1. Literary Terms
1.1. Iambic Pentameter
1.1.1. Shakespeare's use of word stress makes his work significant. Most of his work follows the rhythm of your heartbeat. Here is a link that shows some examples from the play https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/hamlet/language/key-terms.
1.2. Revenge Tragedy
1.2.1. Revenge tragedy is on of the key themes of the play as it is what this play revolves around. Hamlet wants to get revenge on the death of his father, since he was murdered by his uncle Claudius. In addition, Laertes wants to get revenge over the death of his father Polonius as he was killed by Hamlet because he though he was Claudius.
1.3. Imagery
1.3.1. "Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears. Had left the flushing in her galled eyes" (I.I. 155-156)
1.4. Symbolism
1.4.1. 'Tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed . Things rank a gross in nature. Possess it merely. That it should come to this'. (I.II. 135-137)
1.5. Alliteration
1.5.1. 'Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of Dalliance treads' (I.III 49-50)
1.6. Foil
1.6.1. Horatio acts as a foil to Hamlet. Is a minor character whose attitude, belief, and behavior differ from the main character and highlights the flaws of the protagonist.
1.7. Comic Relief
1.7.1. The graveyard scene, in Act 5 is a humorous scene.
1.8. Metaphor
1.8.1. 'Besides, to be demanded of a sponge!' (V.II.12)
2. Link to Shakespeare Family
2.1. The play Hamlet could be linked to his family as his son was called Hamnet. He died a couple years before Shakespeare wrote the play. Thus, this sets the tone of the play as Hamlet is grieving over the death of his son.
3. Key Concepts
3.1. Culture/Beliefs
3.1.1. The play Hamlet is linked to culture as the play is set in Denmark, and during this time religion was very important. For instance, Hamlet is Christian and he is very religious. In Act 3 Scene 1 he was contemplating whether or not he should commit suicide. However, he then decided he should not because he did not want to be punished by God because if his sins. Therefore, the culture and beliefs of Denmark plays a huge role in the play.
4. Global Issue
4.1. Mental Health
4.1.1. Depression
4.1.1.1. Depression plays a huge role in the play as there are many main characters who are going through depression. For instance, Hamlet is mentally ill as he is grieving over the death of his father. In addition, tis tragedy has caused to go mad because of his depression. Hamlet expresses his feelings in his soliloquies and states that he would rather die and end his misery.
4.2. Desire for Revenge
4.2.1. The play 'Hamlet' is after-all a revenge tragedy play. In the play Hamlet there are three different sons who are seeking revenge for the death of their fathers. Fortinbras, Hamlet, and Laertes all seek revenge in different ways throughout the play. Hamlet's duty and main goal in the play is to avenge his fathers death. Fortinbras and Laertes are similar characters that want to prove their loyalty and honor. Laertes tells Claudius: 'To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil/ conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit'. Fortinbras is willing to regain a pointless piece of land in order to achieve justice. Laertes and Hamlet have a similar way for avenging the death of their fathers. They both want to kill the murders in order to seek justice. Therefore, Hamlet plans throughout the play to kill Claudius, and Laertes plans to kill Hamlet with the help of Claudius. The only one that really gets what they wanted in the end was Fortinbras.