1. Write an explication of Hamlet's 3.1 soliloquy/monologue.
Label this "3.1 Soliloquy Explication" and share your Google Doc with me. You explanation must work through the soliloquy sentence by sentence, explaining not only the what Hamlet is saying but also analyzing how Hamlet says it. Consider what is significant about and what is suggested by specific figurative imagery, sentence structures, shifts in focus, pronouns, variations in rhythm, etc. Also, consider particulars in this soliloquy/monologue in relation to the rest of the play.
Due by class time on Friday.
Note:
3.1 Make sure that your explication of the "to be or not to be" speech analyzes both what each sentence means and how each sentence conveys that meaning with rhetorical strategies. Make sure your explication does not incorporate interpretations borrowed from sources other than the notes provided to you. Uncited paraphrases of other people's analyses is plagiarism and will result in a zero, a call home, and notification of the assistant principal.
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To be, or not to be: that is the question (3.1.64-98).
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer (65)
The
slings and
arrows of
outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks (70)
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a
consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the
rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have
shuffled off this
mortal coil, (75)
Must give us pause: there's the
respect
That makes calamity
of so long
life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of
time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, (80)
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might
his
quietus make
With a
bare bodkin?
who would
fardels
bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life, (85)
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose
bourn
No traveller returns,
puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of? (90)
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the
native hue of
resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the
pale
cast of thought,
And enterprises of
great pitch
and moment
With this regard their
currents turn awry, (95)
And lose the name of action.--
Soft
you now!
The fair Ophelia!
Nymph,
in thy
orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.
slings ] Some argue that "slings" is a misprint of
the intended word, "stings". "The stings of fortune" was a
common saying in the Renaissance. But in the context of the soliloquy,
"slings" likely means "sling-shot" or "missile".
This seems in keeping with the reference to "arrows" - both can do
great harm.
outrageous fortune ] Fortune is "outrageous" in that
it is brazenly defiant.
And by opposing end them ] If you cannot suffer the
"slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" then you must end your
troubles with suicide. [Mr. Cook’s note: other critics read this phrase more
broadly.]
consummation ] Final settlement of all matters.
rub ] Impediment. The term comes from bowling, where the
"rub" is any obstacle the pushes the ball off course.
shuffled off this mortal coil ] To separate from one's body
(mortal coil = body).
respect ] Consideration.
of so long life ] So long-lived.
time ] Time = temporal life.
his quietus make ] Settle his own account.
bare bodkin ] A "mere dagger". Bodkin was a Renaissance
term used to describe many different sharp instruments, but it makes the most
sense here to assume Shakespeare means a dagger.
fardels ] Burdens.
No traveller returns ] Since Hamlet has already encountered his
father's ghost, and thus proof of the afterlife, this line has raised much
debate. There are four major current theories regarding this line: 1)
Shakespeare made an egregious error and simply failed to reconcile the
appearance of the ghost and Hamlet's belief that human beings do not return; 2)
Hamlet has earlier revealed that he doubts the authenticity of the ghost and,
therefore, he does not believe his father has truly returned; 3) Hamlet is
referring only to human beings returning in the flesh and not as mere shadows
of their former selves; 4) the entire soliloquy is misplaced and rightfully
belongs before Hamlet has met his father's ghost. In my estimation, theory #4
seems the most plausible.
bourn ] Limit or boundary.
native hue of resolution ] Natural. Here Hamlet refers to the
"natural color of courage".
pale cast of thought ] Sickly tinge of contemplation.
great pitch and moment ] Of momentous significance. The
"pitch" was the name given to the highest point in a falcon's flight
before it dives down to catch its prey.
With this regard their currents turn awry ] A reference to the
sea and its tides: "Because of their thoughts, their currents become
unstable".
Soft you now ] "But hush!". Hamlet hears Ophelia
begin to pray and he must cut short his private ponderances.
Nymph ] See commentary below.
orisons ] Prayers.
2. Write a shuttle comparison of two performances of Hamlet's 3.1 soliloquy/monologue.
Put this in the comments below. Use your first name and last initial please. Remember to begin with a bold insight about meaningful similarities and/or differences. Then, develop that insight by explaining very specific acting and directing choices.
Due by class time on Monday.
First clip: 3.1 monologue, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh (1996)
[(1) Here the monologue is in context as it appears in the second quarto and first folio. (2) I know what you're going to ask. The answer is
one-way mirror.]
Second clip: 3.1 soliloquy, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson (1990)
[Here the soliloquy is lifted out of its context in 3.1 and delivered on
its own. Hamlet walks down into the catacombs where his father and
others are buried.]
Third clip: 3.1 soliloquy, directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke (2000)
[Here again the soliloquy is lifted out of its context in 3.1 and
delivered on its own, but this time Hamlet is in a Blockbuster video
store. Why?, you ask. Because in this version Hamlet creates the
Mousetrap by editing clips of film into a montage depicting something
like the murder of his father. He's in Blockbuster looking for film
clips to include in his montage.]
