Hamlet

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Hamlet
To be or not to be
Introduction to Shakespeare Ms. MacDonald,
Spring 2006
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About William Shakespeare
His exact birthday is unknown however using his
Baptismal records, most experts agree that he was
born onApril 23, 1564.
He was married when he was 18 to a woman nearly
twice his age named Anne Hathaway.
He is believed to have died on his birthday in
1616 at the age of 52.
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About William Shakespeare
Shakespeare has left us with 38 plays, 154
sonnets, and 5 poems.
Shakespeare was one of eight children.
Shakespeare himself went on to father eight
children.
Take the SHAKESPEARE test online to see how much
you really know about his work and his life!
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The Globe Theater
Although Shakespeares plays were performed at
other venues, his most famous plays were
performed at The Globe Theater.
The Globe Theater held approximately 2,500
people.
The theater stood until 1613 when the roof was
set on fire by a cannon blast as part of a Henry
VIII performance. The theater burned to the
ground.
The Globe Theater was built in 1599 in Southwark.
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That stuff isnt even English! So you think
Shakespeare isnt relevant? Then how do you
explain these phrases?
A dish fit for the Gods Come what may A
laughing stock Not slept a wink One fell
swoop In my minds eye As luck would have
it Mums the word Stone Hearted Alls well
that ends well Eaten out of house and
home The World is my oyster
Love is blind Send him packing Dead as a
doornail Forever and a day Its Greek to
me Play fast and loose Off with his head A
sorry sight Seen better days The live long
day Neither here nor there All corners of the
world
Write down your three favorite sayings!
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Recognize any of those sayings?
Take your favorite saying out of the previous
list and talk about how it is used today. Think
about the following -Who says this
phrase? -Where have you heard it used? -How
common is it? -What does the saying mean to you?
Take a few minutes to write in your journal about
the topics above.
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What has he done?
Comedy All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It
The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline Love's Labours
Lost Measure for Measure The Merry Wives of
Windsor The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer
Night's Dream
History Henry IV, part 1 Henry IV, part 2 Henry
V Henry VI, part 1
Tragedy Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet
Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello
Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus
Andronicus
Henry VIII King John Richard II Richard III
Much Ado About Nothing Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Troilus and
Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale
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Common Shakespearean Phrases and their Meanings!


Hath 3rd person singular, present tense of
HaveThou/Thee/Thy- You or YoursOft OftenNay
NoBehold LookEre BeforeWilt/Wilst Will
you?Alas- Ah! or Here!Art ArePray you I
beg you
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Lets Translate Some Phrases into Current
English!Remember, Shakespeares version of
English is still considered Modern English! Do
not confuse this with the Medieval English
Language!
You come most carefully upon the hour.
You are exactly on time.
No, father, but I did what you told me to do and
sent back his letters and wouldn't let him visit
me.
No, my good lord. But as you did command I did
repel his letters and denied his access to me.
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In Class Translations Continued
Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. I
pray thee, stay with us. Go not to Wittenberg.
Please answer my prayers, Hamlet, and stay with
us. Don't go back to Wittenberg.
Don't pity me. Just listen carefully to what I
have to say.
Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing to
what I shall unfold.
I'll speak sharp as a dagger to her without
using one on her.
I will speak daggers to her but use none.
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Feelings on the decoding process
Did you feel
Frustrated?
Confused?
Embarrassed?
Proud?
Surprised?
Excited?
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Compare your feelings with your classmates!

• For most of you this is the first time you have
  encountered Shakespeare! You are not alone!
• Get together in groups of 4. As a group, come up
  with answers to the following questions
• What was the hardest part about the decoding
  process?
• What are you most looking forward to about
  reading Shakespeare?
• Are you especially nervous about beginning
  Shakespeare?
• Please feel free to discuss any other feelings
  that may come up about beginning this new unit!

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Ive heard this before
Two of the most famous quotations from Hamlet
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
To be, or not to be that is the
questionWhether tis nobler in the mind to
sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous
fortuneOr to take arms against a sea of
troubles,And by opposing end them?To die,to
sleep, No more and by a sleep to say we
endThe heartache, and the thousand natural
shocksThat flesh is heir to,tis a
consummationDevoutly to be wishd. To die,to
sleep To sleep perchance to dreamay,
theres the rubFor in that sleep of death what
dreams may come,
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Meet the Characters

• Hamlet Our main character, the Prince of
  Denmark.
• Claudius Hamlets uncle who marries Hamlets
  mother to become the new King of Denmark.
• Gertrude The Queen of Denmark, Hamlets
  mother, the new wife of Claudius.
• Polonius Laertes and Ophelias father, a main
  Lord in Claudius court.
• Horatio Hamlets very close friend. Possibly,
  his only true friend. He is the one to live on to
  tell Hamlets story.
• Ophelia Polonius daughter, Hamlets love
  interest. She is troubled and suffers great inner
  turmoil over the happenings and mind games of the
  story.
• Laertes Polonius son, Ophelias brother.
• Fortinbras Prince of Norway. His father was
  killed by Hamlets father and now he is looking
  to avenge his fathers death.
• The Ghost Hamlets father in ghost form. He is
  looking to tell Hamlet how he died and who was
  responsible for his death.

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Visual Representations of Ophelia
Ophelia has been visually recreated since
Shakespeare originally created her. In the next
few slides you will see the most famous
representations.
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Artwork
John William Waterhouses rendition of Ophelia
created in 1894.
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Artwork
Ophelia, as envisioned by John Everett Millais
in 1852.
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Artwork
This is Eugene Delacroixs version of Ophelia
created in 1853.
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Artwork
Odilon Redons 1905 version of Ophelia.
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Artwork
W.G. Simmonds 1910 version of Ophelia.
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More Art
There are many more representations of Ophelia.
Here is a site that contains a few others.
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Questions?
If you have any questions about our upcoming unit
then please feel free to ask!!