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Hammy questions (expect something really wack and be super prepared)

2008 - Using the extract below as a starting point, analyse the ways in which a comparative study of Hamlet
and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead invites reflections on the control that individuals have in
society.
In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed texts.

2009 - Through its portrayal of human experience, Shakespeares Hamlet reinforces the significance of
loyalty.
To what extent does your interpretation of Hamlet support this view?
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

2010 - Shakespeares Hamlet continues to engage audiences through its dramatic treatment of struggle
and disillusionment.
In the light of your critical study, does this statement resonate with your own interpretation of Hamlet?
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

2011 - FORTINBRAS Let four captains Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage, 375 For he was likely, had he
been put on, To have proved most royal; and for his passage, The soldiers music and the rite of war Speak
loudly for him. Take up the bodies. Such a sight as this Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss. Go
bid the soldiers shoot. Exeunt marching, after the which a peal of ordnance are shot off.
From Hamlet, William Shakespeare William Shakespeare and Philip Edwards, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,
2nd Edition, 2003. Reproduced with permission of Cambridge University Press.
In the context of your critical study, to what extent does your response to the closing scenes of Hamlet
inform your judgement of this play as a whole? In your response, make detailed reference to Hamlet.

2012 - An inherent tension between confrontation and resolution is revealed through characterisation in
Shakespeares Hamlet.
To what extent does your interpretation of Hamlet align with this view?

2013 - Explore how time and place are used in Shakespeares Hamlet to shape the audiences
understanding of corruption.
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

Trials
Write a series of three or four reflections that demonstrate how your response to Hamlet changed and
developed during the process of your critical study. Base your reflections on detailed reference to the text.

A text of timeless appeal is marked by effective construction of minor characters to support its main ideas.
To what extent do you think Shakespeare has manipulated his minor characters effectively?
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

A text has value if it creates opportunities for differing opinions, while maintaining its core values.
Explore with Hammy

Changing relationships between characters is a central element in establishing the meaning of a text.
Explore the development of TWO key relationships and explore their significance to the meaning of the text
as a whole.

How has your analysis of Hammy developed your appreciation of its reception and value?

He is the epical hero fighting overwhelming odds with his back to the wall. (J. Dover Wilson, 1935)
To what extent is this an accurate description of Hamlet?

Choose a critical moment in the text you have studied and examine the central role it plays in the text as a
whole.

Choose an important moment in the text you have studied and examine how effectively it integrates
significant elements of the text.
Refer closely to the text you have studied.

A valuable text has something to say and says it well.


How valid is this claim, considering the different contexts in which a text can be received?
In your answer, compare your personal evaluation of Hamlet with one other perspective on the play.

The ongoing relevance of Shakespeares Hamlet is built upon the ability of audiences to see glimpses of
themselves in the world he constructs.
Evaluate this statement considering your personal response to Hamlet within the module as a whole.
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

In his representations of human nature, Shakespeares play Hamlet reinforces the ongoing importance of
relationships.

A text of timeless appeal is marked by effective construction of characters to support its ideas. Discuss
with Hammy

It has been suggested that a key aspect of Hamlets enduring relevance to audiences is the plays
examination of human flaws.
To what extent does your personal understanding concur with this view?
In your response you should critically analyse and evaluate the techniques, themes and structure of the play.

Through a critical analysis and evaluation of techniques, themes and structure Hamlet discuss your
informed personal understanding of the play.

The significance of the text lies in its enduring power to move readers in different ways.
explore how this is true of Ham.

Hamlet is a valued text because it explores challenging audiences to see the good and bad in humanity.
Discuss

Evaluate the play Hamlet as an effective vehicle for ideas.

A play must be rich in textual integrity to be effective in conveying important ideas. Evaluate in a personal
response

To what extent is your personal response to Shakespeares exploration of conflict in Hamlet shaped by the
composers use of dramatic techniques?

Revenge
Hamlet continues to resonate with generations across the ages because it represents the moral dilemma of
revenge.
Do you agree?

Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.and lose the name of action
To what extent does this extract from Hams soliloquy express the concerns of the play?

What takes Hamlet beyond the ordinary is its confronting notion of vengeance.
To what extent is this your view of Hamlet?
In your response, make detailed reference to the play.

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