Conclusion

Alas, here comes the end...

As we are as we are now reaching the end of my blog, I want to emphasise how important William Shakespeare is to our society as he once was to his own. He has created words that we all use today such as addiction, assassination and belongings. There are also many phrases that we use such as "send him packing", "makes your hair stand on end" and "lie low."


Hamlet is a play of intrigue and really interests me in this regard. From doing this blog, I hope to share my enthusiasm for the play and for the work of William Shakespeare.


I thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog as it a topic on which I love. I only hope you liked reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.




Yours,


Cliodhna O'Connell

Quotes Explained

Famous Quotes

"This above all: to thine own self be true."

The meaning?

Polonius is giving his son, Laertes wise advice, to be true to himself and to be a gentleman. Despite what seems to be sage words, turns into a certain irony later on in the play as both Polonius and Laertes both perish due to their stubbornness.





"Frailty, thy name is woman"




The meaning?


After Hamlet's mother, Gertrude remarried his uncle, Hamlet's opinion of women deteriorated.





"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio/Then are dreamt of in your philosophy"




The meaning?


Hamlet says this to Horatio as the supernatural presence of his father becomes more apparent. Hamlet plays with the ideas that science and philosophy cannot explain all the goings-on in the world and indeed, the universe.






"To be or not to be, that is the questions/Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ And by opposing. end them"




The meaning?

Hamlet dithers with what he thinks to be better, life or death? At this point of the play, Hamlet feels nothing but pain and suffering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muLAzfQDS3M

Hamlet on Stage

On Stage

Hamlet has been performed on stage for four hundred years, in many different languages and many different settings. One of the earliest performances of Hamlet ever recorded was in 1607, on-board the East India Company's ship. The ship was near Sierra Leone at the time and according to the captain, "the acting of it kept his people from idleness and unlawful game, or sleep."

It has been played all over England and indeed in front of King James in 1619 and King Charles in 1637.

It was originally written for the stage of Globe, an airy, open space where it is easy to listen and concentrate to the music and language.

As the character of Hamlet is one of complexity, it takes talent and daring to take the role on. It attracts many world famous actors to the stage of Hamlet.

Since written, Hamlet has never been off the stage, with lots of different adaptations.

For example, when I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon during the summer, I saw Hamlet acted in the 21st century Africa. It had an African setting and up-beat music. I found this variation to be very enjoyable as it had a different perspective.

The acting styles have changed dramatically over the centuries. Many women have successfully attempted the role of Hamlet as Hamlet is believed to have had many feminine qualities. Such actresses include the likes of Sarah Bernhardt in 1899.  



Steaphan Greene
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skull-Icon.svg





The Meaning of Hamlet

The Meaning of Hamlet

So what are the messages conveyed by Shakespeare's Hamlet? What lies beneath, the hidden meaning to it all?

For me, I feel that one of the main messages in Hamlet is to be decisive about every situation. Hamlet, as is his nature, is very indecisive and inevitably leads to his friends, and his own demise. Shakespeare almost highlights how Hamlet's character plays in big role in the plot. As mentioned before, Hamlet is rash and uncertain. From when we witnessed his first appearance, I got the impression of Hamlet's overall character, his insane personality.


I feel that the whole moral of Shakespeare's Hamlet is that you should never be as indecisive as Hamlet was, as it always leads to tragedy in the end. For example, Hamlet is lead to his death, where there was lack of planning and no thought of consequence.



Coke Smyth Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection

The Characters

The Characters

Hamlet- 

The Prince of Denmark and the protagonist of the play. He is the nephew of Claudius and son of Queen Gertrude and the late King of Denmark. He is cynical and rash at certain times and thoughtful and hesitant at others. He loathes his uncle's scheming plans and hates his mother's indecisive mind. He is a character that is most appealing to those intrigued by a  complicated mind.


Claudius-

The King of Denmark and the antagonist of the play. He has a lust for power and has a head for scheming. However, there are some scenes during the play that allow us to see some feeling of sincerity, his love for his late brother's wife, Gertrude, for instance.


Gertrude-

The Queen of Denmark, the late wife of Hamlet's father and current wife of the present King of Denmark, Claudius. She is a feeble and shallow woman who cares more for status and love than honesty or morals.


Polonius-

The Lord of Chamberlain in the King's court, he is bombastic and conniving man. He is the father of Ophelia and Laertes.


Horatio-

A loyal and close friend to Hamlet throughout the play. He studied at the University of Wittenburg with Hamlet.


Ophelia-

The love interest of Hamlet and the beautiful daughter of Polonius. As she is innocent and relies on men to tell her how to behave, she agrees to spy on Hamlet, as orders from  her father from the King and Queen. As she goes insane, she remains singing and eventually drowns in the river, laying in the flower she had arranged. 


Laertes-

The brother of Ophelia and son of Polonius, he loves his sister. He spends most of the time in France and is a foil for Hamlet.


Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- 

The two not so loyal friends of Hamlet from Wittenburg University. They agree to go to Denmark to find out why Hamlet is acting so strange.


Fortinbras-

The young Prince of Denmark. His father was killed by Hamlet's late father and seeks to attack Denmark. He is another foil for Hamlet. 


The Ghost-


The ghost of Hamlet's late father who tells Hamlet of his murder by Claudius. He encourages Hamlet to avenge him.

The Origin

Where It Comes From

William Shakespeare is known to have based many of his plays on old myths and legends and Hamlet is no exception. Hamlet was originally based on a Norse* legend, written by a man called Saxo Grammaticus in Latin around 1200 AD. Of the many stories Saxo has written, most speak of the Danish monarchy including History of the Danes.

In Saxo's version of the story,  there was a king called Rorik of the Danes and he had two brother, Orvendil and Fengi who rule over Jutland. Orvendil marries King Rorik's daughter Geruth and they have a son called Amleth (Shakespeare's character of Hamlet). However, Fengi wanted Geruth for himself and wants to rule over the whole of Jutland himself. He kills his brother, Orvendil and marries Geruth. The son of Orvendil, Amleth is terrified and pretends to be completely mad, to avoid certain death. However, he secretly plans his revenge on his uncle to become the rightful king of the land.

Saxo's original story is obviously very similar to the play we all know as Hamlet. The characters are easy to identify and place.

However, as it is generally accepted that Shakespeare got this story from Saxo Grammaticus, there is also evidence that suggests he got it from another Norse legend by Thomas Kyd, the Ur-Hamlet. There are no surviving copies of Ur-Hamlet and all we know is that it was once performed on a London stage and it was a tragedy.

"To be or not to be, that is the question"

Introduction

Introduction

I am currently attending school in Dublin, Ireland. Ever since finishing my Junior Certificate late year, I have taken a huge interest in the work of William Shakespeare. I have attended many of his plays, primarily by the RSC.

From witnessing Shakespeare's brilliant production, I have worked my way down to the one play that I most adore- Hamlet. It is a play of so much intrigue and the language is by that of extraordinary intelligence.

This is a blog that I have put together for me to be able to appreciate Shakespeare's work and to share the findings that I have witnessed, all from the tragedy of 'Hamlet'.

I hope you enjoy your reading.

Cliodhna