with those looking for the corpse, finally admitting: ". . . you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby." (4.3.197)
Polonius's relationship with Ophelia
Polonius is Ophelia's only parent. When she speaks to him of Hamlet's attentions, "He scoffs at the very thought . . . and he warns her to conduct herself so as not to make him appear a fool. . . . Polonius appears to be much more concerned about his public image than about the welfare of his daughter. And his emphasis is also upon how one should play a role, how one should act, show, seem" (Lowers 24-25).
Character: Reynaldo
Reynaldo's Introduction in the story:
Polonius instructs "his man" to go to France to give Laertes ". . . this money and these notes . . . . Before you visit him . . . inquire of his behavior. (2.1.1,4-5)
Reynaldo's dismissal from the story:
Reynaldo receives his instructions from Polonius and is off to France:
Polonius: Observe his [Laertes] inclination in yourself [instead of reports].
Reynaldo: I shall, my lord.
Polonius: And let him ply his music.
Reynaldo: Well, my lord.
Polonius: Farewell.
Reynaldo exits. (2.1.79-83)
Character: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's Introduction in the story:
Claudius and Gertrude send for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, friends of Hamlet's, to discover what is the cause of his strange behavior:
King: Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern./Moreover that we much did long to see you,/The need we have to use you did provoke/Our hasty sending. . . . I entreat you both/. . . To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather/So much as from occasion you may glean,/Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus . . . (2.2.1-4,10,15-17).
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's dismissal from the story:
Hamlet tells Horatio of Claudius' thwarted plan to have him killed, and how he arranged for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take his place: "Immediately Hamlet devised new instructions in the official style requesting that Claudius' servants [Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] who brought the communication to the King of England be put to death" (Lowers 95-95). Horatio: So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to 't. (5.2.63)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's relationship with Claudius
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . . . are boyhood friends of Hamlet, but are now dependent on the favor of King Claudius. Despite their seeming concern for their one-time comrade, and Hamlet's initial pleasure in receiving them, they are faceless courtiers whose very names, like their personalities, are virtually interchangeable. "Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern," says the King, and "Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz," echoes the Queen (2.2.33-34) (Bevington xxi).
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's relationship with Hamlet
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . . . are boyhood friends of Hamlet but are now dependent on the favor of King Claudius" (Bevington xxi).
Character: The Ghost
The Ghost's Introduction in the story:
The Ghost is introduced in Act 1, Scene, 1, when Marcellus describes the specter to skeptical Horatio. The Ghost reveals himself to Hamlet as the prince's late father, King Hamlet, in Act 1, Scene 5, "I am they father's spirit . . . " (1.5.14)
The Ghost's dismissal from the story:
Hamlet asks his mother if she sees The Ghost: "Why, look you there, look how it steals away!" (3.4.153), and that is the last time Ghost appears, however, his impact is felt throughout the rest of the story.
The Ghost's relationship with Claudius
The Ghost represents King Hamlet, the brother Claudius has slain. The Ghost will not rest until Claudius dies as well. Hamlet's father and Claudius typify what is best and worst in humanity; one is the sun-god Hyperion, the other a satyr. Claudius is a "serpent" and a "mildewed ear, / Blasting his wholesome brother" (1.5.40; 3.4.65-66).
Character: The Gravediggers
The Gravediggers's Introduction in the story:
The Gravedigger and his companion prepare the ground for Ophelia's burial in Act 5, Scene 1.
"Enter Gravedigger and Another: In Q2 and Folio Hamlet, this stage direction reads "Enter two clowns," thus indicating that the Gravedigger and his companion were played by actors who did comic roles" (Mowat and Werstine 238).
The Gravediggers's dismissal from the story:
The Gravedigger tells Hamlet the skull he has uncovered is that of Yorick, the King's jester and a childhood favorite of Hamlet's. Neither he nor his companion have any more lines; it can be assumed they leave before the burial service.
Character: The Players
The Players's Introduction in the story:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern inform Hamlet in Act 2, Scene 2, that the travelling actors are on their way to Elsinore. "Ultimately the actors will serve the Prince in his first positive move against Claudius--reason enough for the announcement of their arrival and for the talk relating to them" (Lowers 42).
