THE INTRINSIC ANALYSIS OF HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK BY: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The identity of Play, Hamlet

•      Full title           : The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

•      Author             : William Shakespeare

•      Type of work  : Play

•      Genre              : Tragedy

•      Language        : English

•      Publication      : Written during the first part of the seventeenth century (probably in 1600 or 1601), Hamlet was probably first performed in July 1602. It was first published in printed form in 1603 and appeared in an enlarged edition in 1604.

•      The Tragedy of Hamlet was first performed at the Globe Theatre in England.

•      The theater opened in 1599.

•      It was the home for many of Shakespeare’s plays.

This tragedy is the story of a Danish prince whose uncle murdered the prince's father, married his mother, and claimed the throne. The prince pretended to be feeble-minded to throw his uncle off guard, then managed to kill his uncle in revenge.

THE SYNOPSIS OF HAMLET

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark - the son of Denmark - who was being in abroad hearing his father, King of Denmark died. After knowing it, Hamlet went back home to Denmark soon however when Hamlet's father died, his uncle Claudius replaced the throne of his father, became a king and married Hamlet's mother (Gertrude). It made him very sad.

On a dark winter night, a ghost appeared on the ramparts of the castle. Some Hamlet’s friends saw the ghost who claimed himself as Hamlet's ghost father. Hearing the news, Hamlet resolved to see the ghost himself. In the night, the ghost appeared to hamlet and told that Claudius murdered him by pouring poison in his ear.

Hamlet is not sure that the ghost is really his father. He wanted to prove whether the ghost is really his father and also Claudius is his father’s killer. Hamlet pretend to be crazy to trap his uncle. In addition, Hamlet also invited some actors to stage a story that he wrote himself. The story is about a man who kills the king by pouring poison in his ear hole. And when the story is staged, Claudius reacted badly and he left the venue before the show ended. Hamlet believed he is guilty.

Hamlet wasn’t satisfied with that way, Hamlet asked Gertrude about her father's death. When Gertrude did not want to confess, Hamlet became angry and when he saw someone who was hiding behind the curtain, he stabbed and killed him, because he thought that he was Claudius. Unpredictably he was Polonius, the king’s advisor. Laertes and Ophelia, Polonius’ children was very sad.

Ophelia, Polonius' daughter had actually fallen in love with Hamlet, but after her father’s death. She was crazy. She fallen into a river and drowned then died.

After this, Claudius sent Hamlet with his close friend, Horatio to England to study there, even though the real goal is to expel Hamlet from Denmark.  However in the middle of journey, Hamlet and Horatio escaped from the ship that took them to England and eventually both of them returned back to Denmark.

When Hamlet returned back to Denmark. There was an Ophelia’s funeral procession.  Hamlet was very sad for losing her and suddenly he jumped into Ophelia’s grave when the funeral took place. Laertes, her brother was angry of what Hamlet did. Laertes decided to kill Hamlet in revenge for his father’s death. He challenged Hamlet to a sword fight. Laertes’ sword had been poisoned by Claudius and also he made some poisoned wine for Hamlet to drink in case that does not work.

At first Hamlet wins the sword fight, but his mother drinks the poisoned wine without knowing to encourage, and dies. In the next round, Hamlet is cut with the poisoned sword, but then stabs Laertes with the same sword. Before dying of poison Laertes tells Hamlet about the plot and then dies. Hamlet kills Claudius with the poisoned sword. Horatio, Hamlet's friend, tells everyone about the murder of the old king. Hamlet tells everyone that the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, should be king, and then dies from the poison. Finally both Gertrude and Hamlet himself also died because of the same poison.

THE INTRINSIC ANALYSIS OF HAMLET

1.      THEME

The Danish Prince’s revenge against Claudius, his uncle who killed his father, married his mother, and claimed the throne.

The theme explores treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.

2.      MESSAGE

We should not commit a foul and evil action because it can hurt others.

3.      SETTING

The story takes place in the country of Denmark (Kingdom of Denmark) in the late medieval period.

4.      PLOT

This drama is advanced or linear groove that goes continuously and peaks.

5.      CHARACTER AND CHARACTERIZATION

No	Characters	Characterization
1	Hanlet	The prince of Denmark. The son of Queen Gertrud and the late King Hamlet, the nephew of the present king, Claudius, the title character, and the protagonist. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle's scheming and disgust for his mother's sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is sometimes indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.
2	Prince Claudius	The King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle and stepfather, Gertrude’s husband and the play's antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.
3	Queen Gertrude	The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother, widow of Old Hamlet and recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.
4	Horatio	Hamlet's close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet's death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story.
5	Polonius	The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia.
6	Ophelia	Polonius's daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes.
7	Leartes	Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet
8	The Ghost	The specter of Hamlet's recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him. It is not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be, or whether it is something else. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.

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