Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Reported by Group 3
AB English Language 2B

● Background of the Text and Author– Borgy

● Conventions of Elizabethan Theatre – Hoo
● Elements of Fiction – Jamille, Jericho, Nina
○ Setting
○ Characters
○ Plot
● “To be or not to be.” - Jamille
○ Language
○ Theme
● Tenets of Romanticism in the Text - Jamby
● Literary Merits – Shiela, Mierel, Jamby
○ Artistry and Style
○ Spiritual Value
○ Intellectual Value
○ Emotional Value
○ Permanence
○ Universality
● Thematic Relevance - Hoo

➢ If you have any questions, you may ask our members. Thanks! Enjoy learning. :)
★ Background of the Text

Hamlet is a play written by Shakespeare in the year between 1599 and 1601 in Denmark.
A fun fact: It was Shakespeare's longest play, containing 29,551 words.

It is a story of how the ghost of a murdered king comes to haunt the living with tragic
consequences. A vengeful ghost and a brother’s murder, dominate the gloomy landscape of
Hamlet’s Denmark.

He created Hamlet because he wanted to show through his works the tensions that existed
and arose during the “English Reformation” that delved into whether Catholics were
legitimate or the Protestants. Because back then it was all about religion and death was
common. It was inspired by the legend of Amleth.

Shakespeare had many influences for Hamlet; the 12th-century history of Denmark,
Icelandic sagas, Kyd Thomas's The Spanish Tragedy, and the death of Shakespeare's
own son Hamnet amongst them.

★ Author

William Shakespeare was one of the greatest

authors of all time.

He was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, United

Kingdom. Although, there weren’t certain details
recorded about his birth date but, most people
believed it was the 1564 of April.

In 1594 at age 25, he began writing. He then realized

that he had the potential to be a great playwrighter.
So, he created a lot of stories that most were often
inspired by history, life, love, death, revenge, grief,
jealousy and sometimes murder.
★ Conventions of the Elizabethan Theatre.

“Conventions” can be broadly thought of as the tacit expectations of the audience.“

- Peter Lukacs (elizabethandrama.org)

❖ Theatre Space
- Upper class was separated from the
"commoners" who stood around the stage.
- The crowded floor was a health hazard for
potential disease and fighting, which resulted in
the theatres being closed.
- Minimalist stage pieces and set design.
- No intentional use of props.
- Elaborate costumes.
- No lighting, since it was a fire hazard- plays were
performed during the day.

❖ Dialogue was usually poetic, dramatic, and heightened beyond that one of the vernacular of
the days. The lower class speech was somewhat colloquial, the upper class spoke was
stylized, rhythmic speech patterns.
- There's also something called an iambic pentameter, which will be discussed by
Shiela below.

❖ Soliloquy - a dramatic technique in which a single character talks aloud inner thoughts to
him or herself, but not within earshot of another character,
- A famous example is Hamlet's "To be or not to be..." which will be discussed by Jamille
below.

❖ Aside - involves one character addressing the audience "on the side", telling them valuable
information in relation to the plot or characters that only the audience can access.
- This makes them feel empowered since they now know more about the events on stage than
most of the characters do.
❖ Eavesdropping - characters would strategically overhear others on stage, informing both
themselves and the audience of the details, while the character being overheard had no
idea what was happening.
- This also opened possibilities for an evolving plot.

❖ Play Within A Play - a technique used that involved the staging of a play inside the play
itself.

Other conventions:
● Elizabethan plays were performed by all-male troupes.
● Elizabethan plots revolve around the upper classes.
● Plays often took place in foreign countries.

★ Elements of Fiction

Setting

General Setting - Denmark

Specifically in and around the Castle of Elsinore

Also known as Kronborg Castle, a majestic castle

located on an area of land between Sweden and
Denmark in the town of Helsingor (Danish name for
Elsinore).

Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance

castles in Northern Europe.

Characters

❖ Prince Hamlet
- the protagonist
- the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present
king, Claudius.
 - an intelligent and reflective young man who studied at the University of Wittenberg
- He is bitter, cynical, full of hatred and disgust

❖ Claudius
- the antagonist
- the uncle of Prince Hamlet, brother of the recently deceased King Hamlet, the new King
of Denmark who married the widowed Queen Gertrude
-morally weak villain who values power more than he values others.
He is cunning, deceitful, lacks morals, is an ambitious politician, and is manipulative

❖ Ghost of Hamlet’s Father

- He exhorts Hamlet to seek revenge
- Told Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, the new King of Denmark,
and asks the prince to avenge his death.

