Look and Listen English Lessons | English conversation practice Podcast with Sharon Faye
Do you know some English but still have trouble expressing yourself in
social situations?
If yes, then this is the right podcast for you to improve your
daily English conversation skills.
This Podcast presents a lot of useful phrases
and sentences you would never think of unless you come across them.
It contains plenty of common corrections used by native English speakers in
everyday life.
It covers topics such as meeting new people and making small talk,
dating and visiting friends, eating out, emergencies situations and doctor’s appointments,
car and flat rental,
staying in hotels and travelling by air, shopping and much more
As always I’ll be playing the characters
All you have to do is to sit back and enjoy your listening.
Look and Listen English Lessons | English conversation practice Podcast with Sharon Faye
Delving into Shakespeare's Hamlet: Secrets, Madness, and Tragic Endings Explored
What if the weight of uncovering a treacherous secret fell squarely on your shoulders? Join us as we unravel the timeless tragedy of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," exploring the existential crisis of the Prince of Denmark amidst betrayal and deceit. With Hamlet grappling with the moral complexities of existence and plotting against his uncle, Claudius, the stage is set for a haunting narrative of madness and tragedy. We'll spotlight the cunning Claudius, the steadfast Horatio, and the ill-fated Ophelia, whose lives are inextricably linked to Hamlet's dangerous game of intrigue and revelation.
The episode also delves into the poignant climax where the Danish royal household meets its tragic end. We guide you through Hamlet's profound final soliloquy, "Oh, that this too, too solid flesh would melt," tracing his spiraling emotions and the weight of his internal conflict. Reflect on the enduring complexity of his character as we engage with listeners, inviting you to share insights and perspectives on the play's lasting impact. Don't miss this deep dive into one of literature's most compelling dramas.
To be or not to be.
Speaker 1:That is the question, says Hamlet, as he wonders whether or not it's better to be alive or dead. Shakespeare's most performed play makes us think about this and other big philosophical questions. Hi everyone, and welcome back to Look and Listen English lesson. Today we meet again in another literature lesson and this time Shakespeare's maybe most famous play, hamlet. Alright, so first let's get to know the characters and after that I go through the plot with you. Plus, there is a short activity waiting for you at the end of this video. So I'm excited. Let's get started.
Speaker 1:Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is the main character, about 30 years old, the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet and the nephew of the present King Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter and cynical. Claudius, the King of Denmark, hamlet's uncle and the play's antagonist, the villain of the play, claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power. But he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feelings. His love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark. Hamlet's mother recently married Claudius Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain of Claudius' court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia Horatio, hamlet's close friend who studied with the Prince at the University. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet's death, horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story. Ophelia, polonius's daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl. Even in her lapse into madness and death, she remains maidenly singing songs about flowers and finally, drowning in the river. Laertes, polonius' son and Ophelia's brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France, passionate and quick to action of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action.
Speaker 1:The Ghost, the spirit of Hamlet's recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius's, calls upon Hamlet to revenge. Fortybrus, the young prince of Norway, whose father, the king also named Fortimbras, was killed by Hamlet's father, also named Hamlet. Now Fortimbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father's honour, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet. Foil for Prince Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet. Austric, the foolish courtier Volenton and Cornelius they are both courtiers, marcellus and Bernardo, the officers who first see the ghost walking.
Speaker 1:Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, has come back from university to find that his father, the old king, is dead. His mother married his father's brother, clodius, who is now the king of Denmark. Hamlet is shocked and disgusts that his mother has married so soon after his father's death and so so angry, not to mention full of hate. So so angry, not to mention full of hate, that she has married Claudius, his own uncle. Soon, a ghost is seen walking on the castle walls. The ghost looks like Hamlet's father, the dead king. When Hamlet sees the ghost, he is told that it is the ghost of his father, the king. I am your father's spirit, the ghost tells Hamlet. The ghost tells him that he did not die naturally but was murdered by his own brother, claudius. Claudius put poison into his ear, causing him a painful, tragic death. The ghost tells Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius for murdering him. Hamlet can't believe that his mother would marry the man who murdered her husband. So he becomes so depressed and thinks about killing himself. To be or not to be, that is the question. Hamlet wonders, starts to pretend that he is mad while he tries to find out if the king Claudius really did kill his father.
Speaker 1:Claudius soon notices that Hamlet is behaving strangely, so he asks Claudius advisor to spy on him. Polonius thinks that the best person to find out what is causing Hamlet's strange mood is Polonius's own daughter, ophelia. This is because Ophelia is Hamlet's girlfriend and so she is close to him. But when Ophelia tries talking to him is close to him. But when Ophelia tries talking to him, hamlet gets very angry, tells her that he never loved her and breaks up with her. Ophelia is very upset by this.
Speaker 1:A group of travelling actors arrives in town. Hamlet gets them to perform a play at the castle. Now, hamlet's play contains a scene in which someone murders a king by putting poison in his ear Exactly what the ghost said that happened to him. Hamlet's plan is to watch the King Claudius doing the play and see how he reacts when he sees his own crime performed on stage. Then Hamlet's plan works. King Claudius becomes so angry that he interrupts the play and goes off in a rage.
Speaker 1:Claudius starts thinking of ways to get rid of Hamlet. Soon afterwards, hamlet sees Claudius praying and wants to kill him, but he worries that if he does, claudius will go to heaven instead of going to hell, which, as a murderer, he deserves. So Hamlet does nothing and goes to speak to his own mother. While they are talking in his mother's room, he sees someone moving behind the curtains, hamlet thinks that it must be Clodius. So he takes his sword and stabs through the curtain. But he is shocked to find that he has in fact killed Polonius the advisor, not Clodius. This of course means that Hamlet has killed the father of his own girlfriend, beloved Ophelia.
Speaker 1:Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself in the river. Ophelia's brother, laertes, comes to her funeral and is furious about what was happening. He and Hamlet argue about who loved Ophelia most, and King Claudius now sees an opportunity to finally get rid of Hamlet. Sees an opportunity to finally get rid of Hamlet. He organizes a sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes To make sure that Hamlet is killed. Claudius gives Laertes a sword covered with a poison. He also prepares a cup of poison wine, but Claudius' plans go horribly wrong when the poison sword wounds both Hamlet and the artist, and Hamlet's mother drinks from the poison's cup. Knowing that he is about to die himself, hamlet kills Claudius, finally getting revenge for the murder of his father.
Speaker 1:At the end of the play, all the royal household of Denmark are dead. Well, that's about it. But before you go, check on your understanding and try to answer this question, read aloud Hamlet's famous speech oh, that these two, two solid flesh, would melt. Now you try to trace Hamlet's mood and the way in which it changes during the speech. What is the reason for Hamlet's distress? Let me know in the comments below. That's it. Till next time, bye-bye.