Critical Essay Technique

By the end of Act One, for what reasons do
the audience sympathise with Hamlet?

By the end of Act One, for what reasons do
the audience sympathise with Hamlet?



Create a mind-map detailing the key points
you will cover in your essay.
Add at least two relevant quotations to each
point.
Number your points to give your essay a
logical structure




Clearly introduce your paragraph’s topic
Should contain linkage to previous paragraph
Some should link to your task
Should demonstrate the logical development
of your argument


Although he does not appear on stage during
the opening scene, Shakespeare’s depiction
of disorder in Elsinore helps create sympathy
for Hamlet.
The audience’s sympathy for Hamlet deepens
when the true extent of his misery is revealed
in his first soliloquy.




Respond to the task without simply repeating
it
Brief outline of what your argument will be
Do not include ‘In this essay, I will discuss . .
.’
Do not include a list of techniques

In Act One of ‘Hamlet’, William Shakespeare
depicts his tragic hero as tormented by both
internal and external conflicts. His spiritual
sickness and misery mirror the corruption
caused in Denmark by Claudius’ illegitimate
rule. The sympathy the audience feel for
Hamlet is compounded by his isolation, his
mother’s incestuous marriage to Claudius
and the impossible position he is put in by
the Ghost.





Point / Topic sentence
Brief expansion/ explanation (not retelling
large chunks of the plot)
Evidence (Quotations/ dialogue or stage
directions)
Analysis (Including identification of
techniques used by Shakespeare where
appropriate)
Evaluation (Giving your personal response/
saying how effective Shakespeare has been)



At least two per paragraph.
Lots of short, embedded quotations.
Some longer quotations but not too many.



Less than two lines.
Form part of a sentence
In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, Shakespeare
reveals that his tragic hero worships his
recently deceased father. He compares him to
‘Hyperion’- the Titan god of light. He also
reflects on the corruption in the ‘unweeded
garden’ that Denmark has become under
Claudius’ rule.






For quotations of two lines or more.
Colon to introduce quotation.
Take a new line.
Use quotation marks.
Write out the quotation exactly as it is in the
play, including where the lines start.
Include analysis and evaluation after your
quotation, explaining the importance of your
quotation to the point you are making and
discussing the effectiveness of any relevant
techniques.
This conflict is exacerbated by his uncertainty over
the Ghost’s identity:
“Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned,
Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,” (Act One,
Scene Five)
Shakespeare uses antithesis here to highlight the
ambiguous nature of the Ghost: Hamlet is unsure
if it really is his father’s spirit and not an evil spirit
instead. This relates to one of the play’s most
important themes: the difficulty in distinguishing
between reality and appearances.



Keep it brief
Respond to your task
Reiterate your essay’s main points





Themes are the ideas presented by a text
Theme is not a technique
Techniques such as plot, characterisation and
setting are used to convey the play’s theme.
Most plays will have several themes
Even if your question does not explicitly ask
you to, you should discuss the text’s themes.




The Impossibility of Certainty /The difficulty
in distinguishing between reality and
appearances.
The connection between the legitimacy of a
ruler and the health of the society they rule.
The moral legitimacy of suicide in a world of
suffering
The nature of revenge


Choose one theme which you feel is most
important in Hamlet Act One.
On your mind-map, make a note of where
this is relevant.