❖ Polonius
- the chief counselor of King Claudius
- father of Ophelia and Laertes
- He is scheming and self-centered

❖ Ophelia
- Prince Hamlet’s love interest
- the daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes
- Ophelia demonstrates purity, the innocence and virtue of women.
- She is childlike and naïve in nature.
- She is unaware of the harsh realities of life.
- Although she truly loves Hamlet, she is very loyal and obedient to her brother and father
and avoids Hamlet upon their orders.

❖ Laertes
- the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia
- an obedient young man who spends much of the play in France.
- Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.
 ❖ Gertrude
- the queen of Denmark
- Prince Hamlet’s mother, the widow of the late King Hamlet and is recently married to
the new King Claudius.
- Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection
and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.

❖ Horatio
- Prince Hamlet's trusted friend and confidant
- who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg.
- Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play.
- After Hamlet’s death, he remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.

❖ Fortinbras
- Prince of Norway
- The young Prince of Norway, whose father was killed by Prince Hamlet’s father.
- He also wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil
for Prince Hamlet.

❖ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

- Two slightly bumbling courtiers
- Former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to
discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior.

★ Plot

Act 1, Scene 1:

In a cold starry night at the Castle of Elsinore at Denmark, a ghost has been seen by two
watchmen.
They immediately informed Horacio, a scholar and a friend of Prince Hamlet and described it
as a resemblance of the late King Hamlet. At first, Horatio was skeptical about it until he saw
the ghost himself. He saw the ghost’s armor that was similar to what King Hamlet wore at the
war with Old Fortinbras at Norway. (insert the backstory)

The narration of Horatio provides little subplot between the battle of Denmark and Norway
that is essential at the end part of this plot. Nevertheless, Horatio even tried to talk to it but the
ghost did not respond and disappears. He then suggested to tell Prince Hamlet about it.

Act 1, Scene 2:

Meanwhile, the newly renowned King Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, ensures the people of
Denmark that Fortinbras would not attack the kingdom as he sent a letter to the king of
Norway, which was Fortinbras’ uncle in order to persuade his nephew to leave Denmark
alone. He also thanked everyone for the support of his marriage to Queen Gertrude- which
was Prince Hamlet’s mother.

King Claudius tells Hamlet to stop mourning about his father’s death. He says he will follow his
advice but when he’s by himself, he suffers from it and feels disgusted by her mother – Queen
Gertrude and uncle’s marriage right away of his father’s death. He said that if it’s not against
God’s law, he will commit suicide.

His grief was interrupted when Horatio and the two watchmen tells Prince Hamlet about what
they saw. He then decided that he will go with them that night and told the three not to
mention to others anything about it.

Act 1, Scene 3:

This scene introduces Ophelia and Hamlet as a couple. Laertes was also introduced as a
traveller and currently leaving to France. However, Polonius - Ophelia’s father and Laertes –
her brother, convinced her that Hamlet doesn’t get to choose his wife for marriage, and
therefore would just get her heart broken. With that, she submits to them and agreed not to
talk about Hamlet anymore.
Act 1, Scene 4:

Hamlet was waiting for the ghost alongside with Horatio and Marcellus. While waiting, he talks
about King Claudius’ behavior as he can hear party noises inside the castle. He talks about
how it gives the Castle a poor and weak reputation and compared to his father’s reign. He
mentioned about how one fault can overwhelm all the positive attributes someone has.

After that, the ghost appeared and shocked Hamlet. He was stunned by its appearance and
resemblance to his father. The ghost then signaled him to have a conversation alone, but
Horatio and Marcellus tried to stop them. However, Hamlet is eager to talk to the ghost and
breaks free. They have no choice but to follow him.

Act 1, Scene 5:

Scene 5 introduces the cause of death of King Hamlet, that is someone murdered him by
putting poison in his ear while sleeping. And it is King Claudius who takes over his position.
Hearing that, Hamlet was fueled with rage and swears to avenge his death and kill Claudius.

