English 102
Hamlet Act 1 Journal Assignment
Directions: You will be completing several journal entries as you read Hamlet. For each entry there are multiple parts that must be completed. Each entry must be completed by the due date. You must be ready to read your entry parts to the class during class discussions.
Follow directions for all entries carefully. Answer the prompts thoroughly. Write enough to demonstrate your deep, thoughtful engagement with the text. More is more. Write in full sentence/paragraph form unless otherwise directed.
LABEL ALL RESPONSES CLEARLY. Example: Entry # 1 Act 1
Entry#1 Act 1
Part 1: 1.1: After reading 1.1, answer these questions and prepare to discuss in writing-
What is the function of the scene? What mood is established in the scene? What do we discover about
Denmark in the scene?
Act 1.2
Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,
The imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere with a defeated joy,--
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,--
Taken to wife (1.2.8-14)
Part 2: 1.2: King Claudius’s words above are full of antitheses, pairs of opposites. The reference to sister/queen in the first line is an example of antithesis. Find and list the other five pairs of opposites.
Discuss the intent behind Claudius's lengthy and confusing periodic sentence. What do the new king's words tell us about Claudius and about the situation in Denmark? What effect is Claudius trying to create with these contrasts? Consider both the connotation and the denotation, or direct meaning, of the king's words. Keep in mind that to marry a sister-in-law was considered by many of Shakespeare’s contemporaries to be incest.

Part 3: 1.3: What tone is exhibited by Polonius's diction in his words to his daughter below? What does he reveal about the kind of father he is? How do Polonius' words to Ophelia characterize Polonius? Does his attitude come from concern for her or from something else? Explain in a full paragraph or two.
'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late
Given private time to you; and you yourself
Have of your audience been most free and bounteous:
If it be so, as so 'tis put on me,
And that in way of caution, I must tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour.
What is between you? give me up the truth.
OPHELIA
He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders
Of his affection to me.
LORD POLONIUS
Affection! pooh! you speak like a green girl,
Unsifted in such perilous circumstance.
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?
OPHELIA
I do not know, my lord, what I should think.
LORD POLONIUS
Marry, I'll teach you: think yourself a baby;
That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay,
Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly;
Or--not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,
Running it thus--you'll tender me a fool (1.3.97-115).

Part 4: 1.4: Near the end of the scene, Marcellus's famous line, "Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark," is one of the most recognized lines from the play. What is the purpose of the line?
Part 5: 1.5: In scene 5, the Ghost refers to a metaphor of a serpent. Who is the serpent and why do you suppose such a metaphor is used? At the end of scene 5, how does Hamlet feel after his conversation with the Ghost? What is the tone at the end of scene 5?
Part 6: All of Act 1: There are several themes that can be applied to Hamlet such as: Moral corruption, revenge, appearance vs. reality, mortality, and guilt and its destructive effects. For each act, choose a theme from above and apply the theme to the text. You must use a minimum of three quotes with page numbers to support your analysis. This part should be about a paragraph in length.
Part 7: All of Act 1 Film Entry, Act I: Answer: 1) Write about, in detail, at least one thing in the film's interpretation that really helped clarify your understanding of the play. 2) Write about, in detail, at least one thing that was different from what you expected based on the movie in your head as you read.
(Please write about something OTHER than Hamlet's age or his hair color.)
If you were absent today, write that in this entry. In order to make this up, you must find time to watch this part.

