THE LIFE AND WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘The Bard’
(1564-1616)

 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

 He was an English poet, dramatist, and actor.
 He died on April 23, 1616
 Often called an English national poet, he is considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time.
 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, 26 years old,
 when he was 18 years old.
 Susanna their first daughter was born in 1583
 They had twins named Hamnet and Judith two years later
WORKS OF LITERATURE
Along with acting, he also wrote some of the most renowned works studied literature written in English language
Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
The Bard popularized his sonnet’s literary style, which was later named after him (The Shakespearean sonnet)
NOTABLE POEMS
The Shakespearean Sonnet
A Shakespearean sonnet is a variation of Italian sonnet tradition. The form evolved in England during and around the
time of Elizabethan era. These sonnets are sometimes referred to as Elizabethan sonnets or English sonnets.

 They are 14 lines long

 The fourteen lines are divided into 4 subgroups
 The first three subgroups have 4 lines each, which makes them “quatrains,” with the second and fourth lines
of each group containing rhyming words.
 The sonnet then concludes with a two- lines subgroup, and these two lines rhyme with each other.
 They are typically ten syllables per line, which are phrased in iambic pentameter.
“Shall I Compare Thee to A Summer’s Day”
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? But thy eeternal summer shall not fade,
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee
,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d
LITERARY TECHNIQUES USED
METAPHOR
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
This line outlines the metaphor for the whole poem, which compares the woman the speaker loves to a summer
day.
“Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
 In these lines, the metaphor is comparing the sun to the eye of heaven. This figurative language emphasizes the
beauty or radiance of the sun. (the eye of heaven) will get dim from time to time, but the beauty of his beloved
will never fade. .
“But thy eternal summer shall not fade”
IMAGERY
or words that appeal to our five senses to create a vivid description. The following lines contain imagery:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd
RHETORICAL QUESTION
The very first line of the poem is a rhetorical question. The speaker asks his/her beloved whether he/ she should
compare him to a summer day.
PERSONIFICATION
In line number nine, death is attributed with the human quality of boasting. The personified image of death creates
the image of a boastful enemy, which is trying to bring everything under its shadows.
THEMES

 ADMIRATION
Throughout the whole poem, the speaker talks about the beauty of his beloved. He admires the beauty of his
beloved in different ways throughout the three quatrains. He starts by asking his beloved whether he should compare
him with a summer day or not.

 CRUELTY OF NATURE
Nature is depicted as a harsh and cruel antagonist in this poem. The speaker says that the harsh winds shake
the darling buds during May. This depicts that elements of nature are always bent upon damaging the beautiful objects
in the world. Moreover, the two extremes of sunshine during summer deprive the humans of the pleasant weather. It is
the working of the cruel nature that does not let humans have fun in this world.

 INEVITABILITY OF DEATH
The poem highlights the idea that no one can escape death. Everyone, no matter how powerful they are, is
going to fall into this pit called grave. This idea is first developed in the poem by the description of the short-lived
summer. The speaker says that summer has a very short span of time and will soon end.
SYMBOLS

 Flowers and Trees

Flowers and trees appear throughout the sonnets to illustrate the passage of time, the transience of life, the
aging process, and beauty. Rich, lush foliage symbolizes youth, whereas barren trees symbolize old age
and death.
 Stars
uses stars to stand in for fate, a common poetic trope, but also to explore the nature of free will.
 Weather and the Seasons
Shakespeare employed the pathetic fallacy, or the attribution of human characteristics or emotions to
elements in nature or inanimate objects, throughout his plays.
 CONCLUSION
The speaker opens the poem with a question addressed to the beloved: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” The
next eleven lines are devoted to such a comparison. In line 2, the speaker stipulates what mainly differentiates the
young man from the summer’s day: he is “more lovely and more temperate.” Summer’s days tend toward extremes:
they are shaken by “rough winds”; in them, the sun (“the eye of heaven”) often shines “too hot,” or too dim. And
summer is fleeting: its date is too short, and it leads to the withering of autumn, as “every fair from fair sometime
declines.” The final quatrain of the sonnet tells how the beloved differs from the summer in that respect: his beauty
will last forever (“Thy eternal summer shall not fade...”) and never die. In the couplet, the speaker explains how the
beloved’s beauty will accomplish this feat, and not perish because it is preserved in the poem, which will last forever;
it will live “as long as men can breathe or eyes can see.”

