英国文学之莎士比亚的哈姆莱特Shakespeares-Hamlet

I.TOPIC：

Hamlet（Act3,Scene1,lines55-86）

II.OBJECTIVES:

A）

IntroductionB）

Themainideaof“Hamlet”anditsthemesC）

Astudyofthetext1.ThemainideaofAct3,Scene12.Keypoints3.Stylisticfeatures4.Commenton“Hamlet”D）Assignment

Introduction

*

Asthegreatestdramatistintheworldliterature，Shakespeareisrememberedbytheentireworldforcenturiesandhisworksareread,putontothestage,lovedandmemorizedwithanintensepassion.*

“Hamlet”isthefirstofthegreattragedies,isgenerallyregardedasShakespeare’smostpopularplayonthestageandcanbereckonedasthesummitofallShakespeare’sworks.*

Thestoryof“Hamlet”isabouttherevengeofPrinceHamlet,basedonanold

Danishlegendofthe13thcenturywidespreadinnorthernEurope.

1.thevengeanceofason2.todiesuddenly3.thewedding4.tobrood5.ghost’sappearance6.topretendtobemad7.toestrangehimselffromhisfriends8.theperformanceofaplaywithinaplay9.senthimtoEngland

10.Ophelia'sdeath.11.afencingmatch

12.todrinkthepoisonedwine13.tokillClaudiusThemainideaof“Hamlet”Thechiefelements:1.Thestoriesofmurderandrevenge2.Theappearanceofaghost3.Theperformanceofaplaywithinaplay4．Whetherhewasmad

Themestorevealthepower-seeking,thejostlingforplace,thehiddenmotives,thecourteoussuperficialitiesthatveillustandguilt,tocondemnthehypocrisyandtreacheryandgeneralcorruption.ThemainideaofAct3,Scene1

1.tofocusonthedeepconflictwithinHamlet.2.openamidagitationandgloom.3.Hamlet’sbrooding.4.father’sghost.

5.tobetornbetweenthedemandsofhisemotionsandthehesitantskepticismofhismind.6.torevealthisconflictinseveralfamousandeloquentsoliloquies.7.The“Tobeornottobe”soliloquyiscentraltoHamlet’spersonality.8.anexcellentexampleofHamletnotdoinganything.9.tolooktoocloselyatourplans.10.asenseofutterworld–wearinessaswellastheauthor’sincisivecomments.Keypoints

1)“Tobe,ornottobe—thatisthequestion:/Whether’tisnoblerinthemindtosuffer/Theslingsandarrows…fortune/Ortotakearmsagainstaseaoftroubles,/Andbyopposingendthem.“Tobe,ornottobe—thatisthequestion”:toliveoninthisworldortodie;tosufferortotakeaction;totakeactionortodonothing;tobe：toexist.“inthemindtosuffer”:passivelytosuffer“slingsandarrows”:attacks.“totakearmsagainstaseaoftroubles”:totakeuparmsagainsttroublesthatsweepuponuslikeasea.The“troubles”ispicturedasadvancinglikesomeoverwhelmingtide.Furtherexplanation：

Hamletisdepressedanddisillusionedwhenhehearshismother’shastymarriagetohisuncleandhisfather’sbeingmurdering.Hefeelseveryoneandeverythingistaintedsothatheistornbetweenemotionsandthehesitantskepticismofhismind.ItcanrevealHamlet’spersonality—thecomplexdeepconflict.2)“Todie—tosleep/Nomore;…Theheartache,andthethousandnaturalshocks/Thatfleshisheirto,…”:“Todie—tosleep”:Todieistosleep.“Nomore”:todieistobenomore.“Theheartache,…Thatfleshisheirto”:allkindsofsufferings(shocks)thatnaturallyoccurtohumanbeings(“flesh”—humanbody);“naturalshocks”:attacksmadebynature.Furtherexplanation：

Hamletheregivesthereasonswhyhewantstocommitsuicide.Thatishispersonalrevengeandthathecannotbearthesocialinjusticeandgrievance.3)“Todie—tosleep./Tosleep—perchancetodream：ay,there’stherub!/Forinthatsleepofdeath…/Whenwehaveshuffledoffthismortalcoil,/Mustgiveuspause.”：

“perchance”：maybe.“rub”：obstacle,impediment.Hereitreferstothedoubtordifficulty.“shuffledoffthismortalcoil”：endthislife;“mortalcoil”：turmoilofmortality,humanlife.“giveuspause”：makeushesitate.

