Hamlet V.i, Continued / Julius Caesar Act IV.ii

Five week reports go out next week. There's only a marking period and a half left in the school year.

Grade 12

• Reminder about citing details for a dramatic work. Example: The skull the gravedigger hands to Hamlet belonged to Yorick, the king's jester (V.i.186-7). Citation can also be written as (5.1.186-7) Specific references to the play need a specific citation.
• Reviewed the beginning of the scene and compared the gravedigger's comments about Ophelia to Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' soliloquoy. Also noted the situational irony of the scene.
• Read and discussed V.i.168-223
• Hamlet's thoughts about death, since the death of Polonius, have become focused on the decay of the body instead of some uncertain afterlife, as is indicated by his thouughts about Yorick, Alexander and Caesar.

Grade 10

• Review IV.i. Further discussed the development of Antony's character.
• Read IV.ii
• What is Shakespeare's point in this short scene? What do you learn about the character of Cassius?