Monday

Today we need to discuss Act 4 scenes 1-3.  Then read scenes 4-7.  There is an important Soliloquy but Hamlet in scene 4 that we need to discuss.  You will have to translate it later this week.  Remember we also have a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday.  First let's look at the UNIT goal below.  

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of Hamlet by choosing a prompt from below, developing a thesis statement out of it, and answering the thesis statement by analyzing and using direct evidence from the text.  

QUESTIONS TO DEVELOP THESIS STATEMENTS ABOUT AND ANSWER

1. Polonius is sometimes played as a senile old fool, sometimes as a shrewd and worldly old man.  Which interpretation do you agree with and why?
2. Pick one character who could, at some point, have changed the whole chain of events.  Discuss.
3. Analyze the three appearances of the ghost seen in the play.  Where did he appear; to whom did he appear?  How does the third appearance differ from the first two?  What is the significance of this?
4. Discuss the reasons for Hamlet’s apparent delay in seeking revenge for his father.  What is your opinion regarding his procrastination?
5. Compare and contrast Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras as avengers.
6. What is Hamlet’s attitude towards life and people?  How does it affect his actions?
7. Apply the following quote to Hamlet: “A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good.  Therefore, it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how to not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it, according to the necessity of the case.”  -- THE PRINCE, Machiavelli
8. Examine the reoccurring pun on sun and son.  How does this symbol work in the overall meaning of the play.
9. Was Ophelia pregnant with Hamlet’s child?
10. Did Hamlet slip into madness?
11. It is Hamlet who causes the downfall of Denmark.
12. What is the meaning of the pirates?
13. Is Hamlet Jesus Christ?  How is Horatio either John the Baptist or an apostle.
14. Why or how is Denmark the Garden of Eden?
15. Gertrude knows about the murder?
16. The meaning of prostitution in Hamlet?
17. Can Hamlet be compared to our current society?  If so, how?
18. Perhaps others—as we read or when we finish
    

    
    Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

    
    4 – The student is able to combine more than one question into a thesis statement, and answer it by evaluating the text and using specifics to back up his/her position.

    3 – The student can choose a question, develop it into a thesis statement, and analyze the text using specific evidence to back up their position.

    2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can choose a question, develop it into a thesis statement, and analyze the text using specific evidence to back up their position.

    1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to choose a question, or develop it into a thesis statement, and analyze the text using specific evidence to back up their position.

     

     

    
    Study Questions - FOR ACT 4
    
    
    Act IV, Scene 1
    
    1. What is Claudius' main fear in the immediate aftermath of Polonius' death?
    
    Act IV, Scene 2
    
    1. What does Hamlet refuse to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
    
    Act IV, Scene 3
    
    1. What image does Hamlet use (ll. 19-29) to warn Claudius he's only king temporarily?
    2. Claudius ends the scene by writing a letter: to whom, and what order does it contain?
    
    Act IV, Scene 4
    
    1. What's the value of the land Fortinbras' army is marching to capture in Poland (l. 20)? What will the invasion itself cost (l. 25)?
    2. Hamlet's soliloquy (ll. 32-66) is self-critical; summarize his main fault.
    
    Act IV, Scene 5
    
    1. Ophelia's songs during her first appearance in this scene deal with love, death and sex. Why? What do they tell us about her at the moment? What might they reveal about Her, Hamlet and Polonius?
    2. Why is Laertes a danger to Claudius' throne (ll. 98-103)? (Actually two or three related reasons.)
    3. What does Claudius offer as assurance that he had no part in Polonius' death (ll. 190-9)?
    
    Act IV, Scene 6
    
    1. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet explaining how he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. How did he?
    
    Act IV, Scene 7
    
    1. What reason does Claudius give Laertes for Hamlet's killing of Polonius (ll. 1-4)?
    2. What are his two reasons for not charging Hamlet with murder (ll. 9-24)?
    3. Claudius reveals that Laertes is famous for his skill with the rapier (a fencing weapon) and that Hamlet is envious of this fame.
    4. How does Claudius plan to exploit this envy to give Laertes a chance for (publicly) guiltless revenge (ll. 126-38)?
    5. How does Laertes refine the plan (ll. 138-147)?
    6. What announcement does Gertrude make to end Act IV?