Download William Shakespeare

NOTES ON HAMLET
TABLE of CONTENTS.
1. Shakespeare's life
p.
2
2. His literary work
3
3. Historical background
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4. Background notes on the Elizabethan drama
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5. The Elizabethan theatre
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6. The nature of the tragedy
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7. Grammatica
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8. The story of Hamlet
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9. An extract
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(c) J.A. Pennings
Franciscuscollege
Sint-
Campus Heusden
Heusden-Zolder
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1. SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
We know very little about who Shakespeare was or how he lived. And, apart from the ideas expressed
in his writings, we know nothing at all about what he thought or how he reacted to the events of his
time.
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire and was baptised there on 26 April 1564. His
father, John Shakespeare, seems to have been reasonably wealthy at the time of William's birth. He
had business interests in farming, butchering, wool-dealing and glove-making and he held several
public offices in Stratford until about 1578 when his business began to decline. His mother came from
a well-to-do county family.
It seems likely, in the view of his father's position, that William was educated at the Stratford
Grammar School. There he would have had a good education on classical lines. All the teaching
would have been in Latin, and most of the school hours would have been devoted to the study of the
Latin classics. Some Greek was also taught. He did not, however, go to university and so did not have
the type of education which many contemporary playwrights had.
William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582, when he was eighteen and she twenty-six, and
they had three children, Suzanna, born shortly after the marriage, and the twins Judith and Hammet,
born in 1585. We cannot be certain how Shakespeare supported his family during this time. He may
have been involved in his father's diminishing business or he may, as some traditions suggest, have
been a schoolmaster. Whatever he did, however, it did not satisfy him completely because he left
Stratford and went to London.
Once again, we cannot be sure when Shakespeare moved to London. It may have been in 1585, the
year when a group of London players visited Stratford and performed their plays there. But we do
know that he was living in London in 1592, by which time he was already known as a dramatist and
actor. Indeed, even at this early date, his plays must have been popular because, in 1592, Shakespeare
was criticised in a pamphlet by a less successful writer, Robert Greene, who wrote that a new and
largely uneducated dramatist (that is, Shakespeare) was usurping the position which richly belonged to
university men.
Plague broke out in London in 1593 and all theatres were closed. Shakespeare seems to have used the
time of the closure to write two long poems, 'The Rape of Lucrece' and 'Venus and Adonis' and to
strengthen his relationship with a theatre group called the Lord Chamberlain's Company in Elizabeth's
reign and the King's Men after the accession of James I in 1603. Shakespeare maintained his
association with this company until he retired from theatre and he seems to have prospered with it.
In 1596 came personal grief and achievement. His son died, and Shakespeare and his father were
granted a coat of arms which meant that their status as 'gentlemen' was recognised by the College of
Heralds. In the following year, 1597, Shakespeare bought New Place, one of the largest houses in
Stratford. In 1599 he bought shares in the Globe Theatre and in 1609 he became part owner of the
newly built Blackfriars Theatre. In this year also, he published a collec-tion of sonnets. Shakespeare
retired to New Place in 1611 though he did not break all his business contacts with London. He died
in Stratford on 23 April 1616 at the age of fifty-two.
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2. HIS LITERARY WORK.
Shakespeare's literary life is generally divided into four main creative periods.
First period : comedies characterized by youthful imagination, playful fantasy and exuberant
spirits. The plots are very complicated. The best-known of these comedies is probably the delightful
fairy-tale 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Another well-known comedy, 'The Merchant of Venice', is
rather different because in the famous trial scene the villain of the piece, Shylock the Jew, becomes
almost a tragic hero. In this period Shakespeare also wrote his early romantic tragedy 'Romeo and
Juliet'.
Second period : history plays and romantic comedies. The plays of 'Henry IV' show Shakespeare's
interest in the problem of kingship. In the comedies 'Much Ado about Nothing', 'As You Like It' and
'Twelfth Night' we find the typically Shakespearean heroine: humorous, witty, generous and greathearted. These plays contain many lyric songs. The comic characters are highly individualized. The
plots are centred upon concealed identities and disguises. In addition to humour and entertainment
Shakespeare provides comments on certain fundamental aspects of human life, such as the nature of
love and the importance of honesty, loyalty and courage.
Third period : bitter 'comedies' full of doubt and disillusion, and great tragedies. In the problem
comedy 'Measure for Measure' Shakespeare seems to doubt the dignity of man. Of the tragic plays
on ancient history the best-known are 'Julius Caesar', in which Shakespeare analyses the relation
between the state and the individual, and 'Anthony and Cleopatra'.
