English Lit II

Essay II: Drama - Hamlet

 750 words in length (equivalent of 2 ½ to 3 typed pages).  1 inch margins all around. Calibri (12) or Times New Roman (12) font.

 Paragraph indentations and double-spacing.  MLA guidelines for Standard English grammar with a Works Cited page added on.  Due by 12/10/13, 11:30pm EST.

Choose just one of the essay questions below and write an essay in response. Again, this should be a critical/analysis essay. __________________________________________________________________________ 1. In Hamlet, Shakespeare has created many foils--minor characters, which through their personal struggles, actions and speeches, mirror the struggles of the play's major characters. Ophelia, Laertes, Fortinbras, Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern--all mirror Hamlet in some way, and in doing so, illuminate for us various aspects of his character and struggles. Making detailed use of text, write an essay that explores how two of the preceding characters act as foils to Hamlet, and go on to comment critically on what each of these foils reveals to us about Hamlet and his struggles. (I am looking for depth in your answers here and explication of text: make sure the claims you make have evidence from the text and reasoning of your own to back them up.)

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2. Pick any one of the following film versions of HAMLET and discuss and/or critique it:

LAURENCE OLIVIER, MEL GIBSON, KENNETH BRANAGH, ETHAN HAWKE, DAVID TENNANT. You

may focus on an analysis of the actor playing the role of HAMLET, or you can critique other

aspects of the production: other actors' performances, staging, tropes, props, additions made

to the play to modernize it, editing of the written text (or not) to screenplay, any aspects of

production you would like to focus on. In your critique, you are free to be positive, negative or

both; think of your essay as a kind of review of the production. Be sure to refer to specific

scenes and details in what you discuss; don't just provide your opinion, spouting off, without

backing it up with evidence. Be sure, also, to explain your reasoning with regard to your

responses.