Fourth clip: 3.1 soliloquy, directed by
Gregory Doran, Hamlet played by David Tennant (2009)
[Here the monologue is in context again. I chose an edit of this speech that shows a little bit of the context at the beginning and end of the speech.]
Fifth clip: 3.1 soliloquy, directed by Laurence Olivier, Hamlet played by Laurence Olivier (1948)
[Out of the 3.1. again but with suggestive water imagery that plays off of lines in the speech and elsewhere in the play.]
3. Pick one option (300+ word response)
Option #1 Write a shuttle comparison of two performances of "The Murder of Gonzago" ("the Mousetrap").
Remember to begin with a bold insight about meaningful similarities
and/or differences. When comparing consider Hamlet's behavior, the play-within-the-play itself, and the reactions of Ophelia, Gertrude, and Claudius. Then, develop that insight by explaining very
specific acting and directing choices.
Put this in the comments below. Use your first name and last initial please. Due by class time Tuesday.
Option #2. Write a mini-essay explaining in detail how director Michael Almereyda's "Mouse Trap" uses clips of film to express Hamlet's feelings about his mother and to attempt to "catch the conscience of the king."
Then, evaluate how effectively the collaged film conveys the ideas expressed in Shakespeare's text.
Put this in the comments below. Use your first name and last initial please. Due by class time Tuesday.
Option #3. Write a mini-essay explaining how you would improve one of the versions (your choice) with very specific directorial and acting choices. Defend your choices. Explain exactly how your changes would improve the scene.
Put this in the comments below. Use your first name and last initial please. Due by class time Tuesday.
First Clip: 3.2 "Murder of Gonzago," directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh, Ophelia played by Kate Winslet, Gertrude played by Julie Christie, Claudius played by Derek Jacobi (1996) [The full text is performed but in a Victorian rather than Elizabethan setting. Click here for more on the
style of Branagh's Hamlet,
here for more on Victorian theatre,
here for more on the Victorian era.]
Second Clip: 3.2 "Murder of Gonzago," directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson, Ophelia played by Helena Bonham Carter, Gertrude played by Glenn Close, Claudius played by Alan Bates (1990)
[This clip begins with Hamlet's line "You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago's wife" (3.2.289), but instead of this line causing the King to rise, Zeffirelli has the players enact a partial version of the dumb show here. Prior to the beginning of this clip the Player King and the Player Queen--both played by men in the Elizabethan tradition--have exchanged a heavily cut version of the lines written for the occasion by Hamlet. Hamlet has also already spoken to Ophelia ("May I lie my head upon your lap") and Gertrude ("Madam, how like you this play?"). His manner, prior to the clip, is strangely playful (or playfully strange) and visibly anxious, perhaps an adult indulging in adolescent childishness.]
Third Clip:
3.2 "Mouse Trap," abridged, is directed by Michael Almereyda. Ethan Hawke plays
Hamlet, Julia Stiles plays Ophelia, Diana Venora plays Gertrude, Kyle MacLachlan plays Claudius. (2000)
[Almereyda sets his Hamlet in mid-1990s Manhattan. Prior to this scene we have watched Hamlet visiting Blockbuster Video and editing film into a collage. Prior to the clip when Hamlet says "May I lie my head upon your lap" Ophelia pushes him away.]
Fourth Clip / Fourth Clip part 2: 3.2 "Murder of Gonzago, abridged, is directed by Gregory Doran. David Tennant plays Hamlet, Mariah Gale plays Ophelia, Penny Downie plays Gertrude, and Patrick Steward plays Claudius. (2009)
[If you want to skip Hamlet's lecture on acting
and his bromantic speech to Horatio, start 3:30 or so into the first
clip. The "Murder of Gonzago" ends about 3:30 into the second clip. Doran seems to set the film in a chimerical present day monarchy, mixing modern clothing with pre-modern decor. The Player King and Player Queen's speeches are cut to the essential lines but the scene is otherwise more or less intact.]
4. Read and take notes on 3.2.297 (the end of the play) through 3.3 for class on Monday. (That's about eight pages.) (When reading 3.3 think of dramatic irony; think of the relationship between thought and action.) Answer the following questions in your Hamlet notes.
3.2 After Claudius ends The Murder of Gonzago how does Hamlet use wit to critique Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then Polonius?3.3 How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony in this scene to dramatize Hamlet's claim that "conscience does make cowards of us all/And thus the native hue of resolution/is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought"? (In other words, how does the dramatic irony in this scene show how the impulse to act can be weakened by thought?)5. Now read 3.4 and answer the following questions in your Hamlet notes.How does William Shakespeare use dramatic irony early in the scene? How is this a turning point in the play?How does Shakespeare use specific figurative imagery to characterize Hamlet's feelings toward his mother and her feelings toward Hamlet?
