1. Briefly retell the plot.The ghost of the death king appears on the walls. The guards and Horatio - Hamlet´s best friend are frightened and decided to tell about it to Hamlet, the son of the death king. Hamlet wanted to see it on his own eyes and the ghost told him that the king was killed by Claudius. Hamlet started to plan revenge. He changed his behaviour and seemed to be mad. Everybody including his mother, queen Getrude, his step-father Claudius, lover Ophelia and her father Polonius, who was the Claudius´ head advisor thought that his mad behavior is caused by his love to Ophelia. Hamlet was not sure if the ghost told him the truth and he wanted to prove the fact. When the actors came to the castle, Hamlet told them to play something special for him. King and queen are invited to the performance and Horatio is asked to watch the king’s behavior. Claudius finds his own act of a murder in the story and cancels it. After the performance, during the dialogue between Hamlet and his mother, Hamlet kills Polonius who was listening their dialogue.This was just enough for the king and he decides to send Hamlet to England, not to cause more damage in kingdom. He also encloses a secret letter in which he asks to kill Hamlet.This effort does not go well and prince of Denmark is returning home. Meanwhile, Claudius and Leartes, son of death Polonius are preparing a murder of prince. The sorrowing Ophelia becomes mad as well and during the accident is drown in the river.Hamlet with Horatio, right at the day when Hamlet is returning, are visiting a cemetery and talking to a gravedigger who tells them that he is digging a grave for Ophelia. At the same time, the king, queen, Leartes and other lieges are coming to Ophelia´s funeral. Here Hamlet is confronted for the first time with Leartes after Polonius´ death. The last part talks about the „game“ in which Hamlet should fight Leartes as a  bet. This is that mentioned plan of Claudius and Leartes. When the fight begins, Hamlet is doing well and the queen drinks a poisoned wine. She dies. Leartes slightly hits Hamlet with poisoned cord. Afterwards, they exchange their swords and Hamlet hits Leartes. Leartes, before he dies, tells Hamlet about his and King´s plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet, before his death kills Claudius. Horatio, Hamlet´s best friend wants to die as well but Hamlet asks him to live and retell the story and the truth to everyone...At the end, Fortinbras, the prince of Norway comes from his campaign in Poland. At the beginning, he wanted to conquer Denmark but now, when he sees all those death grantz, he asks his men to burry Hamlet with highest honour and calls for appeasement.

2. Characterize the main characters.Hamlet - Prince of Denmark (rightful, clever, depressed, philosophical, postpones every action)Hamlet´s father - the dead kingClaudius - Hamlet´s uncle (greedy, vengeful, murderer)Gertrude - Hamlet´s mother (peaceful, obedient, very enigmatic – Why she married Claudius so early? Was she involved in the murder? Did she have an affair with Claudius when Hamlet’s father was still alive? )Polonius - Ophelia´s father (crafty, suspicious, sly)Ophelia - Polonius´ daughter (loving, sad, obedient)Laertes - Ophelia´s brother (handsome, revengeful, impulsive, temperament)

3. What is the main conflict of the play?Prince Hamlet´s father was murdered and Hamlet tries to revenge his death. However, not being sure whether the ghost is real and tells him the truth, Hamlet waits for a final evidence against Claudius before acting.

4. Provide a personal characteristic of Hamlet, the prince.Hamlet´s personality is primarily reflected in his relationships with the female characters in the story. He is an introspective, intelligent, loyal and unpredictable person. He is a very thoughtful person – has moral problems with killing somebody that is why he need a proof that Claudius is the murderer. He is very angry at his mother since he does not understand her decision to marry Claudius so early. He displays sings of MISOGYNY = hatred of women. (His famous quotation: “Frailty, thy name is woman.”)At the beginning he agrees to punish his father’s murder. He pretends he is mad because he wants to find the truth and wants to be sure. He tried to persuade Ofelia to go to nunnery.

5. What is the genre of the play?Revenge ragedy

6. Explain the term ‘soliloquy’ and apply it to the work. Choose one of Hamlet’s speeches and analyze it.If a character is performing a monologue being alone on a stage, such monologue is called soliloquy (usually the most important ideas of a play are presented through soliloquies). It is a device supposed to establish the contact with the audience since the character discloses his/her thoughts, emotions, motivations, plans….

