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NAME

William Shakespeare
OCCUPATION
Poet, Playwright
BIRTH DATE
c. April 23, 1564
DEATH DATE
April 23, 1616
EDUCATION
King's New School
PLACE OF BIRTH
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
PLACE OF DEATH
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
AKA
Shakspere
Will Shakespeare
NICKNAME
"Bard of Avon"
"Swan of Avon"
"The Bard"

Comedy

History

All's Well That Ends Well


As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors
Cymbeline
Love's Labours Lost
Measure for Measure
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merchant of Venice
A Midsummer Night's
Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Henry IV, part 1


Henry IV, part 2
Henry V
Henry VI, part
1
Henry VI, part
2
Henry VI, part
3
Henry VIII
King John
Richard II

Tragedy
Antony and
Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus

Poetry
The Sonnets
A Lover's Complaint
The Rape of Lucrece
Venus and Adonis
Funeral Elegy by
W.S.

Taming of the Shrew


The Tempest
Troilus and Cressida
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale

Richard III

Introduction - The play and the image displayed in the


picture
This section is dedicated to Hamlet, the play by William
Shakespeare. The picture is 18th century and image
displayed represents the essence of the play which, we
hope, will bring to life a famous scene or character from the
play. The information provided in this section of williamshakespeare.info includes famous quotes / quotations,
summary of the plot or story, facts about the play, a list of
the cast and characters and access to the full text - script of
the play by William Shakespeare

Summary of the plot or story


Prince Hamlet mourns both his father's death and his
mother, Queen Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius. The ghost
of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius
has poisoned him. Hamlet swears revenge. He arranges an
old play whose story has a parallel to that of Claudius.
Hamlet's behaviour is considered mad. He kills the
eavesdropping Polonius, the court chamberlain, by thrusting
his sword through a curtain. Polonius's son Laertes returns
to Denmark to avenge his father's death. Polonius's
daughter Ophelia loves the Prince but his brutal behaviour
drives her to madness. Ophelia dies by drowning. A duel
takes place and ends with the death of Gertrude, Laertes,
Claudius, and Hamlet. Themes discussed in the plot include
indecision, seeking revenge and retribution, deception,
ambition, loyalty and fate.

Hamlet's soliloquy Act 4 - the Revenge Code


The code of revenge is what causes many of Hamlet's
problems. The revenge code made it necessary for him to
avenge and seek retribution for the acts of others.
Information provided about the play
William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and
therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived.
Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however,
published during his lifetime in quarto editions by
unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws
protecting Shakespeare and his works during the
Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear
until 1623 ( a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on
April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John
Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his
work and published 36 of Williams plays in the First Folio.
Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are
substantiated by historical events, records of performances
and the dates plays appeared in print.
Date play was first performed
It is believed that the play was first performed between
1600 and 1601. In the Elizabethan era
there was a huge demand for new entertainment and the
drama would have been produced immediately following the
completion of the play.
Date first printed
It is believed that the play was first printed in 1603. As
William Shakespeare clearly did not want his work published
details of the play would have therefore been noted, and
often pirated without his consent, following a performance.

The settings for Hamlet


The settings for the play are Elsinore in eastern Denmark
(the castle, a plain and a churchyard)
Theme of Hamlet
The play is categorised as a Tragedy
Number of words in Hamlet
The number of words in the work, according to the Complete
Public Domain Text is 32,241.
The script, with 1569 lines has the most of all of the
Shakespearean characters and the play has the most lines
with 3924
Most important characters in Hamlet
The most important characters in the play are:
Hamlet, Ophelia and the Ghost of Hamlet's father
Famous Quotes / Quotations from Hamlet
The quotes from Hamlet are amongst Shakespeare's most
famous including 'to be or not to be' and
'to thine own self be true'. Details of these famous quotes
follow, complete with information regarding the Act and the
Scene, allowing a quick reference to the section of the play
that these quotations can be found in. Please click here for
the full text of the script of the play.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question" Hamlet Act III,
Scene I).
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (Act I, Scene III).
"This above all: to thine own self be true". - (Hamlet Act I,
Scene III).
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.". - (Act
II, Scene II).
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks". - (Hamlet Act

III, Scene II).


"In my mind's eye". - (Act I, Scene II).
"The play 's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the
king". - (Hamlet Act II, Scene II).
History of Hamlet
Kronborg Castle built between 1574 and 1585 is believed to
be the model for the Elsinore Castle.
William Shakespeare's Main Source for Hamlet
Shakespeare's main source for Hamlet was probably the
Third Book of Gesta Danorum (which was also called Historia
Danica) by Saxo Grammaticus. The story was retold by
Franois de Belleforest in Histoires Tragiques. It is also
possible that a play reputedly by Thomas Kyd (1558-1594)
called Ur-Hamlet was used. Interestingly, the term "Ur"
means original and due to the total confusion in relation to
the publication of any Elizabethan literature there is a
theory that Ur-Hamlet was actually written by William
Shakespeare as a draft for the final version of Hamlet.
Inspiration from Hamlet
The story has inspired many film versions of the Play, the first and most famous
was produced in 1948 and starred Laurence Olivier. Other actors who have
portrayed the hero either on film, or stage, include Mel Gibson, Kenneth
Branaugh, Kevin Kline and Richard Burton
The Cast and Characters of Hamlet
Yorick was a Court jester of old King Hamlet. He amused and
looked after Hamlet when he was a child. Yorick is dead
during the play, but his skullwhich a gravedigger exhumes
in Act V, Scene Iarouses old memories in Hamlet that
provide a glimpse of his childhood. The skull also helps to
develop Hamlets morbid preoccupation with death.