Sonnet 147:” My Love Is as a Fever, Longing Still”

My love is as a fever, longing still

For that which longer nurseth the disease;
Feeding on that which doth preserve the sill,
The uncertain sickly appetite to please.
My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept,
Hath left me, and I desperate now approve
Desire is death, which physic did except.
Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;
My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are,
At random from the truth vainly express’d;
For I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES USED

Metaphor:
- describe his love/lust as a “fever”, one that is consuming him.
Alliteration:
- the repetition of words with the same consonant sound.
For example, “love” and “longing” in line one and “Desire” and “death” in line eight.
Extended Metaphor:
- seen through the poet's use of a comparison between his obsession an illness. It expands to include reason and
a doctor's care.
Theme

 Illness
 Evil
 Obsession
The Dark Lady, like an illness, has consumed his life. He’s obsessed with her, so much so that no one can
shake him back into his right mind. Like a mad person, he’s racked will symptoms of his obsession. He’s
lost the ability to reason or think clearly. His thoughts are random and scattered. The poet’s speaker refers
to the Dark Lady in the last lines as an evil presence in
his life. He’s well aware of what he’s allowed his life to become.
SUMMARY
My love is like a sickness that wants nothing more than the one thing that will make this disease last longer. It feeds
on the very thing that's making me so ill, in an attempt to satisfy my sickening appetite. My sense of reason—which is
like a doctor treating my love sickness—is furious that I haven't followed any of his advice. He's abandoned me—and
now I know that my desire will kill me, something he could have prevented. I can't be cured, and I don't even care. I'm
frantic and anxious, constantly restless. I think and sound just like a madman, spouting out pointless nonsense.
Because I thought you were beautiful and virtuous, but you're as black and evil as hell itself, and as dark as the night.
CONCLUSION
The poem concludes with the speaker cursing the Dark Lady, revealing that he's well aware of the negative impact her
presence has had in his life. He calls her “black and hell, dark as night.” This hearkens back to the initial Dark Lady
sonnets and the poet's appreciation for her unique “dark” beauty

Shakespeare’s Plays are separated into 3 Genres:

GENRE-HISTORY  Much Ado About Nothing
 The Taming of the Shrew
 Henry IV Part l
 The Tempest
 Henry IV Part ll
 Twelfth Night
 Henry V
 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
 Henry Vl Part l
 The Winter’s Tale
 Henry Vl Part ll
 Henry Vl Part lll
GENRE-TRAGEDY
 Henry Vlll
 King John  Antony and Cleopatra
 Richard ll  Coriolanus
 Richard ll  Cymbeline
GENRE- COMEDY  Hamlet
 Julius Caesar
 All ‘s Well That Ends Well  King Lear
 As You Like It  Macbeth
 The Comedy of Errors  Othello
 Love’s Labour’s Lost  Romeo and Juliet
 Measure for Measure  Timon of Athens
 The Merchant of Venice  Titus Andronicus
 The Merry Wives of Windsor  Troilus and Cressida
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
NOTABLE DRAMAS/PLAYS