Horatio and Marcellus were late to hear their conversation. Hamlet told them in circles and
ordered them not to defy the secrecy of his plan. The two promised to follow.

Act 2, Scene 1:

Polonius sent Reynaldo, his servant, to France to provide Laertes money and suggests to ask
some updates about his life. Meanwhile, Ophelia enters the room telling him that Hamlet had
gone crazy. Polonius then assumed that Hamlet has filled her thoughts with lust for Ophelia.
He asked Ophelia if she had talked to him but Ophelia said she has never contacted him.

Polonius then conclude that they must tell the King and Queen about Hamlet’s drive for
Ophelia for it may cause commotion to the palace. The theme Truth vs. Deception had been
shown in this scene because

Polonius’s trust to his son, Laertes was not that much visible although Laertes himself proved
to be a responsible man.
Act 2, Scene 2:

King Claudius and Queen Gertrude orders Hamlet’s childhood friends – Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to snoop around in order to find out why Hamlet has been acting strange lately.
Meanwhile, the ambassadors informed the king that Fortinbras agreed not to do something
bad to Denmark but instead ask that he and his men are allowed to pass through the country
on their way to Poland.

Polonius then entered the scene as he tell the king and queen about Hamlet’s love for Ophelia
and reads a letter from hamlet to his daughter. The three then conspired a meeting to find out
if what Polonius has said is true.

On the other hand, Hamlet asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern several times what brings
them to the Castle. Scared of being caught, they made an excuse of being a company of
players that has come to Elsinore.

Hamlet then ordered them to arrange a play called A Murder of Gonzaga in the court the
following night and to incorporate some lines. Hamlet is convinced that if Claudius reacts
guilty about the play, the ghost’s statement is true and would find out the murderer of his
father. He will prove that the ghost is a novel spirit, and not a devil that has come to trick him.

Whenever Hamlet is alone, he found himself guilty for his lack of action to his father’s death.

Act 3, Scene 1: To be, or not to be?

Claudius and Gertrude ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern updates about their task. With less
to say, they said that Hamlet was interested with the play and that he askes them to perform.

Polonius, Claudius, and Gertrude then continue the meeting about Hamlet’s madness for
Ophelia.

Hamlet, contemplating to suicide, has talked with Ophelia. Although he knows himself that he
loves her, seeing her with gifts made him think that she has ulterior motives. With that, he
rejects and throws the gifts. “Get thee to a nunnery”, he said to Ophelia. The two both feels
betrayed by each other’s action.

Polonius then insisted that Hamlet’s love for her is making Hamlet crazy.
Claudius, suspected that Hamlet knows something, decided to send him to England

Act 3, Scene 2:

Hamlet directs the performers to play in front of the King and Queen. Polonius then announce
that the two will come soon. Hamlet tells Horatio of his plan to revise the play according to the
murder of his father and see Claudius’ reaction. He orders him to watch the king’s reaction if
he appears guilty.

As the play was fueled with intensity and emotions, Claudius stands and leaves. Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern told Hamlet that her mother wants to see him.

Confirmed that Claudius was the one who killed his father, he was again is drove by anger
and revenge.

Act 3, Scene 3:

After the play, everyone leaves the court. Claudius ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
that Hamlet must be taken away to England, for everyone’s safety. The two accepted the task
and left after.

Polonius then reported to Claudius that Hamlet is heading to Gertrude’s chamber. He then
hides somewhere inside so that he can spy the conversation between Hamlet and the queen.

Claudius, on his knees praying and contemplating about the murder, is about to be killed by
Hamlet who saw him on the way to his mother’s chamber. He realizes that killing him praying
would send Claudius to heaven. With that, he just walks away and proceed to his mother.

Act 3, Scene 4:

Polonius instructed Gertrude on what to say to Hamlet during their conversation. He then
hides behind a curtain to spy.

Hamlet confessed about his anger towards his mother. Gertrude, as shock as she is, cried for
help. Polonius, about to help the queen, moved a little bit behind the curtain.
As Hamlet was about to leave, he noticed someone behind the curtain. Thinking that it was
Claudius who is eavesdropping, he then stabs the person. He then uncovers the curtain to
find out he killed Polonius.

While everything is on chaos, the ghost appeared. He told Hamlet to get back on his task and
not to harm his mother. As Hamlet responds, Gertrude was terrified as he seems to be talking
to himself, for she cannot hear to see the ghost. She was convinced that Hamlet was insane.

