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Summary Exam Plans & Key Themes for Hamlet A* LEVEL
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Hamlet – Key Themes, Key Characters,
Paragraph Structures, Analysis Points.
Booklet.
, Corruption:
Argument: Corruption lies at the heart of Elsinore castle and is what is “rotten” in the “state of Denmark”. Shakespeare highlights that a corrupt state is just as odious as a
decaying corpse.
Paragraph One: Argument – physical corruption Paragraph Two: Corruption of action and inaction & Paragraph Three: the corruption of all characters leads to the
foreshadows and predicts the poisoning of spiritual, appearance vs reality: death and destruction of everyone around them and their
political and social affairs. own sanity.
Motif of surveillance (embodiment of corruption – Appearance vs Reality – Claudius:
Polonius & Claudius): Juxtaposition between when he’s in front of people Physical death:
Uses Ophelia as bait to trick Hamlet: “think (appearance) vs alone (reality), his façade/mask/persona Polonius’ deception gets him killed. Although some views might
yourself a baby”. She is too weak and vs his true intentions. In the exposition; “Our dear argue that it was accidental, if Polonius wasn’t spying, he
submissive/passive to do anything. ‘Baby’ – brother’s death” repeated to cover up guilt. Collective wouldn’t have got himself killed. “O! I am slain” his death and
innocence, purity, weak. language used to involve the court and ensure that final words almost mirror his ‘fool’, type character.
Reynaldo is sent to spy on Laertes: “Your bait everyone is in it together.
of falsehood, take this carp of truth;…By Compared with the prayer scene later on – arguably the Symbols of death:
indirection find directions out.” anagnorisis for Claudius – the point he realises his fate and The symbol of Yorick “Alas, poor Yorick!” represents that death
Claudius sends Rosencrantz & Guildenstern to that it is irreversible. Detachment of “A brothers murder” is inescapable for Hamlet, and ultimately highlights he is
spy on Hamlet which Polonius is privy to. – personal pronouns “I” throughout the soliloquy. unable to stop whatever is suffering at the heart of Denmark.
“Some little time so by your companies to Claudius’ “words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words The ghost foreshadows the death that will eventually
draw him on to pleasures and to gather” without thoughts never to heaven go” – religious overcome Elsinore castle. It tampers with their realities.
AO5 - McEvoy – “monarchs were supposed to be language and imagery repeated such as “angel” “mercy”
virtuous” but there are many “secret crimes”. “heavens” – awareness of religion at a very religious time Death of sanity - madness:
AO5 – Rebecca Smith – “Polonius’ means of actions and society. The prayer scene is the anagnorisis for Ophelia – “by cock they are to blame” “before you tumbled
are totally corrupt” Claudius. me” “daisies” “Rue” “violets” (all poisonous flowers that she
recites, which highlights how insanity has spread in Elsinore
A king, who embarks toxic masculinity: Action vs Inaction – Hamlet: Castle and it mirrors Ophelia’s toxic state of mind.
“Was your farther dear to you? Or are you like the However, he cannot possibly be mad due to his highly
painting of sorrow. A face without a heart?” (Laertes); intellectual rational thinking. He wonders what life is not Hamlet –In his soliloquy’s he debates suicide “to be or not to
metaphor, embodies a sad state of mind, but belittles only “to be” but what it is “not to be” – AO5 - Catherine be”. “His canon gainst self-slaughter”. “canon” “fix’d”
him, stating he holds no emotion. Hartley creates Hamlet to appear and “take on the role of “slaughter” violent verbs which contrasts the slowed down
(To Hamlet) - “unmanly grief” God”. pace at the start of the soliloquy.
He has to whip himself into action: “from this forth, my
This toxic masculinity affects hamlet, who believes thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth”. AO3 Claudius – Arguably the structurally implementation of the
Claudius is no better than “I to Hercules” – proving opportunities for the Renaissance man. AO5 – Yi Wen Ho prayer scene which becomes less coherent as it goes on with
what happens to the king, affects the country. Greek – “the fact that Hamlet has to think clearly, distinguishes multiple rhetorical questions “?” and exclamatory language
mythology, Hercules not only strength, but a man of himself from these other revengers”. “!” reflects his façade slipping and his mind and thoughts
action and revenge, arguably Hamlet cannot live up to The role of Young Fortinbras: acts as a foil for Hamlet – disintegrating into madness, due to his deception.
this – because the king is corrupt and promotes toxic they have very similar traits. Fortinbras is a much better
masculinity. “Am I a coward?” – in his soliloquy, he mirrored version of Hamlet. Fortinbras enacts revenge, AO5 – Shah – argued that all the deaths are inevitable due to a
belittles himself – just like Claudius has belittled him. after his father’s death, whereas Hamlet doesn’t. Young ‘rotten state littered with traps’. The play is “about the effects
AO5 - Sean McEvoy states, Claudius takes ‘total Fortinbras’ overtaking of the castle and new king, proves of living in a world where intrigue, spying and machinations
responsibility’ for what he has done and a secure that action leads to success, rather than inaction and have all be normalised” – as a result there is “no escape”.
understanding of ‘why’ he did it. corruption. Hence all the characters die.
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