1. HAMLET
Skull. Digital image. Pexels. Mathew MacQuarrie, CC0 Public Domain, 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Mar.
2017.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• Written by William Shakespeare in London,
England.
• Written in the early 17th century; probably
1600-1602.
• Tone: Dark, violent, melancholy, passionate,
contemplative, desperate.
• Setting: The late Medieval period in
Denmark.

3. SETTING: “ELSINORE”
• The play is set in
Denmark, specifically the
castle of ELSINORE.
• It takes place in the
Danish Royal Court.
• This photo is of the
modern-day Kronborg
Castle in Helsingor,
Denmark.

4. GENRES: TRAGEDY AND MORE
• With the writing of Hamlet, Shakespeare was aiming for high artistic
purpose and form.
• Tragedies are often about the forces of good and evil.
• Hamlet has a main REVENGE PLOT, which also has elements of HORROR.
• There are elements of ROMANCE (Hamlet and Ophelia).
• There are elements of WAR (looming conflict with Norway).

5. WAR IN HAMLET: DENMARK VS. NORWAY
• In the play, there is a sub-plot about Denmark and Norway being in
conflict.
• Norway’s crown Prince, Fortinbras, is talked about many times
since Claudius is worried about Norway invading Denmark.
• Hamlet’s father (King Hamlet) killed Fortinbras’ father (Old
Fortinbras) in battle, so there is personal history there.
• Hamlet and Fortinbras (the characters) are both very motivated in
their actions by the deaths of their fathers.

6. WHO IS HAMLET?
• The title of the play is also the name of its main character,
Prince Hamlet.
• Hamlet is the protagonist (main character) of the play. He is
a very complicated character who shows a lot of emotions,
intelligence, and humour.
• Hamlet is also a “tragic hero”.

7. ACTORS PLAYING HAMLET

8. ACTRESSES PLAYING HAMLET

9. CHARACTERS: HAMLET’S FAMILY
• HAMLET – the Prince of Denmark, and son of the late King Hamlet.
• CLAUDIUS – the new King of Denmark; he is also Hamlet’s uncle.
• GERTRUDE – the Queen of Denmark; Hamlet’s mother; also married
to Claudius. Hamlet is fixated on their “incestuous” relationship.
• KING HAMLET, also known as GHOST – Hamlet’s dead father, who
appears three times in the play as a ghost. The ghost is seen by
several characters.

10. • Hamlet and the Ghost.
Digital
image. Theatrehistory.com.
Henry Fuseli, CC0 Public
Domain, 1789. Web. 30 Mar.
HAMLET AND
THE GHOST

11. OTHER KEY CHARACTERS
• POLONIUS – a close advisor to King Claudius.
• OPHELIA – Polonius’ daughter; she is interested in Hamlet.
• LAERTES – Polonius’ son; a young nobleman who doesn’t trust
Hamlet.
• HORATIO – Hamlet’s faithful friend.
• ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN – school friends of Hamlet.

12. LAERTES & OPHELIA:
TRAGIC SIBLINGS
• Laertes and Ophelia. Digital
image. Wikigallery. William
Gorman Wills. CC0 Public
Domain, 1 Jan. 1880. Web. 30
Mar. 2017.

13. PLOT STRUCTURE
• Shakespearean tragedies usually have 5 Acts,
with a basic structure:
• Beginning / Exposition;
• Middle (bulk of play);
• Ending / Catastrophe.

14. READY TO BEGIN?
• As the play starts, the King of Denmark, King Hamlet, has
recently died.
• His son, Prince Hamlet, has returned from Germany where he
was attending school in Wittenburg.
• Hamlet returns to Danish court to find that his uncle
Claudius has assumed the throne and his mother has re-
married.
• Hamlet is hardly pleased about all this news.

15. NOW, VIEW PART ONE OF KENNETH
BRANAGH’S “HAMLET” FILM (1996).