Hamlet
"Hamlet" is a tragic work created by British playwright William Shakespeare from 1599 to 1602. The play recounts that Uncle Claudius murdered Hamlet ’s father, usurped the throne, and married the king ’s widow Gertrude; Prince Hamlet avenged his father for his uncle.
"Hamlet" is the longest piece of all Shakespeare's plays, and also Shakespeare's most prestigious script. It has profound tragic significance, complex character and rich and perfect tragic artistic techniques, representing the entire Western Renaissance literature The highest achievement. Together with "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Othello" form Shakespeare's "Four Great Tragedies".
Time backgroud
At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Britain was in a period of transition from feudalism to capitalism. This period was a huge turning point in the course of British history.During the prosperous period of Elizabeth's rule, the bourgeoisie supported the monarchy, and the monarchy took advantage of the bourgeoisie. The two sides were not only opposed, but also formed a temporary alliance. Due to the relatively stable political situation, social productive forces have developed rapidly. Although the development of this emerging capitalist production relationship accelerated the collapse of feudal society, it still relied on cruel exploitation of peasants.
After James I succeeded to the throne, the authoritarian centralization was further promoted, and the resistance of the bourgeoisie and working people was vigorously suppressed. Social contradictions are further intensified. It fundamentally shakes the feudal order and at the same time prepares the conditions for the 17th century British bourgeois revolution. Shakespeare's creation is a profound reflection of the art of this era.
Creative process
"Hamlet" is "the epitome of this era". In the play, Hamlet's struggle with Claudius symbolized the struggle between the emerging bourgeois humanists and the reactionary feudal royal representatives. Through this struggle, the work reflects the contradiction between the humanistic ideal and the British dark feudal reality, exposes the desperate contest between the British feudal noble landlord class and the emerging bourgeoisie for power, and criticizes the kingship and feudal evil The sinful acts of power.
The Renaissance movement brought Europe into the era of the awakening of "human", and people's faith in God began to shake. This aspect is the great liberation of thought, which promotes the great development of social civilization; on the other hand, especially in the late Renaissance, the proliferation of selfish desires and social chaos followed. In the face of such an era, Shakespeare by middle age is no longer as obsessed with the optimism and romance brought about by the ideal of humanism as in the early days, but shows in-depth thinking about the hidden dangers behind ideals and progress.
"Hamlet "Is his aesthetic view of a society full of hidden dangers and chaos.
Synopsis
The prince Hamlet of Denmark suddenly received the death of his father when he was studying at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. When he returned to the country, he met the uncle Claudius and the uncle and mother Gertrude hurriedly married a month after the father ’s funeral. This made Hamlet full of doubts. And dissatisfaction.
Immediately afterwards, the ghost of his father, Hamlet, appeared on guard at Horatio and Bernardo, stating that he was poisoned by Claudius and asked Hamlet to avenge himself.
Subsequently, Hamlet used pretend madness to cover himself and confirmed that his uncle was indeed killing his father's enemies through "play-within-a-play". Because he mistakenly killed Polonius, the beloved Ophelia ’s father, Claudius tried to use the King ’s hand to remove Hamlet, but Hamlet took the opportunity to escape to Denmark, but learned that Ophelia committed suicide and had to accept the duel with his brother Laertes .
In the duel, Hamlet ’s mother Gertrude died of poisoning by accidentally drinking Claudius ’s poisoned wine for Hamlet. Hamlet and Laertes also both got poisoned swords, and learned that the poisoned Hamlet killed Claudius before he died. He asked his friend Horatio to tell his story to later people.
Debut character
Hamlet : Prince of Denmark, son of the former king of Denmark, nephew of the current king
Claudius : King of Denmark, uncle of Hamlet
Gertrude：Queen of Denmark, Hamlet ’s mother
Polonius： former minister
Ophelia ：Polonius's daughter
Laertes ：son of Polonius
Horatio： Hamlet's friends
Marcellus： Officer
Bernardo ：Officer
Francisco ：soldier
Reynaldo: Polonius's servant
Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Fortinbras ：Prince of Norway
Detailed introduction
Hamlet
He was a noble prince of Denmark. He was respected and well-educated since childhood. His carefree life has made Hamlet a pure and kind idealist and perfectionist. Everything is beautiful in his eyes, he does not know the dark and ugly side of the world, he believes in the truth and beauty of life and yearns for this kind of life.