Greatest of all are the four tragedies 'Hamlet', 'Othello', 'Macbeth' and 'King Lear'. The former two
are tragedies of character. 'Hamlet' shows us a noble, over-sensitive prince breaking down under the
heavy task of revenge which is laid on his young shoulders. 'Othello' studies the terrible effects of
jealousy and suspicion, and the struggle between naive innocence and cynical intellect. In 'Macbeth'
and 'King Lear' Shakespeare paints on a wider canvas: these cosmic tragedies deal with evil as an
essential part of human existence. The dramatist shows us that there is evil not only in man but
everywhere in the world around him. If man is to survive he must wage a continuous battle against
the forces of evil that threaten to wipe out culture and civilization and plunge human society back
into chaos. In 'Macbeth' a brave general is tempted by supernatural evil powers onto a path of
murder and cruelty which ultimately leads to his own destruction. In 'King Lear' an old, childish
and irresponsible yet majestic king is driven mad by the ingratitude and cruelty of his daughters.
Fourth period : plays characterized by a mood of serene tenderness and happy fulfilment. 'A
Winter's Tale' and 'The Tempest' are comedies full of warmth and forgiveness. These comedies are
often called romances. There is in them a return to the fantasy and playfulness of Shakespeare's
early comedies, but the treatment is raised to a level of philosophic ripeness. The end of Shakespeare's career shows us a perfect balance of thought, emotion and action. It is most clearly seen in his
last play 'The Tempest'.
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From 1591-1613 Shakespeare wrote 36 plays, two long poems and 154 sonnets. In his sonnets he
deals with the two themes of Love and Time. In many, love is described as a noble passion which
enables man to withstand the attacks of time. But just as in the 'problem plays' a mood of doubt and
despair sometimes creeps in. In these sombre sonnets love turns into lust, which drags down the
spirit of man and makes him the victim of all-destroying time (e.g. 'Sonnet XVIII').
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3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.
Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 and ruled England until 1603. Her reign brought
stability to the country and with stability came prosperity. In order to see how important peace and
order were to the Elizabethans, it is useful to contrast Elizabeth's reign with the insecurity and unrest
of earlier ages.
Elizabeth's grandfather, Henry Tudor, became King Henry VII of England in 1485. His accession and
marriage to Elizabeth of York put an end to the civil wars which had racked England for almost a
hundred years. Henry VII concentrated on reducing friction at home and abroad and on establishing a
strong, financially secure monarchy.
He was succeeded in 1509 by his son Henry VIII who married a Spanish princess, Catherine of
Aragon. This marriage did not produce a son and so Henry VIII divorced her. The divorce was
condemned by the Catholic Church and, gradually, a split developed between the Pope and Henry.
Henry died in 1547 and at that time England was still largely, in practice, a Catholic country, though
the supreme spiritual authority of the Pope had been challenged, and many Protestant reformers were
eager to spread Protestantism in England.
Henry VIII was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Edward and his Regents furthered the spread of
Protestantism. Edward died in 1553 and was followed to the throne by his half-sister Mary, daughter
of Catherine of Aragon and a devout Catholic. She attempted to restore Catholicism to England but
she died childless and was succeeded in 1558 by her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth adopted what might be called a 'middle way' as far as religion was concerned. She broke the
link with Rome but retained many of the practices and beliefs of the old religion. Her 'middle way'
satisfied most of her subjects and for the majority of her reign religious strife was avoided. Many
different Christian sects became established in England during her reign, however, among them the
Puritans who were very critical of the theatre.
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4. BACKGROUND NOTES ON ELIZABETHAN DRAMA.
Records of drama in English go back to the Middle Ages, a period in which numerous 'Miracle' and
'Morality' plays were written. Such plays were often based on biblical themes, especially those
involving such miraculous events as the saving of Noah and his family in the ark, or those from which
a clear moral could be drawn. Medieval plays were usually written to coincide with such religious
festivals as Christmas or Easter and they were often performed in, or near, the church, with most of
the community taking part actively, by playing roles, or passively, as members of the audience.
In the medieval period drama was an integral element in the structure of society. It was, in many ways,
an extension of Christian ritual and was meant to make a strong impression on all who participated in
the performance. Audiences were meant to be awed by the power and wisdom of God, inspired by the
faith and courage of holy men, frightened by the fate of evil doers and amused by the folly of
mankind. Drama in the period was thus meant to have a cathartic effect, that is it was intended to
improve the members of the audience by giving them an outlet for such emotions as greed, hatred,
lust, pity. They were encouraged to sympathise with a character often called Everyman who
represented all men in their journey through life. The drama of the time, like Everyman himself, had a
universal appeal. It was written, not for a small élite, but with all members of the society in mind.
