Hamlet Writing Assignments



General Note:

• Use present tense when writing about literature or film. This is done to convey the ongoing life of the work. The exception is if an event happens before the action of the work begins. For example, Hamlet’s father is murdered before the action of the play starts, so his murder can be referred to in past tense.

Guidelines:

• Using textual evidence (including direct quotations) from the play, you will write two formal (no first-person pronouns or contractions), one-page papers, one on Act II and another on Act IV. Only one page will be accepted. No block quotations are allowed for this assignment, which means that you cannot quote more than three full lines. As a reminder, papers should be double-spaced and written in Times New Roman 12 font.

• Omit the first-page heading, but do the page header as usual. On the first line of the paper, add the Act number, followed by a hyphen and the prompt letter. There is no space before or after the hyphen. Add a colon and then a creative subtitle. There is no space after the prompt letter. I’ve included an example on the back of this page.

You have the following choices for prompts:

Act II:

A: Describe how Claudius’s intent in spying on Hamlet compares with Polonius’s intent in learning about Laertes’ activities.

B: An annoyed Gertrude tells Polonius, “More matter, with less art.” What does this exchange convey about these two characters and how they relate to one another?

C: What reason does Hamlet give for being so cautious in taking revenge and so thorough in his search for evidence? Is his reason convincing?

Act IV:

A: In scene iv, in a soliloquy, Hamlet expresses shame. What is he ashamed of, and what has prompted these feelings?

B: Compare Laertes’ response to the news of his father’s murder with Hamlet’s first response at learning of Old Hamlet’s murder.

C: When Hamlet says, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” early in the play, he gives his appraisal of feminine nature. Do the events of Acts III and IV support or dispute Hamlet’s appraisal?

Quoting Poetry in Linear Form / Citing Drama

• In quoting short passages in linear form, you still need to indicate line breaks when the author is writing in verse:

Othello recalls, "Upon this hint I spake: / She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, / And I lov'd her that she did pity them" (I.iii.166-168).

o Be sure to put spaces before and after the slash marks. Also note the space between the quotation marks and citation.

o Cite Act, scene, and line numbers as above.

• See Writing Resources Packet for information already covered.

Act II due on () by 11:59 PM

Act IV due on () by 11:59 PM

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