Hamlet − Learning Pack

Contents

About This Pack...... 1

Background Information...... 2

Teaching Information ...... 4

Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis...... 6

Find Out More...... 14

1 Hamlet − Learning Pack

About

This learning pack supports the National Theatre’s production of Hamlet, directed by Nicholas Hytner, which opened on the 8th October 2010 at the National’s Olivier Theatre in London.

Our packs are designed to support viewing the recording on the National Theatre Collection. This pack provides links to the UK school curriculum and other productions in the Collection. It also has a plot synopsis with timecodes to allow you to jump to specific sections of the play.

1 Hamlet − Learning Pack Background Information

Recording Date – 9th December, 2010 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+

Cast

Hamlet ...... Rory Kinnear Barnado ...... Michael Peavoy Francisco ...... Matthew Barker Horatio ...... Giles Terera Marcellus ...... Marcus Cunningham Ghost of the Late King ...... James Laurenson Claudius ...... Patrick Malahide Voltemand ...... James Pearse Priest ...... Leo Staar Laertes ...... Alex Lanipekun Polonius ...... David Calder Gertrude ...... Clare Higgins Cornelia ...... Ellie Turner Reynaldo ...... Victor Power Rosencrantz...... Ferdinand Kingsley Guildenstern ...... Prasanna Puwanarajah Player Queen...... Saskia Portway Lucianus ...... Michael Sheldon Fortinbras ...... Jake Fairbrother Osric ...... Nick Sampson Messenger ...... Zara Tempest-Walters Ophelia...... Ruth Nega Gravedigger ...... David Calder English Ambassador ...... Michael Sheldon Captain in Fortinbras' army ...... Matthew Barker Player King ...... James Laurenson

2 Hamlet − Learning Pack Background Information

Recording Date – 9th December, 2010 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+

Creative Team Director ...... Nicholas Hytner Designer ...... Vicki Mortimer Composer ...... Alex Baranowski Lighting Designer ...... Jon Clark Sound Designer ...... Paul Groothuis Fight Director ...... Kate Waters

3 Hamlet − Learning Pack Teaching Information

This production is particularly suitable for:

• English Literature students who are studying the play for A 'Level. • Drama and theatre students who are studying the play and the theme of conflict within it. • Anyone with an interest in contemporary staging of Shakespeare’s plays.

In particular you might like to explore:

• The director’s decision to relocate the action to a modern Soviet Union and the impact of modern surveillance on the political, social and psychological context of the play. • The way in which the design elements including lighting, sound, set and costume come together to create the world of the play and enhance the storytelling.

There are a number of other productions in the National Theatre Collection that relate to this one, which you and your students may wish to explore alongside it.

4 Hamlet − Learning Pack Teaching Information

Other productions by William Shakespeare

Production Date Director

Coriolanus 2014 Josie Rourke

Othello 2013 Nicholas Hytner

Julius Caesar 2018 Nicholas Hytner

King Lear 2011 Michael Grandage

Macbeth (Schools) 2017 Justin Audibert

Romeo and Juliet (Schools) 2017 Bijan Sheibani

The Winter’s Tale (Schools) 2018 Justin Audibert

Twelfth Night 2017 Simon Godwin

Other productions featuring members of the same creative team

Production Date Artist

Othello 2013 Nicholas Hytner − Director

London Assurance 2010 Nicholas Hytner − Director

One Man, Two Guvnors 2011 Nicholas Hytner − Director

Julius Caesar 2018 Nicholas Hytner − Director

Othello 2013 Vicki Mortimer – Designer

Othello 2013 John Clark – Lighting Designer

5 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Differences to Shakespeare’s original *

Very little of the original play is cut in this version with a few minor changes and directorial decisions. No whole scenes are cut, but some are slightly trimmed. The play is loosely set in a modern Soviet Union.

• The character of Cornelius is gender swapped to Cornelia • The First Sailor and Second Clown (Gravedigger) are cut

*Using Second Quarto, Arden Shakespeare Third Series edition of Hamlet

Act I, Scene i: On the castle wall in Elsinore, Barnardo, Franciso, Horatio and Marcellus see the Ghost of the late King of Denmark, who silently appears and withdraws. The three agree that this visitation seems especially ominous in view of an impending war with Norway. Horatio decides they should tell Prince Hamlet of the appearance of his father's spirit.

Act I, Scene ii (0:05:20): Claudius, the King of Denmark, speaks of the recent death of the late king, his brother, and of his marriage to Queen Gertrude, his brother's widow and Hamlet's mother. He also tells of an invasion threat from young Prince Fortinbras of Norway. The King therefore sends Cornelia and Voltemand with a letter to the King of Norway advocating restraint. Laertes, the son of the King’s Lord Chamberlain Polonius, requests permission to return to his studies in France, which the King grants. The King denies Hamlet permission to return to his own studies at Wittenberg; the Queen adds her wish that he stay in Denmark, and Hamlet agrees to do so. The monarchs and their retinue depart. Hamlet remains and muses mournfully on his mother's hasty and ‘incestuous’ marriage. Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo appear and tell Hamlet about the Ghost. With great excitement, he arranges to meet them on the castle wall that night.

