As you are reading Hamlet, create descriptions of Hamlet’s characteristics, and gather quotes and examples that support this description. For example you might add the characteristic, “Melancholy,” and cite the quote, “I.iii.133-134 – ‘How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!’”
Use the text and drawing tools to create your web. You will be adding to this Characterization Collection during each act of the play, and you will download it as you prepare your Character Analysis Essay at the end of this unit.
Remember to try to read Hamlet’s character empathetically, and, if possible, try to use him as a mirror for your own experience.
Act 1:
Ac 2:
Act 3:
Act 4:
Act 5:
Act 2
Complete a 200-250 word forum post. Your post should address one of the following questions:
- What is your response to Hamlet’s character so far? Is he a noble character or a “dull and muddy-mettled rascal”? Do you believe he is meant to be a sympathetic character, or a character to be reviled? Cite specific examples and quotes in order to support your belief.
- Many different sides of Hamlet’s character have been revealed in Act 1 and 2. Which aspect of his character do you believe to be the true Hamlet? Which sides are not his genuine self? Include specific examples in order to support your belief.
Act 5
“Have at you now!” Forum
Hamlet is a play that has caused quite a bit of confrontation between literary scholars over the years. Several issues have been particularly contentious, and the purpose of this forum assignment is to delve into some of those discussions. Please remain respectful as you “have at” your fellow students in this discussion.
Complete a 200-250 word forum post. Your post should address one of the following questions:
- Was Hamlet actually “mad” or merely pretending? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your position.
- What was the nature of Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship? Did Hamlet actually love her or not? Had they been intimate or not? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
- How old is Hamlet in the play? Is he 16 or 30? If he is 16, how do you explain the conversation with the gravedigger? If he is 30, why was he not made king when his father died? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
- Would Hamlet have been a good king? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
- Was Gertrude guilty of anything at all, or is Hamlet’s rage at her misguided? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
- Did Ophelia commit suicide, or was her death a tragic accident? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
- Who is the most honourable character in Hamlet and why? Provide specific examples from the text in order to support your belief.
Act 1
For this activity, you will use a personal writing style to communicate your own connections and encounters with Act I of Hamlet using one of the prompts below.
You do not have to use formal paragraphs to convey your thinking, but try to present your thoughts in an organized and logical way. Be as personal and vulnerable as you feel safe being.
The maximum length for this personal writing assignment is 300 words.
1) Hamlet experiences intense emotions, some of which would be socially unacceptable to show outwardly. By restraining himself, is he being less than true to his own self, or is he merely behaving as he is expected to as the Prince of Denmark?
2) In what ways have you wrestled with understanding who your true self is? Are there times when you have portrayed a different person on the outside than you are feeling on the inside? Connect these personal experiences to your reading of Hamlet.
3) Hamlet says, “But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” Is his silence wise or a betrayal of his true self? Is passion something that should be expressed freely or hidden from sight?
Act 3
Consider each of the following questions, and write an answer to at least two of them in the workspace provided.
For each written response that you choose, do a 75 to 100-word quick-write.
- What do you think Hamlet’s true feelings for Ophelia are? What evidence do you have to support your belief?
- The theological position of the play is that the state of one’s soul at the moment of death will determine a person’s eternal destiny. Compare and contrast this view with your own beliefs about what happens when a person dies.
- Contrast Hamlet’s reaction to Polonius’ death to Claudius’ response to his brother’s murder. Whose response do you believe to be more appropriate or noble?
- Discuss the irony of Hamlet refusing to kill the king while he is in prayer. What does his decision reveal about Hamlet’s theological beliefs and about his desire for revenge?
- Hamlet verbally attacks Gertrude mercilessly, to the point where his father’s ghost comes back to intercede for her. Do you believe that Gertrude is innocent of wrongdoing, or do you think she is guilty of what Hamlet is accusing her of?
Act 4
Using the workspace provided, write a literary analysis for Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 4 Scene 4, lines 31-65.
Your analysis should be between 200 and 300 words. This is meant to be a short assignment which will be practice for your final literary essay.
Your analysis should contain some or all of the following components:
- A very brief summary of what Hamlet says in modern English, using your own words;
- A critical analysis of how this speech reveals Hamlet’s character;
- An examination of Hamlet’s view of “honor” in this speech;
- A consideration of whether Hamlet thinks his inaction in revenge is wisdom or cowardice.
