To be, or not to be: that is the question

Hamlet In a Nutshell

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is in mourning for his father and deeply disturbed by the speedy remarriage of his mother, Gertrude, to Claudius, her deceased husband’s brother. When his father’s ghost reveals that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet decides to feign madness until an opportunity for revenge presents itself. Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, thinks that Hamlet’s behaviour springs from love for his daughter, Ophelia, but Claudius suspects otherwise when he sees Hamlet savagely berating her. The arrival of a traveling theatre company gives Hamlet the idea of re-enacting his father’s murder to startle Claudius into revealing his guilt. The performance causes an uproar and as Gertrude remonstrates with her son, Hamlet kills the eavesdropping Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. Ophelia, driven mad by grief, later commits suicide. Having already evaded one attempt by Claudius to have him put to death, Hamlet agrees to a fencing match with Ophelia’s brother, Laertes – who secretly poisons the tip of his sword. Both combatants, however, receive wounds from the poisoned blade. The dying Laertes reveals the plot, whereupon Hamlet kills Claudius before succumbing to his own inevitable fate.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Reading Hamle

Monday, April 14, 2008

ophelia's death

Was Ophelia's death a suicide or was it an accident? In class we discussed about Ophelia commiting suicide. Could it have been an accident? Take a look at one person's view of this.

Another view about Ophelia's death.

Hamlet crossword puzzle

Have some time? Here is a link for a challenging crossword puzzle about Hamlet.

Monday, March 31, 2008

"Frailty, thy name is woman!"

Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, is a fascinating character in this play. Check out this site to learn more about her.

http://arts.ucsc.edu/faculty/bierman/Elsinore/women/womenGertrude.html

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Hamlet: The Quiz

Take a few minutes and try your hand at a fun quiz on Hamlet. http://shakespeare.about.com/b/2005/04/28/hamlet-the-quiz.htm
Good Luck!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Cathead Theater Presents Hamlet

Monday, February 4, 2008

Ophelia, daughter of Polonius

Ophelia serves an interesting purpose in this play. Some feel that Ophelia is a static and one dimensional character. It is through Ophelia that we view Hamlet's warped view of women. What do you think?

Ophelia