 COMEDY

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Act I
As Duke Theseus prepares for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, he is interrupted by a courtier,
Egeus. Egeus asks for the Duke to intervene in a dispute. His daughter, Hermia, will not agree to marry Demetrius
(whom Egeus has chosen for her) because she loves a gentleman named Lysander. The Duke asks Hermia to be
obedient to her father. He offers her one of two options: she must either die or accept a celibate life as a nun in Diana's
temple
Two of the lovers hold both hands, but at arms' length. The fair-haired lady wears a red full-length dress and an
embroidered gold cloak; the dark-haired man, who is a head taller, is also wearing gold embroidered clothes.
Lysander and Hermia plan to elope and share their secret with Helena, Hermia's friend. Helena is desperately in love
with Demetrius, who seems to have abandoned her in favor of Hermia. At night, Lysander and Hermia escape from
Athens; but they soon lose their way in the woods. After Helena tells him of their intention to defy the law, Demetrius
decides to follow the lovers into the woods. In turn, Helena follows Demetrius in the hope that he will give up on
Hermia and choose her instead. Meanwhile, a group of working men are preparing a play of the tragic love-story of
Pyramus and Thisbe to present before the Duke Theseus on his wedding day. Nick Bottom, the weaver, is to play the
lover Pyramus, while Flute, the bellows-mender, begrudgingly agrees to play Thisbe.
Act ll
Nearby, Oberon - King of the Fairies—has recently quarrelled with his queen, Titania. She acquired a magical child
from one of her waiting women, and now refuses to hand him over to Oberon to use as a page. Oberon begins to plot a
way to get revenge on Titania for her disobedience. He sends his fairy servant, Puck, to fetch a purple flower with
juice that makes people fall in love with the next creature they see. Afterwards, Oberon overhears Helena and
Demetrius arguing in the forest. Oberon hears Demetrius mistreat Helena and tells Puck to anoint 'the Athenian', so
Demetrius will fall in love with the first person that he sees. Puck mistakes the Athenian and puts the flower juice on
the eyes of the sleeping Lysander. When he is woken by Helena, he immediately falls in love with her and rejects
Hermia. When Demetrius rests, Oberon puts magic juice on his eyes, which makes him fall in love with Helena as
well.
Act lll
The workers' rehearsals in the wood are overheard by Puck, who plays a trick on them by giving Bottom an ass's head.
After frightening the others away, Bottom is lured towards the sleeping Titania whom Oberon has anointed with
Puck's magic flower juice. On waking, the fairy queen falls in love with the ass and entertains him with her fairies.
Meanwhile, Demetrius and Lysander, still under the spell of the flower juice, pursue Helena. Hermia is jealous and
confused about the lack of attention paid to her. Oberon and Puck watch the chaos, and Oberon commands Puck to put
it right again. The lovers' arguments have tired them all out as they have chased one another through the woods. Puck
eventually distracts the two men from their pursuit of Helena by impersonating their voices, and they get lost in the
woods. The four lovers fall asleep, exhausted. Puck places restorative juice on Lysander's eyes.
ACT IV
After an afternoon of being pampered by Titania's fairies, Bottom falls asleep beside her. Oberon restores Titania's
sight and wakes her (thank goodness). After expressing her dismay at the sight of Bottom, she reconciles with Oberon,
and she ends up giving him the little Indian prince for his page. Bottom's ass head is removed, and he returns to the
city to rejoin his friends as they prepare to perform their play. The lovers are woken by Theseus and Hippolyta's
hunting party. Lysander sees Hermia and falls in love with her once again.
Literary Devices
Puns
One specific use of wordplay Shakespeare uses in A Midsummer Night's Dream is the technique of puns.
A pun is the humorous use of a word to suggest another meaning of the word that is similar in sound but different in
definition.
For example:
''let us eat a salad.'' The pun is the use of ''let us'' when the reader or listener may hear ''lettuce,'' which is a prime
ingredient in most salads.
Hyperbole
in A Midsummer Night's Dream is when Egeus is complaining about how Lysander and his daughter Hermia are in
love.
SYMBOLS
The love potion
thus becomes a symbol of the unreasoning, fickle, erratic, and undeniably powerful nature of love, which can lead to
inexplicable and bizarre behavior and cannot be resisted.
The moon
moon to symbolize both time and the phases in our lives just as he does through the characters of the play.
Shakespeare conveys the passage of time through the character of Theseus early on in the play.
Roses
Symbolize woman’s sexuality and fertility
Characters:
Theseus Duke of Athens
-who is marrying Hippolyta as the play begins. He decrees that Hermia must marry Demetrius or be sentenced
either to death or to life in a convent.
Hippolyta- Queen of the Amazons, she is betrothed to Theseus.
Lysander- Hermia's beloved.
Demetrius -He is in love with Hermia, and her father's choice of a husband for her. Similar to Lysander in
most ways, Demetrius' only distinguishing characteristic is his fickleness in love. 
Helena- She is the cruelly abused lover of Demetrius. Before the play begins, he has abandoned her in favor
of Hermia.
Hermia- Although she loves Lysander, her father insists she marry Demetrius or be put to death for
disobedience of his wishes.
Oberon -The King of the Fairies, Oberon is fighting with Titania when the play begins because he wants
custody of an Indian boy she is raising.
Titania- Oberon's wife, she is Queen of the Fairies.
Puck, or Robin Goodfellow- Oberon's jester,
Puck is responsible for mistakenly anointing Lysander with the love juice intended for Demetrius.
Nick Bottom -A weaver, Bottom plays Pyramus

