Hamlet In Class Essay Prompts 1.

. We know that Aristotle believed Oedipus Rex to be a near-perfect example of the kind of well-crafted, effective tragedy he analyzed in his Poetics. How do you think he would have assessed Hamlet? (Presupposes some study of Aristotle, of course.) 2. Aristotle says that a tragedy marks a change from ignorance to knowledge. Analyze Hamlet in terms of this idea. 3. Arthur Miller has written, "There is a misconception of tragedy...the idea that tragedy is of necessity allied to pessimism. Even the dictionary says nothing more about the word than that it means a story with a sad or unhappy ending...In truth tragedy implies more optimism in its author than does comedy, and its final result ought to be the reinforcement of the onlooker's brightest opinions of the human animal. For, if it is true to say that in essence the tragic hero is intent upon claiming his whole due as a personality, and if this struggle must be total and without reservation, then it automatically demonstrates the indestructible will of man to achieve his humanity." Discuss Hamlet in terms of this passage. 4. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin banned Hamlet as an "antiauthoritarian" play. Discuss in what ways the play threatens authority or makes statements about political freedom and human liberation. 5. Susan Li, one of my AP students a few years ago, wrote that "tragedy is the literature that shows the infinite variety of loss and of finding yourself in the losing of everything." Analyze Hamlet in these terms. 6. It has been said that in the greatest tragedies the tragic flaw is often synonymous with the heroic quality; that is, what makes the protagonist great is what also brings about his downfall. Analyze Hamlet in terms of this idea. 7. Imagine a political group has attacked the use of Hamlet in the public school curriculum as being unsuitable for "impressionable youth," particularly in its "portrayal of violence, murder, revenge, unhealthy sexuality and suicide," not to mention that it "wallows in depression." Defend and justify the play's use in the curriculum. What value does Hamlet have for today's youth? (Note: You do not have to make a case for teenagers being mature enough to handle challenging and controversial books or plays; we already agree that's true. And don't just criticize the general idea of censorship, either. And don't just offer general arguments such as, "This book is a classic and part of our literary heritage." Rather, your job is to make a case for the specific merits or Hamlet in terms of the values and lessons for the lives of high school readers.) 8. Compare and contrast Hamlet with one of the other tragic heroes we have read about this term (Oedipus Rex, Okonkwo, Willy Loman). 9. Choose a scene in Hamlet and explain the relationship between the scene and the whole play in terms of larger themes and artistic construction.

10. Match form to function, medium to message: Offer at least three specific examples of ways Shakespeare's writing (his construction of a scene, his use of language, his employment of dialogue, etc.) supports the development of the play and the themes he is trying to express. ---