Act 4, Scene 1:

After the incident, Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet has gone mad and killed Polonius. After
hearing that, Claudius decided that Hamlet must be sent away immediately. He summoned
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and told them about the incident and find Hamlet at once. He
also ordered them to bring Polonius’s body to the chapel. He sees this incident as another
reason to send Hamlet away, so that his murder to King Hamlet won’t be anymore revealed.

Act 4, Scene 2:

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern found Hamlet in a passageway somewhere inside the Castle.
They asked him as to where is Polonius’ body so they can take it to the chapel. However,
Hamlet just brought the conversation into circles and manipulations. After the two had
realized, they insist that they must bring him to the King. Hamlet then agreed but sprinted
away from them.

Act 4, Scene 3:

Claudius, alone, talks about his plan to send Hamlet to England, and how it supports his idea
to shut Hamlet about the murder.

After chasing Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had finally captured him and brought him
to Claudius. When Claudius has the chance to ask Hamlet about Polonius’ body, he then
again answered in riddles and circled. He said. “You can send a messenger to find Polonius in
heaven or seek him in hell yourself.” Eventually, Hamlet got tired of the game and tell them
the location of the corpse.
Claudius tells Hamlet about his plan to sent him to England for his own good, and Hamlet
consents and left later. Claudius then order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to follow Hamlet
and set the sail that night.

When he’s finally alone, he revealed that the papers he ordered to the two were all about
Hamlet’s death.

Act 4, Scene 4:

Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern head towards the ship to England. They encountered
Fortinbras and their army on their way to Poland. Hamlet stopped to speak with the captain
that Fortinbras sent to greet and thank Claudius for letting them pass through Denmark. When
the captain has passed on, Hamlet compared himself to Fortinbras and analyze their
similarities. They both failed to seek revenge for their father’s death. Fortinbras, who’s also a
prince and lost his father. With that realization, he again pledge to continue his revenge the
ghost has tasked him.

Act 4, Scene 5:

Meanwhile in the Castle, Ophelia has requested to speak with Queen Gertrude. However,
after hearing that Ophelia has been acting strange lately, she rejected the offer. Horatio
persuaded Gertrude to talk with Ophelia, before she started to talk to anyone. Gertrude
agreed. Ophelia walks inside in a disturbed state. She said things about someone being dead
and about love. The King and the Queen are surprised by her behavior and told her to leave.

Claudius informed Gertrude that Laertes – Polonius’ son is back from France and is
determined to avenge his father’s death. Few minutes later, a messenger arrived inside the
Castle and informed them that Laertes has started a riot and a group of people has come to
see them. Laertes then got inside and confronts the two, demanding answers as well as his
father’s body.

Ophelia came back with some white flowers and singing. Laertes grief was fueled with pity
over her sister’s situation. Claudius then convinced Laertes to come with him for an
explanation. He promises Laertes that he would step down as a King if he and Gertrude
wasn’t found innocent.
Act 4, Scene 6:

Horatio was approached by the sailors carrying letters in which one of them if for him and the
others is for the king. In his letter, Hamlet writes to him saying that their ship to England was
taken by pirates and made them prisoners, yet it is okay because they are friendly. Hamlet
ordered Horatio to help the sailors get the other letters to the King and have the sailors deliver
Horatio to Hamlet.

Hamlet has come back to Denmark after the pirates’ incident. He seemed to be in a better
situation and is acting properly.

Act 4, Scene 7:

Claudius explains to Laertes what has been going on. He lets him know the reason as to why
he sent Hamlet abroad and told him that Hamlet killed his father.

A messenger walks in and gave a letter to Claudius about Hamlet’s return to the Castle. He
has read the letter about Hamlet saying that they should meet the day after and will give him
an explanation about everything.

Hearing that, Claudius and Laertes created a plan to kill Hamlet using a fencing match.
Laertes will use a poisoned foil and if incase that fail, Claudius will keep a poisoned drink and
give it to Hamlet. Just as they wrapped up the plan, Gertrude entered the scene informing the
two that Ophelia has drowned.

