William Shakespeare. Most influential writer in English literature b. April 23, 1564 in...
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Transcript of William Shakespeare. Most influential writer in English literature b. April 23, 1564 in...
Most influential writer in English literatureb. April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-AvonAttended only grammar school1582: Married Anne Hathaway
He was 18, she was 26Had 3 children
Susannatwins Hamnet and Judith
Hamnet died at age 111590: left his family to go to London to work
as an actor and playwright
Wrote his first play in 1591Became the most popular playwright in
EnglandWas favored by both monarchs of his lifetime
Elizabeth IJames I
James gave Shakespeare’s company the title of the King’s Men (a very high honor)
1610: retired to Stratford, very wealthy and well-known
d. April 23, 1616 (his 52nd birthday)Overall, wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets
Written in 1600 or 1601; first performed in 1602
1601: Both Shakespeare’s father and his son Hamnet died
Tone of Shakespeare’s plays became somber, sad, and bitter
People believed in ghostsMarriage to in-laws was considered incestSuicide was forbidden; those who killed
themselves could not have a holy burial
Shakespeare borrowed the idea for the story from other sources (common practice)
Based on a Norse legend written in Latin around 1200 AD. Two brothers (Orvendil and Fengi) are appointed
to rule over Jutland, and Orvendil weds the king's beautiful daughter, Geruth. They have a son, Amleth. But Fengi, lusting after Orvendil's new bride and longing to become the sole ruler of Jutland, kills his brother, marries Geruth, and declares himself king over the land. Amleth is desperately afraid, and pretends to be crazy to keep from getting murdered. He plans revenge against his uncle and becomes the new and rightful king of Jutland.
In Shakespeare’s story, Hamlet is philosophically-minded and doesn’t kill his uncle right away; his knowledge of what happened to his father is uncertain
1. Revenge must be on an individual level against some insult or wrong
2. The individual must not have recourse to traditional means of punishment (courts or police) because the person who committed the wrong is above the law
3. The lust for revenge is an internal desire, only satisfied by personally carrying out the revenge
4. The revenger must make the intended victim aware of why the revenge is being carried out
5. Revenge is a universal decree that supersedes any particular religious doctrine (incl. Christianity)
Appearance vs. Reality: Seemingly healthy exterior concealing an inner sickness or evil (also sanity vs. insanity)Poison: it spreads through the body to infect an
individual, just as bad individuals can infect an entire court/nation
The impossibility of certainty / indecisionHamlet worries about trusting secondhand
informationHamlet worries about acting effectively; seeing
others pay for doing what they feel is appropriate justifies his procrastination
Death / MortalityHamlet is obsessed with spiritual and physical
deathWhat is the meaning of life?
Revenge: Hamlet searches continuously for the answer to the question of whether or not he should avenge his father’s death.
Relationships and how they work / affect othersFather/sonMother/sonFriendshipLove relationships
Youth and ageCorrupt power / power corrupting