SUMMARY
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy makes both of the boys fall in love with the same
girl. The four runs through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick the fairy queen. In
the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.
Themes
Marriage
 asserts marriage as the true fulfillment of romantic love. All the damaged relationships have been sorted out at the
end of Act IV, and Act V serves to celebrate the whole idea of marriage in a spirit of festive happiness.
Order and Disorder
also deals with the theme of order and disorder. The order of Egeus' family is threatened because his daughter wishes
to marry against his will; the social order to the state demands that a father's will should be enforced.
Love
love, a subject to which Shakespeare returns constantly in his comedies. Shakespeare explores how people tend to fall
in love with those who appear beautiful to them
CONCLUSION
A Midsummer Night's Dream makes us think that this play by William Shakespeare will embody an ethereal or a
fantasy-like quality. The title also tells us that the story is likely to take place on a summer night that may or may not
be the product of a character's dream.

 TRAGEDY
Act I
King John and his mother, Queen Eleanor, greet a French ambassador. The French king, Philip, sent the ambassador
to claim the English throne on behalf of John’s nephew, Prince Arthur. Philip himself is interested in and supportive
of Arthur's claim to the throne. John and Eleanor reject the embassy, and France threatens war. 
Shortly afterwards, Robert and Philip Faulcon bridge come to the King to settle their family inheritance dispute. There
is confusion in the inheritance law as Philip is older but is an illegitimate child. During their discussion, Eleanor
claims that Philip is the bastard son of John’s late brother, Richard Coeur-de-lion (Lionheart). Philip decides to let go
of his Faulcon bridge inheritance in favor of joining Queen Eleanor’s army to France. He is given knighthood and the
title Sir Richard. His mother, Lady Faulcon bridge, arrives to defend her honor. But she privately admits that Richard
Coeur-de-lion was Philip's father
Act II
In France, King Philip and his court resolve to fight for Arthur’s claim to the English throne. They begin an attack on
the English-owned city of Angers. King John arrives to state his right to the French throne, and King Philip once again
pledges support to Arthur. Eleanor argues with Constance, Arthur's mother, about the claims of their respective sons.
The nobles try to keep the peace between them. Hubert, spokesman for the town of Angers, is asked to judge between
the claims. Hubert states that Angers will support whoever wins the throne. Battle ensues, but both armies claim
victory (while neither really wins). Angers maintains its stance. After there is no recourse in fighting, the bastard
Philip suggests that they unite and punish Angers for their indecision. The spokesman Hubert (now suddenly full of
ideas) proposes a peace marriage between John’s niece, Blanche, and the French Dauphin, Louis, to unite both
countries. John supports the match by promising five English provinces within France as dowry. Louis and Blanche
agree, and John gives Arthur a noble title to pacify Arthur's mother. The bastard Philip sees John’s capitulation as an
unwelcome compromise and resolves to pursue riches for himself.
Act III
Constance bewails the new Anglo-French alliance and her son’s lost inheritance. Arthur himself wishes for peace. On
Louis and Blanche's wedding day, Constance continues to argue. Cardinal Pandolph, on embassy for the Pope,
interrupts the wedding party. He questions John’s refusal to acknowledge the new Archbishop of Canterbury. After
criticising and denying the Pope’s distant power, John is excommunicated. King Philip is originally hesitant to oppose
John due to the newly-formed ties between him and John, but Pandolph persuades King Philip to oppose John (and
remove him from office). 
In the ensuing battle, King John captures Prince Arthur and takes him to Hubert’s care in England. Eleanor and the
Bastard continue the French wars. John persuades Hubert of Angers that Arthur must die as he presents too much of a
threat to John’s throne. King Philip and Louis mourn the loss of Angers and Prince Arthur. Constance, distraught at
her son’s loss, blames the Cardinal, and commits herself wholly to grief. The Cardinal persuades Louis to attack
England while the country is in turmoil. He tells Philip that Philip has a claim to the throne. Under the direction of
King John, Hubert is ordered to kill Arthur.
Literary Techniques
Anaphora
Is a technique where several phrases or verses begin with the same word or words.
Example: Mad world! Mad kings! Mad compositions!
SYMBOLS
The Crown
-King John begins with a dispute over the English crown and ends with the passing of that crown to the next
generation.
The Lion's Hide
-Another noteworthy symbol appears in Act 2, when the Duke of Austria appears with a lion's hide draped over his
armor.
 Characters:
King John
-The King of England.
Arthur: Son of John’s elder brother and rightful heir to the throne.
The Bastard:
Illegitimate son of Richard the Lionhearted, the Bastard’s proper name is Philip he is the son of Lady Faulconbridge,
widow of Sir Robert Faulconbridge.
Arthur
- Duke of Brittany Arthur- is King John's young nephew.
Philip the Bastard (a.k.a. The Bastard) ...
- first known as Philip Faulconbridge, is knighted and renamed as Sir Richard Plantagenet by King John when the
latter comes to agree that the young man is his brother Richard the Lionhearted’s bastard son.
Queen Eleanor
- widow of Henry II, is King John’s mother. History’s Eleanor of Aquitaine, she is an old and decrepit woman still in
full possession of her senses. She is much stronger-willed (and more intelligent) than her son; she is also still quite
capable of flirting with her newly-discovered grandson, the Bastard.
Pandolf
-a messenger from the pope, Pandolf first arrives to ask John why he has resisted the pope's nomination for
archbishop.
Hubert
-one of John's men, Hubert is assigned to look after Arthur, but John asks him to kill Arthur. Hubert is so touched by
Arthur's innocence that he cannot kill the boy, and he returns to John with the false news that Arthur is dead
Constance
-Arthur's mother, Constance convinces Philip to be her son's champion in his quest for the throne.
Pembroke
-one of John's followers, Pembroke switches allegiances when he believes Arthur has been killed at John's instruction
Salisbury
-one of John's followers, Salisbury switches allegiances when he believes Arthur has been killed at John's instruction
Summary
King John goes to war against the French after claims that his nephew should be king instead. John has conflict with
the church, order his nephew’s death; turns the nobles against himself. In the end, John dies from poison, the French
retreat, and his son becomes king.
THEME

