Here are some themes to consider as you read Hamlet, as well as the fishbowl discussion questions we used in class Monday.
Hamlet Act I – Fishbowl
General Themes to consider: - Deception - Madness - Passion v. Reason (yes!) - Morality - Free Will
Scene II
- How do you think the audience is supposed to respond to Claudius’ initial speech? - What are your first impressions of Hamlet? - How are Claudius and Gertrude trying to advise Hamlet, and what do you make of this? - What are the main concerns of Hamlet’s soliloquy? What are the most significant lines? What greater meaning might we draw there?
Scene III
- What are your impressions of Ophelia from this scene? What about Polonius? - How are we meant to view the advice given to Ophelia from both Laertes and Polonius? What about the advice given to Laertes from his father? - Are there any interesting reflections on Hamlet from this scene?
Scene IV & V
- How do Hamlet’s comments in this scene (IV) develop Claudius’ character for the audience? - What do you make of Horatio’s worried statements at the end of scene IV? - What comments from the Ghost seem in keeping with how others have spoken of him? What comments seem out of step with his reputation? - How would you characterize Hamlet’s reaction?
On Monday in class, we discussed the questions at the bottom of this post.
Hamlet Act II, Scene II
Here are some sweet quotations to think about…
1. KING: …Something you have heard Of Hamlet’s transformation – so call it, Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man Resembles that what it was. What it should be, More than his father’s death, that thus hath put him So much from the understanding of himself, I cannot dream of. I entreat you both That, being of so young days brought up with him And sith so neigbour’d to his youth and havior, That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court Some little time: so by your companies To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather So much as from occasion you may glean, Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus That open’d lies within our remedy. (33)
2. QUEEN: Your visitation shall receive such thanks As fits a king’s remembrance. (34)
3. POLONIUS: My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time, Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. Mad, I call it; for, to define true madness, What is’t to be nothing else but mad? (36)
4. HAMLET: You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal – except my life, except my life, except my life. (40)
5. GUILD: Which dreams indeed are ambition; for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. HAMLET: A dream itself is but a shadow. ROS: Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow’s shadow. HAMLET: Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and out-stretched heroes the beggar’s shadows. (41)
6. HAMLET: Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, deal justly with me. Come, come. Nay, speak. GUIL: What should we say, my lord? HAMLET: Why, anything, but to the purpose. You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to colour. (41)
7. HAMLET: I have of late – but wherefore I know not – lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, this eath, seems to me a sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy, the air, look you, the brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god – the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And, yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? (42)
8. HAMLET: I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw. (44)
9. FIRST PLAYER: …For lo! his sword Which was declining on the milky head Of revered Priam, seem’d i' the air to stick. So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood, And neutral to his will and matter, Did nothing. (47)
And some general questions to consider…
- Polonius coins the phrase ‘there is method in his madness,’ in this scene. So, is there method in Hamlet’s madness, or is he just off his rocker? - What do you think the significance of the Player’s speech is in this scene? How might it relate to Hamlet himself? - A lot o’ people have asked why Hamlet suddenly starts speaking in prose, instead of verse. If Shakespeare generally uses prose for characters of lower social standing – and we know Hamlet is not of lower social standing – why might he do that here? - How might Hamlet’s struggle represent mankind’s essential struggle too? That soliloquy on page 49-50 might help us out with this one.
Here are some questions about Act III that I've used in year's past. Hope they help!
- How do you think Hamlet feels about women? - Are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as slimy as Hamlet seems to believe, or are they simply being manipulated by Claudius? - Do you think Claudius is genuinely remorseful when he confesses? What do you think of Hamlet’s rationale for sparing Claudius after the play? - What is Hamlet’s purpose in going to Gertrude’s chamber? o What is the significance of Hamlet seeing the Ghost once again?
5 comments:
Here are some themes to consider as you read Hamlet, as well as the fishbowl discussion questions we used in class Monday.
Hamlet Act I – Fishbowl
General Themes to consider:
- Deception
- Madness
- Passion v. Reason (yes!)
- Morality
- Free Will
Scene II
- How do you think the audience is supposed to respond to Claudius’ initial speech?
- What are your first impressions of Hamlet?
- How are Claudius and Gertrude trying to advise Hamlet, and what do you make of this?
- What are the main concerns of Hamlet’s soliloquy? What are the most significant lines? What greater meaning might we draw there?
Scene III
- What are your impressions of Ophelia from this scene? What about Polonius?
- How are we meant to view the advice given to Ophelia from both Laertes and Polonius? What about the advice given to Laertes from his father?
- Are there any interesting reflections on Hamlet from this scene?
Scene IV & V
- How do Hamlet’s comments in this scene (IV) develop Claudius’ character for the audience?
- What do you make of Horatio’s worried statements at the end of scene IV?
- What comments from the Ghost seem in keeping with how others have spoken of him? What comments seem out of step with his reputation?
- How would you characterize Hamlet’s reaction?
In class Friday, we talked about this Act and found quotations about the following:
Madness
Deception
Comic Relief
Dag, Shakespeare! You can WRITE, homey! - aka: sweet quotations.
On Monday in class, we discussed the questions at the bottom of this post.
Hamlet Act II, Scene II
Here are some sweet quotations to think about…
1. KING: …Something you have heard
Of Hamlet’s transformation – so call it,
Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that what it was. What it should be,
More than his father’s death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of. I entreat you both
That, being of so young days brought up with him
And sith so neigbour’d to his youth and havior,
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time: so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus
That open’d lies within our remedy. (33)
2. QUEEN: Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king’s remembrance. (34)
3. POLONIUS: My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.
Mad, I call it; for, to define true madness,
What is’t to be nothing else but mad? (36)
4. HAMLET: You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal – except my life, except my life, except my life. (40)
5. GUILD: Which dreams indeed are ambition; for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.
HAMLET: A dream itself is but a shadow.
ROS: Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow’s shadow.
HAMLET: Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and out-stretched heroes the beggar’s shadows. (41)
6. HAMLET: Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, deal justly with me. Come, come. Nay, speak.
GUIL: What should we say, my lord?
HAMLET: Why, anything, but to the purpose. You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to colour. (41)
7. HAMLET: I have of late – but wherefore I know not – lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, this eath, seems to me a sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy, the air, look you, the brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god – the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And, yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? (42)
8. HAMLET: I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw. (44)
9. FIRST PLAYER: …For lo! his sword
Which was declining on the milky head
Of revered Priam, seem’d i' the air to stick.
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,
And neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing. (47)
And some general questions to consider…
- Polonius coins the phrase ‘there is method in his madness,’ in this scene. So, is there method in Hamlet’s madness, or is he just off his rocker?
- What do you think the significance of the Player’s speech is in this scene? How might it relate to Hamlet himself?
- A lot o’ people have asked why Hamlet suddenly starts speaking in prose, instead of verse. If Shakespeare generally uses prose for characters of lower social standing – and we know Hamlet is not of lower social standing – why might he do that here?
- How might Hamlet’s struggle represent mankind’s essential struggle too? That soliloquy on page 49-50 might help us out with this one.
Mista T, this is sweet. Class recap is a yes please! Especially being in Africa and everything.
Here are some questions about Act III that I've used in year's past. Hope they help!
- How do you think Hamlet feels about women?
- Are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as slimy as Hamlet seems to believe, or are they simply being manipulated by Claudius?
- Do you think Claudius is genuinely remorseful when he confesses? What do you think of Hamlet’s rationale for sparing Claudius after the play?
- What is Hamlet’s purpose in going to Gertrude’s chamber?
o What is the significance of Hamlet seeing the Ghost once again?
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