However, when his father died, his mother immediately married his uncle, and the father told Hamlet that Claudius killed him in a dream.Between ideals and reality, he fell into a deep contradiction, his outlook on life changed, his character became complicated and suspicious, and at the same time he was full of hatred and could not vent. Major changes also made Hamlet see the reality and darkness of society. He began to have doubts about family and love. He became hesitant and desperate. He began to become extreme and farther away from the crowd.
Hamlet is a tragic hero. He always adheres to his principles. Even if he is full of revenge, he does not abuse violence. From confidence in life to confusion to firmness again, in the process of tempering, he improved himself through personal experience and his own thinking. In tempering, he became strong, he no longer hesitated, and he was decisive in his work. He wanted to change his destiny through his own struggle. In the end, although he avenged his father, he was victimized by an adulterer for justice, and his wish fell short.
Claudius
Claudius is an ugly character portrayed by Shakespeare. For the sake of power, he killed his own brother, married his sister-in-law, and won the position of monarch. At the same time, in order to conceal his crimes, he designed to kill Hamlet, and at the same time let public opinion benefit him. He is an extremely selfish person and a conspirator.
Claudius's character is a bourgeois image, not a feudal monarch. In his eyes, his own interests are above all else, and he can do whatever he wants for his benefit.
Gertrude
Queen of Denmark, prince's mother. After the old Hamlet died, she remarried Claudius. In Shakespeare's time, this relationship was regarded as incest, so it caused Hamlet's hatred. She accidentally drank the poisonous wine Claudius had intended for Hamlet and died on the spot.
Gertrude is a woman who does not know what love is, all she needs is a man who can give her a stable life and the status of her queen. She does not love the king, lacks the loyalty of the woman to love, can not stand the temptation, she can only pretend to be a virtuous look to cover her betrayal of the king. But she also has no choice, she has no independent life and independent thinking ability, and there is no personal reason. All she has is her vanity. For her status and life in the court, she hurt her own desires for her own desires The child didn't wake up until she died.
Laertes
Laertes is a narrow-minded person with strong self-esteem. Although he is kind in nature, he can't stand radicals. His good nature can still be affirmed. From the confrontation between him and Hamlet in the first few rounds, he has always been guilty of it and can be seen, but just as he can’t stand abetting, Claudius slightly instigated, he just Losing his ability to think independently, he stabbed Hamlet.
But before he died, he awakened and told the truth, which was also his repentance, but it was too late, and he had no chance of coming back again.
Ophelia
Ophelia is one of Shakespeare's beautiful female representatives. She is naturally beautiful and has a very beautiful appearance. At the same time, she has a pure feeling and a kind heart.
Ophelia is a typical representative of feudal noble girls. She is deeply influenced by feudal society, adheres to feudal morals, is conservative and weak, and is family-centered. Although she admired Hamlet, she was afraid of approaching Hamlet under the threat of her father and brother, and she came under Hamlet 's spying news under the influence of her father and brother. The morality of the feudal society and her feudal education thought made her absolutely obedient to her father and brother.
Ophelia appeared in the drama less frequently, but it played an important role in promoting the development of the plot.
Hamlet
"Hamlet" is a tragic work created by British playwright William Shakespeare from 1599 to 1602. The play recounts that Uncle Claudius murdered Hamlet ’s father, usurped the throne, and married the king ’s widow Gertrude; Prince Hamlet avenged his father for his uncle.
"Hamlet" is the longest piece of all Shakespeare's plays, and also Shakespeare's most prestigious script. It has profound tragic significance, complex character and rich and perfect tragic artistic techniques, representing the entire Western Renaissance literature The highest achievement. Together with "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Othello" form Shakespeare's "Four Great Tragedies".
Creative background
1.Time backgroud
At the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Britain was in a period of transition from feudalism to capitalism. This period was a huge turning point in the course of British history.During the prosperous period of Elizabeth's rule, the bourgeoisie supported the monarchy, and the monarchy took advantage of the bourgeoisie. The two sides were not only opposed, but also formed a temporary alliance. Due to the relatively stable political situation, social productive forces have developed rapidly. Although the development of this emerging capitalist production relationship accelerated the collapse of feudal society, it still relied on cruel exploitation of peasants.