 Commodity
 King John's best-known speech occurs in Act 2, Scene 1 where the Bastard—a leading English commander—
inveighs against "that smooth-faced gentleman, tickling Commodity." He half-laughs, half-chides as he notes
King Philip's pious reasons for going to war, as contrasted with his pragmatic reasons for later seeking peace.
 Control
King John portrays a political battle royal in which several distinct factions vie for control—of France, of
England, and of one another. From Act 1 onward, two opposing groups—one led by King John and one led by
King Philip of France—seek to secure a claim to the English crown. Each faction includes a supporting cast of
 royal family members and noble retainers, who, at least at the beginning, back their respective monarchs in
the struggle for power
 The Lust for Power
In the struggle for power between the English and French—and in struggles for power in any age and place—
the adversaries often stop at nothing to achieve their goals. King John, for example, is willing to murder
young Arthur rather than yield his throne to the boy. In fact, he orders Hubert to kill Arthur. However, Hubert
—who has taken a liking to the boy—refuses to carry out the order.
 Family Feuds
Unresolved disputes involving family members of a ruler can lead to great political and social upheaval and,
ultimately, war.
SIGNIFICANCE
Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” signed by the King of England in 1215, was a turning point in human rights.The
Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process
that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English-speaking world.
CONCLUSION
In the end, Shakespeare draws John as a character his audience would have accepted—a king with recognizably
human failings as a ruler. While the story is decidedly less epic than others of its ilk, it does perhaps make for a more
realistic representation of the capricious politics of John's reign. Shakespeare certainly used the same dramatic license
observable in Hollywood movies to this day. History is used when it serves the story and altered whenever necessary
to fit the plot. King John may be less propaganda than Richard III, for instance, but it is nevertheless still fiction based
upon history.

