Hamlet Lecture 1 Notes

Biographical Context

• Shakespeare: born $1564$ in Stratford-upon-Avon; died $1592$ (as stated in the transcript). One of eight children of Mary and John Shakespeare.
• Family and early life: father was an important community member, then fell into misfortune during Shakespeare’s teens. Married Anne Hathaway at age $18$; she eight years older.
• Career beginnings: associated with a players group; theatre closed and later reopened; joined a new company (Lord Chamberlain's Men) under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth. Had a financial share in the Theater, contributing to fame and wealth.
• Wealth and family: became wealthy quickly; his son Hamnet died in $1596$. Shakespeare bought New Place, reflecting his status.
• The Globe Theatre and writing: owned a share in the Globe; wrote and performed to boost popularity and income.
• Notable works by year: in $1598-1599$, wrote $As You Like It$, $Julius Caesar$, $Much Ado About Nothing$, and $Henry V$. Between $1599-1600$, wrote $Hamlet$, $Twelfth Night$, and $All's Well That Ends Well$.
• Patronage and company: the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later renamed the King’s Men under James I; performed regularly at court.
• Death and epitaph: left an epitaph reading, in effect, a request not to disturb his bones.

The Globe Theatre and Patronage

• The Globe Theatre: iconic image of Shakespeare’s era; innovative for its time and capable of more on-stage effects.
• Financial stake: Shakespeare’s share in the Globe gave him incentive to create popular works for performance there.
• Patronage system: poets/playwrights relied on royal or noble patrons to publish and survive; Shakespeare benefited from this system.
• Notable productions and milestones: Globe era productions helped establish Shakespeare’s fame; the company’s name change to the King’s Men occurred after James I’s accession in $1603$.
• Other venues: also performed at Blackfriars, an indoor theater enabling different staging possibilities.
• Epitaph and legacy: Shakespeare’s burial inscription and its implied respect from contemporaries.

Social Historical Context

• Royal lineage and arranged marriages: Henry VIII’s marriages to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and others; marriages arranged for political/economic/military reasons, not love.
• Religious upheaval: England shifts between Protestantism and Catholicism depending on ruler; religion deeply intertwined with politics and daily life.
• Key monarchs and periods:
  • Edward VI (Protestant): $1547-1553$; issued a Protestant reform (new prayer book).
  • Mary I (Catholic, “Bloody Mary”): $1553-1558$; restored Catholicism; executed Protestants.
  • Elizabeth I (Protestant): $1558-1603$; stabilized religiously and expanded national power.
  • James VI of Scotland / I of England (Stuart): $1603$; promoted the divine right of kings; patron of Shakespeare’s company.
• Divided inheritance and throne: women could not inherit the throne in some periods; succession and legitimacy were hotly contested.
• The intertwining of church and state: religious reforms dictated social norms, laws, and culture; dissenters faced persecution.
• Printing and knowledge: printing press expands the spread of ideas; Shakespeare could access printed works from the broader European Renaissance.
• Machiavelli and political realism: The Prince’s ideas about ends justifying means informed political behavior at court; Claudius is read as Machiavellian.
• Renaissance ideals in court life: the ideal Renaissance man should be accomplished across disciplines (artist, scientist, warrior, scholar, diplomat).
• Quotes and social expectations: Hamlet’s line about a “noble mind” reflects courtly expectations of education, eloquence, and prowess.

Renaissance and Humanism

• Printing press and dissemination: invented in Germany (≈ $1450$); first English press in London (≈ $1476$); accelerated idea spread.
• Exposure to continental works: translations from French and Italian allowed English readers to access broader Renaissance ideas.
• Humanist culture in drama: emphasis on human form, education, and worldly knowledge; Shakespeare is placed within this tradition.
• Renaissance artists and humanism: painters like Michelangelo and Leonardo promoted human form and secular knowledge alongside religious art.
• The Renaissance man: ideal of being skilled in many disciplines; Hamlet as a symbol of this ideal (courtiers, soldiers, scholars, orators, and fighters).
• On-stage literacy and audience: Hamlet and Ophelia read books on stage; audience familiarity with classical and humanist references.
• The two streams of art: humanist (secular, worldly achievements) vs. religious art (devotional and spiritual themes).

Religious Context

• The Reformation and Luther: 1517 reformer Martin Luther’s 99 Theses criticized indulgences; Luther’s