After James I succeeded to the throne, the authoritarian centralization was further promoted, and the resistance of the bourgeoisie and working people was vigorously suppressed. Social contradictions are further intensified. It fundamentally shakes the feudal order and at the same time prepares the conditions for the 17th century British bourgeois revolution. Shakespeare's creation is a profound reflection of the art of this era.
2.Creative process
"Hamlet" is "the epitome of this era". In the play, Hamlet's struggle with Claudius symbolized the struggle between the emerging bourgeois humanists and the reactionary feudal royal representatives. Through this struggle, the work reflects the contradiction between the humanistic ideal and the British dark feudal reality, exposes the desperate contest between the British feudal noble landlord class and the emerging bourgeoisie for power, and criticizes the kingship and feudal evil The sinful acts of power.
The Renaissance movement brought Europe into the era of the awakening of "human", and people's faith in God began to shake. This aspect is the great liberation of thought, which promotes the great development of social civilization; on the other hand, especially in the late Renaissance, the proliferation of selfish desires and social chaos followed. In the face of such an era, Shakespeare by middle age is no longer as obsessed with the optimism and romance brought about by the ideal of humanism as in the early days, but shows in-depth thinking about the hidden dangers behind ideals and progress.
"Hamlet "Is his aesthetic view of a society full of hidden dangers and chaos.
Synopsis
The prince Hamlet of Denmark suddenly received the death of his father when he was studying at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. When he returned to the country, he met the uncle Claudius and the uncle and mother Gertrude hurriedly married a month after the father ’s funeral. This made Hamlet full of doubts. And dissatisfaction.
Immediately afterwards, the ghost of his father, Hamlet, appeared on guard at Horatio and Bernardo, stating that he was poisoned by Claudius and asked Hamlet to avenge himself.
Subsequently, Hamlet used pretend madness to cover himself and confirmed that his uncle was indeed killing his father's enemies through "play-within-a-play". Because he mistakenly killed Polonius, the beloved Ophelia ’s father, Claudius tried to use the King ’s hand to remove Hamlet, but Hamlet took the opportunity to escape to Denmark, but learned that Ophelia committed suicide and had to accept the duel with his brother Laertes .
In the duel, Hamlet ’s mother Gertrude died of poisoning by accidentally drinking Claudius ’s poisoned wine for Hamlet. Hamlet and Laertes also both got poisoned swords, and learned that the poisoned Hamlet killed Claudius before he died. He asked his friend Horatio to tell his story to later people.
Character introduction
Debut character
Hamlet : Prince of Denmark, son of the former king of Denmark, nephew of the current king
Claudius : King of Denmark, uncle of Hamlet
Gertrude：Queen of Denmark, Hamlet ’s mother
Polonius： former minister
Ophelia ：Polonius's daughter
Laertes ：son of Polonius
Horatio： Hamlet's friends
Marcellus： Officer
Bernardo ：Officer
Francisco ：soldier
Reynaldo: Polonius's servant
Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Fortinbras ：Prince of Norway
Detailed introduction
Hamlet
He was a noble prince of Denmark. He was respected and well-educated since childhood. His carefree life has made Hamlet a pure and kind idealist and perfectionist. Everything is beautiful in his eyes, he does not know the dark and ugly side of the world, he believes in the truth and beauty of life and yearns for this kind of life.
However, when his father died, his mother immediately married his uncle, and the father told Hamlet that Claudius killed him in a dream.Between ideals and reality, he fell into a deep contradiction, his outlook on life changed, his character became complicated and suspicious, and at the same time he was full of hatred and could not vent. Major changes also made Hamlet see the reality and darkness of society. He began to have doubts about family and love. He became hesitant and desperate. He began to become extreme and farther away from the crowd.
Hamlet is a tragic hero. He always adheres to his principles. Even if he is full of revenge, he does not abuse violence. From confidence in life to confusion to firmness again, in the process of tempering, he improved himself through personal experience and his own thinking. In tempering, he became strong, he no longer hesitated, and he was decisive in his work. He wanted to change his destiny through his own struggle. In the end, although he avenged his father, he was victimized by an adulterer for justice, and his wish fell short.