 TRAGEDY
Hamlet, in full Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written about 1599–
1601 and published in a quarto edition in 1603 from an unauthorized text, with reference to an earlier play.
The First Folio version was taken from a second quarto of 1604 that was based on Shakespeare’s own papers
with some annotations by the bookkeeper.

LITERARY DEVICES

 Repetition
In written works, repetition is defined as the repeating of words for emphasis. An example of repetition in
Hamlet is found in the following lines, both said by the character
Hamlet:

Hamlet: I humbly thank you; well,

well, well.
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
These two quotes use a repetition of a single word three times for emphasis.
 Alliteration
A more common device, alliteration, or the repetition of the same sound or letter in words, is found in too
many instances to count throughout the play. Some of these examples include:

O, 'tis too true!

bare bodkin single
spies bad begins
 Soliloquy
A speech in which a character, who is usually alone on the stage, expresses his or her thoughts aloud.
Example: ‘To be or not to be’.

MAIN CHARACTERS
 Ophelia
 She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of
Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in a state of madness that ultimately leads to her
drowning.
 Hamlet
the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius.
Hamlet is melancholic, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s
sexuality.
 Horatio
Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful
to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.
 Polonius
A wordy and pompous but sly courtier, he tries to please Claudius by finding out what is wrong with Hamlet.
He gets accidentally killed by Hamlet for his efforts.
 Laertes
Polonius's son and, in many ways, a "mirror" of Hamlet, Laertes comes home determined to avenge his
father's death by killing Hamlet. Because he can't control his emotions, he is used by Claudius.

 Claudius
ambitious for the throne, cold-bloodedly murders his brother and marries his brother's wife. He doesn't regret
this, as he likes the power he has and is glad to be married to
 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's personalities are difficult to separate, and the two function almost as one
character. Claudius summons them to spy on their (former) good friend Hamlet, and they seem all too happy
to comply.
 Gertrude
He realizes that his biggest threat is Hamlet and works to have him killed.
HAMLET
Act l
Late at night, guards on the battlements of Denmark's Elsinore castle are met by Horatio, Prince Hamlet's friend from
school. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that resembles Hamlet's father, the recently-deceased king. At that
moment, the Ghost reappears, and the guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet.
Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, married Hamlet's recently-widowed mother, becoming the new King of Denmark. Hamlet
continues to mourn for his father's death and laments his mother's lack of loyalty. When Hamlet hears of the Ghost
from Horatio, he wants to see it for himself. 
Elsewhere, the royal attendant Polonius says farewell to his son Laertes, who is departing for France. Laertes warns
his sister, Ophelia, away from Hamlet and thinking too much of his attentions towards her.
 Act II
According to his plan, Hamlet begins to act strangely. He rejects Ophelia, while Claudius and Polonius, the royal
attendant, spy on him. They had hoped to find the reason for Hamlet's sudden change in behaviour but could not.
Claudius summons Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, old friends of Hamlet to find out what's got into him. Their arrival
coincides with a group of travelling actors that Hamlet happens to know well. Hamlet writes a play which includes
scenes that mimic the murder of Hamlet's father. During rehearsal, Hamlet and the actors plot to present Hamlet's play
before the King and Queen.  
Act III
At the performance, Hamlet watches Claudius closely to see how he reacts. The play provokes Claudius, and he
interrupts the action by storming out. He immediately resolves to send Hamlet away. Hamlet is summoned by his
distressed mother, Gertrude, and on the way, he happens upon Claudius kneeling and attempting to pray. Hamlet
reasons that to kill the King now would only send his soul to heaven rather than hell. Hamlet decides to spare his life
for the time being.  
Polonius hides in Gertrude's room to protect her from her unpredictable son. When Hamlet arrives to scold his mother,
he hears Polonius moving behind the arras (a kind of tapestry). He stabs the tapestry and, in so doing, kills Polonius.
The ghost of Hamlet's father reappears and warns his son not to delay revenge or upset his mother. 
Act IV
Hamlet is sent to England, supposedly as an ambassador, just as King Fortinbras of Norway crosses Denmark with an
army to attack Poland. During his journey, Hamlet discovers Claudius has a plan to have him killed once he arrives.
He returns to Denmark alone, sending his companions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in his place. 
Rejected by Hamlet, Ophelia is now desolate at the loss of her father. She goes mad and drowns. 
Act V
On the way back to Denmark, Hamlet meets Horatio in the graveyard (along with a gravedigger), where they talk of
the chances of life and death. Ophelia's funeral procession arrives at the very same graveyard (what luck!). Hamlet
confronts Laertes, Ophelia's brother, who has taken his father's place at the court. 
A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes. During the match, Claudius conspires with Laertes to kill Hamlet.
They plan that Hamlet will die either on a poisoned rapier or with poisoned wine. The plans go awry when Gertrude
unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup and dies. Then both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded by the poisoned blade,
and Laertes dies. 
Hamlet, in his death throes, kills Claudius. Hamlet dies, leaving only his friend Horatio to explain the truth to the new
king, Fortinbras, as he returns in victory from the Polish wars.