The Players's dismissal from the story:
The players are dismissed in Act 3, Scene 2: "Shakespeare achieves a dramatic master stroke . . . when the King rises in fright and cries out: 'Give me some light. Away!' (3.2.280). The Mousetrap has been sprung; Hamlet has caught the conscience of the King" (Lowers 59).
The Players's relationship with Hamlet
Hamlet knows of "the tragedians of the city" whose performances have previously pleased him" (Lowers 36).
Character: Voltimand and Cornelius
Voltimand and Cornelius's Introduction in the story:
In Act 1, Scene 2, Voltimand and Cornelius are dispatched to Norway by King Claudius to "halt a threatened attack from Fortinbras" (Mowat and Werstine 20). Cornelius/Voltimand: "In that and in all things will we show our duty" (1.2.39).
Voltimand and Cornelius's dismissal from the story:
Voltimand and Cornelius accomplish their mission and are welcomed home by Claudius: "Go to your rest. At night we'll feast together" (2.2.90).
Nature as it relates to Apparent Dilemma:
The efforts by Hamlet to satisfactorily avenge his father's death meet with failure. Whereas he once would not have considered being King Claudius' "champion," even momentarily, his doing so leads to the extinction of his bloodline. Had he continued his steadfast efforts against the King, it is likely he would have succeeded without all the unnecessary bloodshed.
Essence as it relates to Positive Feel:
Everyone's efforts are to get the kingdom back on track even though their approaches often differ and they are frequently at odds.
Tendency as it relates to Unwilling:
Hamlet is extremely uncomfortable with the task he has been given. He is divided against himself--one part is eager to avenge his father's murder and punish his mother for not sufficiently grieving, while another part of him anguishes over the correctness of his plot and the pain it causes the innocents caught up in the web of deceit.
Reach as it relates to Both:
Men will tend to empathize with Hamlet's struggle to understand (and overcome) his emotional turmoil, in particular the turmoil that is inherent in being a son, while women will tend to empathize with his compassion for Ophelia and the angst he suffers in deceiving her.
Main Character Resolve as it relates to Change:
Hamlet stops contemplating Claudius' lies and treacheries and accepts the knowledge that Claudius is responsible for his father and mother's (and his own) deaths.
Impact Character Resolve as it relates to Steadfast:
The Ghost remains steadfast in his desire to have his death avenged.
Main Character Growth as it relates to Stop:
Hamlet must stop mulling over the information given to him by his father's ghost. Only then may he begin to accept the knowledge as truth and act accordingly.
Main Character Approach as it relates to Be-er:
Hamlet is a gifted thinker that is incapable of positive action--"the native hue of resolution/Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (3.1.92-93).
Main Character Problem-Solving Style as it relates to Logical:
Hamlet tends to use male mental sex problem solving techniques as illustrated in his attempts to gather evidence that "there is something more deeply amiss than his mother's overhasty marriage to her deceased husband's brother. . ." (Bevington xx).
Story Driver as it relates to Action:
Claudius' murder of the king drives Hamlet to despair; The Ghost's appearance drives Hamlet to seek revenge; Hamlet's killing of Polonius drives Claudius to plot Hamlet's death; Ophelia's accidental drowning (and Polonius' murder) drives Laertes to seek Hamlet's death; and so forth.
Story Limit as it relates to Optionlock:
Though the Ghost is impatient for revenge, there is plenty of time to murder Claudius. There are, however, only so many ways to bring about the downfall of Claudius without bringing down the rest of the royal family and friends.
Story Outcome as it relates to Failure:
In the effort to bring down Claudius and restore balance in the kingdom, many lives are lost--including all those of the royal family.
