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Hamlet Theme Dialectical Journal

The “dialectic” was the method Socrates used to teach his students how to be actively engaged in the struggle to derive meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work. By writing about literature, readers make their own meaning about the work in order to truly understand it. When readers do this themselves, then the text belongs to them---they have made it theirs. The passages are there for everyone to read; however, the connections and interpretations are uniquely theirs.

How to Choose Quotations for Dialectical Reading Journals

Just use SQUIDS: Select a Quotation, Understand, Identify, and Describe its Significance

· Select a Quotation: Choose a quote that stands out in the text for its effect; find quotes that are significant to the theme of the work; select quotes that affect you as a reader.

· Understand: Take some time to consider the quotation’s relevance to the section of the work in which it is found and the work as a whole. Think about the sentence structure and its effect.

· Identify: Now begin writing; note the context of the quotation (where/when does it appear in the text?) and categorize its status as a literary device. Explain what is happening in and around the quote.

· Describe its Significance: Explain what makes this quote important.

While reading Hamlet, you will follow and record one theme of your choosing. This might be turned into an essay after the entire play is read. Each time a quote applies to your theme, you will record the quote in the left hand column (SQ) and analyze the quote in the right (UID).

You may choose from the following themes/motifs: Revenge, Mortality, Appearance and Reality, Corruption, Madness, or Doubt/Indecisiveness

Textual Evidence/Quote (Note Taking)SQ

Analysis (Note Making)UID

Tybalt: What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word/As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee./Have at thee, coward! (1.1.72-74).**Use slash marks to indicate line breaks in the text. Parenthetical citations, use Roman numeralsand periods. Look at the citation above 1--Act I,1--scene 1, 72-74 lines***If a quote ends with an exclamation mark or question mark, the ! or ? goes inside the quotations and a period goes after the parenthetical citation. This isNOT the case if the quote ends with a period.

This quote exemplifies the personality of the fieryTybalt. He is a fighter and enjoys instigating brawls.This quote is significant because it establishes Tybalt's feelings for the rival house of Montague. He has noregard for peace, and he hates the Montagues.Shakespeare emphasizes this feeling when Tybaltmocks Benvolio for talking of peace with his sworddrawn. Tybalt seems very likely to break the Prince'sedict of peace because he is so hot-tempered. Perhapsthis will become an important factor later in the play?

Textual Evidence/Quote (Note Taking)SQ

Analysis (Note Making)UID

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