Furtherexplanation：

Hamletheregivesthereasonswhyhedoesnotwanttocommitsuicide.Hefeelshesitanttokillhimselfbecausehethinksthatsometerribledreamsmaytroublehimafterhisdeath.4)“There’stherespect/Thatmakescalamityofsolonglife./Forwhowouldbearthewhipsandscornsoftime,…/Theinsolenceofoffice,andthespurns/Thatpatientmeritofth’unworthytakes,/Whenhehimselfmighthisquietusmake,/Withabarebodkin?”:

“Thatmakescalamityofsolonglife.”:Thatmakescalamityofsolong-lived,lasting.“thewhipsandscornsoftime”:thesufferinginourepoch.“contumely”:contempt,insolence.“Theinsolenceofoffice”:thehaughtyandcontemptuousbehaviorshownbyholdersofhighgovernmentalposts./thecontemptheldbythepeopleofhighrank.“spurns”:insults,contempt,disdain,indignity.“Theinsolenceofoffice”:thehaughtyandcontemptuousbehaviorshownbyholdersofhighgovernmentalposts./thecontemptheldbythepeopleofhighrank.“spurns”:insults,contempt,disdain.“That…takes”:thepeopleofendureatthehandsoftheunworthy.“quietus”:thefinalsettlementofanaccount.“fardels”:burdens.“grunt”:groan.Furtherexplanation：

Thelinesrevealthecalamityandinjusticeoftherealityofthesociety.Evenundertheconditionsthesuffererswouldpreferendurancetocommittingsuicide.5)“Whowouldthesefardelsbear,/Togruntandsweatunderawearylife,/Butthatthedreadofsomethingafterdeath—/Theundiscover’dcountry,fromwhosebourn/Notravelerreturns—puzzlesthewill,/Andmakesus…thosewehave//Thanflyto…weknownotof?”：

“quietus”:thefinalsettlementofanaccount.“fardels”:burdens.“grunt”:groan.

“Theundiscover’dcountry”:theunknownplace/wherewegoafterdeath.“bourn”:boundary.“ills”:harms,disaster,calamity.

Furtherexplanation：

Hamletfurthertalksaboutthemorereasonswhyhewantstolive.Thatis,thepresentlifeisintroublesandsufferings,butdeathisunforeseen,sothesamethingwillhappen.Thelivingcanchoosedeath,butthedeadcannothaveanychoices.Therefore,asfarastheunknownplaceofdeathisconcerned,thepeoplewillneverreturntotherealworld,whichisveryterrible.6)“Thusconsciencedoesmake…greatpitchandmoment/Withthisregard…thenameofaction”：

“conscience”:reflection,consciousness,seriousthought,contemplation,meditation.

“thenativehueofresolution”：naturalcolour.Itmeansdetermination/action.“sickliedo’er”：coveredwithasicklycolour.“thepalecastofthought”：thepalelookofmelancholy.Thereferenceistotheruddycolorassociatedwiththesanguinetemperamentascontrastedwiththetingeofmelancholy.

“pitch”:significance,importance.“withthisregard”:inconsiderationofthis,onthisaccount.“theircurrentsturnawry”:turnawayfromtheiroriginalpurpose.“losethenameofaction”：failtobeputintoaction.“Thusconsciencedoesmakecowards…withthepalecastofthought”:Anaturaldecisionbecomesweakenedbymelancholythought.