Story Judgment as it relates to Bad:
Hamlet finally perceives that "if it be not now, yet it will come," and that "The readiness is all" (5.2.219-220). This discovery, this revelation of necessity and meaning in Hamlet's great reversal of fortune, enables him to confront the tragic circumstance of his life with understanding and heroism, and to demonstrate the triumph of the human spirit even in the moment of his catastrophe. Such an assertion of the individual will does not lessen the tragic waste with which "Hamlet" ends. Hamlet is dead, the great promise of his life forever lost. (Bevington xxxi)
Overall Story Name: "Betrayal"
Throughline Synopsis:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns from his studies abroad to attend the funeral of his father, King Hamlet, and the subsequent wedding of his mother, Queen Gertrude, to his uncle, King Claudius. Hamlet is quite perturbed by his mother's second marriage, in view of its haste and incestuous implications. He soon meets with a specter claiming to be the ghost of his father. The Ghost tells him he was murdered by his brother, King Claudius, and commands Hamlet to seek revenge. Hamlet agrees to do so, but conflicted by his own nature, he does not act immediately. King Claudius and his councillor, Polonius, have their suspicions about the young man and keep close watch. Falsehood and playacting occur on all sides creating mayhem and madness. Revenge is eventually exacted, but at a cost far too dear; all the primary objective characters, with the exception of Horatio, suffer a tragic death.
Backstory:
. . . According to canonical law which informs Shakespeare's play, such a marriage (between a man and his dead brother's wife) is strictly forbidden. That law is based upon the sacramental view of a mystical bond formed in marriage which creates a relationship between man and wife as close as that which exists between blood relations. From a religious point of view, which cannot be ignored if one is to do justice to Shakespeare's intentions, the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude is, to use official language of the period, "incestuous and unlawful and altogether null and void." To be sure, one wonders why the subjects of the King and Queen voiced no protest or expressed no feeling of shock. But for the poet-dramatist's purpose, it is enough that the young, idealistic Christian Prince should believe that the honor of the Danish royal family has been stained. . . .Traditionally, incest was considered to be an offense against the whole of society. If that view is applicable in Shakespeare's play, then Hamlet has a public duty to oppose Claudius, and that the issue is not merely a personal or domestic, one. (Lowers 21)
Throughline as it relates to Fixed Attitude:
Hamlet's bad attitude threatens the stability of the royal family and court. His sustained grief for his father's death is seen to be unmanly and evidence of "impious stubbornness." (1.2.98) This is contrasted by King Claudius' explanation that "discretion" prohibits excessive grief. Claudius has married his brother's widow and has done so with the concurrence of the members of the council.
Concern as it relates to Memories:
Everyone wants to be comfortable with the memory of King Hamlet. Most wish to accomplish this by erasing the memory entirely, but Hamlet wants to keep it alive and painful; Hamlet is truly appalled at how easily his mother seems to forget her first husband, King Hamlet; Ophelia promises to remember her brother's advice "Tis in my memory locked" (1.3.92).
Issue as it relates to Truth :
Truth is given very little value in "Hamlet."
Counterpoint as it relates to Falsehood :
Bevington explicates how "falsehood' is explored in the objective story:
Something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark. The monarch on whom the health and safety of the kingdom depend is a murderer. Yet few persons know his secret: Hamlet, Horatio only belatedly, Claudius himself, and ourselves as audience. Many ironies and misunderstandings of the play cannot be understood without a proper awareness of this gap between Hamlet's knowledge and most other's ignorance of the murder. For, according to their own lights, Polonius and the rest behave as courtiers normally behave, obeying and flattering a king whom they acknowledge as their legitimate ruler. Hamlet, for his part, is so obsessed with the secret murder that he overreacts to those around him, rejecting overtures of friendship and becoming embittered, callous, brutal, and even violent. His antisocial behavior gives the others good reason to fear him as a menace to the state. Nevertheless, we share with Hamlet a knowledge of the truth and know that he is right, whereas the others are at best unhappily deceived by their own blind complicity in evil. (xx-xxi)
Thematic Conflict as it relates to Truth vs. Falsehood:
The thematic conflict of truth and falsehood is scattered throughout "Hamlet." For example, King Claudius' duplicity regarding his brother's murder; Hamlet's duplicity in his "crazy" behavior; The play-within-a-play itself is designed to present truth to contrast the falsehood of the real life players; The true purpose of Hamlet's trip to England (to have him killed) contrasted with the purported purpose (Hamlet's education); The purpose of the duel between Hamlet and Laertes; and so forth.
