Character map 2. Introduction 3. Tips for writing essays 17

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1 Contents Character map 2 Introduction 3 Tips for writing essays 17 Essay 1: Shakespeare uses striking imagery to underpin his characterisations. How significant are the images of disease and corruption in Hamlet? 19 Essay 2: Hamlet swears to the ghost of his father that thy commandment all alone shall live/within the book and volume of my brain. How successful is Hamlet in keeping this promise? 23 Essay 3: In considering whether to take revenge against Claudius, Hamlet struggles not only with his morals, but also with his attitude towards life. Discuss. 27 Essay 4: Hamlet reminds us that we must accept the inevitability of death. Is this a valid view of the play? 31 Essay 5: This bodes some strange eruption in our state. The characters flawed values reflect Shakespeare s view on how societies descend into corruption. Discuss. 35 Essay 6: The purpose of playing is to hold the mirror up to nature. Does Hamlet support its protagonist s view? 39 Essay 7: Hamlet illustrates the difficulty of taking decisive action. Do you agree? 43 Essay 8: Hamlet s thoughtful mind and sensitive conscience cause him to suffer greatly, but he makes too many others suffer for us to sympathise with him to any great degree. Discuss. 47 Essay 9: Hamlet knows that he is prompted to seek revenge by heaven and hell. Why does he delay in seeking it? 51 Essay 10: Though this be madness, yet there is method in t. What purpose does Hamlet s madness serve? 55 Practice topics 59

2 Sample essays on texts Character map poor advice Claudius King of Denmark, after murdering brother, Old Hamlet. Hopes to keep crime secret but distrusts nephew, Hamlet. Killed by Hamlet. brother; murders for throne Old Hamlet Recently dead king returns as ghost to demand his son take revenge on Claudius. Polonius Not-so-wise chief counsellor to Claudius. Domineering father of Ophelia and Laertes. Killed in error by Hamlet. newly married kills father (ghost); urges Hamlet to seek revenge kills in error controlling father Gertrude Hamlet s mother, now wife of Claudius. Unaware of murder but accepts guilt for incestuous remarriage, dies attempting to protect son. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Hamlet s treacherous student friends sent to spy on him by Claudius. Die in Hamlet s place after he substitutes their names in diplomatic letters. harbinger of death disapproves of new marriage mother/son; loves betray Hamlet discovers plot; kills them Hamlet Scholarly prince, forced to take on role of revenger. Disgusted by mother, feels betrayed by Ophelia. Uses Play at court to confirm ghost s story and reveal crime of Claudius. Dies in final duel. close friends Horatio Hamlet s closest student friend, trustworthy, calm observer. Survives to tell Hamlet s story. loves but rejects perform play; Claudius gives himself away loves kill each other in final duel father/ son Ophelia Loves Hamlet but obeys father. Goes mad after Hamlet s cruelty and father s murder. Drowns herself. brother; spies on Ophelia for father Laertes Young courtier, good swordsman. Becomes revenger plotting with Claudius after his father s murder. Dies in final duel. names him as heir to throne Gravedigger Makes Ophelia s grave, shows Hamlet Yorick s skull. Has grim realistic sense of humour. Players Actors who come to play at court, allowing Hamlet to write scene that proves Claudius is the murderer. Fortinbras Warlike prince of Norway. Hamlet names him next King of Denmark. 2 Insight Publications 2009

