Essay Guidelines:
Length: 2000 words (give or take 200) Style: SemiFormal – proper grammar, spelling and sentence structure, academic word choice and diction, proper use of quotation integration, use of personal pronouns, contractions, and conversational tone allowed. Format:
the essay must have a thesis (controlling idea) must be written in paragraphs each paragraph must contain one idea that is explored the proof must come from the text of Hamlet and cited in text and on the Works
Cited page
● if other sources are used they must be cited INTEXT AND ON THE WORKS
CITED PAGE ● proper MLA format must be used at all times
● a formal outline must be included
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●
●
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Hand in in this order: 1. Rubric
2. Formal Outline 3. Essay with tag (this is page 1)
4. Works Cited page
Hamlet Essay Topics 1. Discuss the character of Ophelia. What does she represent in the play? Discuss the events leading up to and the consequences of her death. 2. What is Hamlet’s fatal flaw? 3. Discuss the theme of rot, disease, and the unnatural in the play. 4. Discuss Hamlet’s relationship with one other character (Claudius, Gertrude, Horatio or the duo of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, etc.)
5. Discuss the role of the ghost in the play. Consider how, when, and to whom he appears.
Does this add another important character in the play? 6. Discuss Shakespeare’s use of imagery or classical allusions in the play. 7. Discuss the various deaths in the play starting with the death of Hamlet Senior. What message is Shakespeare sending about the various circumstances surrounding murder, accidental death, and suicide 8. Discuss the religious significance of the play. 9. Discuss the use of the play actors in Hamlet. 10. Discuss the influence of foreign lands in the play. These are general topics. To create a thesis from these topics you must create an argument.
For example, if you choose #5, you are not just comparing Hamlet to Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. You would need to prove in your essay that the characters of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are there to show how Hamlet is truly good, how he is truly sane, and to highlight the tragedy that is his death. This is an argument you would need to prove with evidence because one could easily argue that these characters show that he is evil, insane, and a murderer.
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