Problem as it relates to Thought:
When people in Hamlet act on what they "think" (versus what they know), it creates problems. King Claudius thinks he can get away with murder; Queen Gertrude thinks her new husband is noble and honest and that her son is a basket case; Polonius thinks he can fool Hamlet; Ophelia thinks that Hamlet is being honest with her; Laertes thinks he knows what is going on in the castle; and so forth.
Solution as it relates to Knowledge:
The knowledge of King Claudius' duplicitous nature gets him his just rewards (albeit too late); The knowledge of the contents of the letter saves Hamlet from death; and so forth.
Symptom as it relates to Perception:
The royal family (including Polonius' family) are constantly trying to find out how Hamlet "seems" to be by getting second hand information from people who have interacted with him.
Response as it relates to Actuality:
Hamlet is constantly trying to expose the true nature of people and events, for example, are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern really his friends or agents of the King?
Catalyst as it relates to Evidence:
Each time Hamlet discovers more evidence of his Uncle Claudius' wrongdoing he takes a step closer to killing him; King Claudius uses evidence of Hamlet's "insanity" as reason to dispose of him--permanently; and so forth.
Inhibitor as it relates to Interdiction:
Polonius' attempt to intercede on King Claudius' behalf gets him killed and postpones Hamlet's direct confrontation with King Claudius; Another example of how "interdiction" impedes the objective story's progress is the pirates' capture of Hamlet's ship and his subsequent time spent with them; and so forth.
Benchmark as it relates to Innermost Desires:
The means by which progress is measured in the objective story are basic human drives and desires: Claudius' growing anger and exasperation; Gertrude's growing desperation; Ophelia's loss of touch with reality; Laertes' blood lust; and so forth.
Goal as it relates to Memories:
Hamlet's dwelling on the memory of his father--who seems to have been a significantly superior king than Claudius--comes into conflict with everybody else's concerted effort to forget King Hamlet: "Claudius' call for celebration with festive drink is, in effect, an order that Hamlet especially, and all others, forget the past and accept the new order" (Lowers 19.
Consequence as it relates to The Past:
If the memory of King Hamlet is not allowed to rest, a repetition of the past murder will (and does) occur.
Cost as it relates to Understanding:
In "Hamlet," understanding is seen as a high price to pay--sometimes too high. King Claudius comes to the understanding that Hamlet is on to him and won't stop until his father's death is avenged; Ophelia comes to the understanding that Hamlet does not love her and is responsible for her father's death, and so she loses her mind; Queen Gertrude comes to the understanding her son he is probably insane and her new husband is a murderer; and so forth.
Dividend as it relates to Developing a Plan:
"Conceptualizing" as a dividend is illustrated in the satisfaction Polonius finds in visualizing a way to implement a plan to send Reynaldo to spy on his son's activities in Paris:
. . . Lord Chamberlain . . . [is] concerned that Laertes' conduct in Paris does not make him look bad. In his worldliness and cynicism, he is absolutely sure that he knows how young men behave when away from parental control--drinking, fencing, quarreling, and wenching. Reynaldo, Polonius says, is to let Laertes "ply his music" (2.1.73); that is, keep a close eye on him and let him reveal his secrets. Not only is Polonius ready to believe the worst about his son, but also he seems to be incapable of honesty in his methods. His outlook and conduct suggest the kind of world in which Hamlet is now living. Indirection--espionage--becomes an elaborate game very soon in the play; this episode prepares the way for it. (Lowers 33); Hamlet is satisfied that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deserve what they get for betraying his friendship when he formulates a plan to send them, instead of himself, to their deaths.
Requirements as it relates to Innermost Desires:
Hamlet must get Claudius to expose his true nature, his lust for power and lust for Gertrude, before anyone will believe his accusations.
Prerequisites as it relates to The Future:
Barnardo's response to Francisco's command to "Stand and unfold yourself" (1.1.2) is to declare his allegiance to the king: "Long live the King [Claudius]!" (1.1.3). In order for Hamlet to make a powerful impact in exposing Claudius as a murderer, Claudius must still enjoy a future as ruler of Denmark.
