Qualities. Wiggle room to adjust. Causes suffering destruction. Heroic/ admirable/ exceptional. Degree? Define "heroic"

Transcription

1 10. Those qualities that make a character heroic or admirable or exceptional may also cause his or her suffering or destruction. To what extent is this statement true of a character in a work you have studied in this course? Wiggle room to adjust Qualities Show the Extent: Evaluate the importance of a factor, define the degree to which it is important, compare its relative importance to other factors, show how its importance has increased or decreased. Heroic/ admirable/ exceptional Alex S Karen David Colin Ying Ting Miriam Matt D Tyler Lauren Kayleigh Define "heroic" Degree? Proof? Causes suffering destruction if less than full cause, then what else contributes to H's suffering / destruction? 1

2 In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the reader is introduced to a complex character whose qualities are often blurred together as being both admirable and destructive. Hamlet's loyalty, passion, and thoughtfulness all lead to his suffering and downfall why?how?. because The occasional exhibition of classical heroic traits works against Hamlet and leads to his destruction. His brief ventures into bravery, honour, and romance lead to his downfall. 2

3 32. Through sharp contrast, a character foil enhances certain traits of a central character. Analyse how a secondary character operates as a foil and is employed to develop theme in a work studied in this course. Analyse: Give an analysis of, identify the component factors, and show how they relate to an important element in the whole work. Traits of foil Traits of a central character Theme Proof? Andrea Milana Taylor Lucas Alli Cait Sabrina Matt T Emily Alex A 3

4 In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, there are numerous characters that experience tragedy. Theme: Foil: Laertes acts as a foil for Hamlet and their contrasts help to illustrate the theme that revenge can result in the downfall of the avenger. Their attempts at revenge and tragic character flaws lead to their demise. Hamlet is over analytical, obsessive and Laertes is rash and violent. In Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates how people can react very differently to grief and loss. Hamlet and Laertes both lose their fathers, their contrasting reactions enhance Hamlet's contemplative and indecisive nature. 4

5 19. Assess how betrayal and/or treachery develop character AND theme in a work studied in this course. # perfidy: betrayal of a trust # an act of deliberate betrayal wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn who betrays? who is treacherous? and why Claudius kills KH, conspires to kill H (R&G) & Laertes, deceives Gertrude to have & keep power and the woman he loves Hamlet kills Polonius, sets up Claudius mousetrap play Polonius spies on H Laertes poisons H, confesses to H about Claudius Ophelia H's letters and behaviour told to Polonius, + meeting Theme? revenge harms to doer as much as the victim deceit harms the doer treachery will result in chaos; treachery will lead to chaos; treachery begets more treachery which begets chaos; treachery is like a drop of dye in water it spreads and colours (taints) everything. Greed corrupts, leads to Betrayal of Claudius' brother's trust by killing K.H. demonstates how greed corrupts the person and people outside the doer. to develop which characters? revenge develops H's character how? he makes decisions about suicide, learns how to accept his fate, learns how to act (turn into traits) Claudius will murder for power/greed/woman Gertrude when she learns of C's actions, switches her allegiance to H leads to her being killed 5

6 First thoughts (typing in this colour indicates things added after I started this section) people's reactions to treachery illustrate their character treachery shows character Hamlet's reaction to the treachery around him develops some aspects of his character develops helps grow or illustrates? and allows the audience to see aspects of character? committing treachery the murder of KH illustrates aspects of Claudius' character greed, willingness to kill a relative for a woman and power for power and a woman remember 'assess' gives wiggle room to rearrange the question a little. so how much does treachery develop (and betrayal according to definition, treachery is worse than betrayal) character and theme? Shakespeare's Hamlet explores the theme that treachery begets more treachery which begets chaos; treachery is like a drop of dye in water it spreads and colours (taints) everything. As this theme is developed, so are Claudius, Hamlet, and Gertrude's characters. This theme to some extent develops Claudius, Hamlet, and Gertrude's characters. Claudius' greed, Hamlet's (stopped to look up thoughtful/deliberative definitions), and Gertrude's loyalty are all heightened (expanded / illustrated / explored?) through their connection to treachery. Exposure to treachery changes Hamlet and Gertrude, but intensifies Claudius. deliberative (adj) Synonyms: considered, premeditated, planned, calculated, thought through, purposeful, intentional Conversation with my husband caused me to reexamine my theme statement seemed to not fit prompt properly. 6

