Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

1. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

2. Tragedy For comparison, we will examine another of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Hamlet may be the greatest English play ever written. The character of Hamlet is so ambiguous, so contradictory that we are not sure if he is really good or if he is bad. Does he deserve his fate or is he heroic? This ambiguity of character lends the play its depth.

3. Revenge as a Motivation for Action • Using the members of your group as characters, outline a brief revenge story. What caused the situation to turn to revenge? What was the nature of the revenge? How does the revenge turn out?

4. The Law of Unintended Consequences • The Law of Unintended Consequences states that almost all human actions have at least one unintended consequence: "There shall be some unexpected result." In other words, each cause has more than one effect, and will include unforeseen effects. Less of a law or rule itself, it is more a call to rulers and law makers [and decision makers] to beware. -Unintended consequence. (2007, October 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:59, October 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unintended_consequence&oldid=162950898 • “Everything comes with a price.” –Alan Nichol

5. Law of Unintended Consequences continued… • So in a story where a character sets out to get revenge, and devises a plan specifically to get revenge, will that plan play out perfectly? • What are other possible outcomes that could occur? (This is a rhetorical question, no answers are needed.)

6. Edgar Allen Poe’s definition of real revenge In his famous short story “The Cask of Amontillado” Poe’s main character, Montresor, claims that in order to get “real” revenge, one must fulfill 3 criteria. • One must make oneself known as an avenger on the revengee. • One must punish and get away with it. • One must NEVER feel guilty about what they have done to get revenge. Only then has one TRULY gotten revenge.

7. Main Characters • Hamlet – son of Gertrude and the dead King Hamlet • Gertrude – Queen and Hamlet’s mother • Claudius – Hamlet’s uncle and now step-father • Horatio – Hamlet’s friend • Polonius – Advisor to the new King • Ophelia – Polonius’ daughter and Hamlet’s girlfriend • Laertes – Ophelia’s brother • Rosencrantz and Gildenstern – childhood friends of Hamlet • Hamlet’s Ghost – young Hamlet’s father in ghostly form

8. The Oedipus Complex • The Oedipus complex in Freudianpsychoanalysis refers to stage of psychosexual development in childhood where children of both sexes regard their father as an adversary and competitor for the exclusive love of their mother. The name derives from the Greek myth of Oedipus, who unwittingly kills his father, Laius, and marries his mother, Jocasta. • In Jungian thought, the Oedipus complex tends to refer only to the experience of male children, with female children experiencing an Electra complex in which they regard their mothers as competitor for the exclusive love of their fathers. -Oedipus complex. (2007, October 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:10, October 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oedipus_complex&oldid=164235929

9. Questions about Hamlet • Is Hamlet basically good or basically bad? • Is he cunning or crazy? • Is he a good son? Nephew? Friend? Boyfriend? • Is Hamlet brave or cowardly? • Is he in-the-right or in-the-wrong? • Is he all talk or is he a man of action? These questions, and others, are left for you to decide, and in so deciding, making the play interesting.