Hamlet: Character Analysis

Hamlet: Character Analysis

Josefino Rivera, Jr.Literature and Personal Choice

26 February 2009

Josefino Rivera, Jr.Literature and Personal Choice

26 February 2009

New DatesNew Dates Today, 2/26:

Model Character Analysis essay and Scene Work timeHW: Outline and 1 paragraph

Friday, 2/27: DUE: Outlines and 1 paragraphScene Work timeHW: Memorize scene and brainstorm possible senior

thesis topics Monday& Tuesday, 3/2-3:

DUE: ScenesHamlet Festival (with food?)HW: Group/self evaluations

Thursday, 3/5:DUE: Character Analysis Papers into turnitin.com +

hard copy. I will make sure they match up.DUE: 3 possible senior thesis topics

Today, 2/26: Model Character Analysis essay and Scene Work timeHW: Outline and 1 paragraph

Friday, 2/27: DUE: Outlines and 1 paragraphScene Work timeHW: Memorize scene and brainstorm possible senior

thesis topics Monday& Tuesday, 3/2-3:

DUE: ScenesHamlet Festival (with food?)HW: Group/self evaluations

Thursday, 3/5:DUE: Character Analysis Papers into turnitin.com +

hard copy. I will make sure they match up.DUE: 3 possible senior thesis topics

Make-Up SeminarMake-Up Seminar

If you were absent or would like to improve your Socratic Seminar grade, I will have a make-up seminar on Tuesday, 3/3 during 7th (or after school if someone has a 7th period)

If you were absent or would like to improve your Socratic Seminar grade, I will have a make-up seminar on Tuesday, 3/3 during 7th (or after school if someone has a 7th period)

Debrief SeminarDebrief Seminar

First seminar:Outside group:Strengths and improvements

Second seminar:Recap discussionOutside group: strengths and improvements

New understanding based on discussion

First seminar:Outside group:Strengths and improvements

Second seminar:Recap discussionOutside group: strengths and improvements

New understanding based on discussion

Card SortCard Sort

Please read the summary of an important event in Hamlet.

Then arrange yourselves in chronological order around the room (the front door is 1.1 and organized clock-wise from there)

Please read the summary of an important event in Hamlet.

Then arrange yourselves in chronological order around the room (the front door is 1.1 and organized clock-wise from there)

Seating ChartSeating ChartYou will have the option to write this

paper in pairs (if you wish). Please sit next to the person you will write your paper with. N.B. You will not have class time to write these papers.

If you choose to write this paper on your own, please sit next to someone who is focusing on the same character as you.

1-2: Claudius3-4: Gertrude5-6: Laeretes7-8: Ophelia

You will have the option to write this paper in pairs (if you wish). Please sit next to the person you will write your paper with. N.B. You will not have class time to write these papers.

If you choose to write this paper on your own, please sit next to someone who is focusing on the same character as you.

1-2: Claudius3-4: Gertrude5-6: Laeretes7-8: Ophelia

Scene NotationScene NotationA S Summary A S Summary

1 2 King Claudius pronounces his marriage to Gertrude. Both C and G tell H to “cast his nightly color off.” H wishes suicide wasn’t sinful. He curses the incestuous sheets of his mother but chooses to stay silent. Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo tell Hamlet they have seen Hamlet, Sr.’s ghost

2 2 Gertrude and Claudius invite Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch over Hamlet. Polonius tells C and G of H’s madness due to O. P plots to send O to talk to H while C and P spy to confirm. H banters with P. R&G follow H, and H finds out they were sent for. The actors come. H asks them to tell the story of Priam. H is mad at himself because he lacks the emotions the actor does. Decides to put on a play.

1 4 Hamlet sees the Ghost and breaks away from his friends to talk to it privately.

2 3 Hamlet questions revenge or die, but fears death. H tells O to go to a convent. C and P heard and confirm H is mad.