Act 5, Scene 1:

While a gravedigger is preparing a grave, Hamlet and Horatio approached him and asked him
how long he has been doing his work. The gravedigger replied, “I’ve been doing it since King
Hamlet defeated Old Fortinbras.” When Hamlet asked how long it was, he said that it’s been
30 years. Coincidentally, it’s been the year that Hamlet was born.

The gravedigger then hands Hamlet a skull as his gesture. He then contemplates death and
how everyone would fell on the same place.

Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes walk alongside with Ophelia’s coffin. Hamlet hides and then
realized that that is Ophelia’s funeral. He was in so much disbelief as he observes them.
Laertes then jumps into Ophelia grave and screams her name and how he want’s to be buried
with her. Hamlet, then runs towards the grave and says the same thing. The two fight but
Horatio and other stopped them. Hamlet confessed his love for Ophelia as well as his
admiration for Laertes, and leaves. Claudius ordered Horatio to go after him.

After that, Claudius talked to Laertes about their revenge.

Act 5, Scene 2:

Hamlet revealed to Horatio that on their way to England, he found the papers ordering his
death. So, he forged the papers ordering Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s death instead. A
messenger enters informing Hamlet that he has been invited to a friendly duel with Laertes.
Hamlet agrees.

Hamlet and Laertes shake hands. Hamlet asks for Laertes’s forgiveness. The duel begins and
Hamlet is about to win. Claudius cheers on Hamlet while dropping poison on a cup of wine to
call for a toast. An attendant offered the cup to Hamlet but Hamlet declines. Gertrude,
excitedly watches the match, reaches the cup and drink the wine with poison. Claudius tried
to stop her but she insists and unknowingly drinks the wine.

Laertes finally scuffles on Hamlet – wounding him with the sword with poison yet had their
swords exchanged. Before they resume, Gertrude collapsed. Laertes then realized that he
has been hit by the poison foil on his sword that was exchanged. He cries out that he has
fallen to his own sword.

Meanwhile, the queen exclaims that the drink has poison and dies. Hamlet ordered the guards
to lock the doors to find out who plot their murder. Laertes, on his way to death, explains that
Claudius is the mastermind of it all. Fueled with anger, Hamlet stabbed Claudius using the
sword with poison and forced him to drink the cup with poison as well, finally seeking his
revenge.

Laertes asked Hamlet for his forgiveness and died.

Horatio comforts Hamlet for his mother’s death. Hamlet then told him to live and tell his story
to the world. He then said that Fortinbras should become the new king of Denmark. Hamlet
died because of the poison.
 As hamlet dies, Fortinbras and the other ambassadors entered the scene, shocked at the
situation. Fortinbras then decided to have Hamlet the funeral of a soldier to his honor.

★ "To or not to be" Soliloquy

Ø Soliloquy (from the Latin solus “alone” and loqui “to speak”) it is an act of talking to
oneself, and more specifically denotes the solo utterance of an actor in a drama.

Ø It is a dramatic means of revealing the character's thoughts and reflections.

Ø The famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy was spoken by the titular Prince Hamlet in
Act 3, Scene 1. It is 35 lines long. It is the most famous soliloquy in the works of
Shakespeare.

“To Be or Not To Be”

Analysis:

At the beginning of the soliloquy, Prince Hamlet begins to question the sense of life and
death. Where he contemplates, whether it could be preferable to die (by the act of suicide) in
order to end his suffering and leave behind the misery and agony of life.

Hamlet also compares the act of dying to a peaceful sleep: "And by a sleep to say we
end / The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to."

However, he immediately changes his tune when he realizes that no one knows for
certain what occurs after death, or this is worse than life. This realization is what eventually
prompts Hamlet (and others, he believes) to "pause" before acting. The fear of the afterlife is
what makes him choose and endure the sufferings of life.The feeling of doubt and uncertainty
that also plagues his fears of the afterlife. Hamlet is also struck by indecisiveness, leading him
to the delay of his actions in killing Claudius to avenge his father’s death.

This soliloquy of Hamlet also depicts:

Ø Doubt, Uncertainty, Sorrow and Madness

 Due to:

l His deadly task of avenging his father’s sudden death.

l The quick re-marriage of his mother to his uncle.

l Finding out the murderer of his father and;

l His inability to take a quick-action in his greatest enemy.

These challenging events in his life, led him to contemplate about the notion of life and death
and even suicide.

