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Hamlet: After Act 1 and 2(English 30)
Major Response (30-1)”I know not seems.” In I, ii, 76, Hamlet claims that his grief is real, not just a show. Make a chart of all the occasions in Act 1 and 2 when there is a difference between the way a character seems to be and the way he or she really is. Create…
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Hamlet: Getting Started
“We all sympathize with Hamlet, and that is understandable, because almost every one of us recognizes in the prince our own characteristics.” – Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) Russian novelist and playwright. Hamlet raises many questions that you may recognize from your own life. Thinking about some of these issues will make your experience of the play…
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Honour and Certainty?
Hint: consider the focus questions for this course. 30-1 “Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honour’s at the stake.” (Act 4 Scene 4, from Hamlet’s “How all occasions do inform against me” soliloquy) Discuss the ideas developed by William Shakespeare in…
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Hamlet: Final Response
Choose a focus for your final response to Hamlet. Synthesize alternative points of view, (include links to sources: your posts, STJ blogs, etc.). Review your responses throughout our study: Thaw, resolve, adieu… Hamlet Getting Started 2 Is Polonius a Good Father? Hamlet: Before Act 1 and 2 Why read literature? Writing tips: Outcome-Illustrating Verbs Voice…
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Hamlet Getting Started 2
Recall: “refer to your responses to these questions and keep track of any changes in your opinions, or any surprises you find.” Revisit your initial response to Hamlet: Getting Started. Include specific examples from the text to justify opinions you are forming; develop, rebuke, or refute your initial impressions. Synthesize ideas from outside the text…
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Is Polonius a Good Father?
Write about whether or not you think Polonius is a good father. In your post, explain which of his actions were right and which were wrong. Create your own description of a good father. Write a letter to Polonius offering him advice about ways in which he could become a better parent. Trackback, svp.
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Hamlet: Act 1 and 2(English 30)
How do isolation and loneliness affect how we perceive ourselves? Is Horatio a nihilist? A Christian existentialist? Something else? Does he reveal his “imperatives“? How does he respond when evidence challenges his “imperatives”? Consider “Postulates 1-4.” How do characters respond when evidence clearly contradicts their ideals? While viewing/reading/blogging, keep the usual “Cornell” notes with pen…
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After Act 5 (English 30)
Respond to one of the following: Do you think Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deserved to be put to death? What alternatives might Hamlet have taken? Examine Hamlet’s reasoning and consider whether you think Hamlet was seeking justice or revenge? Why does Horatio tell Hamlet he will lose the contest? Why is Horatio correct? Throughout most of…
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I wish to dwell on Ophelia (Eng. 30)
Many scholars discuss the significance of Ophelia only as far as she impacts the development of the character of Hamlet. I hate that. Ophelia is far more important than the 5 scenes in which she appears. The tragedy of Ophelia deserves more considered attention. Write about the life and death of Ophelia. Write about the…