SENIOR ENGLISH 243
Shakespeare in the World
WEBSITE:
http://www.alanreinstein.com
William Shakespeare’s
Name:
email: alan_reinstein@newton.k12.ma.us
Hamlet Final Essay
Choose one of the topics below as a guiding idea to address in an essay of 1500+ words (4-6 pages) [HONORS—2000
words] that is meaningful and interesting to you, that explores an area of the play that gives rise to new thinking or
even new questions.
Exploratory Essay.
Begin with an important question or idea that you have about the play—a topic that intrigues you—and
explore this idea as far as it takes you so that you end up in a place of enriched understanding about the
play. Your voice may be informal, but you must use the text well to present clearly your thinking about the
play.
The structure of this essay is dramatically different from the traditional expository essay, which begins with
a thesis and formal introduction and proceeds to make its case methodically in body paragraphs. In this
exploratory essay, the thesis—or significant idea—may come at the end, or in fact there may be several or
many significant ideas.
Expository Essay.
Here is a traditional essay that has a formal introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
TOPIC CHOICES:
1. Free Choice. Choose anything important you want to say about the play—for example, about its characters,
theme, conflict, some idea that grew out of classroom discussion or from your journal--and shape this idea
into a clearly-worded argument. OR choose to write on a variation of any of the first seven essay topics.
2. Exploring or Reconcillng Problems in the play. Work through your thoughts on any of the following
 Hamlet’s delay. Use any of the arguments presented—the theological, the moral
 Ophelia’s death
 Gertrude’s guilt/responsibility
 the Ghost’s visibility to the guards and invisibility to Gertrude
 Hamlet’s sanity
 If the problems cannot be reconciled, where does that leave us?
3. Religion in the Play. Explore the presence and story of the Ghost: Hamlet’s first and third soliloquies and
comments in 5.1 about God and providence; Claudius’s prayer in 3.3; and the dispute over Ophelia’s death
and burial to evaluate the message of religion in the play.
4. Hamlet the play vs. Hamlet the character? What is the source of the play’s enduring popularity? Is it
the play, with all of its problems and intricasies, or is it the character of Hamlet himself, whose language in
the To be or not to be speech and image looking at Yorick’s skull excite us far beyond the events of the plot?
5. Horatio and Fortinbras. These two survive while the others do not. Does this common circumstance lead
to meaningful reading of the play?
6. Hamlet’s Revelation/Transformation.
 Compare Hamlet’s philosophies of the afterlife in both 3.1 and 5.1. Is there a change from one to the
next or are they companion philosophies?
 To be or not to be  Let be. Compare is delay in Acts 1-4 with his readiness (The readiness is all in
Act 5.
7. Life and Death. Both 3.1 and 5.1 show Hamlet ruminating on the nature of death and, hence, the meaning
of life. Use evidence from these scenes as well as others to explain why the issue of life and death is central
to the play. How are differences in Hamlet’s expression of this idea important to our understanding both the
topic of life and death and the play itself?
8. Fortinbras’s Importance. In both the Zeffirelli (Mel Gibson) and the Olivier (1948, black and white) film
versions of the play, Fortinbras’s subplot is left out. Argue why, however, this subplot is in fact critical to
understanding Hamlet’s character.
9. Foils. At least three characters serve as foils for Hamlet—Fortinbras, Laertes, and Pyrrhus (form the Player’s
speech)—and one might even see Ophelia as a foil, since she also responds to a father’s death. Compare or
contrast their roles in the story and address how Shakespeare enriches the audience’s view of Hamlet through
their presence in the play.
10. Character Analysis. Our study of the play has emphasized the ambiguity of the characters’ motivations and
the freedom with which actors may interpret their roles. Still, an actor must choose an interpretation which is
supported by the text. Using evidence from the text, analyze any one of the following characters:

Hamlet. Consider whether he is really mad; or whether he truly loves Ophelia; or the reason for his
long delay in acting against Claudius.

Gertrude. Examine her responsibility for the events in the play. Is she guilty of what she is accused
of?

Claudius. His confession and display of remorse in 3.3 clearly shows him to be a complicated
character. Using scenes from the play in addition to this one, examine the complexity of this man’s
character.

Ophelia. How can you make sense of her madness? Her death? What role does her insanity play
alongside Hamlet’s “insanity”?

Polonius. Polonius’s role as a concerned spy runs throughout his time in the play.

Horatio. The only static main character in the play, Horatio is a character whose role is worthy of
exploration. (Compare him, perhaps, with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern)

Laertes. Understanding Laertes as Hamlet’s most obvious foil may reveal much about Hamlet
himself.
11. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Address the fairness or unfairness of their treatment by Hamlet. Explore
their significance to the play by examining closely their roles in each of the scenes where they either appear or
are mentioned.
12. Shakespeare’s Treatment of Women. Consider both women in the play and assess Shakespeare’s
portrayal of them (Stonehill).
13. SOMETHING BIG FROM SOMETHING SMALL. Assume of course that nothing comes accidentally from
Shakespeare’s pen. Every word, phrase, and sentence is intentional. Choose an unnoticed sentence or
phrase from the play—one that went unmentioned in classroom discussion and may at first look seem
insignificant—and reveal its important value to the play. (The smaller, the more hidden, the better. Write as
if you believe you are the first person to write about this.)
TOPIC DEVELOPMENT
(CLOUT—Say something meaningful; give it clout, significance.)
Content
1. appropriate to the topic—the essay explores a meaningful element of the work
2. sophistication, consequence—reveals a fresh, unique look; subtle organization and expression
3. fullness—fully and thoughtfully explained, not rushed or skimpy
4. details—clearly support the thesis
5. quotations—appropriately and effectively used for support
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
(CLARITY—Say it clearly.)
Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs
[title--interesting and/or descriptive; provocative; includes the work’s title in addition to an indication of the thesis]
1. hook/lead—interesting, provocative, stylish phrasing
2. thesis—a clear thesis is presented
3. roadmap—contains clear references (a roadmap) to the points covered in order to defend the thesis
Body Paragraphs
1. topic sentence—the topic sentence clearly identifies the important point or points to be made
2. supportive details—clear and relevant support is presented
3. transition words--the writer guides the reader with transition words (first, next, then, also, etc...); the paragraph progresses
logically
4. concluding sentence ("clincher")--wraps up the paragraph in a satisfying way; may serve as a transition to the following
paragraph
5. UNITY--maintains a singular focus throughout. Every supporting sentence serves (advances) the topic sentence.
STYLE
1.
2.
3.
(CLASS—Say it with flair.)
word choice / vocabulary—clear, exact, rich language; powerful verbs, strong adjectives
sentence variety--a rich, sophisticated balance of sentence types (simple, compound, complex) and sentence lengths; unique
phrasing
voice—a unique tone of the writer; enthusiastic, expressive, sincere
WRITING CONVENTIONS
(CLEANLINESS—Be clean; follow the rules.)
Mechanics
1. quotations—correctly cited
2. spelling--words are properly spelled
3. capitalization--words in need of capitalization are capitalized
4. punctuation--sentences are properly punctuated
5. usage--words are used properly, e.g., subject/verb agreement, pronoun reference
6. sentence completeness--sentences are complete--no run-ons or fragments
Format
course guidelines are followed--double spacing; readable, 12-pt. conventional font; 1-1.25 in. margins; proper heading;
contains writing process components (pre-writing, first draft, final draft)