Hamlet essay topics, etc.
English 12
Choosing a Topic
Essay Outlining notes
Essay Topics
Hamlet despised and feared women, as evidenced by his
relationships with his mother as well as Ophelia
- Hamlet offers a definitive view of the nature of man through
his soliloquies
- Hamlet is a spoiled, whiny Prince who gets what he deserves
- Hamlet is a tragic hero (What is his tragic flaw?)
- The influence of the Catholic Church on Shakespeare’s
-
Hamlet
Madness – Examine Hamlet’s feigned madness and Ophelia’s
sincere madness
- Madness – Hamlet thought he was pretending, but he was
truly mad
- Another topic – see me to discuss
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How about “The Play’s The Thing”
Shakespeare is the most significant writer of plays
in the English language, and Hamlet is his most
important play. In his “play within a play”,
Shakespeare is able to create a cunning plan to
illustrate Claudius’ guilt, a moment fraught with
tension and intrigue for his audience, a platform
from which to comment on the nature of acting
and a visually intriguing re-enactment of the
death of Hamlet’s father. Hamlet re-Christens
The Murder of Gonzago as The Mousetrap, and
the play within the play becomes a pivotal
moment in this seminal work of drama.
“The Play’s the Thing” paper…support
1.
Hamlet meets the players and is convinced of
their talent. “Can you play The Murder of
Gonzago?” (II, ii, 547-548)
2.
Hamlet makes arrangements for a scene to
be added to the play. “You could, for a need,
study a speech of some dozen lines, which I
would set down and insert it, could you not?”
(II, ii, 550-552) With this plan hatched, he
utters those famous lines: “The play’s the
thing/wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the
King. (II, ii, 616-617)
More support…
3. One of the lines of the play The Murder
of Gonzago relates closely to Gertrude’s
circumstances. The Player Queen tells her
first husband that she loves him too much
to ever re-marry: “Both here and hence
pursue me lasting strife/ If, once a widow,
ever I be a wife.” (III, ii, 219-220) This
makes Gertrude uncomfortable, and when
asked her opinion of the performance, she
utters one of her most famous lines: “The
More support
4.
5.
After the stage direction where the
character of Lucianus “pours poison in
the sleeper’s ears”, Ophelia notes that
“The King rises.” (III, ii, 261) At that
point, Hamlet has the proof he needs
that Claudius in fact murdered his father.
This moment is fraught with tension, as
the players are interrupted and the King
and his entire court abruptly leave the
performance. The King now suspects
More Support
6. Hamlet gives a great deal of advice to
the actors at the beginning of Act III,
Scene ii. It is clear that this is advice that
Shakespeare would like to deliver directly
to the performers of his own works. He
reminds them to: “Speak the speech, I
pray you, as I pronounced it to you,
trippingly on the tongue.” (III, ii, 1-2) He
also reminds the actors to emote, but not
to overact.
Conclusion

The “play within a play” is a pivotal moment in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Not only is it the
moment where Hamlet is able to “catch the
conscience” of the King and gather proof of his
father’s murder, but it is also a moment filled
with dramatic irony and fraught with tension.
It includes some of Shakespeare’s own
directions to actors about how to portray his
works on stage. Due to its many layers of
meaning and its compelling action, this is an
unforgettable moment in Hamlet.
Today’s Assignment
-
Choose a topic
Begin an initial search for quotations to
support your topic (find at least four)
Fill-out the outline form (Complete for
next class)
Coming soon: Writing the Introduction
and Incorporating Quotations