Hamlet:Would these essays be enough to get me through the exam?

biohaiid

skanger wrote: »

Appearance vs reality

What is everyone doing for this?

I like to have 8 points to talk about with an opening and closing, but I'm struggling to get 8 for this.

I have
Claudius-examples of deception
Hamlet-Examples of deception
Hamlet-Not easily fooled by deception
Polonius- examples of deception (probably enough for 2 here but can't differentiate them)
Deception by women in the play

Is there anything else that would warrant a paragraph?


Other than that I'm learning
Hamlet vs Claudius
Women
Soliloquies
Dramatic scene

Hopefully that's enough
Thanks for any help in advance

You could bring in Gertrude, Ophelia and R&G for the deception question!

Princessxx

Can anyone tell me what to discuss in a general Hamlet or Claudius essay. I know with them being the two main characters you think it would be easy but I've the main quotes and points learnt but I really don't think it's enough for an essay so what else does could you put in?

Also is anyone else doing an imagery essay we did one our teacher was saying it would be a horrible question to get but it does happen

Magpies

biohaiid wrote: »

Character of Claudius and theme or revenge were the two up last year. Unlikley again.

Damn, I'm irritated now that my English teacher made us practise them so much.
I'd be happy with any character question, I suppose.

Mysteriouschic

Is it worth doing a character essay on Claudius seeing as he came up last year? and maybe focus on Hamlet and the role of women? I've mostly been focusing on the themes rather than the characters.

thefasteriwalk

Princessxx wrote: »

Can anyone tell me what to discuss in a general Hamlet or Claudius essay. I know with them being the two main characters you think it would be easy but I've the main quotes and points learnt but I really don't think it's enough for an essay so what else does could you put in?

Also is anyone else doing an imagery essay we did one our teacher was saying it would be a horrible question to get but it does happen

Wherever Hamlet goes, questions follow…
HAMLET
Hamlet’s an introspective deep thinker
- Hamlet never reveals his true thoughts about the murderous task he’s been given – even in his conversations with Horatio he remains secretive
- His language is full of double meanings and riddles, e.g. ‘The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body.’ This makes it hard to work out what he really thinks
- This is frustrating because Hamlet is not a man of action – we can only learn about him through what he chooses to say
- Hamlet is obsessed with questions that can’t be answered – he constantly doubts and challenges the world around him. His thoughtful nature plays a major role in delaying his revenge
He’s a very moral character
- Hamlet has a very clear sense of wrong and right and believes that other people share his moral views. Claudius and Gertrude’s actions shatter his moral faith and lead to his melancholic ‘transformation’
- He doesn’t care about material things like the crown – he’s more concerned with issues of morality like his father’s murder and his mother’s ‘o’erhasty marriage’. The Ghost’s revelations force him to question the morality of the world – with all sense of righteousness and justice removed; he starts to think about the idea of suicide
- Hamlet spends the play trying to overcome his doubts and regain his faith in goodness. He’s reluctant to seek revenge because of the moral and spiritual issues involved in committing murder. Despite his hatred of Claudius, the Ghost has to force him to act
- He can only justify murdering Claudius by deciding that mankind has no control over their destiny: ‘There’s a divinity that shapes our ends’. Hamlet may take comfort in the idea of fate, because it means he’s not responsible for the murder of Claudius
There are many reasons why Hamlet might have struggled to kill Claudius
- Hamlet’s introspective nature means that he must think everything through before acting
- Hamlet’s Christian morals clash with his duty as a revenger. The Christian view is that only God has the right to take vengeance – Hamlet must overcome this believe before he can take revenge
- There’s uncertainty over the Ghost’s revelations and whether or not they can be trusted
- Perhaps Hamlet’s task is a patriotic duty – he must save his country from Fortinbras’ invasion as well as internal corruption. Hamlet could have sooner acted and made his dispute public but he avoids anything that might make Denmark appear vulnerable
- Shakespeare was writing at a time of political, social and religious uncertainty. Hamlet could be merely echoing these widespread feelings of insecurity – the play is full of contradictions, inconsistencies and uncertainties
There are questions over Hamlet’s madness
Either he’s pretending to be mad
- Hamlet himself says ‘I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft’ – this suggest that he feigns madness to convince Claudius that he’s not a threat so he can collect evidence against his uncle
- Hamlet only appears insane in front of the people he suspects will report back to Claudius – in front of everyone else, Hamlet acts sane
- Shakespeare tends to use genuine madness for dramatic value – for example, he uses Lady Macbeth’s madness to emphasise her overwhelming guilt and built up to her suicide. Hamlet’s madness doesn’t have this purpose
Or he’s genuinely insane (or goes insane because of the strain of feigning madness)
- Hamlet shows some symptoms of a disturbed mental state
- He constantly loses his train of thought and doesn’t reach any conclusions
- He has sleepless nights filled with nightmares
- He’s obsessed with secrecy
- He believes a Ghost drives him to murder
- He distances himself from people he loves
Hamlet’s use of humour suggests he’s sane
- Hamlet’s humour is always appropriate to the situation – it’s possible that a madman wouldn’t have this awareness
- Hamlet never misses an opportunity to mock the other characters – he uses humour to insult Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildernstern, and to make fun of other people’s stupidity. For example, he tricks Osric into first agreeing that ‘It is indifferent cold’ and then that ‘It is very sultry’
Hamlet has a complicated relationship with women
- Hamlet believes that his mother’s marriage to his uncle is a sign of her immorality. His anger at Gertrude isn’t simply because of her betrayal – it’s also because of her sexual ‘appetite’. Hamlet is even disgusted by the memory of how she acted with his father: ‘She would hang on him'
- Hamlet despairs with his mother’s behaviour. He then transfers his feelings towards Gertrude to all women. He calls them ‘frail’ and morally weak because of what he sees as their promiscuity
- His love for Ophelia seems genuine, but he acts strangely in front of her, suggesting he’s using her to maintain his mask of madness. It’s difficult to justify his behaviour towards her – if Hamlet isn’t mad then he knowingly treats her cruelly. He also denies loving her, ‘I loved you not’, until after her death, when she’s free from earthly desires.

