By William Shakespeare
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All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
--William Shakespeare
“As You Like It,” Act II, Scene 7
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Explore the ways in which dramatists have
made use of monologues and/or soliloquies in
at least two plays you have studied.
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Plays employ various kinds of structural
divisions such as prologues and epilogues, act
and scene divisions, even carefully placed
intermissions. Discuss the dramatic uses
made of these divisions in at least two plays
you have studied.
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“A play should make you laugh or should
make you cry.” With reference to at least two
plays you have studied, discuss the methods
playwrights use to generate emotional
response in their audiences.
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What does the dialogue between Hamlet,
Gertrude, and Claudius reveal? (I, ii, 65-86)
What purpose is achieved with Claudius’
monologue? (I, ii. 87-117) Which lines best
achieve the purpose?
What purpose is achieved with Hamlet’s
soliloquy? (I, ii, 129-159) Which lines best
achieve the purpose?
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What does Laertes’ monologue to his sister,
Ophelia, reveal about the expectations of
sexual relationships?
What is Polonius’ message to his son? How
does this speech provide a context for life at
court?
How is Ophelia’s character developed
through her responses to her brother and her
father?
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Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony not only
creates tension when the audience views
Hamlet interact with Claudius, Gertrude, and
Polonius, but also it develops the lingering
thematic question about whether or not
Hamlet is mad for Ophelia’s love.
VAGUE
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The soliloquy expresses
how he feels about his
mother.
The dialogue shows
Hamlet’s emotions about
this situation.
SPECIFIC
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Hamlet’s soliloquy reveals
his anger toward his
mother and his feelings of
betrayal.
The dialogue reveals that
Hamlet is still grieving for
his late father while
Gertrude and Claudius
have moved on and
married.
VAGUE
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The dialogue shows why
they argue.
The soliloquy persuades
readers into believing what
he feels about his mother.
SPECIFIC
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The dialogue between the
queen, king, and Hamlet
shows a broken family.
The soliloquy achieves the
purpose of revealing
Hamlet’s desire for suicide
and his feelings of
contempt for his mother’s
hasty marriage.
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Why do we allow ourselves to suffer?
If you knew with certainty that when you die
you will have peace and go to heaven, why
not just seek death?
In what ways do our thoughts prolong our
suffering?
What is the relationship between
consciousness, conscience, and death?
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Hamlet in many ways is a deconstructive
work. There seems to be a distinct
incongruity between what “seems” and “nay
it is. I know not ‘seems’,” in other words,
reality.
What assumptions about reality is
Shakespeare willing to confront through his
characters’ speeches?
How does Hamlet’s famous soliloquy ‘to be or
not to be’ represent ‘theater of the mind’?
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the play itself is a deliberate cognitive
exploration of problems of human
consciousness and action, and Shakespeare a
kind of cognitive theorist.
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What is the message of Hamlet’s speech?
How did Shakespeare craft Hamlet’s
message? Which choices has he made?
Metaphors? Puns? Alliteration? Subordinate
clauses? Questions?
What purpose is achieved with this speech?
How might Hamlet’s speech reveal the
dramatic question the play needs answered?
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Discuss at least two dramatic uses of ‘the play
within the play’ (Act III, scene 2)
Connections to other scenes, e.g., the
analogy of Pyrrhus and Priam
Rising action, tension, conflict in the plot
Character development
Themes related to Hamlet’s speeches
Analogy for larger philosophical ideas
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Act IV, scene 4
Compare Fortinbras to Hamlet
What does Hamlet’s soliloquy reveal his
thoughts and feelings about Fortinbras?
How is this comparison achieved?
What purpose does this comparison serve?
Evaluate Shakespeare’s choice to include this
scene. Develop an argument that Fortinbras
is a necessary external political conflict.
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What are the causes of Ophelia’s suicide?
Ophelia’s suicide is the result of low-self
esteem and a domineering patriarchal
society, which allows men to determine how
women will think and behave.
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Why is Gertrude so blind to her surroundings?
“Have you eyes?” Hamlet asks her.
What type of woman is Gertrude?
How might a feminist view and evaluate
Gertrude?
How might a Freudian reading of her
complicate her relationship with Hamlet?
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Hamartia is any error in judgment that brings
about the protagonist’s downfall.
Tragic flaw refers to a characteristic which
brings about the sudden reversal, “peripity”,
of the tragic hero’s fortune.
Think about the characters who are dead at
the end of the play. What was each
character’s tragic flaw? Is it accurate to
suggest Hamlet’s hamartia was his tragic
flaw?