★ Language.
What is the language used?

● Early Modern English

It is widely known as the language used for all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

Curse Words used in Hamlet

Swearing – it is the use of taboo language to express certain emotions such as fear, anger,
frustration, contempt, hatred to its audience

There are different types of swearing: abusive, cathartic, social, emphatic and
blasphemous.

★ Theme

Revenge

• In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, revenge is a key theme. Hamlet seeks

revenge for his father’s untimely demise. Revenge drives people to act irrationally out
of rage rather than for a reason. By removing the conventional impediments to the
hero's retribution, Hamlet flips revenge tragedy on its head.
 Corruption

A corrupting sickness afflicts Denmark and its people throughout William

Shakespeare's play Hamlet. In addition to murdering King Hamlet, Gertrude and
Claudius' adulterous marriage is a prime illustration of deception, corruption, and evil.

Religion
Everything taught to Hamlet was apparently the opposites because there’s no such
thing as purgatory. Hamlet is an implied protestant. On the other hand, On the other
hand, Hamlet has seen a ghost who appears to be in a purgatory-like state but is
nonetheless his father.

Reality vs Appearance
Hamlet also highlights reality vs. appearance with his plan to use the play to determine
whether the king is guilty or not of his father's murder: "the play's the thing” Hamlet, on
the other hand, sees through their outward appearances to the reality of their actual
character.

Women
Through their acts and interactions with the male characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet,
women are portrayed as weak, vulnerable, dumb, easily deceived, and reliant on
males. Claudius is Gertrude's new husband and king. Therefore she is completely
reliant on him. Both her father and brother, as well as Hamlet, control Ophelia.

★ Tenets of Romanticism (related to Hamlet)

Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th Century,
emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual (Oxford Dictionary).

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - considered as the father of Romanticism.

These are the most important tenets of Romanticism.

• Creativity/Imagination
• Nature
 • Emotion
• Supernatural

So, how did these Tenets of Romanticism influenced Hamlet?

Romanticism is known to encourage individualism and freedom of expressing personal
feelings. This movement alone was reflected in Hamlet considering how the characters
deeply showed emotions. Hamlet alone also showed individualism whereas
Shakespeare made this character where many people could relate to.

I could say that although these four were present in hamlet, only two have the strongest
impact on the play.

● Supernatural
If you’ve read or listened to the play, presented by our group, you already could
identify where the supernatural aspect lies. And yes! That’s the ghost everyone.

The ghost in the story played a major role in order for the revenge genre to proceed.

The ghost here became sort of like a messenger or whistleblower of the atrocious
crime Claudius committed. Whereas it’s telling he’s the late King Hamlet Sr and was
killed by his very own brother, which is Claudius himself.

The ghost, I could say, became the fuel that drove Hamlet into revenge.

● Emotion
Although Hamlet did not believe the ghost’s utterances yet still acted to clear his
suspicion.

And that leads us to the second tenet of romanticism which also had a huge impact on
the flow of the play.

Hamlet, though perceived as an intellectual by the people during the Romanticism

Period, still displayed extreme emotions at the duration of the play. He expressed his
grief toward his father’s death, which is the highlight of the play. The other one is
 feeling betrayed towards his mother, Gertrude’s remarriage, as well as anger towards
his uncle, Claudius for marrying his own sister-in-law just a month after his father died.
Other characters also showed emotions of guilt and fear, like Claudius. Guilt for his
acts and fear toward Hamlet.

In general, the characters in the play Hamlet were ruled mostly by their emotions and
acted upon them. The emotions became the driving force for the characters and it’s
mostly what’s making them function.

★ Literary Merits:

1. Artistry and Style

The legendary writer frequently employed soliloquy or monologue to tell his stories.

This monologue was used to expose the character's thoughts, like in the case of
"Hamlet," as well as to set the stage for the play or advance the story. Its purpose is to
immerse the audience in the tale and reveal truths that the other characters in the play
may be unaware of.

Following the completion of Hamlet, Shakespeare's writing style became more

concentrated, quick, distinct, and non-repetitive. He began to employ more run-on
lines, pauses, and stops that were not evenly spaced, and drastic changes in sentence
length and structure.

