- Finish exam
- Work on essays which must reference the play. (Act/scene/line #'s)
- Essay choices are:
2. Examine how Shakespeare makes use of classical allusions.
3. Discuss Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real?
4. Conflict is essential to drama. Show that Hamlet presents both an outward and inward conflict.
5. Why does Hamlet delay taking revenge on Claudius?
6. The character Claudius has been compared to Macbeth. How similar are these two characters? In what ways are they similar?
7. Compare Laertes with Hamlet: both react to their fathers' killing/murder. Is the reaction of either right or wrong?
8. Although Hamlet ultimately rejects it at the end of the play, suicide is an ever-present solution to the problems in the drama. Discuss the play's suggestion of suicide and imagery of death, with particular attention to Hamlet's two important statements about suicide: the "O that this too, too solid flesh would melt" soliloquy and the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy.
9. Select one of Hamlet soliloquies and by a detailed attention to the poetry discuss the nature of Hamlet's feelings as they reveal themselves in this speech. What insights might this speech provide into the prince's elusive character?
10. Select a particular scene in and discuss its importance in the play. How does this particular part of the action contribute significantly to our response to what is going on? What might be missing if a director decided to cut this scene (e.g., Claudius at prayer, the scene between Polonius and Reynaldo, the gravedigger scene)
11. Discuss Hamlet's treatment of and ideas about women. How might these help to clarify some of the interpretative issues of the play? You might want to consider carefully the way he talks about sexuality.
12. Hamlet's flaw is that he fails to act on instinct - he thinks too much.
13. Discuss the importance of appearance and reality in Hamlet.
14. What is the role of symbolic image of the Yorik's skull in the play?
15. Is something rotten in the state of Denmark? If so, what precisely is it? Is anyone in particular responsible or is the rottenness simply a condition of life?
16. Think about Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia. Does he love her? Does he stop loving her? Did he ever love her? What evidence can you find in the play to support your opinion?
17. Analyze the use of comedy in Hamlet, paying particular attention to the gravediggers, Osric, and Polonius. Does comedy serve merely to relieve the tension of the tragedy, or do the comic scenes serve a more serious thematic purpose as well?
- Essays are due Wednesday.
- We will be in the Library all next week for the research paper.
- Last day in the library. Research paper is due Next Friday.
- Monday we'll go over the Lord of the Flies exam and start the movie.
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