6 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Act I, Scene iii (0:20:10): Laertes, leaving for France, warns his sister, Ophelia, about Hamlet's affection for her. Polonius arrives and gives Laertes moralising advice. Laertes leaves and Polonius lectures about the suspect morals of young men, and he forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet.

Act I, Scene iv (0:27:03): The Ghost appears to Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus, and Hamlet speaks to it. It beckons, and Hamlet follows.

Act I, Scene v (0:31:41): The Ghost declares that the prince must avenge his murder: Claudius poured poison in his ear while he was sleeping in his orchard. The Ghost departs, and, although horrified, Hamlet vows to carry out its wishes. Horatio and Marcellus appear, and Hamlet swears them to secrecy—about the Ghost and about his own intention to feign madness.

7 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Act II, Scene i (0:43:40): Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris. Ophelia reports that Hamlet has come to her and behaved as if he were insane. Polonius concludes that the separation of Ophelia and Hamlet has driven the prince mad, and he decides to inform the King of this.

Act II, Scene ii (0:49:48): The King welcomes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, fellow students of Hamlet, who have been summoned in the hope that the prince will confide in them. They agree to spy on their friend. Voltemand and Cornelia arrive to report that the King of Norway has agreed to redirect Fortinbras' invasion to Poland. Polonius declares that Hamlet is lovesick, producing a love letter from the prince that he confiscated from Ophelia. He offers to arrange for the King to eavesdrop on an encounter between Ophelia and Hamlet. Hamlet appears and Polonius approaches the prince alone.

8 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Hamlet answers him with nonsensical remarks and absurd insults. Polonius interprets these as symptoms of madness and departs, as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. Hamlet greets them with more wild talk, and tricks them into admitting that they have been sent to observe him. Players from the city arrive, and Hamlet welcomes them enthusiastically, asking the First Player to recite a dramatic monologue describing an episode of revenge from the Trojan War. Hamlet requests that the Players perform ‘The Murder of Gonzago’ before the court that night, inserting lines that he will compose. He suspects that the spirit may have lied; he will have the Players enact a killing similar to his father's murder, and if Claudius reacts guiltily, he will know that the Ghost has spoken the truth.

Act III, Scene i (1:22:02): Polonius instructs Ophelia to meet Hamlet while he and the King eavesdrop. They hide as Hamlet enters, meditating on the value of life. Ophelia greets him and he passionately rejects her with a wild diatribe against women before leaving. The King tells Polonius that he has decided to send Hamlet on a mission to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Polonius suggests further surveillance in the meantime, proposing that his mother summon Hamlet after the performance of the Players and he will spy on their conversation.

Act III, Scene ii (1:33:54): Hamlet tutors the Players on acting. The court assembles, and the Players perform a Dumb Show, in which a murderer kills a king by pouring poison in his ear as he sleeps then marries the queen. The real King, distressed, rises and leaves in anger. Hamlet exults in the success of his plan.

Interval

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and then Polonius, deliver the Queen's summon to Hamlet who agrees to meet his mother, feeling great anger but reminding himself not to use violence against her.

9 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Act III, Scene iii (1:52:14): Polonius tells the King that Hamlet is on his way to the Queen's chamber. The King soliloquises about his murder of his brother: he says that he has been unable to pray for forgiveness. He tries again to pray; Hamlet enters, sees the King on his knees, and contemplates killing him on the spot. He reflects that if the King dies while at prayer, he will probably go to heaven and the revenge will be incomplete. He decides instead to wait.

Act III, Scene iv (1:58:00): Polonius hides behind a curtain in the Queen's chamber. Hamlet arrives; he attempts to make his mother sit down, and she cries for help. Polonius cries out also, and Hamlet stabs him through the curtain, killing him. After expressing regret that his victim was not the King, Hamlet condemns his mother's behaviour. The Ghost appears and reminds Hamlet of the vengeance he must exact, urges pity on the Queen, and departs. Hamlet leaves, dragging the body of Polonius with him.

Act IV, Scene i (2:10:40): The Queen tells the King that Hamlet has killed Polonius. Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to recover the body.

Act IV, Scene ii (2:13:25): Rosencrantz and Guildenstern confront Hamlet. He mocks them, refusing to tell them where the body is, but goes with them to the King.