Claudius
Claudius is an ugly character portrayed by Shakespeare. For the sake of power, he killed his own brother, married his sister-in-law, and won the position of monarch. At the same time, in order to conceal his crimes, he designed to kill Hamlet, and at the same time let public opinion benefit him. He is an extremely selfish person and a conspirator.
Claudius's character is a bourgeois image, not a feudal monarch. In his eyes, his own interests are above all else, and he can do whatever he wants for his benefit.
Gertrude
Queen of Denmark, prince's mother. After the old Hamlet died, she remarried Claudius. In Shakespeare's time, this relationship was regarded as incest, so it caused Hamlet's hatred. She accidentally drank the poisonous wine Claudius had intended for Hamlet and died on the spot.
Gertrude is a woman who does not know what love is, all she needs is a man who can give her a stable life and the status of her queen. She does not love the king, lacks the loyalty of the woman to love, can not stand the temptation, she can only pretend to be a virtuous look to cover her betrayal of the king. But she also has no choice, she has no independent life and independent thinking ability, and there is no personal reason. All she has is her vanity. For her status and life in the court, she hurt her own desires for her own desires The child didn't wake up until she died.
Laertes
Laertes is a narrow-minded person with strong self-esteem. Although he is kind in nature, he can't stand radicals. His good nature can still be affirmed. From the confrontation between him and Hamlet in the first few rounds, he has always been guilty of it and can be seen, but just as he can’t stand abetting, Claudius slightly instigated, he just Losing his ability to think independently, he stabbed Hamlet.
But before he died, he awakened and told the truth, which was also his repentance, but it was too late, and he had no chance of coming back again.
Ophelia
Ophelia is one of Shakespeare's beautiful female representatives. She is naturally beautiful and has a very beautiful appearance. At the same time, she has a pure feeling and a kind heart.
Ophelia is a typical representative of feudal noble girls. She is deeply influenced by feudal society, adheres to feudal morals, is conservative and weak, and is family-centered. Although she admired Hamlet, she was afraid of approaching Hamlet under the threat of her father and brother, and she came under Hamlet 's spying news under the influence of her father and brother. The morality of the feudal society and her feudal education thought made her absolutely obedient to her father and brother.
Ophelia appeared in the drama less frequently, but it played an important role in promoting the development of the plot.
Appreciation of works
1.Main point
tragic love story
"Hamlet" is the master of tragedy. The tragic love between Hamlet and Ophelia is one of the most important tragedies. Their original pure love eventually faded due to the persecution of the situation, the use of bad guys and the exposure of weaknesses in human nature. This emotional development process from deep love to runaway to withering reflects the current status of European society (the position of power in society and the corruption within the feudal dynasty) and the flawed and even ugly aspects of human nature Deepening the theme has played an irreplaceable role, so it has left a strong stroke in the history of literature throughout the UK and the world.
Destiny
In the "Hamlet" play, Hamlet's attitude to fate has changed several times, and even seems to be inconsistent. But after experiencing a "mutation", Hamlet turned to God's trust completely.
By demonstrating Hamlet ’s two views of fate, Shakespeare not only denied two extreme views of fate, but also showed a proper attitude towards fate: the misfortune of man is not attributed to any external contingency, but to the individual Nature and choice.
2.Artistic features
"Hamlet" is well-known for his realist creative techniques and skilled artistic skills.
Inspirational quotes
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.”
(Polonius, act 1 scene 3)
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
(Polonius, act 1 scene 3)
“…though I am native here
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honoured in the breach than the observance.”
(Hamlet, act 1 scene 4)
“That one may smile and smile and be a villain.”
(Hamlet, act 1 scene 5)
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy.”
(Hamlet, act 1 scene 5)
Impact on future generations
The reason why "Hamlet" became the first of Shakespeare's four tragedies is not only the final tragic ending of the work, but also the heavy reflection that the work brings to people, the fate of Hamlet and the social background of the Renaissance at that time. The finale of Hamlet, the protagonist, is an inevitable trend of the development of the entire era, and his personal sacrifice is also the final outcome of the development of the work.
To some extent, tragedy is not misfortune, but beauty in a sense.