In the early sixteenth century the close relationship that had previously existed between Church and
State began to change. Individual Christian sects had distinctly different attitudes to the role of drama
in society. It was tolerated by Catholics but condemned by Puritans who wished to 'purify' the
religious beliefs and attitudes of the time and to encourage people to give up worldly pleasures so that
they might attend to spiritual matters. Puritanism grew stronger, especially in towns and cities, in the
second half of the sixteenth century and people connected with drama - writers and actors - had to
struggle against growing opposition. Elizabethan dramatists often criticised Puritanism in their plays
and there is some evidence of such criticism in several of Shakespeare's plays, including 'Twelfth
Night'. Puritanical opposition to the theatre eventually succeeded in curtailing freedom of speech in
drama when it sponsored the Licensing Act which was passed by Parliament in 1737.
In Shakespeare's day, however, the theatre had the support of the Court and many dramatists,
including Shakespeare, continued the medieval tradition of producing plays which appealed to all
classes and to different levels of intelligence and education.
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5. THE ELIZABETHAN THEATRE.
Drama became increasingly secularised during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and plays ceased
to be performed in or near a church. Instead, they were often staged in the courtyard of an inn. Putting
on a performance in such a courtyard had several advantages. There were many doors which could be
used for exits and entrances, balconies which could represent battlements or towers and, best of all,
perhaps, there were usually guests in the inn who were glad of an evening's entertainment.
When the first theatre was built in London in 1576 it seemed perfectly natural, therefore, to build
according to the design of Elizabethan courtyards. The theatre had galleries and boxes around the
walls where the wealthy sat, and like the courtyard of an inn, it had no roof and so performances were
cancelled when the weather was bad. The 1576 theatre and those built subsequently differed from the
courtyards in that they contained a large stage - often called an apron stage because of its shape which jutted out from one wall into the auditorium. The poorer members of the audience were called
'groundlings' and they stood around the stage through-out the performance.
The large apron stage was not curtained from the audience and there was no scenery on it. Indications
of where the scene occurred were built into the words of the play.
The lack of scenery was also, in part, compensated for by the use of very rich costumes and music.
In the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, it seems likely that plays went on from beginning to
end without interval, though the end of a scene is often indicated by an actor.
In Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed to perform on the public stage, and therefore female
roles were played by boys.
This fact helps to explain why so many of Shakespeare's heroines, heroines such as Portia in 'The
Merchant of Venice', Rosalind in 'As You Like It' and Viola in 'Twelfth Night', disguise themselves as
young men. It was easier for a boy to act like a young man than to act like a young woman. Reference
to the custom of boys taking female parts is made in 'Hamlet', when Hamlet tells one of the players
who is dressed as a woman:
Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold,
be not cracked within the ring. (II.2.405-6)
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6. THE NATURE OF THE TRAGEDY.
Tragedies were concerned with the harshness and apparent injustice of life. They involved the trials
and eventual death of a hero who was an important person and whose death led to the downfall of
others. Often, the hero's fall from happiness was due to a weakness in his character, a weakness such
as the overweening ambition of Macbeth, the uncontrolled jealousy of Othello or the excessive pride
of Coriolanus. Hamlet is among the most complex of Shakespeare's tragic heroes and it is thus not
easy to pinpoint one specific flaw which brought about his untimely death. Hamlet was a thinker
involved in a dilemma which could only be resolved by a man of action. His inability to act swiftly
and decisively in connection with his father's murder brought havoc to the Danish court.
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GRAMMATICA
'Hamlet' belongs to a genre of plays often called 'revenge 7.
tragedies'. These were popular in Elizabethan England and
in them a hero was called upon to punish an evildoer for a
crime he had committed. Often in such plays there was a
ghost who could not rest until the person who had caused
his death was killed. The ghost in 'Hamlet' is thus a traditional figure whose role was to urge the
hero to avenge an evil deed.
In veel opzichten verschilt de Engelse taal van omstreeks 1600 weinig van het hedendaagse
Engels. Veel woorden klinken hetzelfde, worden hetzelfde gespeld, en hebben dezelfde
betekenis; de syntaxis is grotendeels ongewijzigd. De meest ingrijpende veranderingen in de
taal vonden plaats in de 15e eeuw. Een willekeurige passage uit het werk van Chaucer geeft de
lezer veel meer de indruk met een 'andere' taal te maken te hebben dan een passage uit dat van
Shakespeare. In het algemeen zou men kunnen zeggen dat het Engels in Shakespeares tijd zich
kenmerkt door het voortbestaan van bepaalde 'verouderde' vormen en grammaticale constructies
naast de 'moderne'.
Het is niet de bedoeling een uitputtende opsomming te geven van deze verschillen, maar de
aandacht van de lezer, die wellicht voor het eerst met de taal van Shakespeare in aanraking
komt, te vestigen op enkele veelvuldig voorkomende vormen en constructies.