English 102
Hamlet Act 2 Journal Assignment
Directions: You will be completing several journal entries as you read Hamlet. For each entry there are multiple parts that must be completed. Each entry must be completed by the due date. You must be ready to read your entry parts to the class during class discussions.
Follow directions for all entries carefully. Answer the prompts thoroughly. Write enough to demonstrate your deep, thoughtful engagement with the text. More is more. Write in full sentence/paragraph form unless otherwise directed.
LABEL ALL RESPONSES CLEARLY. Example: Entry #2 Act 2
Entry #2 Act 2
Part 1: 2.1: This scene between Polonius and Reynaldo is not necessary to the plot of the play and is frequently cut from performances. What do you think the scene may add to the play? In other words, why do you think Shakespeare wrote the scene in? Explain. On page 37, what is Ophelia frightened by?
Explain in detail.
Part 2: 2.2: Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Why have the King and Queen brought Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to see Hamlet? Explain. In the middle of Act 2 scene 2 there is a conversation between
Polonius and the King. What is this conversation about and why is it important to the plot? Explain.
What is Hamlet's internal conflict as expressed in the soliloquy below? You will find much of his meaning in the patterns created by the diction, the rhetorical questions, the catalog of provocative, insulting actions, and the imagery. Write to discuss. Include in your discussion specific consideration of the diction (remember that any time you write about diction, you MUST cite specific word choices and discuss the effect of those choices), the rhetorical questions, insulting actions, and the imagery.
Now I am alone.
O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all his visage wann'd,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect,
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!

For Hecuba!
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appal the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,
As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?
Ha!
'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites
With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!

O, vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder'd,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion!:
Part 3: All of Acts I and II: After a careful reading of Acts I and II of Hamlet, select one character who interests you to respond to the following prompt. Rather than writing the entire essay, however, construct a thesis statement that reflects an overall impression of the character by the end of Act II. As support, you may draw on all you know from Acts I and II. Then, write one body paragraph that you would include in an essay responding to the prompt. Since you are writing only one point, you obviously will not entirely prove your thesis, but the ideas you include about characterization in this paragraph should clearly support the thesis.
Your goal is to provide solid analysis of one important aspect of the character of your choice, showing that the focus is on characterization that is then supported by the techniques Shakespeare uses to develop the trait or quality that your body paragraph will develop. Remember that the techniques become significant only when they are related to the overall purpose, which in this case is the development of characterization. As always, avoid falling into the trap of mere plot summary.
Remember also to use specific textual support/quotations.
Prompt: Write an essay analyzing how the author, William Shakespeare, uses literary techniques to characterize _______ (the character of your choice)___________ from Acts I and II of Hamlet.
Character:
Thesis statement:
One body paragraph: Hearty, well-developed with multiple text citations/examples which are explained.
(expose, excerpt, explain) Analysis, analysis, analysis. How? Why? So what?

Part 4: All of Act 11: There are several themes that can be applied to Hamlet such as: Moral corruption, revenge, appearance vs. reality, mortality, and guilt and its destructive effects. For each act, choose a theme from above and apply the theme to the text. You must use a minimum of three quotes with page numbers to support your analysis. This part should be about a paragraph in length.
Film Entry: All of Act II, Act II: Answer: Write a well-conceived and detailed reaction to the film interpretation of Act II.
If you were absent today, write that fact in this entry. BUT I STRONGLY recommend that you borrow or rent the film to make up what you missed.
Due: Tuesday, April 1st

English 102
Hamlet Act III Journal Assignment
Directions: You will be completing several journal entries as you read Hamlet. For each entry there are multiple parts that must be completed. Each entry must be completed by the due date. You must be ready to read your entry parts to the class during class discussions. All entries must be in MLA format and submitted to turnitin.com when completed.
Follow directions for all entries carefully. Answer the prompts thoroughly. Write enough to demonstrate your deep, thoughtful engagement with the text. More is more. Write in full sentence/paragraph form unless otherwise directed.
LABEL ALL RESPONSES CLEARLY. Example: Entry #3 Act III
Entry 3 Act III
Extra credit opportunity – Up to 16 points extra credit to memorize and perfectly recite to the class the
"To Be" soliloquy in Act 3.1 by April 8th. Schedule a recitation time with me in advance. You will need to recite the soliloquy to the class.
Part 1: 3:1: Explain why King Claudius asks Gertrude to leave the scene. Analyze the “To be or not to be” speech made by Hamlet on page 63. What does this speech mean? Is the speech effective? Why or why not? Explain.
Watch the “youtube” videos on three different “To Be” speeches: Mel Gibson “To Be” speech, Ethan
Hawke “To Be” speech, and the Richard Burton “To Be” speech. While watching the speeches, jot down notes about the performances. Lastly, compare and contrast them with each other and with your interpretation.
Analyze and explain the nunnery scene between Ophelia and Hamlet on page 66 using specific lines from the text.
Where does King Claudius want to send Hamlet? Why? Explain.
Part 2: 3:2: Explain what Hamlet is lecturing the players about and tell why. What does Hamlet want
Horatio to look for during the performance? Why? Explain. What is the meaning behind the vulgar comments made to Ophelia on page 72? Explain. What is the purpose of the play? Explain. Explain
Claudius’ reaction to the play on page 78.
Part 3: 3:3: What is the King afraid of at the beginning of the scene? Explain. How does he handle the situation? Explain the meaning behind the King’s soliloquy on page 84. Explain why Hamlet does not commit murder when he has the opportunity to.
Part 4: 3:4: Explain how Polonius ends up getting killed in this scene. What is Hamlet’s reaction to
Polonius’ death? Why is the conversation between Hamlet and his mother important to the plot in this scene?

