1. English 12 – March 13
No journal 

2. Today’s objective/goal/what I want YOU to learn
Identify the key lines of a specific passage in Act 2, Scene 2
At minimum have a basic understanding of the events in Act 2, Scene 2
Consider the liberties directors and actors take when acting out Hamlet
To understand the 7 main plot points in Act 2

3. Today’s Agenda Announcements: Agenda: Due: Homework:
Turn in level 5 revisions ASAP.
Agenda:
Act 2, Scene 2 – discuss it
Watch Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy
Due:
Hamlet Log 2.2 was due last night
Homework:
Study for the Act 2 quiz (study questions are online)

4. Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy Find a partner, and discuss…
It is obvious to the audience or reader that Hamlet is alone onstage. What else, then, could he mean when he begins, “Now I am alone”?
Why is the Prince calling himself a “rogue” and a “peasant slave”?
Hamlet compares himself to the player. What does this comparison reveal about Hamlet’s self- perception?
Throughout Hamlet, much violence is done to ears. How does Hamlet’s “cleave the general ear” relate to other “ear” references? Shakespeare uses the word ear twenty-seven times in this play. Do any of these resonate with you?
Hamlet uses a lot of theatrical terminology in his speech. Find some examples (“cue,” “stage,” “play”). Why might Hamlet be thinking in theatrical terms?
Find lines or phrases that explain why Hamlet thinks himself a coward. Do you think he is a coward, or is he acting cautiously by looking for external evidence to prove Claudius’s guilt?

5. Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy 2.2.559(ish)-end of 2.2
Do you have any other questions that remain unanswered?

6. Main events: Act 2, Scene 2
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were hired by Claudius and Gertrude to spy on Hamlet
Voltemand and Cornelius bring the news that Norway will not attack
Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet is crazy because of Ophelia’s unrequited love (remember 2.1)
Hamlet attacks Polonius (fish monger)
Hamlet attacks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when he realizes that they have betrayed him and are spies
An acting troop has been brought to the castle (What’s Hecuba?)
Hamlet requests “The Murder of Gonzago”

7. Act 2, Scene 2 Closure What themes were present in Act 2, Scene 2?
Examples?
Who can Hamlet trust? How do you know?
Is Hamlet mad or is he acting?

8. Viewing Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy
On a piece of paper that you can turn, in make a chart like the following:
Film Version
Setting
Tone
Actor’s Speaking (stress, inflection, pauses)

9. Viewing Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy
Based on your notes, discuss with a partner:
What does a visual element add to our understanding of the speech?
Does it help to see an actor deliver the soliloquy? How?
How does the setting affect your understanding of the soliloquy?
What do the tonal elements add?
How does being able to hear the words add to your understanding?
How does the actor’s use of stress, inflection, and pauses affect your understanding of the soliloquy?

10. Works Cited
"soliloquy." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 13 Mar <Dictionary.com

11. http://shakespeare.about.com/od/authorshipdebate/ a/authorship.htm