1 5 Ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, and Hamlet must avenge his death but leave Gertrude alone. His friends find him, and Hamlet makes them swear that they didn’t see anything

3 2 H advises actors and say that plays are mirror to reality. H instructs Horatio to watch C. Mousetrap scene. Claudius leaves. H tells Hor that C surely did it. R&G say G calls for H. H says words will be as sharp as daggers.

2 1 Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet came to see her and acted crazy--pale, clothes disheveled. He stared at her, nodded three times, and left. Polonius believes it is because he is love-crazy. They leave to tell Claudius.

3 3 C instructs R&G that he will send them with H to go to England. P says H is going to see G, and P will eavesdrop. C confesses murder to God. H hears and wants to kill C, but chooses to wait because C is praying.

Scene NotationScene NotationA S Summary A S Summary

3 4 H confronts G. G thinks H is going to hurt her and yells. P yells behind the tapestry. H kills him. H and G discuss G’s behavior. G understands H for the first time and asks what she should do. Ghost enters and reminds H to avenge his death. G can’t see Ghost and thinks H is hallucinating. H tells G not to sleep with C or tell C that H has been faking madness. C knows he’s going to England.

4 4 H meets Captain of Norwegian army. H is amazed at the army’s willingness to fight for nothing, when Hamlet has something to fight for but can’t. H finishes by saying that if his thoughts aren’t for revenge, then they’re meaningless.

4 1 G tells C that H killed P. Sends R&G to find the body of P from H.

4 5 O Is mad. Laertes returns and C and G say that H killed P.

4 2 R&G confront P. But H won’t tell R&G where the body is. But H will go with H to see C instead.

4 6 In a letter, H instructs Hor to give C two letters and follow the sailor who will bring Hor to H. R&G are going to England still.

4 3 R brings H to C. H tells C that P is in heaven (then reveals true location). H accepts fate to go to England. C explains that he has instructed England to kill H.

4 7 C receives H’s letter. C and L plot H’s death through fencing match. C says L needs proof that he is his father’s son.

Scene NotationScene NotationA S Summary A S Summary

5 1 H discusses with Hor and Gravedigger that we are the same in death. H sees funeral procession for O. H confronts L. C reminds L of plot.

5 2 H tells Hor about “war in brains.” Positives in being rash. H learned about plot of his death by C. Orders R&G’s death through letter. Osric tells H that C has made a wager that L can kill H in no more than 3 hits in 12 rounds. H accepts (rashly). H and L fight. G drinks poison. L hits H with poison sword. L and H switch swords and H hits L with poison sword. H hits C and makes him drink the poison as well. Fortinbras says H should be honored in his death.

Scene NotationScene Notation

In your pairs:Complete STEP 1 in the yellow

packet. Be sure to focus only on your

character.

In your pairs:Complete STEP 1 in the yellow

packet. Be sure to focus only on your

character.

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions 1. What was your first

reaction to your character? What led you to this? Hamlet was wronged, and

everyone that seemed to be important didn’t seem to care. He is somber and confused. He talks about what he can do, but only seems to enjoy the words because he does nothing.

1. What was your first reaction to your character? What led you to this? Hamlet was wronged, and

everyone that seemed to be important didn’t seem to care. He is somber and confused. He talks about what he can do, but only seems to enjoy the words because he does nothing.

2. Go back to the scenes from Step 1. What information did you learn about your character in those scenes? Throughout the play,

Hamlet seems to find a reason to delay action. First, it was because he wanted to die instead. Then he wanted proof. Once he had proof, he couldn’t kill Claudius because he was praying. Then he allowed himself to be sent to England. But oddly, he quickly accepted the duel.

2. Go back to the scenes from Step 1. What information did you learn about your character in those scenes? Throughout the play,

Hamlet seems to find a reason to delay action. First, it was because he wanted to die instead. Then he wanted proof. Once he had proof, he couldn’t kill Claudius because he was praying. Then he allowed himself to be sent to England. But oddly, he quickly accepted the duel.