Het persoonlijk voornaamwoord thou (voorwerpsvorm thee , bezittelijk thy , thine) komt voor
naast you (your). Hoewel thou (vergelijk het Nederlandse 'gij') tegenwoordig een dichterlijke,
bijbelse klank heeft (thou shalt not steal), was dit in Shakespeares tijd niet het geval. You is de
'neutrale' (en in sommige gevallen 'beleefde') vorm; thou kan op verschillende manieren met dit
neutrale gebruik van you contrasteren: het wordt veelvuldig gebruikt tegen personen van lagere
stand, ondergeschikten, dienaren, kinderen, enz.; het kan affectie en familiariteit uitdrukken
(tussen vrienden of geliefden); het kan ook minachting of gebrek aan respect uitdrukken.
Bij de werkwoordsvormen komt naast de 'moderne' uitgang '-s' in de derde persoon enkelvoud
soms de 'ouderwetse' uitgang 'eth' voor (taketh = takes, toucheth = touches, asketh = aks) en
regelmatig de uitgang '-est' in de tweede persoon (spokest = spoke, wantest = want,
communicatest = communicate, lovest = love). Bij hulpwerkwoorden worden de 'ouderwetse'
uitgangen veelvuldig aangetroffen: art (are), wert (were), hast (have), hath (has), dost (do), doth
(does), didst (did), canst (can), couldst (could), shalt (shall), wilt (will) wouldst (would), may'st
(may).
Het hulpwerkwoord 'to do' verdient enige aandacht; ondanks het feit dat in Shakespeares werk
'to do' regelmatig op dezelfde wijze gebruikt wordt als in het hedendaagse Engels, d.w.z. in
vragende en ontkennende zinnen als er geen ander hulpwerkwoord staat (dost thou hear,
Camillo ?, do you know and dare not be intelligent to me ?, I am glad you did not nurse him, do
not weep, good fools) komen we vaker vragende en ontkennende zinnen tegen zonder 'to do' I
know not; Press me not; I care not; I doubt not; How say you ?; What means Sicilia ?; Think
you ?; when saw'st thou ?; aan de andere kant wordt 'to do' regelmatig gebruikt in bevestigende
zinnen (my affairs do even drag me homeward; we were as twinned lambs that did frisk i'th'sun;
you did continue fault; then didst thou utter; who I do think is mine) zonder dat er sprake is van
een speciale nadruk zoals in het hedendaagse Engels (do be quiet!; he does look awful).
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De zg. 'subjunctive' (aanvoegende wijs) komen we in het werk van Shakespeare dikwijls tegen :
the heavens continue their loves; be it forbid; Jove send her a better guiding spirit; O be't so!;
great Apollo turn all to th' best. Deze manier omm een wens te uiten komen we in het
hedendaagse Engels nog tegen in een paar vaste uitdrukkingen: God save the Queen; God bless
you; Suffice it to say (vgl Ned. het ga u goed).
Een ander verschijnsel waarop hier gewezen moet worden, is het feit dat werkwoorden die een
vorm van 'gaan' of 'bewegen' uitdrukken, vaak worden weggelaten door Shakespeare: I'll (go) to
the Queen; let us (go) to the king; we must to the king; I will to your father; shall we thither?;
let's along.
Tenslotte dient hier genoemd te worden het feit dat Shakespeare betrekkelijke
voornaamwoorden die onderwerp zijn in de bijzin, regelmatig weglaat: many a man there is...
(that) holds his wife; there's some ill planet (that) reigns; how prettily the young swain seems to
wash the hand was fair before; here is man shall do it.
Wim Buutveld - Sitos, 1993.
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8. THE STORY OF HAMLET.
When Hamlet, King of Denmark, died sudddenly, his son, the young Prince Hamlet, was very
sad. He had loved his father, who was a kind and popular King. His sadness increased greatly
when his mother, Queen Gertrude, married again, less than two months after her husband's
death. The man she married was King Hamlet's brother, Claudius. Young Hamlet was very fond
of his mother, and was shocked at her behaviour. He knew he would never be able to accept his
uncle Claudius as his new father. Claudius had no concern for the feelings of other people; he
had no grace, and was ugly to look at. In fact, Hamlet thought, he was not fit to be a King.
When the Prince compared his character with the character of his dead father, he could not
understand his mother's action. The fact that such a man had control over his mother worried
him.
Hamlet was so worried and unhappy that he could not think of anything but his father's death
and his mother's re-marriage. He was never cheerful any more; he did not care about how he
looked, but wore black clothes, in memory of his father's death, after everyone else had stopped
wearing them. He was no longer interested in reading, formerly one of his favourite activities.
Everyone noticed Hamlet's sadness, and it annoyed Gertrude and Claudius. It reminded them
continually that their son disliked their marriage and still thought about his father, whom they
wanted to forget.
