A.P. English
April 2007

 

Select one of the following topics to consider in a thorough essay of  2000-2500 words.

Include a clear, logical thesis, textual support, and literary criticism.

This essay is due by May 11.


Aristotle said that consistency and probability are the two most important elements in the drama.  Does Shakespeare, in creating the characters in Hamlet, follow or ignore this idea?  You may consider both major and minor characters.

Write an essay on the function of the soliloquies in the play.

Discuss the function of a particular motif, such as Shakespeare's use of the military or theatrical.

Discuss Shakespeare's use of figures from nature (weeds, worms, et al.) or of sickness, rot and contagion.

Examine how Shakespeare makes use of classical allusions as characterization and thematic development?

Discuss Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real?

Conflict is essential to drama. Show that Hamlet presents both an outward and inward conflict.

Compare Laertes with Hamlet: both react to their fathers' killing/murder. Is the reaction of either right or wrong?

Compare and contrast the characters of Hamlet and Horatio. How alike or dislike are they and why?

Hamlet remarks, "His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy." Explain Hamlet's motivation behind this comment and examine how true his remark is.

How important is the Ghost in the triangular relationship of Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius?

Although Hamlet ultimately rejects it at the end of the play, suicide is an ever-present solution to the problems in the drama. Discuss the play's suggestion of suicide and imagery of death, with particular attention to Hamlet's two important statements about suicide: the "O that this too, too solid flesh would melt" soliloquy and the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy.

Select one of Hamlet soliloquies and by a detailed attention to the poetry discuss the nature of Hamlet's feelings as they reveal themselves in this speech. What insights might this speech provide into the prince's elusive character?

Select a particular scene in and discuss its importance in the play. How does this particular part of the action contribute significantly to our response to what is going on? What might be missing if a director decided to cut this scene (e.g., Claudius at prayer, the scene between Polonius and Reynaldo, the gravedigger scene)

Discuss Hamlet's treatment of and ideas about women. How might these help to clarify some of the interpretative issues of the play? You might want to consider carefully the way he talks about sexuality.

Discuss the importance of appearance and reality in Hamlet.

Reveal the philosophy of Hamlet by his affectionate love to theater.

Is something rotten in the state of Denmark? If so, what precisely is it? Is anyone in particular responsible or is the rottenness simply a condition of life?

Consider Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's role in the play. Why might Shakespeare have created characters like this? Are they there for comic relief, or do they serve a more serious purpose?  Why does the news of their deaths come only after the deaths of the royal family in Act V, as if this news were not anticlimactic? Is it acceptable for Hamlet to treat them as he does? Why or why not?

Analyze the use of descriptions and images in Hamlet. How does Shakespeare use descriptive language to enhance the visual possibilities of a stage production? How does he use imagery to
create a mood of tension, suspense, fear, and despair?

Analyze the use of comedy in Hamlet, paying particular attention to the gravediggers, Osric, and Polonius. Does comedy serve merely to relieve the tension of the tragedy, or do the comic scenes serve a more serious thematic purpose as well?