Quiz over Acts 1-3 was today in class: PLEASE MAKE UP ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE SCHOOL IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

Quiz over Acts 4-5 will be on Thursday, not on Wednesday as announced yesterday

Assignment due on Friday:

Hamlet Scene Analysis (40 assessment points)

What: 

An essay in which you show how a particular section of a scene is significant in terms of theme, imagery (especially motifs), characterization and/or character development, or other relevant aspects. Be alert for connections to patterns you’ve seen elsewhere in the play, but the focus of this paper is only the scene you are analyzing. Incorporate the essential plot function into the initial set-up; do not “analyze” it.   

How to approach it: 

Study the scene carefully, noting the elements mentioned above. Decide for each one how the use of those aspects in the scene helps to enrich our overall experience with the play.  Do not write an introductory paragraph; instead, write the clearest thesis sentence you can that will capture both the significance and the order in which the elements will be discussed in the paper.  Discuss them, using ample textual evidence.  Then have a clincher sentence.

Documentation:

Establish act and scene in your opening sentence.  Then you will need only line numbers in parentheses after quotations.  Be selective and concise; quote only the parts you need the most.

Objectives:

1) To show your ability to do a close-reading analysis as well as to demonstrate your overall understanding of the play.

2) To pack as much evidence as you can into a short paper by making every word and phrase count.  Get rid of all possible “dead-wood” in your writing, and use sentence-combining techniques to maximize what you say.

3) Aim for both coverage and insight.  Incorporate quotations briefly and efficiently; do not bog down in laborious copying.

Scenes to choose from:

Act 3, Scene 4, from Ghost’s exit to the very end

Act 4, Scene 7 

Act 5, Scene 2 to the stage direction “Entrance of a Lord” at about 208

Length:  500-600 words    [Use single-spaced homework heading; double-space paper]

Due:  In class on Friday, March 27 And on turnitin.com no later than the END of the school day. Friday night submissions are not very effective . . . let’s call 3:00 p.m. the “end of the school day.”