The new King and his Queen tried hard to cheer Hamlet up, and asked him not to think about
the past, which could not be changed. Their requests had no effect on Hamlet's behaviour. He
thought about the way in which his father had died so suddenly. Claudius reported that the King
had been bitten by a snake while he was sleeping in the garden, but Hamlet suspected that this
was not true. Often Hamlet wished he were dead, or that he could kill himself, because the
future seemed so hopeless.
One day the Prince heard a strange story. The soldiers who guarded the castle at night had seen a
ghost. Hamlet's friend Horatio decided to tell him about it, because the ghost looked exactly like
the dead King, Hamlet's father. Hamlet questioned the soldiers carefully, and decided that this
probably was his father's ghost. If so, it surely wanted to tell him something important. It might
even be able to explain how King Hamlet had died. Now that he had heard about the ghost,
Hamlet suspected that his father had been murdered.
The next night, therefore, Hamlet, Horatio and one of the soldiers met at midnight to watch for
the ghost. It had refused to speak to any of the guards or to Horatio. Everything outside was
quiet, but in the distance they could hear the King and the Queen drinking and laughing at a
feast. Horatio suddenly touched Hamlet on the shoulder.
'Look, my Lord,' he whispered, 'look, it comes.' The ghost had disappeared again. It was dressed
in armour and had a pale face and a silver beard.
Hamlet knew at once that it was his father's ghost, and he was very frightened. 'Why have you
left your grave ? What does this mean ? What should we do ? Oh, answer me !' he cried.
But the ghost did not answer. Instead it silently signalled to Hamlet to follow it. Horatio was
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afraid something terrible would happen to his dear friend, and he prayed to Hamlet not to go.
Hamlet fiercely pushed his companions away and disappeared from their sight.
Hamlet's madness.
When they were alone the ghost spoke. It told the Prince it was the dead King's ghost, it said
that King Hamlet had been cruelly murdered by Claudius. Claudius wanted both to be King, and
to marry Gertrude. While King Hamlet was sleeping in the garden one day, Claudius had crept
up and poured poison in his ears. When the ghost had told Hamlet how his father died, it
commanded him to revenge this terrible murder. It particularly commanded him, however, not
to harm his mother, Gertrude; he should leave her conscience and heaven to deal with her guilt.
Hamlet was determined to forget all his own affairs, and all he planned to do in the future, and
to think of nothing but revenge. He would do as the ghost had ordered. When the Prince
returned to them he made them promise not to tell anyone what had happened that night. Only
his great friend, Horatio, was told the whole story. His companions were worried. They were
certain the presence of King Hamlet's ghost meant that something was wrong with state of
Denmark.
Hamlet had been very shocked by this experience, and he was still very frightened. He feared
the King and Queen might suspect that he knew how his father had died. This seemed especially
likely since they were watching him carefully and were anxious about him already. Hamlet told
only Horatio what he planned to do next. He would pretend to be mad so as to hide his real
feelings and to appear harmless. Hamlet's talk and behaviour, therefore, became stranger than
ever. He seemed to be most mad when he was with the King and Queen, or anyone who was
likely to report about him to them. Weeks passed, but Hamlet did not get any better, and the
King and the Queen could not understand what was the matter with him. They did not think the
Prince suspected them, but they did not think that his father's death was enough to make him
mad.
Among the nobles of Denmark was Polonius, one of the King's chief ministers(,the Lord
Chamberlain). Polonius had a beautiful daughter named Ophelia; before his father's death,
Hamlet had told Ophelia that he loved her greatly. She had believed everything he had said to
her, and she loved him too. Ophelia had allowed Hamlet to visit her often. However, when her
father, Polonius heard about this, he told Ophelia that she should not be so willing to see
Hamlet. He did not think it was right for a young girl to show her love for the Prince so clearly.
Polonius ordered his daughter to be less friendly, and Ophelia obeyed him, trusting his wisdom.
She refused to receive Hamlet's letters, and she would not see him.
Soon after, Hamlet came to see her, though he had not been asked. His behaviour was strange
and he seemed frightened and unhappy. Then he wrote her a letter insisting that he loved her
and would always love her. Polonius rushed to the King to tell him that he had discovered the
cause of Hamlet's madness. He believed Hamlet loved his daughter, and that her refusal of his
love had made Hamlet mad.
By now the King was very worried about the Prince, and wondered whether he knew about the
murder. He decided that Hamlet must be sent away from Denmark and, if possible, that he must
be killed.
The wandering actors.
