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Regent University
Hamlet Plot, Character, Thought, and Diction Analysis Outline
Nicholas Smith
THEU 314 Play Analysis
Dr. Kirkland
12 April 2017
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Plot, Character, Thought, and Diction Outline
I. Plot
o Hamlet exhibits a classical/romantic and complex plot structure that aligns with
Freytag’s Pyramid. First, we are given a hefty exposition explaining the state of
the royal family and their stances toward each other, and shortly after the
exposition the inciting incident presents itself when the ghost of the king tells
Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. This gives way to the
rising action as Hamlet must now decide on a course of action, though he has
trouble taking action in numerous circumstances. The structural climax occurs
when Hamlet makes the choice not to simply finish the mission and kill Claudius
but to ensure he kills him in a moment when Claudius is full of sin and would go
to hell. The falling action ensues as consequences occur as a result of Hamlet
allowing Claudius to live. At its conclusion the play leaves the readers/audience
with a dead royal family all murdered by each other, showing how corruption,
revenge instead of vengeance, and the idea of trying to play God can affect one’s
life and the lives he surrounds.
o Beginning: There is an exposition addressing the state of Denmark and the state
of the royal family, and introducing the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost of the
king then presents Hamlet with a quest of vengeance for the king’s murder by
Claudius.
o Middle: Hamlet makes the decision to avenge the death of his father, but he
exhibits contemplative and thorough thinking, making sure he covers all of his
bases and has solid evidence to back him up before making a move on Claudius.
However, once he has all he needs to confirm that Claudius killed the king, he
takes his role in his mission farther than he should: he makes the decision that he
will not only kill Claudius, but that he will wait for such a time that Claudius
would be full of sin and sent to hell. Hamlet is now flirting with the position of
God, deciding where Claudius’ eternal soul should go.
o End: Because Hamlet did not kill Claudius at the best opportunity, consequences
play out due to Claudius’ prolonged living. Polonius is killed by Hamlet and
Hamlet is then banished, Ophelia goes mad after he father’s death and drowns in a
river, then in the final scene Gertrude drinks poison and dies, Laertes dies from a
wound from his own poisoned weapon, Hamlet kills Claudius, and Hamlet dies
from a poison wound from Laertes’ weapon. Fortinbras then enters and closes the
play by giving Hamlet a soldier’s funeral.
II. Character
o Hamlet is the main character.
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
Hamlet’s primary motivating factors throughout the play are his need
for revenge for his father’s death and his disgust at his mother wedding
Claudius, who later is revealed as the king’s murderer.
Act 3, Sc. 4, Line 33
Queen: O, what a rash and bloody deed is this!
Hamlet: A bloody deed—almost as bad, good mother,
As kill a king and marry with his brother.

Hamlet says that he will avenge his father, but he will only settle for
solid evidence to give reason to his motives and actions.
Act 1, Sc. 5, Line 109
Hamlet: And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain...
Act 2, Sc. 2, Line 632
Hamlet: ...I’ll have grounds
More relative than this. The play’s the thing
Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.

Hamlet’s best opportunity to strike down Claudius presents itself when
Claudius is “praying,” but Hamlet then switches gears from vengeance
to revenge and eternal damnation, choosing to stay his blade for another
time when Claudius is in the middle of some sinful act.
Act 3, Sc. 4, Line 79
Hamlet: And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I revenged. That would be scanned...
...Up sword, and know thou a more horrid hent...
...Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell, whereto it goes.

Throughout the play as Hamlet’s motives become more skewed and his
words and actions become more volatile and based on emotion than
thought, others begin to think that he is going mad. Claudius suspects
that Hamlet knows about the murder of the king, and Polonius is of the
mind that Hamlet is going mad but he can tell something is not quite right
but he does not find out what that is before Hamlet kills him behind the
tapestry in Gertrude’s room after being startled by Polonius’ voice.

Hamlet’s rank as Prince of Denmark impacts the following: Horatio is a
loyal follower and friend; due to societal standards he is unlikely to wed
Ophelia; he is not immediately/publicly sentenced to death for the killing
of Polonius; and he is given a soldier’s burial at the end of the play.
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
Hamlet’s dramatic function is that of the protagonist, though he rivals
Claudius in being his own greatest antagonist throughout the play.
III. Thought
o The central theme of the play is corruption and betrayal.

Summary: Hamlet begins on a justified mission to avenge his father’s
murder by Claudius. Hamlet allows his skills in thoughtful planning to be
ruled by his emotions and he warps his justified mission into a mutilated,
mangled plan to condemn Claudius’ soul to hell, an eternal matter that a
man should not try to control.

Motif 1: Constant observation. At the opening, the guards are watching
for enemies and question each other as newcomers approach. Hamlet is
constantly observing Claudius, looking for evidence of guilt in his
countenance. Polonius is watching Hamlet for his own reasons, and
Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet.
Motif 2: Heaven and hell. There are large amounts of Biblical references
within the play, the best and most easily readable example of this being in
Act 3, Scene 3, starting at line 40 when Claudius is praying and Hamlet is
reevaluating his motives and actions.
Motif 3: Incest/Incestuous desire. Hamlet frequently brings up the matter
of Gertrude sharing a bed with Claudius, partially because they married
only two months after the king had died and partially because of the
incestuous implications. However, incest does not show up just with
Gertrude and Claudius. It could be argued that both Hamlet and Laertes
had incestuous desires or predilections because of certain words and
actions. Hamlet is highly preoccupied with his mother and her relationship
with Claudius (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 136-150, 161-164), and there is the
exchange that takes place between Hamlet and Gertrude to take into
account (Act 3, Scene 4). Laertes makes some sexually suggestive
comments when speaking to Ophelia (Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 37-48) and
later he leaps into Ophelia’s grave to hold her in his arms (Act 5, Scene 1,
Line 262).