3 Introduction William Shakespeare ( ) is considered the greatest English playwright. He wrote and produced a large number of plays, ranging from comedies to histories and tragedies. Hamlet was written in 1601 during a phase of other profound tragedies, such as Othello (1604) and Macbeth (1606). Shakespeare is appreciated for the ways in which he beautifully and poignantly expresses the dilemmas at the core of human existence. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a play to be performed, not read. The text is littered with references to acting ; ample evidence within the play also highlights that acting can operate as both an overt and a covert activity. It is also important to appreciate that the version of Hamlet you are studying is actually a compilation of the three extant versions of the play: the variation that exists amongst the numerous publications available today is a consequence of the editorial licence that has been exercised. Hamlet is an unusually rich text, a product of the complex psychological profile of its protagonist and its intricately interwoven themes of ambition and power, revenge, murder and treason, illicit and unfulfilled love, madness, religion and the supernatural. Political intrigue and the quest for self-aggrandisement govern the thoughts and consequently the actions of several characters, especially Hamlet, Claudius and Polonius. Brief synopsis Prince Hamlet, heir to the throne of Denmark, appears to have been usurped by his uncle Claudius, the ruthless and conniving interloper, who is keen to consolidate his position by expunging Hamlet from Denmark s political landscape. When Hamlet discovers that Claudius has taken the throne by murdering his father, the previous king, he vows to take revenge on Claudius. In order to prevent his plan from being detected, Hamlet pretends to or possibly really does become mad, alienating many of his close friends and putting his life at risk in the process. He rejects his lover, Ophelia, sending her mad; he also kills her father, Polonius, whom he mistakenly identifies as Claudius. After Hamlet confronts his mother about the morality of her marriage to Claudius, the following events occur in quick succession: Insight Publications

4 Tips For Writing Essays If you follow these simple tips, you ll be assured of an extra mark or two! 10 Do s Know the text really well and answer the question properly. Write a plan. Structure your essay using an introduction, several body paragraphs and a conclusion. Use paragraphs with clear topic sentences to mark the progression of your argument. Remember new paragraph = new point. A good example of a clear topic sentence is: The consequences of racial prejudice are explored in Othello. Use correct spelling and ensure you always spell book titles, characters names or authors names correctly; for example, Eli Wiesel s Night. Put direct quotations in inverted commas; for example: Othello defends Desdemona s loyalty to Brabantio, swearing my life upon her faith. Display your knowledge of the text by selecting relevant references to support your views. For example, if you choose to focus on the moments of Eli s life that shaped his personality in Night, you might analyse the scene featuring the death of his father. Work out your own point of view on key elements such as characters, narrators, plot, etc. Keep to topic. Acknowledge the difference between genres; for example, film, play. For example, when discussing a film, refer to shots, images, scenes, etc. When discussing a play, acknowledge the performance aspects, such as stage directions, the playwright s instructions for the setting, etc. Insight Publications

5 ESSAY 1 Shakespeare uses striking imagery to underpin his characterisations. How significant are the images of disease and corruption in Hamlet? Images of disease, infection and poison abound in Hamlet and are connected with language invoking rot and decay, as well as cure and its opposite, death. The use of these metaphors serves several purposes: to aid the audience s understanding of the action, to reflect broader issues in the play and, importantly, to underpin the characterisations. The images point to the sins, or perceived sins, of the characters, the corruption pervading the political world of Elsinore and, even more broadly, to the imperfect nature of the world we all must live in. Characters in Hamlet often describe other people as diseased, referring, for example, to blisters, cankers and ulcers. When criticising his mother for marrying Claudius soon after his father s death, Hamlet likens the stain of sin on her soul to an ulcerous place, where rank corruption infects unseen. The use of such powerful, even visceral language indicates Hamlet s strong feelings about his mother s behaviour and provokes disgust in the audience, who may then be more likely to share Hamlet s point of view. Alternatively, the audience may turn against Hamlet, seeing such harsh language as wildly out of proportion to Gertrude s supposed sin of disrespecting her dead husband s memory. Hamlet himself is perceived by Claudius to have the same effect as a disease: like the hectic in my blood he rages. Here, the use of such an image has a different function: it shows the audience that Hamlet is pricking Claudius guilty conscience, confirming that Claudius is indeed responsible for the murder of the previous King. The murder of King Hamlet, as well as being an integral part of the action, is overtly linked to the other images of sickness in the play through the use of poison. The ghost describes the poison used to The introduction opens well, directly addressing the topic. The use of language devices is explained, showing the writer s extensive knowledge of writing techniques. The main contention is stated, rounding off the introduction and linking to the first paragraph. The question is immediately addressed in the topic sentence with direct reference to the play. Examples follow to demonstrate how the imagery underpins Shakespeare s characterisations. Concluding sentence rounds off the main point made in the paragraph and links nicely to the next paragraph with the repeated reference to the murder of King Hamlet. Topic sentence extends the main discussion to the play s action. Further examples of disease and corruption follow. Insight Publications