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions

3. How did the character affect Hamlet? How was the character affected by Hamlet?

N/A

3. How did the character affect Hamlet? How was the character affected by Hamlet?

N/A

4. What is the character’s strongest personal quality? Provide evidence from the text. His ability to reflect (1.2 “O,

that this too, too sullied flesh”; 2.3 “To be or not to be”; 3.2 mirror; 5.1 Yorick)

Control of language (2.2 Banter with P; 3.2 Nunnery and Music

Inaction (see #2) Playing mad (2.1 with Ophelia;

2.2 with Polonius; maybe 2.3 with O)

4. What is the character’s strongest personal quality? Provide evidence from the text. His ability to reflect (1.2 “O,

that this too, too sullied flesh”; 2.3 “To be or not to be”; 3.2 mirror; 5.1 Yorick)

Control of language (2.2 Banter with P; 3.2 Nunnery and Music

Inaction (see #2) Playing mad (2.1 with Ophelia;

2.2 with Polonius; maybe 2.3 with O)

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions

5. What happens to your character in Act V? Hamlet discussed death

with the Gravedigger. He finds out about Ophelia’s death and confronts Laertes. Then he accepts the challenge to duel.

Hamlet kills Laertes by accident, Claudius on purpose, and then dies by Laertes’s sword. He is honored at the end, though.

5. What happens to your character in Act V? Hamlet discussed death

with the Gravedigger. He finds out about Ophelia’s death and confronts Laertes. Then he accepts the challenge to duel.

Hamlet kills Laertes by accident, Claudius on purpose, and then dies by Laertes’s sword. He is honored at the end, though.

6. In the course of the play, did your character change? How? Hamlet consistently chose

not to act. In acts 3 and 4, he made some indirect actions (Mousetrap and letters).

In act 5 he finally acts, but he doesn’t do what he originally set out to do--avenge his father’s death.

6. In the course of the play, did your character change? How? Hamlet consistently chose

not to act. In acts 3 and 4, he made some indirect actions (Mousetrap and letters).

In act 5 he finally acts, but he doesn’t do what he originally set out to do--avenge his father’s death.

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions

In Pairs:Please complete STEP 2--the GuidingQuestions--in your yellow packet.

In Pairs:Please complete STEP 2--the GuidingQuestions--in your yellow packet.

Focused PrewritingFocused Prewriting

Prompt: In a well-crafted essay, explain the purpose of your character in

Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In other words, what argument is Shakespeare making through your character?

Be sure to include a description of your character, an analysis of the discrepancy between your character’s literal text and the latent subtext, a discussion about the character’s growth throughout the play, and a comparison of your character to Hamlet

Prompt: In a well-crafted essay, explain the purpose of your character in

Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In other words, what argument is Shakespeare making through your character?

Be sure to include a description of your character, an analysis of the discrepancy between your character’s literal text and the latent subtext, a discussion about the character’s growth throughout the play, and a comparison of your character to Hamlet

enigmatic inactioncontemplative

Inaction: To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and seasoned for his passage? /No. Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.

Focused PrewritingFocused Prewriting

In Pairs:Please complete STEP 3--the

FocusedPrewriting bubbles.

In Pairs:Please complete STEP 3--the

FocusedPrewriting bubbles.

Focused PrewritingFocused PrewritingIn William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, arguably Shakespeare’s

most complex play, Prince Hamlet, the enigmatic and contemplative son of King Hamlet is the melancholy protagonist of the play. He quickly learns that King Hamlet was, in fact, murdered by his very own brother, Claudius, who not only takes the throne but also takes his wife, Gertrude. As a promise to the Ghost of his dead father, Hamlet promises to avenge his father’s death and leave his mother to the gods. Pending thesis statement: Through Prince Hamlet, Shakespeare asserts that…

