1. Hamlet essay topics, etc. English 12 Choosing a Topic Essay Outlining notes

2. Essay Topics - Hamlet despised and feared women, as evidenced by his relationships with his mother as well as Ophelia - Hamlet offers a definitive view of the nature of man through his soliloquies - Hamlet is a spoiled, whiny Prince who gets what he deserves - Hamlet is a tragic hero (What is his tragic flaw?) - The influence of the Catholic Church on Shakespeare’s Hamlet - Madness – Examine Hamlet’s feigned madness and Ophelia’s sincere madness - Madness – Hamlet thought he was pretending, but he was truly mad - Another topic – see me to discuss

3. How about “The Play’s The Thing” Shakespeare is the most significant writer of plays in the English language, and Hamlet is his most important play. In his “play within a play”, Shakespeare is able to create a cunning plan to illustrate Claudius’ guilt, a moment fraught with tension and intrigue for his audience, a platform from which to comment on the nature of acting and a visually intriguing re-enactment of the death of Hamlet’s father. Hamlet re-Christens The Murder of Gonzago as The Mousetrap, and the play within the play becomes a pivotal moment in this seminal work of drama.

4. “The Play’s the Thing” paper…support 1. Hamlet meets the players and is convinced of their talent. “Can you play The Murder of Gonzago?” (II, ii, 547-548) 2. Hamlet makes arrangements for a scene to be added to the play. “You could, for a need, study a speech of some dozen lines, which I would set down and insert it, could you not?” (II, ii, 550-552) With this plan hatched, he utters those famous lines: “The play’s the thing/wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King. (II, ii, 616-617)

5. More support… 3. One of the lines of the play The Murder of Gonzago relates closely to Gertrude’s circumstances. The Player Queen tells her first husband that she loves him too much to ever re-marry: “Both here and hence pursue me lasting strife/ If, once a widow, ever I be a wife.” (III, ii, 219-220) This makes Gertrude uncomfortable, and when asked her opinion of the performance, she utters one of her most famous lines: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” (III, ii, 227)

6. More support 4. After the stage direction where the character of Lucianus “pours poison in the sleeper’s ears”, Ophelia notes that “The King rises.” (III, ii, 261) At that point, Hamlet has the proof he needs that Claudius in fact murdered his father. 5. This moment is fraught with tension, as the players are interrupted and the King and his entire court abruptly leave the performance. The King now suspects that Hamlet knows his secret, and he will now look for ways to rid Denmark of its Prince.

7. More Support 6. Hamlet gives a great deal of advice to the actors at the beginning of Act III, Scene ii. It is clear that this is advice that Shakespeare would like to deliver directly to the performers of his own works. He reminds them to: “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” (III, ii, 1-2) He also reminds the actors to emote, but not to overact.

8. Conclusion The “play within a play” is a pivotal moment in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Not only is it the moment where Hamlet is able to “catch the conscience” of the King and gather proof of his father’s murder, but it is also a moment filled with dramatic irony and fraught with tension. It includes some of Shakespeare’s own directions to actors about how to portray his works on stage. Due to its many layers of meaning and its compelling action, this is an unforgettable moment in Hamlet.

9. Today’s Assignment - Choose a topic - Begin an initial search for quotations to support your topic (find at least four) - Fill-out the outline form (Complete for next class) - Coming soon: Writing the Introduction and Incorporating Quotations