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Hamlet 1.3 Character Interview with Hamlet, Polonius, and Laertes
In this detailed enactment from "Hamlet," Act 1 Scene 3 is dissected, focusing on the domestic sphere of Polonius's household as Laertes prepares to leave for France. He offers his sister Ophelia advice to be cautious with Prince...
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Hamlet 1.3 Background: Elizabethan Trends
Polonius advises Laertes to purchase the finest clothing his budget allows, yet steer clear of extravagant or trendy items. This guidance reflects a timeless concern over fashion's fleeting trends and the suspicion that designers...
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Hamlet 1.3 Background: Clothing as Rank
During Shakespeare's era, the clothing worn by the upper classes served as a direct indicator of their social status, with laws like the Statutes of Apparel of 1574 dictating who could wear materials such as purple silk, gold cloth, or...
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Hamlet 1.3 Double Blessing
Apparently Polonius and Laertes have already said goodbye once but Polonius's reappearance means that Laertes will receive his father's blessing a second time. Although Laertes is certainly being respectful of his father here we already...
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Hamlet 1.2 Word Nerd: Merely
The Latin root of the word mirely meant pure or unmixed. The original meaning of merely had a positive connotation, it meant completely or totally and that's how Shakespeare uses it here. However, in Elizabethan English it was already...
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Hamlet 1.2 Word Nerd: Canon
Explore the evolution of the word "canon," which began as a term for laws or decrees issued by the Christian Church, then referred to the official list of Biblical books, and eventually denoted a collection of authenticated works by a...
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Hamlet 1.2 Why It's Cool
This video, examines the varied reactions audiences may have to Hamlet's intense response to his mother Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius, which he views as incestuous. It compares the situation to the Greek tragedy of Oedipus to...
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Hamlet 1.2 What's Really Bothering Hamlet?
Hamlet is deeply troubled by the hasty marriage of his mother, Gertrude, to his uncle Claudius, which he describes as incestuous, reflecting his disgust and moral outrage. Early in the play, Shakespeare sets up the tension with Hamlet's...
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Hamlet 1.2 What's Happening?
In this summary of the the opening scenes of "Hamlet," where we learn that King Hamlet has died and his ghost appears at Elsinore Castle. Denmark is preparing for war, and Prince Hamlet has not succeeded his father as king; instead, his...
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Hamlet 1.2 What the Critics Say
Learn how T.S. Eliot, A.C. Bradley, and Harold Bloom interpreted the characters and events of act 1, scene 2 of Hamlet. Is Hamlet a believable character? Can we sympathize with him? What might you do in his situation?
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Hamlet 1.2 Solid vs Sullied
This video explores the textual discrepancies in Hamlet's soliloquy, focusing on the variation between "too too solid flesh" and "too too sullied flesh." It highlights the existence of three primary sources of the play—two early quartos...
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Hamlet 1.2 Relationships in the Royal Family
In this video, Hamlet reflects on his deep despair, rooted primarily in his father's recent death and his idolization of him, contrasting sharply with his contempt for his uncle Claudius. He venerates his father, likening him to a Greek...
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Hamlet 1.2 Performance: Hamlet's First Soliloquy
In this transcript, Hamlet expresses profound despair and disillusionment with the world, wishing his physical form could dissolve and free him from his earthly troubles, but is constrained by the moral law against suicide. He laments...
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Hamlet 1.2 Mythological Reference: Niobe
In this transcript, Hamlet reflects on his mother Gertrude's initial grief over his father's death, comparing her to Niobe from Greek mythology, who was known for her extreme sorrow. Niobe, punished by the gods for her arrogance, wept...
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Hamlet 1.2 Mythological Reference: Hyperion to a satyr
In this transcript, the discussion highlights Hamlet's comparison of his father to Hyperion, a Titan god known for wisdom, and his uncle Claudius to a satyr, known for drunkenness and sexual appetite. This contrast serves to praise his...
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Hamlet 1.2 Metaphor: Nature's Garden
Hamlet's metaphor of the world as an "unweeded garden" reflects his view of it as ugly and disappointing, overrun with unchecked nature. In Shakespeare's time, the wildness of nature was seen negatively, associated with brutality,...
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Hamlet 1.2 Interview with Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet
In this video, characters from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" appear in a modern-day interview setting, discussing the complex familial and political dynamics following King Hamlet's death. Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius navigate their altered...
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Hamlet 1.2 Hamlet's Depression
In this video, we analyze Hamlet's mental state in act 1, scene 2. Hamlet seems deeply depressed, wishing to dissolve and vanish due to his profound despair, and contemplating suicide, which he refrains from due to religious...
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Hamlet 1.2 Frailty and Women/Opinion of Gertrude
In this transcript, Hamlet transitions from contemplating his father's death to reflecting on his parents' love, ultimately fixating on his mother Gertrude's short-lived grief. This leads to one of Shakespeare's most famous lines,...
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Hamlet 1.2 Discussion of Hamlet's Soliloquy
Hamlet's soliloquy is a work of dramatic artistry, blending intense emotional exploration with philosophical reflection, effectively transforming the play into a psychological tragedy. This soliloquy showcases Hamlet's internal...
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Hamlet 1.2 Dig Deeper: Religion and Suicide
Hamlet refrains from suicide due to the religious belief that suicide, like murder, is a mortal sin prohibited by God's law, specifically referencing the sixth commandment from Exodus, "Thou shalt not kill." In early modern Europe,...
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Hamlet 1.2 Incestuous
Hamlet describes Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius, her deceased husband's brother, as "incestuous," reflecting the strong prohibitions against such unions by both Catholic and Protestant churches at the time. However, historical context...
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Hamlet 1.1 The Ghost
From the outset, Shakespeare establishes a tense and eerie atmosphere in "Hamlet," beginning with the guards' encounter with a ghostly apparition at Elsinore Castle. The soldiers, unnerved by repeated sightings, invite Horatio, an...
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Hamlet 1.1 Setting the Scene at Elsinore
In the first scene of Shakespeare's play set at Elsinore Castle, a tense atmosphere is depicted with Prince Fortinbras of Norway threatening to invade Denmark. Additionally, a ghostly apparition has appeared to soldiers on guard duty for...