One transformative motif is corruption. Corruption clearly sets both
Hamlet and Laertes on different paths from the ones they were on in the
beginning of the play. As discussed, Hamlet changed from just seeking
vengeance for his father’s murder to seeking eternal damnation of the
murderer as payment. Laertes was turned against his conscience by
Claudius, and he worked with Claudius in an attempt to kill Hamlet which
led to his own death.
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Act 5, Scene 2, Line 322
Laertes: My lord, I’ll hit him now...
...And yet it is almost against my conscience.

The central action of Hamlet is to avenge his father’s death and kill
Claudius. The central action of Ophelia is to gain the loyal love of
Hamlet. The central action of Claudius is to cover his tracks and eliminate
any threat standing in his way (Hamlet). The central action of Gertrude is
to prevent Hamlet from going mad while simultaneously staying far
enough away from him to remain unaffected by him.
IV. Diction: (only 1 quote required for each)
o Three important language discoveries include when Hamlet learns that his father
was murdered by his uncle, because this spurns him on his path to revenge; when
Laertes learns that Hamlet killed his father and is partially responsible for his
sister’s death, because this spurns him to work with Claudius and devise a way to
kill Hamlet; and when Hamlet learns that Ophelia has died, because this throws
him into a bout of emotional hysteria that causes everyone who had doubt to
believe Hamlet has gone mad.
Act 1, Scene 5, Line 46
Ghost/King Hamlet: The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
Now wears the crown.
Hamlet: O, my prophetic soul! My uncle!
o Changes in rhythm and pace are indicated by breaks in the verse. Like many
things, blank verse is never perfect, and Shakespeare utilizes this fact. Many times
there will be pauses or brief exchanges of words between characters to allow the
audience to perceive what may be going through the mind of a character, or to
gauge the height of the stakes in a certain scene. An example of this can be seen
in the opening scene with the sentinels as they all speak rapidly and in short
sentences, giving more tension to the scene.
Act 1, Scene 1, Line 1
Barnardo: Who’s there?
Francisco: Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.
Barnardo: Long live the King!
Francisco: Barnardo?
Barnardo: He.
o Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter (or blank verse) throughout his play.
Iambic pentameter establishes a rhythmic pattern that consists of five iambs (an
unaccented syllable followed by an accented one) per line. While the style of
writing exemplifies skill and heightened understanding of the English language, it
does not reflect how people spoke in everyday conversation in Shakespeare’s day.
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Act 3, Scene 1, Line 78
Hamlet: For WHO would BEAR the WHIPS and SCORNS of TIME
o The language in Hamlet is heightened because Shakespeare wrote in a highly
skilled fashion and used large words (many of which are no longer used in the
English language or have changed in meaning) to describe and draw images rather
than write plainly.
Act 1, Scene 2, Line 94
King/Claudius: That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound
In filial obligation for some term
To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever
In obstinate condolement is a course
Of impious stubbornness.
Verse and prose are both employed in the play, but only noteworthy characters
speak in verse. Background characters such as the gravedigger only speak in
prose. Characters like Hamlet would speak primarily in verse but would at times
speak in prose.
o Rhyme is utilized in couplets placed at the end of a scene that signal the audience
that the play is moving on to the next segment of the story.
Act 3, Scene 4, Line 102
King/Claudius: My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
o Rhetorical devices used throughout Hamlet include double entendres, metaphors,
and allusions. One example of a double entendre is when he tells the members of
the court that the title of the play is “Mousetrap,” while he himself is looking to
catch a specific vermin. An example of a metaphor is when Hamlet says to
Horatio that his life is worth less than the cost of a pin, explaining he has little
value of his life and therefore has little fear of losing it in an encounter with a
ghost. Lastly, an allusion is made when Polonius outlines how he will die later in
the play by referencing a past experience he had acting:
Act 3, Scene 2, Line 109
Polonius: I did enact Julius Caesar. I was killed i’ th’
Capitol. Brutus killed me.
o Verbal imagery is used and is used to the advantage of reminding the audience
the importance of certain themes or motifs rather than simply mentioning a fact.
For instance, imagery is used in Hamlet’s language to show a feeling of betrayal
by his mother rather than Hamlet simply saying “I feel betrayed.”
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Act 1, Scene 2, Line 147
Hamlet: ...Why, she would hang on him
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on.
o There is an overall tone of seriousness employed throughout the play due to the
nature of tragedy and the effects of corruption and betrayal, but there are at times
moments of humor injected in the text, even if it is humor of a darker nature, such
as when Hamlet mocks his mother’s use of the funeral refreshments for the
wedding.
Act 1, Scene 2, Line 187
Hamlet: Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
o One of other things to consider regarding language is how Shakespeare
structured his sentences. Many of his sentences are arranged in an unusual
fashion, and this is often to create a certain rhythm, to emphasize a particular
word, or to give a character his or her own speech patterns.
Act 1, Scene 2, Line 216
Horatio: ...This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
And I with them the third night kept the watch.
o Shakespeare’s use of language in Hamlet reveals and provides the importance of
the theme. If Shakespeare had chosen to write simply and in a regular
arrangement of words and sentences, much of the meaning and depth given to the
characters and what they say would be lost, as would the level of depth and
thought the theme is built upon.