Discussion 3 - To be, or not to be. Aye, there's the point.

Hamlet delivers 3 soliloquies in the first 3 acts of Hamlet. Explain how the three soliloquies build towards the explosion of action which is act 3 of Hamlet. Focus your response on the soliloquy in act 3.

Discussion 2 - Aspects of Act 2

This topics for this week will give you a chance to formulate an opinion, and prove it. There can only be four students per topic. You must reserve your choice in this thread. I will delete the reservations after the due date.

1. Show that Hamlet is insane Act 2.
2. Show that Hamlet is sane in Act 2.
3. Discuss the parallelism of Hamlet, Laertes and Forinbras by the end of Act 2.
4. Who has the advantage in the play by the end of Act 2, Hamlet or Claudius?
5. Explain the significance of Ophelia by the end of Act 2.

Discussion 1 - You say solid, I say sullied

You have 3 choices for this weeks blog. The first choice is for students who enjoy historical context and politics. The second choice allows for you to stretch your close reading muscles. The third choice allows you an opportunity to form a personal opinion, and defend it.

1. Read the entire article for The Prince at Wikipedia. The article is here. How do the ruling characters in Act 1 of Hamlet act in accordance with the principals set forth by Machiavelli?
2. What does the Hamlet's first soliloquy reveal about the him? How does it affect the mood in Act 1? How does this effect you? I am looking for a close reading. If your next question is "close reading?", please read this. It will help. Be careful of the sources that you find explaining close readings; they can be discouraging.
   
3. Poetry is living language. Find lines that speak to you in Act 1. Quote them fully and explain them as best you can. Why do you love these lines? What do they reveal about the characters that speak them, what do they reveal about you- the person that likes them?

All blogs for this semester, unless otherwise stated, are due by Sunday at midnight.