Wednesday, 2/27 - More Ham

• P&P

• Hamlet thyme

HW: Hamlet - J3 (see yesterday's post)

Tuesday, 2/26 - Omlette

• P&P

• Discuss journal?

• Read

HW: (due block) Hamlet - J3 (Act 3)

1. Though fundamentally opposites, how are Ophelia and Claudius similar, according to Leithart?
2. What tendencies do Hamlet and Claudius share?
3. How is Claudius a complex character (in other words, how is he more than mere monster)?
4. What factors contribute to Hamlet's hatred of marriage (and women in particular)?
5. What is the double-edged nature of the play (what is doubly significant about the death of the player king and his murderer)? In other words, how does the court interpret it? How does Claudius interpret it?
6. What is Claudius struggling with when Hamlet finds him praying? Explain his biblical allusion ("primal eldest curse"), his distinction between earthly and heavenly justice, and his subsequent dilemma (what would be required of true repentance?).
7. Explain how Hamlet's deliberation in killing Claudius shows us he is increasing in madness (specifically as it pertains to vengeance).
8. Explain several of the ways in which the death of Polonius is the turning point ("lynch pin") of the play.
9. What is ironic about Hamlet's attempt to hold up a mirror to Gertrude? What does this tell us about Hamlet's moral constitution?
10. Given that the murder of Polonius is the murder of another father, what can we expect to see in the immediate future?  

Monday, 2/25 - Hamlet, Act 2

• P&P

• Read

HW:  

1. (Tues) Finish Hamlet - J2 (Act 2) (or see below)
2. (Block) Hamlet - J3 (Act 3)

 

Wednesday, 2/20 - Block, 2/22 - Continue forging through Hamlet

• P&P

• Read Hamlet

HW: (Finish for Tuesday the 26th) Hamlet - J2 

1. Why does Act 2 begin with Polonius's seeming impertinent dialogue with Reynaldo?
2. What are the two results of spying?
3. What is extremely significant about the ambassadors' news upon returning from Norway (and what does it have to do with Hamlet)?
4. What is so significant about Hamlet's alleged madness? In other words, why is everyone so concerned about him?
5. What are the theories concerning Hamlet's madness and who holds each theory?
6. What is Hamlet's purpose behind his "verbal fencing"?
7. What are the implications to Hamlet's calling Polonius a "fishmonger"?
8. Explain the meaning behind Hamlet's warning to Polonius: "For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion--Have you a daughter? . . . Let her not walk i' the sun. Conception is a blessing, but as your daughter may conceive--friend' look to 't."
9. Explain why Hamlet reacts so emotionally upon hearing the first player's speech.
10. How will the play The Murder of Gonzago relate to the theme of spying? 

Tuesday, 2/12 - Hamlet Act I

• P&P
• Let's dig into this drama using Subtext. I want everyone to make one insight, ask one good question, and attempt one answer to one of your colleagues' questions per Act. Given that Elizabethan drama is five acts, that means a total of fifteen posts. This is a minimum; I'd like to see even more. Let's try to understand as much of Hamlet as we can. . . . You know, spill a bunch of virtual ink in George Bernard Shaw's face ; )

HW: 

1. See above
2. Leithart (those of you who have already done these journals for English 400 will receive the credit you already earned. If you'd like to qualify for more, please feel free to redo them).

HW:  J - Hamlet, Act 1 (block)

Read Leithart (pgs. 120-129) and answer the following questions

1. What dramatic and thematic purposes does Fortinbras, the young prince of Norway, serve? 
2. Contrast the late King Hamlet (the ghost) with Claudius (his brother and present King of Denmark).
3. What is significant (and ironic) about fathers, particularly about most of the fathers in this drama?
4. How does Shakespeare develop the theme that appearances sometimes mask reality (cite two examples)?
5.  What is the purpose of Shakespeare's "ghosts"?
6. Discuss the important question concerning the "nature" of the ghost (where it comes from) and how we know. 
7. How was King Hamlet killed? What imagery does the ghost use to describe his death, and why is this (biblically) significant? 
   

Block, 2/8 - THICE and Subtext

• P&P

• THICE - Julius Caesar

• Subtext 

• We are going to try out an app called Subtext, the latest in interactive e-books. If you don't already have it, please get it. You must have the latest OS to do this, as I'm told. If you cannot, go to the ARC sometime over the next couple of days because I want to begin using it.
• Once you have the app, you'll need to log in using either your Facebook account or your gmail account, the one that the school gave you. If you don't know it, then look it up or go to Student Services.
• To join Reno's group, called Shakespeare, you'll need the following code: JYADIPMA. 
• Now select Shakespeare's Hamlet from the Shakespeare bookshelf. 

Wednesday, 2/6 - Prepare for your THICE

• P&P

• Work on your THICE. See yesterday's daily for the prompts. HERE is some help if you have no idea how to craft a thesis.

HW: THICE on Friday.  

Tuesday, 2/5 - Meeting in the Capitol . . . to kill so capital a calf there

• P&P

• Exam - Julius Caesar

HW: 

1. You had better have your own copy of Leithart's Brightest Heaven of Invention by the time Monday rolls around. I'll be checking it for a HW assignment.
2. Begin preparing for a THICE (Take Home In Class Essay) to be written the first half of block day (Friday). Please bring your outline, including important quotes. Your thesis must be comprised of both a claim and preview of your main points. Here are your prompts:

1. Craft a thesis which takes a stab at what Shakespeare is saying about the place of women in a "man's world." How does he show this?  
2. Scrounge around for a thesis that slashes to the heart of what Shakespeare is saying with his imagery, focusing on different image clusters. Consider whether there's a common thematic tapestry woven with these different colored threads of imagery. Or, if you'd rather, focus on one cluster and address what the Bard is saying.
3. Peer into the mysteries of what might constitute a thesis that punctures the twin lungs of military warfare and rhetoric. What is the truth of what the Bard is singing to us concerning the relationship of swords and words.

Monday, 2/4 - The Spirit of Julius Caesar!

• P&P

• Finish Julius Caesar 

HW: 

1. (Tues) Exam
1. Know the characters: their characters and motivations
2. Important quotes: speaker, context, and meaning 
2. (Wed) ICE (In Class Essay)