Hamlet; Character profile Flashcards
(31 cards)
What critic supports Hamlet’s madness to be an antic-disposition?
‘Hamlet can be privileged in madness to say things about the corruption of human nature’ (Mack)
What quotes from A2S2 present Hamlet to be mad?
Hamlet presents himself as mad to Polonius; ‘I am mad north-north west when the wind is southerly’ ‘fish-monger’
What quotations in A2S2 presents Hamlets madness to be an antic-disposition?
‘To be honest… is to be one man/picked out of ten thousand’ ‘tedious old fools’
How is Hamlet depicted as an outsider in A1S2?
Dressed in black, Hamlet contrasted with the court in Branagh’s 1996 version. ‘Hamlet is dressed in suits of solemn black.’
What does the comment Hamlet made about Gertrude’s and Claudius’ relationship suggest in A1S2?
‘A little more than kin and less than kind.’ This is a pun intended to present the relationship as unnatural and express his disdain towards it.
Where is the quote ‘Hyperion to a satyr’ from, and what does it infer?
A1S2, Hamlet’s first soliloquy, showcases the stark contrast between his view of his father as a glorious sun God (Hyperion) and his view of Claudius as a lustful mythological creature (satyr, half man, half goat).
How is Gertrude and Hamlet’s relationship presented in A1S2?
‘Seems madame? Nay, it is. I know not seems.’ ‘Obey you, madame.’ ‘Madame’ is somewhat formal, yet detached, implying he views their connection to be tethered due to his anger towards the incestuous marriage.
What is the structure of Hamlet’s first soliloquy?
A1S2, Shakespeare presents Hamlet’s tempo to be uncontrolled to potentially emphasise his emotional turmoil and authentic grief.
What quotations showcase Hamlet’s thoughts about the incestuous marriage in his soliloquy?
A1S2, ‘most wicked speed!… such dexterity to incestuous sheets!’ Shakespeare’s use of sibilance is emphatic of repulsion at the hasty remarriage and the immorality of it.
How does Hamlet describe Gertrude in his opening soliloquy?
A1S2, ‘a beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourn’d longer?’ The metaphor and animal imagery further express Hamlet’s disgust towards Gertrude. Describing her as a beast emphasises her lack of reasoning, moral sense or reflection.
How does Shakespeare present the ghost in Hamlet?
A1S5 - ‘Speak, I am bound to hear’ ‘ List, lit O list/ if thou didst ever thy dear father love.’ Shakespeare presents the ghost, through imperatives, to be manipulative, playing on his filial responsibility and grief to enable him, potentially suggesting the ghost to be a devil, further emphasizing the power of the supernatural.
Outline the differences between the Medieval and Renaissance mindsets.
Medieval mindset- Focuses on action, Revenge is seen as a duty, especially when guided by divine or royal command.
Renaissance mindset- Emphasises free thinking, influenced by Humanism. This is shown to be Hamlet throughout the play, who contemplates morality, and continues to delay any action due to ‘Hamlet being a tragedy of thought’ (Bradley). Less focused on violence.
How does Shakespeare present Hamlet A1S5, ‘Haste me to know’t that I… May sweep to my revenge’?
This presents Hamlet as having a medieval mindset, as his immediate thoughts were medieval, set to take action and avenge his father, potentially presenting himself to be YF’s mirror. However, we find this to be ironic as he continues to act in a Renaissance way, establishing himself as the foil to YF.
What does the quote in A1S5 ‘The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown’ suggest?
Biblical imagery - Claudius is compared to the serpent in The Garden of Eden, a figure of deceit whose actions went against God. Both connected to the devil, corruption, Body Politik.
How is line length used in A1S5, and what critic supports this analysis?
The ghost dominates the scene, presenting the power of the supernatural to control the play and Hamlet - Hamlet is rather an instrument than an agent’ (Johnson)
What were the conflicting views of ghosts at the time of the play?
Catholic View – Ghosts as souls in Purgatory
Ghosts might be the spirits of the dead, returning from Purgatory to seek prayers, repentance, or to right a wrong.
“I am thy father’s spirit, / Doomed for a certain term to walk the night…” (Act 1, Scene 5)
This suggests he is suffering in Purgatory, a Catholic concept, and needs Hamlet to take revenge to bring peace to his soul. However, due to the protestant reformation, England was no longer Catholic at the time.
Protestant View – Ghosts as demons in disguise
The Protestant Reformation rejected Purgatory. Therefore, a ghost claiming to be a dead soul was likely a demon sent to tempt or mislead.
“The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil…” (Act 2, Scene 2)
‘All duties seem holy to Hamlet.’ (Von Goethe) What quotations support this?
‘But no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules’ A1S2, presentation of OH as a God. ‘Thy commandment all alone shall live’ A1S5, again presents OH to be God, presenting vengeance to be a holy order (medieval), and exposes filial responsibility.
How does Hamlet mock Polonius in A2S2?
‘Fishmonger’ - a pun, a fishmonger was another name for a brothel-keeper (or a fleshmonger - a seller of ‘flesh’). Hamlet is suggesting that Polonius treat Ophelia like a prostitute, using her for his gain.
What does Hamlet’s soliloquy in A2S2 explore ideas of?
Hamlet reflects on his inability to take action, viewing himself as cowardly, emasculated and ignoble.
How does Hamlet speak about himself in his soliloquy in A2S2?
‘A rogue and peasant slave’- He sees his behaviour as lowly and ignoble. He calls himself a ‘slave’ as he feels trapped by his moral indecision and the pact he has made with his father.
‘I am pigeon-liver’d’ - Animal imagery used again as he did with Gertrude to demean himself and animalise him to below human worth.
‘who*re who must ‘unpack my heart with words’ -He feels that his inaction is cheap and undignified. Hamlet feels a sense of self-loathing that he feels compelled to unpick his emotions, rather than acting constantly.
These all support the notion that Hamlet’s delay is due to a form of melancholy.
Why is a rhyming couplet used at the end of Hamlet’s soliloquy in 2.2
It represents him reaching a resolution and finding a relative sense of certainty. Believes he will take action, yet continues not to. This links to ‘ Hamlet being incapable of deliberate action’ (Hazlitt)
What does Hamlet’s soliloquy explore in A3S1? And what critics can support these ideas?
Hamlet explores more philosophical views as he considers the meaning of life in a pessimistic light.
‘To be or not to be’
‘The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’
‘The undiscover’d country’ - no confirmation around afterlife and death, humanist mindset.
‘Native hue of resolution/ Is sicklied with the pale cast of thought’ - overthinking the nature of existence.
Hamlet is a tragedy of thought (Bradley)
What context relates to Hamlet’s questioning in his A3S1 soliloquy?
The Renaissance and Humanism- May have been influenced by social context, rebirth of questioning and curiosity embodied by the rise of ‘Humanism’ a philosophy that placed ‘man as the measure of all things.’ This directly contrasts previous Medieval teachings which was characterised by the study of religious doctrine and traditional faith.
What do both A3S1 and A3S4 suggest about Hamlet?
Both scenes mirror one another, the closet scene Hamlet confronts Ophelia and in this scene Hamlet confronts Gertrude. Both times he confronts the women with violent nature and can also be scene as a another form of delay… ‘the covert drama of formation vies for priority…’ (Adelman)