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Hamlet's behaviour towards Ophelia was all part of his plan. He was continually worried by the
memory of the ghost, and what it had ordered him to do. He feared that it might be an evil ghost
that had tried to make him murder Claudius, by telling him lies. And even if it had told him the
truth, the murder would not be easy. The Queen was usually with Claudius, and he was often
guarded by soldiers. Most important of all, Hamlet did not want to do it. He was a thoughtful,
serious man who always preferred to think and to study rather than to act. He could take the
decision to kill Claudius but he could not make himself do it. Hamlet was so worried about
what he had to do that he became even more unhappy and anxious. 'Denmark is a prison', he
told two of the King's nobles, and he added that he could find no reason to go on living. He
referred to Claudius and Gertrude as 'my uncle-father and aunt-mother'.
While Hamlet was in his dreadful state he heard that a group of wandering actors had come to
the castle. Hamlet had seen their plays before, and remembered that one of them told of the
terrible murder of a noble and the sorrow of his wife. Hamlet had an idea. He spoke to one of
the actors alone, and asked him if he knew a play called 'The Murder of Gonzago'. In it, a noble
called Gonzago is poisoned in his garden by a relative; this relative afterwards marries his
widow. The actor said he knew the play, and they would perform it. 'Tomorrow night,' Hamlet
said, 'you must act it before the King and the Queen, but I want to put in a few lines of my own
to improve it.'
So Hamlet made some changes in the play, to make it as like the real murder of his father as
possible. He remembered a story about a murderer who had admitted that he was guilty after he
saw his crime acted on the stage before him. 'So now,' thought Hamlet, 'when the King and the
Queen see this play, I will watch their faces very carefully to see what effect it has on them. If
they are really guilty of murdering my father they will show it by their behaviour.' Thus he
would have definite proof of whether the ghost had spoken the truth or not. And then, he
thought, he would know whether to act or not.
Hamlet invited Claudius and Gertrude to see the play, and they accepted the invitation eagerly.
They did not know what the play would be about, but they hoped that Hamlet was at last getting
better and becoming interested in things again. Hamlet told Horatio what he had arranged, and
asked him to watch the King and the Queen carefully. In spite of his new plan, Hamlet was still
very unhappy and blamed himself for being a coward. He knew he had delayed, and that he
should have taken revenge earlier. Once more he thought about killing himself to avoid the
terrible deed, but he feared the things that might happen to him after death even more than he
feared life.
Hamlet kills Polonius by mistake.
When it was time for the play to begin, Claudius and Gertrude entered, and sat down in front of
the stage. Hamlet and Horatio sat at one side where they could see the King and Queen well.
The play started with Gonzago and his wife talking. She promised faithfully that she would
never marry again if her husband died. 'Only those women who have killed the first husband
marry a second,' she said. Hamlet saw his mother's face become pale.
In the next scene Hamlet eagerly explained the story of the play to the King. 'He is poisoning
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Gonzago in order to get his lands for himself,' the Prince said. 'The next scene shows how he
loves Gonzago's wife.' Claudius was very frightened. He got up suddenly and he and the Queen
quickly left the room. Everyone was very surprised, but Hamlet was now certain that Claudius
was a murderer. His duty was clear to him.
As Hamlet discussed what had happened with Horatio, a messenger told him that the Queen
wished to see him immediately. Claudius suggested that Gertrude should speak to her son to try
to discover whether he knew about their secret, and why he was mad. Gertrude agreed, and she
also agreed that old Polonius should hide in her room behind a curtain to listen to Hamlet too.
The Prince was excited by his discovery, and even felt able to do the murder when he went to
see his mother. He decided to do as the ghost had ordered; 'I will speak cruelly to her, but I will
not do anything cruel.' On his way to Gertrude's room Hamlet saw Claudius, alone, kneeling
down to pray. He could have killed him then without difficulty. He was sure that the King was a
murderer. Yet Hamlet did not do it. He thought cruelly, 'If I kill him now, while he is praying,
he will go to heaven. I would rather kill him when he is angry or has been drinking.' He put
away his sword and quietly left the room.
As soon as he saw his mother he spoke fiercely to her. 'Now, mother, what's the matter ?'
'Hamlet, you have shocked your father very much,' the Queen replied.
'No, mother, you have shocked my father very much,' Hamlet said angrily. She referred to the
present King, but Hamlet spoke about the dead King.
'That is a stupid answer,' said Gertrude.
'It was the answer you deserved,' said Hamlet.
The Queen asked him if he had forgotten that she was his mother. Hamlet immediately replied
that he wished he could forget it. He was determined to speak to her now that they were alone.
He would try to persuade her to end her wicked life. Roughly he took hold of her wrists and
forced her to sit down. Gertrude was frightened, and cried out, 'What are you going to do? Are
you going to murder me? Help! Help!'
Polonius heard her cries, but could see nothing from where he was hiding. He thought Hamlet
must be going to kill his mother, and he called out, 'Help! Help! Help!'
