Corruption and moral decay

Question 1

Elizabethan Criticism

Answer 1

Some early critics might focus on how the play reflects the political climate of Elizabethan England, where corruption within the monarchy was a point of concern.

Question 2

Feminist Criticism

Answer 2

Feminist critics often argue that women’s roles in the play (e.g., Gertrude and Ophelia) are affected by the moral decay and corruption around them, where they become victims of the patriarchal system.

Question 3

Marxist Criticism

Answer 3

Critics may explore how the theme of corruption in the royal court reflects the social and economic inequalities of Elizabethan society.

Question 4

painting of Hamlet and his father, Hamlet on his knees, father towering over him - completely dominating him.

Answer 4

William blake painting - 1806

Question 5

Eugene delacroix- 1835

Answer 5

Eugene delacroix- 1835- painting of hamlet and corpse of Polonius - Hamlet lifting the curtain revealing Polonius, Hamlet is smiling.

Question 5

painting of hamlet and ophelia - Hamlet is kissing Ophelia’s hand, she’s looking away, looking sad/disgusted/ not interested.

Answer 5

Donte gabriel - 1866

Question 6

‘The depiction of Ophelia is Lewd (Crude and offensive in a sexual way) and unreasonable’

Answer 6

Jeremy Collier - 1698

Question 7

Thomas Hanmer - 1736

Answer 7

‘ Hamlet conduct is cruel… so unworthy of a hero’

Question 8

‘ A vulgar and barbarous drama’

Answer 8

Voltaire - 1748

Question 9

Ophelia has no chance to develop an independent conscience of her own, so stifle is she by the authority of the male world’

Answer 9

Juliet Dusinberre - 1975

Question 10

Lee Edwards - 1979

Answer 10

‘ We can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet’

Question 11

‘Male power is restored through… the vilification of women’

Answer 11

Valerie Traub - 1988

Question 12

Allan Ingram - 2005

Answer 12

‘ The Ophelia figure was a kind of feminine ideal: totally passive, sexualised, and utterly defined by her romantic relationships’

Question 13

‘ Ophelia and Gertrude can superficially be seen as representatives of the two archetypes of women in early modern drama’

Answer 13

Sean Mcevoy - 2006

Question 14

1999 production

Answer 14

• after ophelias madness is revealed - act 4 scene 5 handing out flowers - she is never mentioned - they never fight on her grave.

Question 15

Gould 2025

Answer 15

R&G have different accents to show how out of place they are