This 23 page document is an excellent revision guide providing you with more than enough information for the part B section on the Hamlet question in OCR A Level English Literature Drama and Poetry Paper 1. This document covers a range of different themes that you can be asked for this question, in...
Voltaire: “Vulgar and barbarous drama”
Tree: “The key comic element of the play is madness”
Prosser: “May not the peculiar power of the play be based to a large
extent on our ability to sympathise with Hamlet and yet judge him
for the course he pursues?”
Tennenhouse: “Hamlet attempts to locate and purge a corrupt
element within the aristocratic body”
Guy: “The preoccupation with decay in Hamlet can be accredited to
a fin de siecle feeling that there was something rotten in the state of
dying Tudor England”
Gardiner: “The society depicted in the play is oppressively narrow
and claustrophobic”
Spurgeon: “The number of images to sickness, disease, the idea of
an ulcer or tumour, as descriptive of the unwholesome condition of
Denmark morally”
Garrick: “No definitive Hamlet”
Olivier’s 1948 adaptation: opened with the lines: “This is the tragedy
of a man who could not make up his mind”
Hamlet throughout history
19th century productions:
● Usually presented romantic interpretations of Hamlet as a
sane, intellectual, sensitive Prince, unable to sweep swiftly
to revenge
● Sets often attempted to create the illusion of a historically
accurate castle of Elsinore, e.g. Kean played Hamlet
between 1814 and 1833, removing much of the blank verse
& replacing it with prose; his attitude to the Ghost was more
one of welcome than of terror, and he also treated Ophelia
with tenderness, rather than bitterness
, ● Booth performed Hamlet in a production at Burton’s theatre in
New York in 1857 - introspective & mild performance,
eschewing the more melodramatic style that was popular at
the time
Modern productions:
● Increasingly portrayed Hamlet as disturbed & alienated, and
have abandoned realistic sets
● Rely more on ‘symbolic’ settings or bare stages with a
minimum of scenery → can be seen as a return to the
conditions of Shakespeare’s own Globe Theatre stage, which
was not dependent on theatrical illusion
● First mention of Hamlet in the play is as ‘young Hamlet’
, 1) Surveillance
QUOTE BANK
● “madness in great ones must not unwatched go.” (Claudius) (3.2)
● “Behind the arras, I'll convey myself.../ To hear the process”
(Claudius) (3.3)
● "the play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the
king"(Hamlet) (2.2)
● "Both your majesties/Might by the sovereign power you have of us/
Put your dread pleasures more into command/ Than to entreaty."
(2.2)
● "Were you sent for? Is it for your own inclining? Is it a free
visitation?" (2.2)
● “Denmark's a prison" (2.2)
● “I'll have these players Play something like the murder of my
father/ Before mine uncle. I'll observe his looks”. (2.2)
● “I’ll loose my daughter onto him” (2.2)
● “I hear him coming. Let’s withdraw, my lord” - Polonius (3.1)
● “Observe my uncle”, “Didst perceive?” (3.2)
● “My lord, he’s going to his mothers closet. / Behind the arras I’ll
convey myself”…”I’ll call upon you ere you go to bed/ And tell you
what I know” (3.3)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller nikitamadier. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £32.16. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