Part 5: All of Act III: There are several themes that can be applied to Hamlet such as: Moral corruption, revenge, appearance vs. reality, mortality, and guilt and its destructive effects. For each act, choose a theme from above and apply the theme to the text. You must use a minimum of three quotes with page numbers to support your analysis. This part should be about a paragraph in length.
Film Entry: All of Act III, Act III: Answer: Write a well-conceived and detailed reaction to the film interpretation of Act 3. Include in this entry the comparison of the “To Be” speech with the others that you viewed.
If you were absent today, write that fact in this entry.
Due: Monday, April 7th

English 102
Hamlet Act IV Journal Assignment
Directions: You will be completing several journal entries as you read Hamlet. For each entry there are multiple parts that must be completed. Each entry must be completed by the due date. You must be ready to read your entry parts to the class during class discussions. All entries must be in MLA format and submitted to turnitin.com when completed.
Follow directions for all entries carefully. Answer the prompts thoroughly. Write enough to demonstrate your deep, thoughtful engagement with the text. More is more. Write in full sentence/paragraph form unless otherwise directed.
LABEL ALL RESPONSES CLEARLY. Example: Entry #4 Act IV
Part 1: 4:1: In the beginning of scene 1, Claudius and Gertrude are alone together. It is significant that they both lie to each other. Identify the lies Gertrude and Claudius tell each other, and explain why you think they lie.
Part 2: 4:2: Hamlet uses different strategies to avoid telling Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where
Polonius's body is hidden. He insults Rosencrantz with the "sponge" and the "ape" comparisons, and he brands him as too dull to recognize satire. What do you think is the meaning of the enigmatic riddle in line 27: "The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body. The King is a thing--"? (There are numerous possibilities....)
Part 3: 4:3: Hamlet's dialogue in scene 3 is loaded with wordplay (witty or clever verbal exchange; repartee -- often involving punning).
1. Choose either option 1 or option 2 below to answer fully.
2. With either choice, also answer question 3.
Option 1. Explain the two ironies that his riddles suggest in lines 19-27. Then analyze the two comments Hamlet makes about the glory of being a king.
Option 2. In lines 30-35, Hamlet is using a ladder to express his attitude toward Claudius. (Ladder: rhetorical device in which a process is described as a number of "steps," which by their very orderliness seems to follow logically. The process may involve ascending or descending the "ladder" and the figurative steps build in intensity.) In his first speech to Hamlet in Act I, Claudius briefly uses this device:
"...your father lost a father;/that father lost, lost his..." Now, Hamlet does the same in showing how a