It has an aesthetic appeal to everyone and thus possesses a sense of beauty. Artistry
describes literature that is aesthetically appealing and reveals or conveys hidden truth
and beauty. This type of literature appeals to broad audiences and possesses a sense
of beauty in the writing that could even feel poetic.

Hamlet is written mostly in verse (70%), and (30%) of the lines are prose which is the
highest percentage of any of the tragedies.

Hamlet speaks more than 1/3.

Iambic Pentameter (Blank Verse)

An “iamb” is an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. “Penta”

means Five and “meter” refers to a regular rhythmic
 Iambic pentameter is a verse rhythm often used in Shakespeare’s writing.

It has 10 syllables per line or five iambs per line.

Hamlet’s style proves less bluntly philosophical but equally discursive.

The way characters speak gives us insights into how they think.

2. Spiritual Value

Friendship
Friendship is one of Hamlet's moral principles. Hamlet is a trustworthy friend
who expects his friends to be trustworthy as well. However, two of his friends,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, betrayed him for King Claudius. He acts in accordance
with his moral code.

Family
Hamlet places a high emphasis on his family. He adores his father so much
that he goes insane seeking to avenge his father's death and even despises himself
because his mother married his uncle, King Claudius

Loyalty
Hamlet is out for vengeance. His madness and desire to assassinate Claudius
stems from his devotion to his father and the family name. As a result of his father's
loyalty, Hamlet wishes to seek revenge on Claudius.

3. Intellectual Value

He is obliged to right a terrible injustice himself since, like Titus Andronicus, his
adversary controls the state. Hamlet has more than enough inventiveness to right the
wrong right away.

He bides his time, though, for he wants to ensure not only justice but poetic justice as
well. Claudius, on the other hand, possibly achieves that complete justice. However,
he causes so much collateral harm as a result of his activities that they are ultimately
unjustifiable.
 Hamlet demonstrates why people who care about social justice sometimes have mixed
feelings about intellectuals.

4. Emotional Value

In Hamlet, the reader's imagination runs wild and takes them far beyond the
text, to the point where they see things that are neither within nor without the text. The
reader discovers secret meanings and pent-up sensations in themselves while reading
the play and connects them to the play.

5. Permanence
What is permanence?
Permanence is simply timeliness and timelessness.

What does a certain literary piece need in order to achieve it?

In this situation, is the timeliness and timelessness of literary works. It means that the
literary piece contains events or scenes which happens in real world for it to be
remembered forever. A piece that every people in every generation could easily relate
to. That’s what permanence means.

Some of the reality that Hamlet depicted:

● Corruption

In Hamlet, Claudius was depicted to be that of a person hungry for power. He,
therefore, killed his own brother, Hamlet Sr (as per told by the ghost to Hamlet)
in order to usurp the throne and become the new King. While in reality, a
person hungry for power also is similar to Claudius. Killing in order to gain
Political Power.

I mean, this scene in Hamlet as well as this of our reality is identical to the point
where we could conclude that a person with so much greed is the same no
matter where he/she is. Whether it’s in the past, the present, fictional, or reality.
 ● Politics
● Women

6. Universality
Hamlet is universal because, the play depicts situations in our lives.

Things that made Hamlet universal:

● Finding justice and morals in a world that does not display it.
● Power Struggle
● Familial Conflict
● Revenge
● Death and Murder

★ Thematic Relevance:

So in this part, we were asked to relate the concentrating idea of Hamlet to the current world
we live in? Does it still apply? Is it still true?

Well, in my opinion, the whole play revolves around truth-seeking, taking justice into one's
hand, vengeance, indecisiveness, romance, and just feeling things deeply.

With that being said- these are emotions that almost all of us have experienced! And so, we
relate, we feel what the characters feel.

The whole play displays humanity in ways we sometimes think isn't even possible.

If we would take a look at Prince Hamlet, he is loved, cherished by many- you'd think he would
be someone who is perfect, but he is troubled by dilemmas like we are. Then came a moment
where, we should actually hate him- he killed someone! And yet, we empathize, even if
Polonius' death made Ophelia go crazy. We somehow still felt bad for Hamlet.
Knowing one's vulnerable side can change the way you look at them, how they managed to
reach their decisions- even if they are quite faulty or illogical, or even if it doesn’t align with
your morals.

In a nutshell, emotions are powerful, and the reason why I think Hamlet is still relevant until
today is because of that.