Essay 1

Hamlet -

-Lines 501-558. Hamlet goes through different moods. What are those moods? Explain each.

1. Confusion: wondering at the player´s tears for Hecuba.

2. Self-disgust: He´s overwhelmed by his life.

3. Rage: against King Claudius.

4. Fear: That the ghost might be lying to make him commit something he doesn´t want to/will regret.

-Self-reproach. Do you think Hamlet is too harsh on himself?

Yes, he thinks too much about what his father wants to do and his thoughts on this.

-Consider each thing he calls himself and decide if they are true. (What does he call himself?)

Words | Agree with | Disagree with |

Grim | X | |

Uncourageous rascal | | X |

Dreamer | X | |

Coward | | X |

Villain | | X |

Liar | X | |

Lily-livered man | X | |

-Consider each of the seven things he calls himself in lines 532-533 and discuss how each description justify is. (MODERN TEXT)

1. Grim: He´s mourning about his father´s death/murder and by the fact that his mother has already forgotten about him.

2. Uncourageous rascal: He only thinks about what he needs to do but doesn´t actually acts, he´s ferocious only in words.

3. Dreamer: He´s lost in his thoughts.

4. Coward: Since he is hesitant to kill his uncle, which is what his father wants.

5. Villain: He is confused because he would be considered one if he avenges his father death by killing his uncle but that´s now what he really wants, that´s not his personality.

6. Liar: Because he lies to everyone about being insane or crazy, faking his insanity.

7. Lily-livered man: He knows that the murderer of his father is his uncle but he doesn´t take action about it.

-Select one character and follow him/her progress through acts 1 and 2. Identify the different sides of the chosen character.

Gertrude. At the start of the play she is shown really sad by the death of her husband (King Hamlet) but as the play goes on she almost immediately re-married her brother-in law (King Claudius) and basically...