king may make a journey "through the guts of a beggar." What are the steps on the ladder? Is Hamlet suggesting that such a king is ascending or descending? What does he hope will be the effect of his words?
All do #3: What is Hamlet's tone in his answer to Claudius, and how does he convey it? Consider his allusive punning, his imagery, and his diction. Remember this: Tone is best expressed with complexity
(more than one tone word) and when you write about tone, you must show how you know what the tone is.
Part 4:4:4: Scene 4 brings Hamlet's fourth soliloquy. Claudius has used the killing of Polonius as public proof of Hamlet's madness and has ordered him exiled to England. On his way to the ship, Hamlet comes upon the young Norwegian warrior Fortinbras, also nephew to a king. Fortinbras is leading an army through Denmark. His purpose is to "gain a little patch of ground" in Poland, which, he claims to believe, rightly belongs to his country. Fortinbras is a foil for Hamlet, his mindless aggression emphasizing Hamlet's lack of action. In the soliloquy that follows, Hamlet nerves himself to punish
Claudius.
Write a paragraph in which you explain Hamlet's theories about why he has not yet taken his revenge on
Claudius. Which rationale does he seem to find more compelling? Consider his diction carefully, especially the words craven, scruple, and precisely. Remember that he spared Claudius only because he thought the king was praying, and that he has killed the spy in his mother's bedroom whom he took to be Claudius.
Part 5:4:5: Does Gertrude share Claudius's secret? In scene 5, she displays a guilty conscience. She speaks of her "sick soul," and says that guilty people give themselves away because they cannot hide their fear of being found out. Some critics argue that these lines show she shares, or suspects, Claudius's secret, and is complicit in her first husband's murder. What is your view? Look back on Gertrude's appearances (Act 1.2; Act 2.2; Act 3.1, 2, and 4; Act 4.1). Present your argument as powerfully as possible, using evidence from the text to support your interpretation.
Part 6:4:6: What is the function of Scene 6 with Horatio?
Part 7:4:7: - Write a full paragraph response to either option below.
Option 1: The scene on pages 114-119 is often called "the temptation scene." Explain why.

Option 2: Ophelia's watery demise takes place offstage (action that is not witnessed by the audience but is reported by a character). Laertes has hardly had time to mourn the violent death of his father and is already enraged. He has just witnessed Ophelia's descent into madness. Why do you think Shakespeare puts this speech on pages 120-121 into the mouth of Gertrude? How might her report reflect on her character?
Part 8: All of Act IV Film, Act IV: React to the film's interpretation. Be specific. Be Hamlet (use lots of words! :-)
If you were absent today, write that in this entry.
Due: Friday, April 11th

English 102
Hamlet Act V Journal Assignment
Directions: You will be completing several journal entries as you read Hamlet. For each entry there are multiple parts that must be completed. Each entry must be completed by the due date. All entries must be in MLA format and submitted to turnitin.com when completed.
Follow directions for all entries carefully. Answer the prompt thoroughly. Write enough to demonstrate your deep, thoughtful engagement with the text. More is more. Write in full sentence/paragraph form unless otherwise directed.
LABEL ALL RESPONSES CLEARLY. Example: Entry #5
Act 5: (only 1 part for this act)
All of 5 - If your last name starts with A - M, answer Entry 20A; if your last name starts with N-Z, answer
20B. Read both entries for valuable information about the play.
Analysis of Theme, Rhetoric, Diction
Option #1: After the somber atmosphere of the previous scene, the mood of the play switches abruptly to comedy -- in a graveyard. But Shakespeare is not simply providing comic relief. He is doing here what he does so often: using comedy and ordinary people to provide alternative perspectives on major issues and themes. There are comic characters in many Shakespeare plays who similarly mangle the language sometimes using malapropisms (the act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound) and yet give insights into central concerns of the play.
Here, the first gravedigger mistakes "salvation" for damnation; "se offendendo" for se defendendo (selfdefense); and "Argal" for Ergo (therefore).
Review 5.1, lines 1-189, before Hamlet picks up Yorick's skull. What do the gravediggers contribute to the play's theme of mortality and to the tone of the scene as a whole? Why might Shakespeare have chosen to preface Hamlet's serious meditation on death with their crude wordplay? How does Hamlet echo and expand on their attitude as he speculates on the owners of the various skulls?
Option #2: Identify the jokes and puns as Hamlet comments on the skulls and then jests back and forth with the quick-witted gravedigger. Note that the gravedigger is talking about Prince Hamlet without recognizing Hamlet. Whose grave is being prepared? Discuss the dramatic irony that pervades this scene between Hamlet and the gravediggers. What is the effect of this multi-layered use of dramatic irony?
Due: Thurs. April 24 th
Print a copy of this entry to use in class.