While Prince Hamlet is mysterious and lugubrious, his most prominent characteristic is that he is plagued by inaction. Hamlet’s motive is explicit: by decree of his father’s Ghost, Hamlet is to avenge his father. During Hamlet’s encounter with his father, Hamlet, in disbelief, accepts the Ghost’s command saying, “Yea, from the table of my memory / I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, / All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past / That youth and observation copied there, / And thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the book and volume of my brain, / Unmixed with baser matter” (1.5.96-104). Without hesitation, Hamlet accepts his order. Not only is this command Hamlet’s priority, he vows to make it his only goal. He draws a metaphor between his brain and a volume of books, suggesting that he will erase any other thought or objective. (Perhaps that in itself is one of Hamlet’s flaws)

Yet with such clear objectives, Hamlet does not follow through.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, arguably Shakespeare’s most complex play, Prince Hamlet, the enigmatic and contemplative son of King Hamlet is the melancholy protagonist of the play. He quickly learns that King Hamlet was, in fact, murdered by his very own brother, Claudius, who not only takes the throne but also takes his wife, Gertrude. As a promise to the Ghost of his dead father, Hamlet promises to avenge his father’s death and leave his mother to the gods. Pending thesis statement: Through Prince Hamlet, Shakespeare asserts that…

While Prince Hamlet is mysterious and lugubrious, his most prominent characteristic is that he is plagued by inaction. Hamlet’s motive is explicit: by decree of his father’s Ghost, Hamlet is to avenge his father. During Hamlet’s encounter with his father, Hamlet, in disbelief, accepts the Ghost’s command saying, “Yea, from the table of my memory / I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, / All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past / That youth and observation copied there, / And thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the book and volume of my brain, / Unmixed with baser matter” (1.5.96-104). Without hesitation, Hamlet accepts his order. Not only is this command Hamlet’s priority, he vows to make it his only goal. He draws a metaphor between his brain and a volume of books, suggesting that he will erase any other thought or objective. (Perhaps that in itself is one of Hamlet’s flaws)

Yet with such clear objectives, Hamlet does not follow through.

OutlineOutline

Thesis: PendingBody:

Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Text vs. SubtextGrowthComparison to (Hamlet)

Conclusion

Thesis: PendingBody:

Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Text vs. SubtextGrowthComparison to (Hamlet)

Conclusion

OutlineOutline

Thesis: PendingBody:

Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Get thee to a nunnery.Hamlet moves from inaction to indirect

action to action.Hamlet and Laertes are foils: where Hamlet

cannot act, Laertes does so rashly.

Conclusion

Thesis: PendingBody:

Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Get thee to a nunnery.Hamlet moves from inaction to indirect

action to action.Hamlet and Laertes are foils: where Hamlet

cannot act, Laertes does so rashly.

Conclusion

OutlineOutlineThesis: Through Prince Hamlet, Shakespeare

asserts that both immoral action and inaction have similar consequences, suggesting that inaction is just as bad as immoral action if not worse.

Body:Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Get thee to a nunnery.Hamlet moves from inaction to indirect action to action.Hamlet and Laertes are foils: where Hamlet cannot act,

Laertes does so rashly.Conclusion: Connect to Nazi Germany?

Thesis: Through Prince Hamlet, Shakespeare asserts that both immoral action and inaction have similar consequences, suggesting that inaction is just as bad as immoral action if not worse.

Body:Hamlet is plagued by inaction.Get thee to a nunnery.Hamlet moves from inaction to indirect action to action.Hamlet and Laertes are foils: where Hamlet cannot act,

Laertes does so rashly.Conclusion: Connect to Nazi Germany?

For HomeworkFor Homework

Please type a detailed outline that includes your claims and suggestions for evidence as well as your thesis statement.

Also, complete the introductory paragraph that describes your character.

Please type a detailed outline that includes your claims and suggestions for evidence as well as your thesis statement.

Also, complete the introductory paragraph that describes your character.

Scene Work TimeScene Work Time

Please use the rubrics and the class feedback to improve your scenes.

Please use the rubrics and the class feedback to improve your scenes.