Hamlet Essay due 7 December 2015
Helpful hints:
All MLA formatting applies. Works Cited. No cover page needed.
NTSSWTSWINSP
Limit dead word usage
Cite the act, scene, and line numbers for each quotation as follows (1.3.11-15).
Avoid relying on long quotations. Weaving brief quoted phrases into your analysis can be even more effective
than interrupting your analysis with a series of long quotations.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that develops your argument and that relates to your thesis. Avoid
unnecessary plot summary.
Make sure there are smooth transitions between paragraphs.
Essays will be expected to make specific references to the play to support points made. For example, it is
insufficient to say "Claudius is crafty" - you must prove this point by reference to the text. What does he do that
is crafty? What other characters indicate that he is crafty? Does he himself admit to being devious?
Your conclusion should not just restate your thesis. Instead, your conclusion should answer the question “So
What?” – What new insights should your reader have after reading your essay?
Finally, remember to proofread your essay carefully to avoid careless errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar,
etc.
Topic Ideas…
1) Like Hamlet, Laertes is a son confronted with a father's death. To what extent does he function as a foil to
Hamlet? What do they have in common? How do they differ?
2) Why does Hamlet delay killing Claudius? What are the reasons for his hesitation? How valid are
they? How many times does he have the opportunity to attack Claudius? What are his reasons for not doing
so? What does his delaying reveal about his nature?
3) Hamlet is a play in which nothing can be taken at face value: appearances are frequently deceptive, and
many characters engage in play-acting, spying and pretense. What deliberate attempts are made at
deception? Are the intended audiences deceived? While some deceptions are perpetrated in order to conceal
secrets, others aim to uncover hidden truths. Which are which? To what extent are they successful? Note
references to appearances, disguises, pretense, seeming, masks, acting, etc. Discuss the importance of
deception in the play.
4) Think about Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia. Does he love her? Does he stop loving her? Did he ever
love her? What evidence can you find in the play to support your opinion?
5) Analyze Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real? What purpose does it serve him?
Does he ever slip from his “acts” of madness into true insanity?
6) Discuss Hamlet's treatment of and ideas about women. How might these help to clarify some of the
interpretative issues of the play? You might want to consider carefully the way he talks about sexuality. He
treats Ophelia and Gertrude harshly in certain scenes but for quite different reasons. Explain his motives in
each case.
7) The play reveals a stark contrast between our public and private selves. Analyze the role of soliloquies and
asides to reveal characters’ true natures, and compare and contrast the identities that are revealed in these
moments with those that are made public.
8) Compare any TWO film versions of Hamlet, focusing on one or two scenes. Consider at least three elements
of filming, lighting, acting, costuming, line delivery, etc. You may not use “To be or not to be” alone.
9) Consider the relationship between Horatio and Hamlet; in many ways, it is the most significant relationship
in the play, why? You might wish to contrast this relationship with one or more of the following: HamletOphelia, Hamlet-Gertrude, Hamlet-Rosencrantz-Guildenstern.
10) Is Hamlet mad? Or is he but mad "north-north-west"? Is his madness partly feigned and partly real or
wholly contrived? Take a position and defend it with specific reference to Hamlet's mad behavior and remarks
throughout the play.
11) Why is Yorick the Jester so important in this play when he died at least twenty years before the play
begins? Look carefully in the "Grave-digger Scene."
12) Discuss how, in terms of figurative devices and imagery, Hamlet's language reveals his character and
various states-of-mind.
13) "The theme of the necessity to uphold one's family honor even to the point of exacting a terrible vengeance
is exemplified by Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes." Discuss.
14) Why is Polonius so wordy? What functions do his verbosity and sententiousness fulfill? What is the role
of Polonius in the play?
15) Some versions of Hamlet cut the character of Fortinbras entirely. Is such a directorial decision justified?
Weigh the pros and cons of keeping this character in the play.
16) Write about ONE of the following patterns in the play, showing how all the major scenes and characters
are involved:
(A) rejection or betrayal
(B) spying or overhearing,
(C) mistaking or failing to understand
(D) nemesis or poetic justice.
17) Create a thesis that examines the connection between Hamlet and The Lion King.
18) Other topic of your choice…..