Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Film: Franco Zeffirelli - Hamlet "
The story comes from a danish legend that he knew because when he was in London he had a
protector, a lord patron (mecenate): Earl of Southampton, who had a huge library so he probably
studied self-though there. "
He was used to use every available source (no copyright), the proof that he used this legend is
that he settled the play in Denmark in the Castle of Elsinore, of which a real consideration has
been found. "
Characters
Hamlet the old…………………………………………………………………………….King of Denmark "
Hamlet the young……………………………………………………………………Hamlet the old’s son "
Gertrude……………………………………..…………[ghertrud] the Hamlet the old’s wife, the queen "
Claudius………………………………………………………………………the Hamlet the old’s brother "
Polunios……………………………………………………………………………………….Ophelia’s dad "
Ophelia…………………………………………………………………………….Hamlet the young’s love "
Laertes…………………………………………..……………..[lartis] son of Polunios, Ophelia’s brother "
Summary of the plot
The play opens with the death of the great king of Denmark Hamlet the old
and the celebration of his funeral. It is said that while he was asleep in the
garden, taking a nap, a serpent bit him killing him. Anyways his son doesn’t
accept this explanation, is not totally convinced, he feels that there’s
something wrong with it. "
Meanwhile Claudius became the new king of Denmark and after only two
months he marries not only the queen but also his dead brother’s wife and
sister in law, Gertrude. At the time this was seen as incest. Whereupon,
Hamlet the young starts feeling even more disappointed: his mother, who he
taught was in love with father, now sleeps in the same bed as the new king,
who is totally the opposite, in a negative way, of Hamlet the old. He can’t
accept it especially since usually the mourning was respected for years and
not only months. "
One night, during the night patrol, three soldieries including Horatio, Hamlet’s
closest friend, saw a ghost which was identical to the dead king. They had the
impression that he wanted to tell something to his son, hence the day after
Hamlet the young goes there and meets the him. Even if the soldieries told
him not to follow the ghost, Hamlet decides to do so in order to know the
truth. "
The king tell him that it is true that was a snake that killed him, but a snake in
his family: Claudius. While sleeping on the bench, Claudius put in his ears the
poison. The brutal part was that by doing so he left him die without the last
rite (estrema unzione), thus when you kill someone like this he is condemned
to wander in vain without reaching paradise. The ghost tells to his alive son
that if he really loves him, he has to vendicate his memory and the fact that his
wife, his kingdom and his life were stolen, by killing Claudius. And Hamlet
promises he would. When the morning light is coming, the ghost leave him
and he makes Hamlet promise not to tell anyone anything. "