Hamlet immediately raised his sword and rushed to the curtains, realizing that someone was
hiding there. He killed the man with his sword and dragged the body out into the room. He was
surprised and disappointed when he saw he had killed Polonius - Hamlet thought he had killed
the King.
'You have done a cruel and foolish thing!' cried the Queen. Hamlet answered, 'A cruel thing;
almost as bad, mother, as killing a King and marrying his brother!'
The King's plan.
Hamlet was now so angry that he blamed his mother for everything, and said all the things that
he had wanted to say for so long. He accused Gertrude of forgetting King Hamlet's great love
for her. He compared her new husband with the kind, gentle character of the old King. He
showed her two pictures, one of each brother; the difference between them was plain. The
Queen was shocked and ashamed by Hamlet's dreadful speech and behaviour, and prayed to him
to stop, but he would not.
Then suddenly Hamlet stopped speaking, and his face became pale.
His father's ghost had appeared again. He stared at the ghost, and spoke to it, and looked
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frightened. The Queen was sure he was mad again because she could see nothing. The ghost
told Hamlet to leave his mother now and say no more. She was weak with sorrow and shame. It
reminded him that he had not yet killed the murderer, and urged him not to delay.
Then the ghost left them alone again.
'I must be cruel to you in order to be kind,' Hamlet told his mother, to explain his behaviour.
Before he left her, Hamlet asked Gertrude not to live with Claudius as his Queen any more. He
asked her to refuse all love to the man who had murdered his father and stolen the kingdom.
By now the King was determined to kill Hamlet, for he realized that the Prince was dangerous.
He decided to send him abroad. Polonius's death gave him a very good excuse to do this. He
would tell everyone that Hamlet must go abroad to prevent Polonius's family from taking
revenge on him. Claudius arranged to send Hamlet to England; he pretended to the Prince that
he was being sent there to deal with state affairs. The King planned to send two nobles with him
on the journey, and they would carry a letter commanding that Hamlet should be killed as soon
as he landed in England.
However, Hamlet knew the King feared him and was an evil man. He suspected Claudius. He
sailed from Denmark as the King had arranged, but he looked for, and found, the letter.
Hamlet read it, and then rubbed out his own name and in its place he put the names of his two
companions. The letter now seemed to say that these two men should be killed. The Prince
closed it and put it back where he had found it.
The next day the ship was attacked by sea robbers. Hamlet acted very bravely. He jumped on to
the robbers' ship and fought them alone, while his own ship escaped. He was left with the
robbers, who could have killed him. But they admired his courage and, when they found out that
he was a Prince, they respected him. The robbers treated him with mercy, hoping to be rewarded
for their kindness. They sailed towards Denmark and let Hamlet land at the first port they came
to.
Hamlet returns to find Ophelia dead.
As soon as he landed, Hamlet wrote a letter to his uncle, telling him that he was in Denmark
again. He told the King he would explain everything when they met again the next day. He did
not mention that he had discovered the letter. Meanwhile he sent a letter to his great friend,
Horatio, telling him what had happened, and asking him to come as quickly as possible. When
they met, Hamlet told Horatio that the King had tried to kill him.
As they were going home, they saw a strange sight. Two workmen were digging a new grave for
a woman who had just died. Hamlet and Horatio stopped and talked to the men, who were very
cheerful and joking, in spite of the work they were doing. As they talked together, men and
women began to arrive for the funeral.
Hamlet and his friend became very curious when they saw, among the people, the King and the
Queen. There were other nobles too, including Laertes, Ophelia's brother. They hid themselves
and watched as the priest conducted the funeral service. The priest would not give the woman a
complete service because, he said, she had probably killed herself. Laertes stepped forward and
cursed the priest, crying that his sister would go to heaven. Hamlet suddenly realized that his
dear Ophelia lay in the grave. He could hardly speak, his sorrow
was so great.
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He saw the Queen scatter flowers on the grave; he heard her say that she had hoped Ophelia
would be Hamlet's wife. He heard Laertes, full of sadness and anger, shout out; he saw him leap
into the grave. And suddenly Hamlet could control himself no longer. He rushed forward, and
jumped into the grave beside Laertes.
'I loved Ophelia! Forty thousand brothers could not love her more! If you will be buried alive
with her, so will I.'
Ophelia had been made unhappy by her lover's strange behaviour. When she heard that Hamlet
had killed her father she became mad and then drowned herself. Laertes thought Hamlet was
responsible for his sister's death as well as for his father's, and he tried to fight with him in the
grave. Laertes and Hamlet had to be forced away from each other. The funeral ended and the
people went away.