7 Assess how betrayal and/or treachery develop character AND theme in a work studied in this course. Betrayal of Claudius' brother's trust by killing K.H. demonstates how greed corrupts the greedy person and others. Treachery leads... Claudius' treachery develops the theme that greed corrupts or changes not only the person who acts on it, but also people around the act. Claudius' betrayal of his brother's trust... Claudius' greed causes him to commit... Claudius' first act of treachery shows his greed, and the treachery's discovery shows in Gertrude's change of allegiance and Hamlet's indecisive moralizing how greed changes people. Introduction Shakespeare's play Hamlet endures as a great work because the issues in it continue to resonate. The betrayal of trust in a brother's murder and how to punish it connects with people everywhere. Claudius' treachery develops the theme that greed corrupts or changes not only the person who acts on it, but also people around the act. Claudius' first act of treachery shows his greed, and the treachery's discovery shows, in Gertrude's change of allegiance and Hamlet's indecisive moralizing, how greed changes people. 7

8 Body Paras 1 The treachery of murdering a brother develops Claudius' greedy nature and demonstrates how greed changes a person. Treachery serves to intensify Claudius' greed. he covets the throne and his brother's wife quotation in III iii l 67 70, l where Claudius tries to pray he wants to pray to God for forgiveness, but cannot feel remorse for his gains: the throne and Gertrude this shows how deeply his greed goes into his nature. his first treacherous act leads to more because he wants to keep what he has coveted. His engineering of Hamlet's death at the hands of the King of England and later his plot to have Hamlet killed during a duel, either by poisoned sword or drink, further illustrate Claudius' greed. He wants so badly to hang onto the thrown and his wife that he is willing to kill her son and the rightful heir to the thrown. While treachery increases Claudius' nature, its discovery also changes Gertrude. 2 For Gertrude it is the discovery of Claudius' treachery that changes her and illustrates how greed can change those outside the actual act. Before Hamlet tells her of Claudius' murder of her husband, she loves Claudius and is loyal to him against Hamlet. quotation where she tells Hamlet to stop mourning echoing Claudius quotation after the mousetrap play where she berates Hamlet she's incensed at Hamlet's behaviour Once she learns of Claudius' treacherous act, she changes her loyalty which changes her behaviour. quotation where she vows to lie to Claudius quotation where she drinks to Hamlet during the final scene Both these demonstrate how Gertrude's loyalty shifts because of her knowledge of Claudius' greediness demonstrated by his betrayal of her brother. Not only is Gertrude affected by greed, but so is Hamlet. 3 Hamlet's nature is a thoughtful one, but Claudius' treacherously greedy nature causes Hamlet to become mired in indecision. In I ii Hamlet talks about suicide and how fickle women (his mother) seem, yet resolves to do nothing about it "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue!" (159). This shows that he is depressed and angered, yet will not act on these feelings. (his comments about Claudius, his father, and Gertrude show that while he cannot comprehend how Gertrude can love Claudius, he has no plans to disrupt their marriage. tangent?) After learning of Claudius' treachery, Hamlet's moral dilemmas consume him and he cannot act. In this way Claudius' greed has spread to contaminate Hamlet too. Hamlet deliberates for two months but does not act toward Claudius in spite of Hamlet's promise to the ghost to do so. Hamlet sees Claudius praying and could kill him then, but does not because he wants Claudius to die in the same state as King Hamlet: unshriven of sins. The passage of time and the delaying of action show that Hamlet is trapped by thinking, incapable of action. (When Hamlet does finally act at the end of the play, his actions are more because of his acceptance of fate than that he is able to think his way through to actions again. tangent? if I were marking it, would I want to see a reference to H's behaviour at the end of the play does it weaken or strengthen the thesis?) Thus Hamlet is paralyzed by thinking because of his knowledge of Claudius' greed evidenced in Claudius' betrayal of King Hamlet. 8

9 Conclusion The betrayal of trust involved in killing a king begins a sequence of events that illustrate how greed changes people. Claudius' greed is intensified, while Gertrude changes her loyalty from husband to son, and her son becomes trapped in indecision. Early in the play, Hamlet states, "Foul deeds will rise, / Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes." (I, ii, 255 6) One reason the play endures is that it teaches the lesson that perfidious acts will be found out in the end. 9