Furtherexplanation：

Theselinessuggestthattoomuchthinkingorconsiderationmakesactionimpossible.HereHamletisnotonlytalkingaboutactualsuicide,he’salsotalkingabout“lifelongsuicide”bydoingnothing,choosingtheeasypassiveapproachtolife.Whatismore,theysuggestHamletwouldbedeterminedtotakeanactionregardlessoflifeanddeath.StylisticfeaturesMetaphor:“Theslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortune”:ItisametaphorbywhichShakespearecomparesmisfortune/adversitytopoisonousarrows—avividportrayalofmisfortuneanddeath.Rhetoricalquestions:1.Whether’tisnoblerinthemindtosuffer…Andbyopposingendthem?2.Forwhowouldbear…abarebodkin?3.Whowouldthosefardelsbear…notof?

Therhetoricalquestionsbringthereaderstodeeperconsiderationoftheproblems,thusleavingdeepimpressionuponthereaders,emphasizingthetheme.Examples1.Isthatareasonfordespair?Itstronglynegatesthereasonfordespair.2.Isnoonegoingtodefendme?Thespeakerissurethatsb.isgoingtodefendhim.3.IfWintercomes,canSpringbefarbehind?

cf.Ifwintercomes,springwillnotbefarbehind.Commenton“Hamlet”

Hamletisthecentralfigureofthetragedyandmuchofthedramaticimpactoftheplayderivesfromthecomplexityofhisnature.Heis,atoneandthesametime,gentleandcruel,lovingandvengeful,adeeplyreflectiveintrovertandamancapableofactingonimpulse.Asanidealman,heisforthrightandhonestbynature.Heisareasonablygoodjudgeofcharacter;hehascourage(e.g.inthebattleatseaheledthefightagainstthepirates);andheiswelllikedbytheDanes,whichisindeedoneofthereasonswhyClaudiusdidnotpunishhimforkillingPolonius.

AcrucialbutcontroversialissueintheconsiderationofHamlet’scharacteriswhetherhewasmad.Bothpositiveandnegativeinterpretationscanbesupportedwithevidencefromtheplay.Hamletiscapableofcalculatedcruelty.HerefusestokillClaudiuswhentheKingisatprayerbecausehewantstopunishhimbothinthisworldandthenext.Hamletisanintriguingcharacter.Hepreferstobeathinkerbutiscastintheroleofanavenger.Heisintelligentandsensitive,deeplydisturbedbytheevilandthefaithlessnesswithwhichheissurrounded.Hissuddenswingsfrominactivitytoimpulsiverashnessmaynotmakehimaneasycharactertoclassifybuttheymakehimoneofthemostperenniallyinterestingcharactersinliterature.

Thetragicgreatnessofthecentralcharactertryingtoresolveconflictsinternalaswellasexternal,theluminousinsightintohumanmotivesandpassions,andtheterriblesweepofforcesruthlesslycrushingtheinnocentwiththeguilty—allthesegive“Hamlet”aplaceamongtheworld’sgreatestdramas.

Hamletasahumanist:

●Hislearning,wisdom,noblenature,aswellaslimitationandtragedyareallrepresentativeofthehumanistsattheturnofthecentury.●HamletmayberegardedasahumanistofShakespeare’age.Likeotherhumanists,heseestheuglyreality,dreamsofhealthfulhumanrelations,andyetisunabletorealizehisdream.Andthebrighterthedream,themoregloomybecomesforhimthesurroundingreality,andthemoreacutearehismentalconflicts.

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Hamlethasthequalitiesofa“blood-and-thunder”thrillerandaphilosophicalexplorationoflifeanddeath.Abriefcommentonthesoliloquybeginningwithline“Tobeornottobe…”

Themonologue,apsychologicalexplorationoflifeanddeath,revealsthecharacterofHamletasamanofcontemplationratherthanaction.Withtheintolerableburdenofthedutytorevengehisfather’sdeathandthechallengeofevilforces,Hamletseemstowithdrawintoamentalworldwhichisthrownintoaconflictorachoicebetweenlifeanddeath.

Thephilosophicalspeculationmixedupadeeppessimisticoutlookresistsagainstactionatfirst,butawakenstheherooutofhismelancholytoasenseofthe“enterpriseofgreatpithandmoment”,indicatingthatheistodosomethingforwhatheconcernshimselfwith.

AbriefcommentonthethemeofShakespeare’s“Hamlet”

ShakespearedepictstheimageHamletasaRenaissancehumanisttoem