Hamlet

Hamlet is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare, and it tells the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark,
who seeks to avenge the murder of his father, King Hamlet, by his uncle, Claudius, who then marries
Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude. The play is set in the Kingdom of Denmark in the late Middle Ages. Here
is a brief plot summary of the play:

Act 1:

The play opens with the guards at Elsinore Castle, who have seen the ghost of King Hamlet for the past two
nights. Prince Hamlet joins them and sees the ghost himself, who reveals to him that he was murdered by
Claudius, and asks Hamlet to avenge his death.

Act 2:

Hamlet begins to act strangely, pretending to be mad to hide his true intentions from Claudius and the
others. He plans to put on a play that will reenact his father's murder in front of Claudius to see if he will
react.

Act 3:

The play takes place, and Claudius reacts, confirming his guilt. Hamlet confronts his mother, Queen
Gertrude, about her role in the murder and her hasty remarriage to Claudius.

Act 4:

Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, who is hiding behind a tapestry in the Queen's
chamber. Claudius sends Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, with orders for him to be
executed.

Act 5:

While on the ship to England, Hamlet discovers the letter from Claudius, ordering his execution. He replaces
the letter with one calling for the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and escapes back to Denmark.

Act 5 (continued):

In the final scene, Hamlet and Laertes, the son of Polonius, engage in a duel. Laertes has poisoned his
sword, and he wounds Hamlet, but they exchange swords and Hamlet wounds Laertes with the poisoned
sword. Gertrude accidentally drinks poison intended for Hamlet and dies. Laertes confesses his part in the
conspiracy, and Hamlet kills Claudius before he himself dies from the poison. Fortinbras, the Prince of
Norway, arrives and takes over the throne of Denmark. This is a brief summary of the plot of Hamlet. The
play is rich with complex characters, themes, and symbolism that make it one of Shakespeare's most
enduring and widely performed works.

Why ophelia died: Ophelia kills herself because the fate of Denmark is placed on her shoulders when she is
asked to more or less spy on Hamlet, her father has been murdered (by her former lover no less), from the
confusion created by her father and brother with regard to the meaning of love, and her suicide is even an
act of revenge.

Medieval and Renaissance man: Hamlet is a philosopher, inspired by humanist ideas: for thi reason he can
be seen as the prototype of the “new man of Reinaissance”

Action and hesitation: central theme of the play is hesitation and indecisiveness. Why does hamlet not
move quickly to avenge his father’s death? Because the situation offers so many doubts and uncertainties.
Women: there are only two women with names and roles in Hamlet: hamlet is suspicious of both.

Justice and honor: the aristocratic code of justice and honour demands revenge when honor is lost

Play within the play:multi- layered structure: 1)the events related to Hamle and his attempt to revenge his
father’s death.2)the company of actors comes to elsinore to stage a play called” the murder of Gonzago”

Drama: he is extremely talkative character. Hamlet is also the prototype of the melancholic character.

An impossible revenge: one obstacle: hamlet’s indeciveness and never ends.

Macbeth
"Macbeth" is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, which tells the story of a Scottish general named Macbeth,
who receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become King of Scotland. The prophecy sparks a
series of events that ultimately lead to Macbeth's downfall.Here is a brief summary of the plot:

Act I: Macbeth and his friend Banquo, while returning from a victorious battle, encounter three witches
who prophesy that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and eventually the King of Scotland. Soon
after, Macbeth receives news that he has been named the Thane of Cawdor, and he starts to consider the
possibility of becoming king.

Act II: Macbeth confides in his wife Lady Macbeth about the witches' prophecy, and she urges him to take
action to make it come true. With her encouragement, Macbeth murders King Duncan and frames his
chamberlains for the crime. However, Macbeth starts to experience guilt and paranoia as a result of his
actions.

Act III: Macbeth arranges for the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance, as he fears they will stand in the
way of his becoming king. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes. At a banquet, Macbeth is tormented by the
ghost of Banquo and begins to lose his grip on reality.

Act IV: Macbeth seeks out the witches for more prophecies, and they tell him to beware of Macduff, a
nobleman who has fled to England. Macbeth orders the murder of Macduff's family, and Macduff vows
revenge against Macbeth.

Act V: Macbeth's forces are besieged by an army led by Macduff, who has joined forces with the rightful
heir to the throne, Malcolm. Lady Macbeth has gone mad with guilt and dies, while Macbeth battles
Macduff and is eventually killed. Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland, and order is restored to the land.

Ambition: uncontrolled ambition

Fate and witchcraft: the witches’ prophecies set actions in motion. In his mad desire to control his own fate
he fails to see the hidden truths in the witches’ last propecies that delude him into thinking that he is safe

Blood: macbeth is a bloodbath. He shows us that every violent act necessarily leads to further violence.

Blood o salso a potent symbol of guilt in the play.

Regicide: in the medieval order, the health of a nation is closely related to goodness and moral legitimacy of
the monarch. Nature is adversely affected: terrible storms, earth trembles and animal become insane and
eat each others.

Main character: macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth, when he is reached by three witches: through their
ambiguous prophecies they ignite his ambition. Macbeth is a fully developed tragis hero: his ambition an
innumeral series of bloody actions. Macbeth appears as a strong and rather masculine woman: she shows a
firm character and is able to overcome Macbeth’s initial hesitation thanks to her seduction and her ability to
use words. Also hers is a de-humanising journey towards damnation.