Preconditions as it relates to Obtaining:
Hamlet needs hard evidence of his uncle's murderous actions--he cannot allow himself to go on the word of the Ghost alone.
Forewarnings as it relates to Changing One's Nature:
Hamlet starts becoming the crazy person he is pretending to be. This alerts everyone, including King Claudius, who plots against Hamlet.
Main vs. Impact Story Name: "Remember Me"
Throughline Synopsis:
The Ghost tells Hamlet that it is the spirit of his father, doomed for a time to walk on earth during the nights and to endure purgatorial fires during daytime in expiation for sins committed during life. The Ghost calls upon him to prove his love for his father: "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." Hamlet is told that although King Hamlet's death was attributed to the sting of a serpent, it was Claudius . . . who murdered his brother. The Prince receives this startling news as if it were confirmation of his suspicions. . . . Hamlet is called upon to kill his uncle. But the Ghost adds a word of caution: the son is not to contaminate himself by seeking to punish his mother; he is to leave her punishment to heaven and to her own conscience. "Hamlet, remember me," the Ghost intones as it departs. The Prince solemnly vows to wipe all else from his memory except that which the Ghost has told him. (Lowers 28-29)
Backstory:
The two major issues basic to Hamlet's tragedy are . . . the murder of a king and father, and the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude. . . .The Ghost denounces Claudius as "that incestuous, that adulterate beast" (1.5.41) and speaks of Gertrude as that "seeming-virtuous queen" (1.5.46). Hamlet is implored not to let "the royal bed of Denmark be/A couch for luxury [sensuality] and damned incest" (1.5.82-83). The adultery and incest, which concern the Ghost quite as much as does the murder by means of "leperous distilment,' may simply refer to the marriage. Whether or not Gertrude was unfaithful prior to the death of King Hamlet remains a disputed point. But one thing is clear: Prince Hamlet is not alone in his revulsion, unless this Ghost is indeed a 'goblin damn'd," intent upon leading the young Prince to destruction . . . (Lowers 30)
Throughline as it relates to Situation:
King Hamlet has been murdered by his brother Claudius. King Hamlet's Ghost has charged his son, also named Hamlet, to "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder."
Concern as it relates to The Past:
The Ghost wants his murder avenged and charges Hamlet to take care of it, but Hamlet has doubts about the nature of the Ghost which draws into question his familial duty to avenge him.
Issue as it relates to Fate :
Despite his friends attempts to prevent Hamlet from going off with the Ghost, he believes he must, as it is his fate:
Hamlet: My fate cries out/And make each petty arture in this body/As hard as the Nemean lion's nerve. Still am I called. Unhand me, gentlemen. By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me!/I say, away--Go on. I'll follow thee. (Ghost and Hamlet exit.) (1.5.91-96)
Counterpoint as it relates to Destiny :
Despite the Ghost's command for immediate vengeance, Hamlet hesitates to effect immediate action. He eventually allows destiny to take its course, believing: "There's a divinity that shapes our ends/Rough-hew them how we will [no matter how roughly we ourselves shape them] (5.2.11-12).
Thematic Conflict as it relates to Fate vs. Destiny:
In his charge on Hamlet to avenge the murder, the Ghost warns him not to contaminate himself by seeking to punish Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The story then illustrates the tug of war between Hamlet's handling of his own destiny and its impact on his mother, and how fate warps his efforts to destroy Claudius.
Problem as it relates to Thought:
The Ghost wants revenge, but Hamlet obsessively mulls over the type, meaning, and need for revenge without just killing Claudius.
Solution as it relates to Knowledge:
Once Hamlet accepts the story told to him by the Ghost as "knowledge" will he be able to act decisively and kill Claudius.
Symptom as it relates to Chaos:
The Ghost and Hamlet see Claudius' usurpation of the throne and marriage to Gertrude as a direct effect of the chaos that is created by King Hamlet's unavenged death. More (and worse) chaos will be introduced into the kingdom until Claudius is undone. This chaos is also evidenced by the rumblings of Fortinbras and his interests in regaining lands lost to Denmark under his father's reign.
