Notes on The Tragedy of Hamlet

Hamlet – Prince of Denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died

Claudius – King of Denmark; brother of King Hamlet; the uncle/stepfather of young Hamlet; took over the throne from his brother King Hamlet, Sr. who died

Gertrude – Queen of Denmark; mother of Hamlet; former wife of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius

Polonius – chief advisor to Claudius; father of Laertes and Ophelia

Ophelia – quasi-love interest of Hamlet

Laertes – same age as Hamlet; home from school because of King Hamlet’s death

Setting

Denmark, within Christian times

Story was from sources placing the tale of Hamlet in pre-Christian times

From information of the play, we can assume it is set in the early Medieval period of Europe when the Danish held sway in England

Themes

Power and position – shifts, FTAs

Hamlet himself – one of the most multi-faceted characters of any Shakespearean play – no clear-cut picture of the man

Madness – Is Hamlet crazy? Is he sane? Who is sane?

Incest and intrigue – NOT necessarily an idea of Hamlet having an Oedipal complex (Freudian reading);

between Claudius and Gertrude

Indecision and revenge

Mortality and beyond