Summary
The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet’s uncle.
Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devices
plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King , Queen ,Hamlet’s opponent and Hamlet
himself are all killed.
SYMBOLS
Yorick’s skull: highlights the theme of death and the idea of equality of people in the afterlife.
The ghost: symbolizes the victory of evil.
Unweeded gardens: contribute to the themes of darkness, decay, and death.
Ophelia’s flowers. : represent her descent into madness
Costumes: the changes to the Hamlet’s wardrobe highlight his inner transformations.
The Mousetrap: the play used by Hamlet as a tool to reveal Claudius’s guilt.
5 Major Themes in Hamlet

 Corruption- is a major concern in this play. The text is saturated with images of corruption, in several forms
– decay, death, poison. From the very first moments of the play the images start and set the atmosphere of
corruption which is going to grow as Shakespeare explores this theme. 
 Religion-has an impact on the actions of the characters in this play. Hamlet’s ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy
outlines his religious thinking on the subject of suicide. He declines to kill Claudius while he is praying for
fear of sending him to heaven when he should be going to hell. Hamlet believes, too, that ‘there is a destiny
that shapes our ends.
 Appearance and Reality
This is one of the major themes in every one of Shakespeare’s plays. The text of Hamlet is saturated with
references to the gap that exists between how things seem to be and how they really are.
 The theme of women
For much of the play, Hamlet is in a state of agitation. It is when he is talking to either of the two female
characters that he is most agitated – so much so that he is driven to violence against them. He cares about both
 but does not trust either. He feels his mother, Gertrude, has let him down by her ‘o’er hasty marriage’ to
Claudius. 
 Political
-Hamlet’s uncle has murdered his father, the king. He has subsequently done Hamlet out of his right of
succession and become king. Hamlet’s mother has married the king while the rest of the palace is engaged in
palatial intrigues, leading to wider conspiracies and murders.
 Deception and False Appearances:
 Many characters in the play practice deception, and Hamlet himself feigns madness to uncover the truth about
Claudius's crimes.
 Spirituality and Revenge:
 Hamlet's desire for revenge is complicated by his spiritual questions, and Hamlet spends much of the play
contemplating the meaning of life and death.
 Misogyny and Gender:
  As women in a patriarchal court, Ophelia and Gertrude must navigate the oppressive and contradictory
expectations of the men around them, and their powerlessness ultimately leads to their tragic ends.
MOTIF
DEATH
1.Revenge
being the driving force in the play Hamlet, is also one reason why it is a tragedy. Hamlet makes his revenge
everything in his life, consuming him. It is this rage that eventually drives him to madness and murder. It
seems ironic that Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet all died of the same sword.
2. Ears and Hearing
When Claudius kills Hamlet’s father by pouring poison into his ear, this act incites the play’s action and
is also highly symbolic. The ghost enforces that the spread of the lie that a snake killed him “rankly abuses he
whole ear of Denmark” (Shakespeare 34). Later in the play,
when Hamlet attacks his mother for marrying his uncle, his mother cries out that “these words, like daggers,
enter in mine ears,” symbolizing the judgment and hurt she feel.