FRQ 3 Novel Deep Dive

Major Work Name: Hamlet

Thematic Development & Author Moves:

• Characterization,

• Setting,

• Symbolism/Motif,

• Irony,

• Conflict,

• Narrative Structure

Predominant author’s prominent moves in the text:

• The author often switches between dialogue and monologue in order to show the internal conflict Hamlet has with himself throughout the story.

• Adds many comedic instances to constantly change the mood of the play.

• Employs many symbols like Hamlet’s clothes that represent his constant state of grief and mourning or Ophelia’s flowers that represent her lost innocence, an innocence no other characters possess.

• Shakespeare often uses symbolism in the play to give a deeper meaning to whatever the characters are thinking or saying, in order to further develop the conflict of the story.

• Most of the characters speak in iambic pentameter

Major themes within the text:

• Betrayal is the biggest conflict within the text. Hamlet’s betrayal toward his uncle, his uncle’s betrayal toward his father and kingdom, and Gertrude’s “betrayal” towards her husband and son. The play swirls around these physical conflicts, as well as the emotional turmoils they create: Hamlet’s hesitation, rage, and fear, Ophelia’s desperation, and ultimate madness, and Gertrude’s worry, guilt, and vanity, among others.

• Denmark falls into a state of corruption and lies under Claudius and his usurpation of power.

• Throughout the play, Hamlet is conflicted with the idea of taking revenge against his uncle, he wants to avenge his father, however, he worries about how to do it, who to trust, the consequences of treason, and what is beyond death.

• Hamlet is consumed by madness throughout the play while plotting against his uncle. This madness causes him to act out as well as take extreme measures while trying to enact his revenge such as stabbing into the curtains thinking it is his uncle but ends up killing Polonius.

• Throughout the play, Hamlet ponders the nature of life regarding the inevitability of fate and death, reflecting on the insignificance of life in relation to the natural order, which it applies even to those he admires. Yorick’s skull serves as the main symbol of the line between life and its ultimate destination, death.

• In the play, the theme of appearance vs. reality is present throughout the entire play. The major one is Hamlet’s “crafted” madness. While to everyone else, it appears Hamlet is going mad and losing his mind, the audience knows that the reality is his madness is all an act to get back at Claudius. Throughout the play, several characters are creating false appearances to hide reality. This creates conflicts between the characters in the play.

• Hamlet is still bereaved, frustrated, and angry, but his impotent and confused cowardice is being overcome by a belief that he can change his situation. Overall, this gives the reader a deeper understanding of Hamlet's feelings and his complicated situation; it also reveals a much more vulnerable side of the character by demonstrating how he feels unable to act in the face of the truth.

• While the play may lack traditionally female characters, it speaks volumes about the painful and difficult struggles and fates that women have had to endure throughout history. In the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, the only two traditional female characters are highly misunderstood and underdeveloped characters. This is a direct reflection of how women were viewed at the time the play was written, early 17th century.

Major characters and how they play into the themes:

• Hamlet: Hamlet plays into the themes of Revenge and Madness as throughout the entire play his entire attitude is predicated on taking revenge and this revenge brings him into a phase of madness.

• Gertrude: She brings in Claudius and makes Hamlet feel alone.  She contributes to the theme by creating a sense of isolation and betrayal amongst Hamlet and those he loves.

• Claudius: Claudius plays into the theme of betrayal. The entire plot of Hamlet is centered around Claudius murdering his brother in order to take over his kingdom and marry his wife. Claudius causes the original conflict of the novel.

• Ophelia: Plays a big role in the theme of misogyny.

• Polonius: He doubts Hamlet’s love for Ophelia so he eavesdrops on his conversation with Gertrude

The importance of the setting:

• The castle creates a sense of imprisonment for the main characters, it also brings out an eerie aspect to the story where ghosts and madness are prone.

• The isolation of the soliloquies reveals the character's mental state; they represent the emotional conflict Hamlet experiences, feeling isolated and betrayed by his family. It consumes him and the immensity of the space around him allows for his erratic and unwanted thoughts.

• The weather reflects each scene’s tension. When the ghost appears, the weather is as “terrible” as the news the ghost brings.

• The environment in which he finds himself is important for Hamlet's epiphany. The dark, mysterious, and gloomy setting makes the character realize that death is not a punishment or a mission, but a natural process that everyone, even the greatest and most powerful, must go through.

The most important scenes you would want to reference in an essay:

• The reenactment of hamlet's father’s death in play form

• The ghost appearing

• Polonius’ death

• the fight between Hamlet and Laertes; including the deaths of Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes

• Ophelia’s breakdown

• Hamlet discovers Yorick’s skull and his speech about accepting death

• Fortinbras’ revenge

• Ophelia and Hamlet arguing - nunnery scene, during the play,

• Ophelia’s funeral