To be, or not to be, that is the question: The insolence of office, and the spurnsWhether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer That patient merit of the unworthy takes,The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, When he himself might his quietus makeOr to take arms against a sea of troubles,1 With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep, To grunt and sweat under a weary life,No more; and by a sleep to say we end But that the dread of something after death2,The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks The undiscover'd country, from whose bournThat flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation No traveller returns, puzzles the will,Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; And makes us rather bear those ills we haveTo sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; Than fly to others that we know naught of?For in that sleep of death what dreams may come2, Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, And thus the native hue of resolutionMust give us pause: there's the respect Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;That makes calamity of so long life; And enterprises of great pith and moment,For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, With this regard, their currents turn awry,The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, And lose the name of action.The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay,

This speech is making Hamlet decide if or not he wants to act on the revenge of his father or just let it go, but he needs to act inside. He swore to his father that he would punish the murderer. He tries to find out whether is better to suffer injustice or to oppose it. The literally question “To be, or not to be” means “Life and Death.” “TO BE OR NOT TO BE” – thinking of committing the suicide. Hamlet does not want to suffer any more. He fears of suffering in heaven (eternal life) or in hell. He does not know what will come after death.1 This passage indicates Hamlet’s personal vendetta2 Hamlet expresses his fear of death

7. Why does Hamlet delay any action?1. Considered against the background of ancient Greek and Roman revenge tragedies, the Ghost's

command to "kill the king, but spare the queen" 2. Hamlet delays killing others for the same reason he delays killing himself – if you kill yourself (or kill

somebody) you will go to hell (inferno) – so he has some moral problems with the killing.3. Hamlet wants to be completely convinced of Claudius's guilt at first. Hamlet does not know if the Ghost

was really his father or a demon. He needs a proof.

8. What are the subject matters of this play?Revenge, love, friendship, existence, life, doubts, certainty, madness, ambitions (Claudius, Gertrude), abuse of power, moral corruption, sense of life and death; deceit….

9. Comment on the tone.Dark, ironic, melancholic, passionate, contemplative, desperate, violent tone

10. Comment on the language used.Poetic and metaphoric words; Shakespearian Middle English language full of monologues (soliloquies); noble, high-diction, high-class language

11. What may be the theme of this play?Ambitions can break morality. Moral corruption in representative royal family and in general in political life.

Parallel images: the play is based on some motifs / images that are used repeatedly but in different contexts

murder : Hamlet’s father (intentionally killed by Claudius) vs. Polonius (accidental) revenge : Hamlet (delays the actions, questions his acts, has moral problems with killing somebody

unless he has a proof;) vs. Laertes (does not have any moral problems with it, acts impulsively) madness : Hamlet (pretends it) vs. Ophelia (who is really mad) dependent women : Ophelia (on her father and brother) vs. Gertrude (on the husband) suicide : Hamlet (only thinks about it “To be or not to be) vs. Ophelia (really commits it) poisoning : Hamlet’s father (by Claudius – murder) vs. Gertrude (drinks the wine which is not intended

for her) but also Hamlet (he is wounded by a poisoned sword)

Enigmatic actions of motives: {enigma = a secret, not explained in the text)

Is Hamlet mad or does he only pretend it? – he behaves like a madman, kills Polonius without checking who is behind the curtain (up to that moment, he acted rationally, he wanted an evidence before the revenge) but his soliloquies are rational

Why did Gertrude marry so soon? Did she have an affair with Cladius? Was she involved in the murder?

Is the Ghost real or is it a demon / a hallucination? Why does the Ghost not speak to Gertrude? Does it mean that he blames her for his murder? Does it

mean that she was involved in the murder? Why can’t she see him? (It would help Hamlet.) Does Hamlet love Ophelia? If yes, why is he so cruel to her and why does he send her to a nunnery?

Why does he not inform her about his plan to pretend madness (it could have saved Ophelia’s life)?

12. Find few enigmatic motives or actions in the play.Hamlet´s behaviorThe death of Polonius The identity of ghostly apparation in the first scene

Ján Magdina, Juraj Romer a Juraj Skřivánek: W. Shakespeare - Hamlet