Themes in Hamlet

Warm up!

Think of a television show that you

have watched recently (last night?)
1. Try to explain what the main topic

of the story was about in no more
then three words.
2. Try to explain what the main topic

of the story was about in no more
then three words.
Themes in
Hamlet
♦Analyze the way in which
theme represents a view or
comment on life, using
textual evidence as
support
Concept: Theme
• Is the central idea or insight about human
experience revealed in a work of literature.
• Can usually be expressed in a word or two
Why is it important to discover the theme?

• The theme is what the writer wishes to
convey about that subject: the writer’s view
of the world or revelation about human
nature. We can learn more about ourselves
and humanity by analyzing the theme.
Identifying and Analyzing
Theme:
• always involves generalizations and abstractions.
• There are universal themes that can be found in
countless works of literature, such as love and hate,
good and evil, innocence and experience,
communication and isolation, life and death, society
and the individual.
• A story or poem may be about a specific love affair, for
example; it is easy to say the general subject is love,
but interpreting the theme involves explaining what
the work says about love.
• You analyze the theme by asking what the work
says about _____ (theme)
Back to the warm up…
Think of a television show that you have watched recently
(last night?)
1. Try to explain what the story was about using only one,
two or three words.
CFU: Is what you wrote down a theme?
CFU: How do you know? How is it developed?
CFU: What does the story say about your theme?
2. Explain what Romeo and Juliet is about using one, two or

three words.
CFU: Is what you wrote down a theme?
CFU: How do you know? How is it developed?
CFU: What does the story say about your theme?
The themes in Hamlet are:
Our job:
• Is not to find the theme
• Our job is to analyze the theme. This
means that we will be discussing how
the themes are developed, and what
the story is saying about the theme,
using specific evidence from the text
(quotes)
• How are themes developed you ask?
Themes may be developed in a
number of ways:
• How the Character develops theme: Do
Characters change?
– Are themes revealed through actions, dramatic
statements or personalities of characters?
• Do the characters convey conflicting values? Which values
does the whole work seem to be defending?
• Sometimes a character's main function is to symbolize an
abstract quality, such as greed or honesty or laziness.
Remember that names are sometimes symbolic, in obvious
or subtle ways.
– Are there characters or events or other details that
seem to have no importance in the plot of a story?
• In good literature, these details are there for a reason; they
probably have a special thematic significance.
• How the plot develops theme: What happens?
– What actions are taking place that develop the theme?
– What ideas are implied by the total impression of the whole
work?
• Sometimes theme is revealed only when the work is viewed as a whole.
• How points of view develops theme: What is said?

– Are themes revealed in direct statements by one or more
characters in the play?
• Hamlet says….. While Laertes says….
• How setting develops theme: Symbols?

– Are there other symbols, images, and descriptive details in
the work that suggest themes?
• Look for repeated words and images as clues to theme.
Focus Finder:
• Explore the way that the theme is developed
through the categories of:
– Plot
– Character
– Setting
– Point of view
• Identify textual evidence (quotes) that relate

to each category and exemplify your theme.
• In a paragraph, explain what the story says
about your theme
POV Quote:
Focus Finder
How the character develops theme Character Quote:
Do Characters change?
Does a character symbolize an abstract quality
Do the characters convey conflicting values
Does a character seem not to be Important? How
might that be important?
How point of How plot
view develops develops theme
theme Theme
What actions are
Is the theme Family
taking place?
expressed
Pressures Any ideas are
through other
implied by the
characters POV?
work as a whole?
Setting Quote: How setting develops theme Plot Quote:

Are there any symbols, repeated
words or images?
On a separate piece of paper, explain what story says about family pressures.
Closure Questions:
• Concept:
– What is a theme?
– What does a theme reveal about the author?
• Importance:
– What can we learn by discovering the theme?
• Skill:
– How are themes developed? (4 ways)
– What do we look for when we analyze plot?
– What do we look for when we analyze setting?
– What do we look for when we analyze character?
– What do we look for when we analyze point of view?
– What is the purpose of including quotes?
In Class work:
• Work independently (by yourself) to
Complete your focus finder for the
theme of madness, revenge or family
pressures.
We will share these with the class

tomorrow.

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Warm up!

Think of a television show that you

1. Try to explain what the main topic

2. Try to explain what the main topic

Why is it important to discover the theme?

2. Explain what Romeo and Juliet is about using one, two or

• How points of view develops theme: What is said?

• How setting develops theme: Symbols?

• Identify textual evidence (quotes) that relate

Setting Quote: How setting develops theme Plot Quote:

We will share these with the class

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