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Hamlet 1.5 Dig Deeper: The Ghost's Vocabulary
King Hamlet was murdered without the chance to confess and be absolved of his sins, necessitating his atonement in purgatory. The ghost's use of archaic and unusual language, such as "unhoused," "disappointed," and "unaneled," imbues his...
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Hamlet 1.5 Dig Deeper: King James's Revenge
The premise of the play Hamlet mirrors the real-life events of King James of Scotland, whose father was murdered, his mother remarried the murderer, and he was later compelled to take revenge. Though not necessarily a direct influence on...
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Hamlet 1.3 Why It's Cool
This scene introduces us to the family of Polonius, one of the king's most crucial advisors, and his children Laertes and Ophelia, presenting a parallel family dynamic to Hamlet's own. Laertes warns Ophelia about the uncertainties of her...
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Hamlet 1.3 What the Critics Say
Polonius's first major speech in Hamlet leaves audiences and critics divided on his character: some see him as a wise, caring father imparting his wisdom to his son Laertes, while others view him as a foolish, meddlesome old man. His...
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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 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 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 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...
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Hamlet 1.1 Political Situation in Denmark
In an eloquent speech, Horatio outlines the events preceding the play "Hamlet," detailing the conflict between King Fortinbras of Norway and King Hamlet of Denmark, resulting in Fortinbras' defeat and loss of land. Prince Fortinbras aims...
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Hamlet 1.1 Interview with Horatio and Marcellus
This video explores the characters of Horatio and Marcellus from Shakespeare's, "Hamlet" by interviewing the actors in character and showcasing excerpts from the stage performance.
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Shakespeare's language shaped by falconry
Discover how falconry influenced Shakespeare's works and the English language with terms like "fed up" and "haggard."
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A MidsummerNight'sDream 1.1.19 Animated note:Theseus and Hippolyta
From epic battles to romantic encounters or political alliances, Greek mythology includes multiple narratives regarding the union of Theseus, the founder and first ruler of Athens, and Hippolyta, the Amazon queen. Shakespeare, drawing...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairies
Modern fairy tales draw from a rich tradition of fairy folklore known even in Shakespeare's time. Fairies were believed to possess supernatural abilities, like flying swiftly around the world and shape-shifting, often engaging in...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.275 Iambic Pentameter
Performing or reciting Shakespeare's plays involves the challenge of sounding natural and authentic while navigating the poetic language of iambic pentameter. This balance between natural speech and the inherent musicality of...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.202 Word Nerd: Ninny
The word "innocent" originates from the Latin prefix "in-" (not) and the verb "nocere" (to do harm), initially meaning someone who does no harm. By the time of Shakespeare, "innocent" had evolved to describe someone naive due to youth....
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.109 Prologue
Quince's prologue may seem clumsily written at first but is a masterfully crafted speech by Shakespeare. Ambiguity and word choice, allows for dual meanings, at times earnest or humorous. The speech, asking for the audience's forgiveness...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 4.1.55 Word Nerd: Orient Pearls
Titania places a flowery wreath on Bottom's head, and Oberon remarks that the dewdrops on the flowers, resembling tears, suggest the flowers are lamenting their dishonor in adorning Bottom's donkey head. He compares these to pearls,...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.214 Heraldry
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena uses wordplay and heraldry to symbolize the deep connection between herself and Hermia, likening them to "two seeming bodies but one heart," indicating their close friendship. She references heraldry,...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 2.1.92 Animated Note: Proud River
In A Midsumer Night's Dream, Titania describes her quarrel with Oberon as disrupting the natural world, causing mists to pull water from the sea and flood rivers, which she personifies as becoming "proud and arrogant." This video...
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A Midsummer Night's Dream 2.1.195 Word Nerd: Adamant
The word "adamant" originates from the Latin word "aramas," meaning a hard stone, and has evolved to denote anything unbreakable. In Shakespeare's era, "adamant" specifically referred to a lodestone or naturally occurring magnet,...