A Great Playwright——Shakespeare
Some facts you should know before reading Hamlet
Biography
- 1564-1616
- One of the greatest literal geniuses in the world.
- A world-known poet, playwright, an actor
- Author of four great tragedies and four great comedies
- Develop his career mainly in London
- Owner of a top company called Lord Chamberlain's Men at first, King's men after being awarded.
- He married with a woman who is 8 years older than him when he was 18. They had 3 children.
- He returned to his hometown and spent rest of his life there.
- He died on his 52nd birthday.
- He is buried in Holy Trinity Church.
Fun Facts!
- There are over 80 variations of the spelling of his pseudonym. None of them is recorded as "William Shakespeare", which people know now.
- "William Shakespeare" is an anagram of "I am a weakish speller."
- Suicide occurs 13 times, which is an unlucky number, in Shakespeare's plays.
Sources from Shakespeare Fact
F&Q
a. The identify characters he made are complex. Going through the feelings of guilt, jealousy, despair and other possible feeling that every ordinary person have in the daily life, these characters acted selfish and selfless. The characters reflect everyone’s different aspects.
b. The romance, betray, dilemma and other factors occur often in Shakespeare’s plays. These factors attract people’s lots attention since they are close to people’s lives.
2. What are the messages Shakespeare want to tell people?Most audience members of Shakespeare’s play are poor people. Shakespeare wants to tell the audience the importance about life love and human nature
3. Any reading tip for reading to ensure success?
a. Get the importance they Shakespeare want to tell audience.
b. Read for multiple times
c. Try to be involved into a play
d. Read other’s analysis and try to get inspired from it.
What happened in Hamlet?
Brief Summary
A ghost looks like his deceased father told the prince Hamlet that his father is murdered by his uncle, Claudius, and Claudius married with Hamlet’s mother. The prince Hamlet was told to seek revenge on Claudius. Hamlet got into deep melancholy and madness because of what happened. He pretended to be crazy and wanted to make Claudius not regard Hamlet as threaten. Also, Claudius sent a group of people to spy if he really becomes a madman or not. Later. Hamlet proved that Claudius is guilty by designing a similar situation and observing Claudius’s reaction. However, he accidently killed the father of Ophelia, the girl he loves. When Hamlet realized Claudius want to kill him, he found out a chance to escape back to Denmark. However, he had to duel with Ophelia because Ophelia killed herself for sadness. During the duel, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude accidently drank the poisoned wine, which Claudius prepared for Hamlet, because Hamlet did not take that drink. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, and Hamlet got cut by the sword, and Laertes soon. Hamlet stabbed Claudius and force him finish the poisoned wine. After finishing his revenge, Hamlet told his friend Horatio to spread his story and died.
More information about Hamlet
Character
- Hamlet the ghost: a specter of Hamlet’s deceased father. It is also the motivation for Hamlet to do the revenge.
- Hamlet the prince: The prince of Denmark. The protagonist. He is the son of Queen Gertrude and the previous King Hamlet, also the nephew of the present King, Claudius.
- Claudius: The king of Denmark. He is also Hamlet’s uncle and the antagonist of the play. He ambition to the power and love to Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, bring Hamlet into an opposite life.
- Gertrude: The queen of Denmark. She is also Hamlet’s mother, but later married to her son’s uncle. She loved Hamlet but a weak woman.
- Ophelia: Polonius’s daughter, who falls in love with Hamlet.
- Horatio: A loyal, helpful and close friend to Hamlet. He passes Hamlet’s story to public.
- Polonius: The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court. He is the father of Ophelia, a beautiful girl who falls in love with Hamlet.
- Laertes: Son of Polonius, brother of Ophelia.
- Rosencrantz: Friend of Hamlet from the University of Wittenberg but betrays Hamlet.
- Guildenstern: Friend of Hamlet from the University of Wittenberg but betrays Hamlet.
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