Commentary Review &
Examples:
Shakespeare &
going beyond paraphrase
What IB says makes a good commentary…
“A good commentary integrates understanding
with creativity of response and an awareness of
how language suggests meaning. It appreciates
how the parts contribute to the whole, and
develops a comprehensive, systematic, and
persuasive elucidation…”
 Look to how Shakespeare uses language and
rhetorical devices to create an effect and
promote a deeper meaning (which could be
related to characters, themes, symbols, the
Elizabethan Audience, etc…)
Paraphrase = to rephrase and simplify -to restate something using other
words, especially in order to make it
simpler or shorter
Analyze = 1. Study something closely: to examine
something in great detail in order to understand it
better or discover more about it;
2. Break something down into components: to
find out what something is made up of by identifying its
constituent parts
3. Examine structure: to study the structure of
something or how its constituent parts are put together
From quotation to paraphrase to deep analysis…
Quotation:
Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand,
Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatched;
Cut off even in the blossom of my sin,
Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled;
No reckoning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head—
Oh horrible, oh horrible, most horrible!
Paraphrase:
My own brother killed me while sleeping, taking my not only
my life, but my power and wife. Even worse this occurred
before I was issued my dying sacraments: communion,
confession, and priest’s blessings; thus I have been damned.
How horrible! Woe is me!
Literary features present:
Parenthesis, anaphora, parallel structure, repetition, cacophony
overstatement, imagery, alliteration, caesura, ethos & pathos
The ghost speaks, continued…
Level 3 analysis
When describing his murder, the late king Hamlet uses
anaphora to emphasize the painful fact that his own bother
took not just his life, but his power and his wife.
Level 4 analysis
When describing his murder, the late king Hamlet uses
anaphora, “Of life, of crown, of queen” to emphasize the
painful fact that his own brother took not just his life, but
his power and his wife. Followed by another triad,
“Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled,” this fact is further
highlighted by the damning effects of a Catholic who has
been killed before repentance.
Level 5 Analysis:
When describing his murder, the late king Hamlet uses anaphora,
“Of life, of crown, of queen” to emphasize the painful fact that
his own bother took not just his life, but his power and his wife.
Followed by another triad, “Unhouseled, disappointed,
unaneled,” this murder is further highlighted by the damning
effects of a Catholic who has been killed before repentance with
three strong, negative verb forms sitting alone on one line. The
use of caesura also slows this portion of the monologue, allowing
the audience to feel the ghost’s deep pain. Here, pathos is the
natural reaction of the crowd, as this murder goes against the
church, family structures, and importance of royalty (and the laws
against treason) engrained in Elizabethan life, especially as he
exclaims three times, “oh horrible!” However, one is also forced
to question King Hamlet’s ethos, as we are forced to consider
his character—how many “imperfections” did he have “on [his]
head” and just how “blossoming” was his sin…
Turning central ideas into themes:
What’s Shakespeare’s MESSAGE about…
Central ideas:
1. Uncertainty
2. Frailty of women
Ideas evolved into themes:
1. When one cannot even trust
those closest to him, be it family or
lover, he can never be sane and
will eventually become as corrupt
as those around him.
2. In a patriarchal society, women
suffer a loss of power and often
become the pawns of men. While
today’s audiences might scoff at
their stupidity, Elizabethan
audiences would understand and
support these diminished roles.
Commentary Basics…
• Context!
• Thesis (umbrella idea) = unity & cohesion
• Systematic discussion of key features
(describe, analyze, reflect on the effect)
– DAR
• Conclusion:
– How does this advance the plot of the play
– What’s Shakespeare’s broader message
(so what?)