Hamlet Close Reading Assignment

Hamlet Close Reading Assignment:

Consider the possibility that one of these passages could be included on the AP exam, either in the multiple choice/reading comprehension Section I or as the prose analysis passage in Section II.  Prepare a short, one-paragraph essay addressing the significance of the passage. The topic sentence should announce the argument of the paragraph/the significance of the passage: “In this passage Shakespeare emphasizes…” or “… introduces the idea that…” or “… characterizes [whomever] as a [whatever] person.”

Passages for analysis: Choose ONE for EACH ACT. Numbers are act.scene.line numbers. For example, 1.2.1-86 is Act One, scene 2, lines 1-86. You will write ONE paragraph for EACH act.

 I.2.1-86 I.2.87-159 I.5.1-92

 2.1.75-121 2.2.226-316 2.2.557-614

 3.3 3.4.26-93 3.4.106-185

 4.5.114-226 4.7.110-197

 5.1.187-298 5.2.1-81 5.267-368

This will need to be typed, double spaced or single spaced is fine. Please have a proper heading. Your title will be the passage you choose.

 Treat your topic sentence as your thesis.  You do not need to write about EVERY line in your selection, but only on the key lines that will help you prove your analytical topic sentence.  You might focus on poetic techniques or you might focus on the elements of fiction: plot, setting, characterization, conflict, symbol and point of view.  Think of this as ONE paragraph you could write in a MUCH larger essay about this act.  Make sure to use good textual support (cite it properly) and think CEW and ICE when writing.

Our example:

In Act 1.1, the first 43 lines emphasize the ominous tone of the opening scene and foreshadow the political and emotional unrest the nation of Denmark will face throughout the play. The scene opens outside Elsinore Castle sometime after midnight in the winter, and already, the setting presents the audience with a dark and threatening atmosphere that adds to the tension the night watchmen Francisco and Barnardo feel. In the pitch darkness, one guard demands the other to immediately identify himself: “Who’s there!/Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself” (1.1.1-2). Bernardo immediately pledges his allegiance to the King of Denmark yet the reason for tense feeling conveyed remains unknown to the audience. Fancisco’s demands suggest he cannot identify Barnardo, and his command to “stand” implies the unknown man is armed and a threat, establishing the ominous tone. The guards appear to be on high alert when in Barnardo asks Francisco, “Have you had quiet guard?” (1.1.10). This raises the question of whether they expected to see something and, if so, what? This apprehension is further suggested when Marcellus and Horatio, “liegeman to the Dane” (1.1.17) enter the scene with the same command and identify themselves; everyone seems to be suspect and everyone seems to be on edge about something. This is not a casual gathering. The audience continues to feel the foreboding of the guards, but is now introduced to Horatio’s skepticism and Barnardo finally reveals the source of their tension—a ghost sighting. However, Horatio’s doubt in the reality of the ghost—“Tush, tush, ‘twill not appear” (1.1.34)—creates a contrast between what is real or not and raises questions that now need to be answered: is the ghost real, and if so, who or what is this ghost and what is its motive?