Themes
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Identify what themes relate to this quote.
Name at least 1.
What is morality, appearance vs reality, deceit?
Identify the aesthetic and explain its purpose.
What is personification?
The wind and sea as contenders, which emphasises the battle-like nature of Hamlet’s mental condition.
What cultural assumption is presented in the quote and why?
What is the Great Chain of Being?
Critiques the corruption in leadership which destabilises the entire country.
"O, what a rogue and peasant slave I am!"
Who, what, when?
Who is Hamlet?
What is honour/action?
When will I avenge my father's death?
Finish this quote - "The lady doth...
protest too much, methinks."
"Conscience doth make cowards of us all."
Identify what themes relate to this quote.
Name at least 2.
What is guilt, conscience, inaction?
"There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance… There is pansies, that’s for thoughts… There’s fennel for you, and columbines. There’s rue fir you, and here’s some for me… There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets but they withered all when my father died."
Identify the aesthetic and explain its purpose.
What is a metaphor?
The flowers serve as moral judgements of the characters and their actions, as well as Ophelia’s own feelings and experiences.
"I shall obey, my Lord."
What cultural assumptions are presented in the quote? Why?
What are gender roles?
Reflects the patriarchal nature of Elizabethan society, where women were expected to obey their fathers and other male authority figures.
Highlights the cultural value placed on family duty and loyalty, particularly the duty of daughters to their fathers.
Presents a lack of personal agency, as Ophelia’s actions are dictated by the will of others rather than her own desires.
Who, what, when?
Who is Hamlet?
What is madness?
When will the truth be told?
Finish the quote - "Frailty...,
thy name is woman!"
"O, what a rogue and peasant slave I am."
Identify what themes relate to this quote.
Name at least 3.
What is inaction, guilt, revenge, family?
"Get thee to a nunnery."
Identify the aesthetic and explain its purpose.
What is a double entendre?
A nunnery can imply both a convent and a brothel.
"To be or not to be? That is the question."
What cultural assumption and VABs does this quote relate to and why?
What is religion?
Reflects how Elizabethan society were deeply influenced by Christianity; holding a strong view on the sanctity of life and the sin of suicide.
Hamlet contemplates life and death, challenging religious beliefs, and presents a growing humanist influence – reflecting on the meaning of life.
Who, what, when?
Who is Hamlet?
What will happen in death?
When will my story be told?
Finish the quote - "The play's the thing wherein...
I'll catch the conscience of the King."
"I shall obey, my Lord."
Identify what themes relate to this quote.
Name at least 4.
What is gender, power, control, misogyny, family?
"I must be cruel only to be kind."
Identify the aesthetic and explain its purpose.
What is a paradox?
Emphasises the contradictory nature of Hamlet’s actions; kindness can sometimes be painful.
"Conscience does make cowards of us all."
What VABs are presented through this quote?
Hamlet’s reflects on the belief that moral reflection often leads to paralysis and inaction, especially when fear of eternal consequences looms.
"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love."
Who, what, what?
Who is Hamlet?
What is Hamlet's love letter to Ophelia?
When will Hamlet's words become action?
Finish the quote - "That I essentially am not in...
madness, but mad in craft."
"To put an antic disposition on."
Identify what themes relate to this quote.
Name at least 5.
What is madness, deceit, appearance vs reality, revenge, morality?
Identify the aesthetic and explain its purpose.
What is mise-en-abyme?
Hamlet's presents the Mousetrap play within 'Hamlet', which tells the story of Old Hamlet's death in order to expose the truth and Claudius' crime.
"Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the mightier."
What cultural assumptions and VABs are presented in the quote? Why?
What is madness/mental health?
In Elizabethan culture, mental illness or madness was often viewed as a kind of unnatural force, often linked to the supernatural.
Hamlet's mental state represents not only personal turmoil but also the disruption of The Great Chain of Being.
"'Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed.
Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely."
Who, what, when?
Who is Hamlet?
What has the kingdom come to?
When will order be restored?
Finish the quote - "To die, to sleep...
To sleep, perchance to dream."