Princessxx

The essays I have covered so far are
-Hamlet
-Claudius
-the women of the plan(each one individual)
-love
-appearance Vs reality
-revenge


what other ones do you recommend I do?

galwaymusic

Would I be safe if I just studied these two;
Character - Hamlets Madness
Characterization/Role of Women

Considering they came up on mocks

thefasteriwalk

The people who write the mocks are just reps from the educational company who produces the paper. There are three different educational resource companies. It is absolutely unrelated to the real thing and there is no cross over of writers. I wouldn't be using the mocks as any kind of a guide.

galwaymusic

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

I wouldn't be using the mocks as any kind of a guide.

that's what some people say, but a lot of the time, what came up on mocks, come ip on the actual Leaving Cert..

thefasteriwalk

By pure chance. State examinations are written in November. Educational resource companies write up their mock papers in December and print them in early January. There is no communication between both groups. Nor could there be, for legal reasons. It's essentially the private versus the public sector, with the ed resource companies only worried about profits. Personally, I think you're shooting yourself in the face.

xclw

just wondering, say a question for imagery came up and you hadn't studied it could you technically answer it this way:

Image of Women - how they are viewed and bring in role of women
Image of Appearances
image of loyalty - horatio
image of love
image of deception and corruption

like i know they aren't the flower and weed imagery stuff but technically you could use them right cos there is an image of love in the play and like the negative image of women we get from hamlet...

xclw

also the mocks are no indication as to what will come up, i'm repeating and last year only 2 of the poets that were on my mock came up on the actual leaving cert and the questions were totally different too! the hamlet questions were totally different and only one of the modes was the same...

thefasteriwalk

xclw wrote: »

just wondering, say a question for imagery came up and you hadn't studied it could you technically answer it this way:

Image of Women - how they are viewed and bring in role of women
Image of Appearances
image of loyalty - horatio
image of love
image of deception and corruption

like i know they aren't the flower and weed imagery stuff but technically you could use them right cos there is an image of love in the play and like the negative image of women we get from hamlet...

To be fair, when you talk about an 'image of love' and a 'negative image of women' you're talking about about how they are portrayed. If you're asked a question about imagery and symbolism then you'll be expected to talk about formal imagery (most likely in the context of it's affect on the play or somthing). Waffling on about how things are portrayed as 'imagery' would lose you a lot of 'P' marks. I put up the bones of a plan for imagery here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056653982&page=3

xclw

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

To be fair, when you talk about an 'image of love' and a 'negative image of women' you're talking about about how they are portrayed. If you're asked a question about imagery and symbolism then you'll be expected to talk about formal imagery (most likely in the context of it's affect on the play or somthing). Waffling on about how things are portrayed as 'imagery' would lose you a lot of 'P' marks. I put up the bones of a plan for imagery here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056653982&page=3

ah cool thanks, i guess i may learn imagery too so, was gonna try wing it the other way but will be safer not to, thankyou!

Togepi

For the characters, which ones should I do? Obviously you can't write an essay on every character, so which are the main ones?

So far I plan on studying:

Hamlet
Claudius
Gertrude
Ophelia
Polonius (maybe)
Horatio (maybe)

What does everyone think of those? And any others I should do?

PS: I'm only studying the characters so I can't afford to leave any likely ones out!

Mysteriouschic

Would the Ghost come up as the Ghost is important in the play?

Togepi

Mysteriouschic wrote: »

Would the Ghost come up as the Ghost is important in the play?