The King was still determined to kill his nephew. He realized that he could use Laertes's anger
and sorrow for his own purposes. He had told Laertes that Hamlet killed his father, and he
encouraged him to revenge his death. The King suggested that they should arrange a friendly
sword fight between Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes would use a sword with a sharp point,
although this was not allowed in friendly matches. They would also put poison on the sword so
that, as soon as Laertes struck Hamlet, he would be killed. To make quite certain that Hamlet
would die, the King would have two bowls of wine near him on the table, and one would
contain poison. The King would wish Hamlet success in the match by drinking from one bowl
and he would give the other one to Hamlet to drink. Hamlet would be sure to die, either by the
poisoned sword or from the poisoned wine.
The truth is known.
Hamlet was pleased when he heard about the match. He was eager to test his skill in a friendly
fight against Laertes. He had been practising, and thought he had improved his skill. The Queen
and all the nobles gathered to watch the fight. Before it began, Hamlet asked Laertes to forgive
him, and they shook hands. At first Hamlet seemed to be fighting more skilfully. When they
stopped to rest, Claudius urged Hamlet to take a drink of wine, but the Prince said he would not
drink until he had finished the match. Soon Laertes began to fight better, and the match became
very exciting. The King was watching the two men so carefully that he took no notice of the
Queen who was sitting beside him. She was thirsty, and picked up a bowl of wine to drink. At
that moment Laertes cut Hamlet with his sharp sword. At once Hamlet seized the sword and
wounded Laertes with it. He now knew that Laertes had cheated by using a pointed sword.
Hamlet did not know, however, that it was also poisoned, and that they would both die. The
Queen fell to the floor, crying 'The drink! The drink! Oh, my dear Hamlet! The drink! The
drink! I have been poisoned.' She died almost immediately.
Hamlet realized that there had been some evil plan, and he saw that he had enemies all around
him. He ordered the servants to shut all the doors so that no one could escape. Laertes fell to the
floor, but he managed to tell Hamlet what had happened and who was responsible. 'The King!
The King's to blame,' he said. He told Hamlet he would not live for more than an hour. Hearing
this, Hamlet rushed to Claudius, holding the bowl of poisoned wine. He forced it down the
King's throat, crying, 'Follow my mother!' He had at last revenged his father's death, only
minutes before he too would die. Hamlet and Laertes forgave each other for the harm each man
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had done, and Laertes died.
Then Hamlet, hardly able to breathe, called his faithful Horatio to his side and asked him to tell
the world the true story of King Hamlet's murder and its revenge. Horatio wanted to drink the
rest of the poisoned wine, and to die with the Prince. But Hamlet made him promise that he
would not, and Horatio lived to tell everyone that Hamlet was an innocent man who would have
been a good King.
As he dies Hamlet names Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, as his successor to the throne of
Denmark.
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7. AN EXTRACT.
From Act III, Scene 1
Hamlet is gloomily meditating on life and death.
HAMLET
1 To be, or not to be; - that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
5 And, by opposing, end them? - To die - to sleep No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die - to sleep; 10 To sleep! perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
15 For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
20 When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
25 No traveller returns, - puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
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30 Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pit(c)h and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. Translation by Bert Voeten:
1 bestaan of niet bestaan, daar gaat het om;
of 't edeler in de geest is, pijl en slinger
van het moordzuchtig toeval te verdragen,
of, muitend, aan een zee van moeilijkheden
5 een eind te maken? Dood te gaan... te slapen...
meer niet, en door die slaap wellicht het hartzeer,
de duizend aangeboren angsten die
ons vlees zijn ingeschapen, te verjagen
het zou een einde zijn, met vreugd verwacht.
10 Doodgaan, gaan slapen, slapen, wie weet dromen...
Daar zit de knoop; want wat wij in die doodslaap,
bevrijd van aardse onrust, dromen kunnen
moet ons doen aarzlen; daarom rekt de mens
in zijn rampzaligheid zo lang het leven.
15 Want wie verdraagt de smaad van deze wereld,
de dwang van de tiran, de hoon der trotsen,
leed om versmade liefde, machtsmisbruik,
het talmend recht en de verachting die
verdienste van onwaardigen moet slikken,
20 als hijzelf vergetelheid kan schenken
met één dolksteek? Wie zou in pijn en zweet
de lasten torsen van een moeizaam leven,
als niet de vrees voor iets na onze dood
- het onontdekte land, uit welks domein
25 geen reiziger ooit terugkeert - de will beklemde
en ons nog eer 't vertrouwde lot doet dragen
dan naar een vluchten dat ons duister is?
Zo maakt bespiegeling lafaards van ons allen,
verziekt de fletse schijn van het verdriet
30 de frisse blos der vastberadenheid,
en ondernemingen van groot belang
verliezen, daar hun stroom door dit gepeins
veranderd is, de naam van daden.
© J.A. Pennings
Franciscuscollege
Sint-
Campus Heusden
Heusden-Zolder
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