Play Summary

Prince Hamlet is depressed. Having been summoned home to Denmark from school in
Germany to attend his father's funeral, he is shocked to find his
mother Gertrude already remarried. The Queen has wed Hamlet's UncleClaudius, the
dead king's brother. To Hamlet, the marriage is "foul incest." Worse still, Claudius has
had himself crowned King despite the fact that Hamlet was his father's heir to the
throne. Hamlet suspects foul play.
When his father's ghost visits the castle, Hamlet's suspicions are confirmed. The Ghost
complains that he is unable to rest in peace because he was murdered. Claudius, says
the Ghost, poured poison in King Hamlet's ear while the old king napped. Unable to
confess and find salvation, King Hamlet is now consigned, for a time, to spend his days
in Purgatory and walk the earth by night. He entreats Hamlet to avenge his death, but to
spare Gertrude, to let Heaven decide her fate.
Hamlet vows to affect madness puts "an antic disposition on" to wear a mask that
will enable him to observe the interactions in the castle, but finds himself more confused
than ever. In his persistent confusion, he questions the Ghost's trustworthiness. What if
the Ghost is not a true spirit, but rather an agent of the devil sent to tempt him? What if
killing Claudius results in Hamlet's having to relive his memories for all eternity? Hamlet
agonizes over what he perceives as his cowardice because he cannot stop himself from
thinking. Words immobilize Hamlet, but the world he lives in prizes action.
In order to test the Ghost's sincerity, Hamlet enlists the help of a troupe of players who
perform a play called The Murder of Gonzago to which Hamlet has added scenes that
recreate the murder the Ghost described. Hamlet calls the revised play The
Mousetrap, and the ploy proves a success. As Hamlet had hoped, Claudius' reaction to
the staged murder reveals the King to be conscience-stricken. Claudius leaves the room
because he cannot breathe, and his vision is dimmed for want of light. Convinced now
that Claudius is a villain, Hamlet resolves to kill him. But, as Hamlet observes,
"conscience doth make cowards of us all."
In his continued reluctance to dispatch Claudius, Hamlet actually causes six ancillary
deaths. The first death belongs to Polonius, whom Hamlet stabs through a wallhanging
as the old man spies on Hamlet and Gertrude in the Queen's private chamber. Claudius

punishes Hamlet for Polonius' death by exiling him to England. He has brought Hamlet's
school chums Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Denmark from Germany to spy on his
nephew, and now he instructs them to deliver Hamlet into the English king's hands for
execution. Hamlet discovers the plot and arranges for the hanging of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern instead.Ophelia, distraught over her father's death and Hamlet's behavior,
drowns while singing sad love songs bemoaning the fate of a spurned lover. Her
brother, Laertes, falls next.
Laertes, returned to Denmark from France to avenge his father's death, witnesses
Ophelia's descent into madness. After her funeral, where he and Hamlet come to blows
over which of them loved Ophelia best, Laertes vows to punish Hamlet for her death as
well.
Unencumbered by words, Laertes plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet. In the midst of the
sword fight, however, Laertes drops his poisoned sword. Hamlet retrieves the sword and
cuts Laertes. The lethal poison kills Laertes. Before he dies, Laertes tells Hamlet that
because Hamlet has already been cut with the same sword, he too will shortly
die. Horatiodiverts Hamlet's attention from Laertes for a moment by pointing out that
"The Queen falls."
Gertrude, believing that Hamlet's hitting Laertes means her son is winning the fencing
match, has drunk a toast to her son from the poisoned cup Claudius had intended for
Hamlet. The Queen dies.
As Laertes lies dying, he confesses to Hamlet his part in the plot and explains that
Gertrude's death lies on Claudius' head. Finally enraged, Hamlet stabs Claudius with
the poisoned sword and then pours the last of the poisoned wine down the King's throat.
Before he dies, Hamlet declares that the throne should now pass to Prince Fortinbras of
Norway, and he implores his true friend Horatio to accurately explain the events that
have led to the bloodbath at Elsinore. With his last breath, he releases himself from the
prison of his words: "The rest is silence."
The play ends as Prince Fortinbras, in his first act as King of Denmark, orders a funeral
with full military honors for slain Prince Hamlet

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