I've heard of 'the dramatic importance of the Ghost' or some question like that, but I don't know, he's not in many scenes so there isn't much to go on!

Mysteriouschic

Togepi wrote: »

I've heard of 'the dramatic importance of the Ghost' or some question like that, but I don't know, he's not in many scenes so there isn't much to go on!

I found a character essay on the ghost . Could you imagine the ghost came up lol.
http://www.echeat.com/free-essay/Analysis-of-the-Ghost-Character-from-Hamlet-32070.aspx

David1994

Hmm..kinda unsure how to plan out a soliquy question..
Also would a quote per paragraph suffice for most of the answers?

Bbbbolger

I'm just studying the character too. Here's what I have.

Hamlet
Claudius (came up last year)
Ophelia and Gertrude (unlikely to come up on their own unless asked about their relationship with Hamlet)
Laertes, Fortinbras and Horatio (Hamlet's foils - the men he wants to be)
Polonius
The Ghost
Horatio (on his own as Hamlet's foil, the only trustworthy person in the play and as a means of seeing Hamlet's inner thoughts)

Also be able to discuss all the characters relationships with Hamlet as thats an easy way for them to vary the questioning. I cant see Claudius coming up two years in a row though.
The Ghost would be a very harsh question for them to give but there is a lot to talk about with him. I know he doesnt appear much but he is the driving force behind all the plays action. Also, his lack of presence near the end of the play is almost as important as his presence at the start. Him not being there shows that Hamlet doesn't need to be spurred on anymore.
Horatio would also be kind of harsh on his own too but his relationship with Hamlet is extremely important. Its different to any other characters relationship with Hamlet.

Chuchoter

Hamlet-Madness, nobility, hero, tragic figure
Claudius-Character, heroic traits
Gertrude
Ophelia
Women in General
Horatio
Imagery and Symbolism
Soliloquies
Loyalty and Betrayal
Appearance Vs Reality
Kingship

Fortinbras and Laertes to be done tomorrow! Finally!

smithy77

Still gotta do Imagery & Symbolism and Soliloquies.. And look over poetry as im starting 2 forget it:(

thefasteriwalk

Togepi wrote: »

For the characters, which ones should I do? Obviously you can't write an essay on every character, so which are the main ones?

So far I plan on studying:

Hamlet
Claudius
Gertrude
Ophelia
Polonius (maybe)
Horatio (maybe)

What does everyone think of those? And any others I should do?


PS: I'm only studying the characters so I can't afford to leave any likely ones out!

The Ghost

biohaiid

Was studying Ham;et today and just had a major panic!!
I dont think I have enough covered and I dont have the time to do more!

I have the women done well, and I haven't done hamlet in a while but I think I know him, and then I did Polonious and Horatio very quickly tonight.

Then I have the themes of Falsity and Love done.

And a dramatic scene and the enduring popularity.

Should I be covered?
I dont have all of the characters or all of the 'others' done, so kinda freaking out now!!!

Astrozombies

All I'm doing is
Characters of - Hamelt, Gertrude, Ophelia (not claudius) probably Polonious abit, and the ghost...
And themes I'm hoping to get done are
Falseness vs. reality (which is kind of the same as deception?)
importance of soliloquies
Women in Hamlet

and I still need to do the last two. Will that cover me do yous think? I only started english today, oh god haha. I'm afraid some theme I haven't predicted will come up? any REALLY likely ones?

Stalin and rugby

I don't think anyone should rely on English for points.. There's just too much left to chance/that could go wrong..

smithy77

'Discuss the role played by lies and deception in the play, supporting your answer with suitable reference'.

I'm just stuck with the role part, could I say the role would be the deception leads to the death of multiple characters or makes the play more appealing or anything else?

Togepi

Currently panicking about a character question not coming up. What are the odds of them not putting one on?! :cool: I'm going to study an important scene and universal appeal too because they'd be lovely to answer on if they came up. I wish there wasn't so many things they could put on!

deathbythelc

I'm doing:

Hamlet
Ophelia/Gertrude
Hamlet vs Laertes/Fortinbras

Deception (Appearance & Reality)
Imagery/Symbolism
Loyalty/Betrayal
Soliloquies

Is that enough? I think I know Hamlet well enough to write an answer from scratch if I needed to but would I be pretty covered with these?

JonnyMcNamee

deathbythelc wrote: »

I'm doing:

Hamlet
Ophelia/Gertrude
Hamlet vs Laertes/Fortinbras

Deception (Appearance & Reality)
Imagery/Symbolism
Loyalty/Betrayal
Soliloquies

Is that enough? I think I know Hamlet well enough to write an answer from scratch if I needed to but would I be pretty covered with these?

I'd say you're fairly well covered! Maybe just cover the appeal of Hamlet today.. It's a real easy question to answer if you know a theme and a few characters really well.