Analyzing Hamlet: Structure
Questions on the two waves of the play, the soliloquies, and other theories of how Hamlet is built.
ENGLISH 12AP:
Analyzing Hamlet
Mr. Reed
STRUCTURE
Words and deeds
Norman N. Holland, author of The Shakespearean Imagination, avers that the character Hamlet has two parts: words and actions. Make two lists, one supporting that Hamlet is a man of words and the other that he is a man of action. Be thorough, drawing from each of the five acts.
Holland further asserts that the structure of Hamlet is based on two waves, each initiated by an appearance of the Ghost. The critic theorizes that the first wave consists of words (or actions that rely upon words more than deeds) while the second wave consists of deeds (or actions that rely upon deeds more than words). Make two lists, one detailing the words-based actions of the first wave and the other the deeds-based actions of the second. Do not concern yourself with keeping either list in chronological order. That matter may be attended to later.
- Do the facts of the tragedy support Holland’s theory of its structure?
- How is the word play connected to the end of each wave of the drama?
The opening lines
According to a group of students at MIT, the entirety of Hamlet is condensed into the first two lines:
Bernardo: Who’s there?
Francisco: Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.
If they are right, how may their theory provide a theory of structure for the play?
Two plays in one
One way to define plot is to say that it depicts the building and resolution of conflict. In light of this definition, another theory of structure sees two plays in one: the external play presented through the relationships and conflicts between the characters and the internal play presented through the thoughts of Hamlet himself.
Consider each of Hamlet’s soliloquies and trace the building and resolution of conflict through his inner thoughts.
- I.ii.133-164
- I.v.99-119
- II.ii.576-634
- III.i.64-98
- III.ii.419-432
- III.iii.77-101
- IV.iv.34-69
How do the placement and content of the soliloquies provide another way of looking at the structure of the play?
Other theories
What other possible theories of the structure of Hamlet can you develop?