Response as it relates to Order:
By setting the royal family (and court) back in order--without Claudius--Hamlet hopes (and the Ghost expects) all to be well again.
Catalyst as it relates to Prediction:
As an example of how "prediction" accelerates the subjective story, after closely questioning Horatio, Hamlet anticipates he will be meeting the ghost of his father in the dead of the night.
Inhibitor as it relates to Suspicion:
Hamlet's suspicions that the Ghost is more (or less) than it seems impedes their relationship. Is the Ghost truly his late father? It is an evil specter from hell? Is it Hamlet's own imagination?
Benchmark as it relates to The Future:
The Ghost wants to re-establish his line (via Hamlet) on the throne of Denmark. The shakier that future seems, the greater the strain is between Hamlet and the Ghost of his father.
Role: Prince of Denmark
Description:
"Leading Romantic critics of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw Hamlet as a young man, attractive and gifted in many ways, but incapable of positive action" (Lowers 9).
Throughline Synopsis:
"Hamlet's role as hero at once sets him apart from this prison-house world and yet leads him to become increasingly entangled in its web of surveillance" (Neill 313).
Backstory:
"His (Hamlet's) tragedy is already in progress when he first appears. . . .Hamlet does not move from a state of well-being or happiness to adversity and suffering. Nor is his state of unhappiness attributed to the death of a beloved and honored father; rather, it is the marriage of his mother to his uncle, who now is King of Denmark" (Lowers 20).
Throughline as it relates to Manipulation:
Hamlet is a seriously introspective man, tending to bouts of melancholy and mind games. Certain critics [notably A.C. Bradley] subscribe to the theory that Hamlet was a victim of the "Elizabethan malady" know as melancholy. "It was recognized as a disease and was the subject of treatises published in England and on the Continent. . . . In an age when the proper study of mankind was man, it seems improbable that a writer like Shakespeare, with his manifest intellectual curiosity and acquisitive mind, was unfamiliar with contemporary ideas regarding the causes, symptoms, and results of melancholy. . . . When Hamlet speaks of "my weakness and my melancholy" (2.2.630) for example; when he speaks "wild and whirling words" (1.5.133); when his mood shifts from deep depression to elation, he is following the pattern of behavior peculiar to the melancholic . . ." (Lowers 11).
Concern as it relates to Developing a Plan:
Hamlet's immediate concern is to imagine a plan for tricking or coercing his uncle/stepfather Claudius into revealing his involvement in the king's murder. Lowers remarks on Hamlet's larger concern: "Hamlet's concept of honor, implicit from the beginning, is something far above that held by Laertes and Polonius. He wishes to be remembered as the worthy son of the superior King Hamlet, as minister called upon to execute public justice, not as scourge." (Lowers 104)
Issue as it relates to State of Being :
Hamlet's essential nature is revealed in his first soliloquy: "It has been argued that here Shakespeare develops the theme of appearance versus reality and that he intends to stress Hamlet's dedication to truth in contrast to appearances which serve others, notably Claudius. Certainly he is presented as a discordant figure in this assembly, and his "inky cloak" and "suit of "solemn black" provide a telling criticism of Claudius and Gertrude. Others may act a part, making use of "Windy suspiration of forc'd breath" (sighing) and "fruitful river in the eye" (weeping); Hamlet is incapable of such posturing" (Lowers 21)
Counterpoint as it relates to Sense of Self :
Throughout a good deal of the play, Hamlet's negative perception of himself is directly linked to his failure to immediately seek revenge for his father's Ghost. In his mother's chamber, he addresses the Ghost: "Do you not come your tardy son to chide,/That, laps'd in time and passion, lets go by/Th' important acting of your dread command?" (3.4.122-24)
Thematic Conflict as it relates to State of Being vs. Sense of Self:
"To be, or not to be--that is the question." Hamlet is constantly exploring the difference between who he truly is compared to his sense of self. Is he sane, or does he just think he is?
