Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay
Eng iii H
Henderson
Objective
Harold Bloom – Yale professor and Guru of All Things Shakespeare -- has said, “We
read to reflect and to be reflected. … You can make of the play Hamlet and the
protagonist pretty much what you will, whether you are playgoer or reader, critic or
director, actor or ideologue; push any stance or quest into it and the drama will illuminate
what you have brought with you.”
What will YOU bring to this play? That’s what you should ask yourself every day as we
explore one of the most canonical works in Western culture. The analysis essay, then,
will be the result of what you have put into the play.
In keeping with that, I will not assign a specific essay prompt. In order to truly OWN this
play, you will provide an original thesis after intensive exploration of Hamlet.
Analysis criteria
The structure of your essay should reflect the structure of this unit. That means that your
analysis should contain the following components to varying degrees:
 Character analysis
 Application of existentialist philosophy and/or schools of literary theory
 Exploration of the staging, performance, and structure of the play itself
 The best way to begin crafting your original thesis is to question EVERYTHING.
Ask questions of the text and of yourself that seem to have to readily apparent answer.
Grading criteria
Your essay is worth 100 points and will be graded according to the Literary Analysis
Rubric.
Additionally, your essay should…
 Be approximately 2,000 words
 Be typed (or if disaster strikes, handwritten neatly in ink)
 Adhere to MLA formatting guidelines (But I do like cover pages! )
 Adhere to MLA citation guidelines
The content of your analysis should be approximately 80% your voice and insight and
20% outside criticism.
THESIS CONFERENCE DUE DATE: ________________________
ESSAY DUE ON: ________________________________________