Act IV, Scene iii (2:14:40): Rosencrantz and Guildenstern return with Hamlet under guard. Hamlet eventually reveals where he has put Polonius' body. The King tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England immediately for his own safety. Hamlet is escorted to the boat, leaving the King alone to muse on his plot: he will send letters to the English that threaten war unless they kill Hamlet.

Act IV, Scene iv (2:18:02): Hamlet, accompanied by Rosencrantz and

10 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Guildenstern, encounters a Captain from Fortinbras' army. Hamlet compares him predicament with the soldiers who will fight and die for an inconsequential goal. He vows that in the future, he will be ruthless.

Act IV, Scene v (2:23:11): A Gentleman tells the Queen that Ophelia is insane. Ophelia enters, singing a song about a dead lover, seduction and betrayal. Laertes and several Followers forcibly enter, demanding vengeance for Polonius’ death. The King promises that he shall have it. Ophelia returns, singing about a funeral, and distributes flowers to the King, the Queen, and Laertes.

She departs. The King takes Laertes away to plot revenge on Hamlet.

Act IV, Scene vi (2:34:20): Horatio reads a letter from Hamlet, which tells of his capture by pirates who have agreed to release him; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continue to sail to England.

Act IV, Scene vii (2:35:10): The King tells Laertes that he cannot act directly against Hamlet. Instead he proposes a plot: they shall arrange a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, in which Hamlet will use a blunted sword intended for sport while Laertes shall secretly have a sharp sword. Laertes agrees and adds that he has a powerful poison that he will apply to his sword point. The King further suggests a poisoned glass of wine to be given Hamlet when the sport has made him thirsty. The Queen appears with the news that Ophelia has drowned, and Laertes collapses in tears.

Act V, Scene i (2:42:30): A Gravedigger is digging a grave and

11 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

singing to himself. Hamlet and Horatio enter and Hamlet talks with the Gravedigger who displays a skull that had belonged to Yorick, a court jester whom Hamlet had known. The prince reflects on the inevitability of death. Ophelia's funeral procession arrives, accompanied by Laertes and the King and Queen; the Priest declares her death a suicide. When Hamlet realizes whose funeral he is witnessing, he tries to fight Laertes. Restrained, he departs in a rage. The King assures Laertes that he will get his revenge.

Act V, Scene ii (2:53:15): Hamlet tells Horatio how he rewrote the King’s letter arranging his death, substituting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's names for his own. Osric arrives with the King's request that Hamlet fence with Laertes; the King has wagered that Hamlet can win. Hamlet tells Horatio that the proposed match makes him uneasy but that he's prepared to die. The King and Queen, a group of courtiers, and Laertes arrive for the match. The King pours wine to toast Hamlet's first successful round, and he places a pearl in Hamlet's cup.

12 Hamlet − Learning Pack Adaptation Details & Plot Synopsis

Hamlet and Laertes fence, but after his first victory Hamlet doesn’t drink and resumes the match. The Queen drinks from his cup, although the King tries to stop her. Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword, the two fighters scuffle and accidentally exchange swords and Hamlet wounds Laertes. The Queen falls, exclaims that she is poisoned, and dies. Laertes is poisoned by the exchanged sword and reveals the Kings plot. Hamlet wounds the King with the sword and then forces him to drink the poisoned wine. Hamlet and Laertes forgive each other, and Laertes dies. Horatio tries to drink the poisoned wine, but Hamlet demands that he remain alive to tell his story. Osric announces the return of Fortinbras from Poland. Hamlet declares Fortinbras his successor and dies. Fortinbras arrives and takes command, ordering a stately funeral for Hamlet.

The End

13 Hamlet − Learning Pack

Find out more

Read

The Rehearsal Insights Pack, featuring the rehearsal diary from the production, written by Staff Director James Bounds

Watch

Hamlet: A Character Study, with actor Rory Kinnear and director Nicholas Hytner.

Hamlet: Truth and Performance, with director Nicholas Hytner.

Voice - Text Work: Consonants in Hamlet, with Head of Voice Jeannette Nelson and actor Ferdinand Kingsley.

Voice - Text Work: Vowels in Ophelia's speech in Hamlet, with Head of Voice Jeannetter Nelson and actor Ellie Turner.

Hamlet: Creating Elsinore, with theatre and film director Richard Eyre, designer Vicki Mortimer and author Colin Bell.

Shakespeare at the NT: The 21st Century

Shakespeare at the NT: Writer for Today

Performing Shakespeare

14 Hamlet − Learning Pack

Find out more

Listen

Nicholas Hytner in discussion with Abigail Rokinson-Woodall discussing Shakespeare in the twenty-first century.

Explore

The National Theatre’s digital exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture, including Shakespeare at the National Theatre.

More materials relating to the production including the costume bible, poster, prompt scripts, programme, stage management reports and more are held at the National Theatre Archive, which is free to visit. Find out more here: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/archive

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