Problem as it relates to Thought:
Coleridge's [a leading English Romantic scholar] well-known remarks on the character of Hamlet have been most influential. For him, the Prince of Denmark suffers from an "Overbalance of contemplative faculty" and, like any man, "thereby becomes the creature of mere meditation and loses power to action (Notes and Lectures on Shakespeare, 1808). And William Hazlitt continues: At other times, when he is most bound to act, he remains puzzled, undecided, and skeptical, dallies with his purposes, till the occasion is lost, and finds out some pretense to relapse into indolence and thoughtfulness again" (Characters in Shakespeare's Plays, 1818). . . . A.C. Bradley refers to Hamlet's "otiose thinking which hardly deserves the name of thought, an unconscious weaving of pretexts for inaction" (Lowers 10-11). Or as Hamlet say of himself, "the native hue of resolution/Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (3.1.84-85).
Solution as it relates to Knowledge:
Once he can accept as true the knowledge of Claudius' "evil" nature, he will be able to act.
Symptom as it relates to Change:
Hamlet focuses on the changes that have occurred around him and sees them as the source of his troubles: his father has died (been murdered), his uncle (the murderer) has been crowned king; his mother (Gertrude, the queen) has married his uncle--all within two months.
Response as it relates to Inertia:
Hamlet would like things to go back to the way they were before his father died--sans Claudius, of course.
Unique Ability as it relates to Situation:
Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark, second only in power to the king. He has complete access to the castle, to finances, to his mother the queen, and most importantly to the king and his private chambers.
Critical Flaw as it relates to Interpretation:
Combined with his penchant for thought, Hamlet is constantly finding multitudes of meaning in things--many of which are completely misconstrued and undermine his efforts. The most notable instances are his mistaking the person behind the tapestry (Polonius) for Claudius and stabbing through it--"Is it the King?" (3.4.32)--and mistaking the purpose of the duel with Laertes as an attempt by Claudius to reconcile their differences, whereas the real reason is for Hamlet to be killed.
Benchmark as it relates to Changing One's Nature:
First of all, there is there the issue of, "To be, or not to be . . . " But as an even more important standard to measure the degree of Hamlet's concern, there is the issue of his sanity. Publicly, he appears to grow crazier and crazier. Privately, however, he appears to become more and more heartsick and accepting of the death he feared so much in the beginning.
Role: The spirit of King Hamlet
Description:
Deceased; former King of Denmark, husband of Gertrude, brother of Claudius, and father of young Hamlet.
Throughline Synopsis:
It is from this pressure ["forbidden utterance"] that the first three acts of the play derive most of their extraordinary energy; and the energy is given a concrete dramatic presence in the form of the Ghost. . . . The strikingly unconventional thing about Shakespeare's Ghost is its melancholy preoccupation with the silenced past and its plangent cry of "Remember me" . . . which makes remembrance seem more important than revenge. "The struggle of humanity against power," the Czech novelist Milan Kundera has written, " . . . is the struggle of memory against forgetfulness"; and this Ghost, which stands for all that has been erased by the bland narratives of King Claudius, is consumed by the longing to speak that which power has rendered unspeakable. (Neill 318-319)
Backstory:
One of the prime concerns of the Ghost is that, as a mortal, it was denied the opportunity to be shriven (receive absolution for sins prior to death) and thus must endure spiritual purgation before it can be admitted to heaven. But what of the "foul crimes" admitted to have been committed by King Hamlet, the man whom his son so much reveres? Obviously he was not perfect; no mortal is, according to church doctrine because mankind remains tainted as the result of original sin. The Ghost is only too aware of mortal imperfections; it has a conscience practically Calvinistic in its strictness. (Lowers 29)
Throughline as it relates to Activity:
The Ghost is the spirit of King Hamlet who is doomed to walk the earth during the nights and endure purgatorial fires during the daytime in expiation of sins committed during life.
Concern as it relates to Understanding:
The Ghost wants everybody, particularly Hamlet, to understand what happened to him--the manner of his death, and so forth.
Issue as it relates to Instinct :
The Ghost's involuntary drive to disappear when "The glowworm shows the matin [morning] to be near" (1.5.96) creates suspicion as to the true nature of the apparition:
What of the Ghost, "this thing . . . this dreaded sight," as Marcellus calls it, which fills Horatio with "fear and wonder"? . . .The prevailing theories were that a