ESSAY PROMPT: How and why have members of your chosen nation or community interpreted and/ or adapted Hamlet?
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (for a passing grade):
Write at least 2000 words
Use MLA style (Remember that you can consult a librarian for help!) for parenthetical documentation and Works Cited page.
Quote from Hamlet, and discuss quoted passages.
Quote from and respond to at least two secondary sources that you will discover through library research. You may also use secondary sources we have read in class.
Write readable, coherent, focused paragraphs and sentences.
Double space your text and indent your paragraphs.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS (for a strong essay):
Avoid too much summary. Don’t use a lot of space retelling the story.
Consult with a librarian about your secondary sources.
Take the time to revise your essay. Do an essay conference at the Writing Center.
Proofread your whole essay carefully; proofread your thesis statement extra carefully.WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR:
Orientation and direction. What’s YOUR angle on your topic, and where do you want to take your reader? Show me a way of looking at this text, and make me understand why it’s worthwhile to look at the text in this way.
Thesis statement. Yes, the thesis statement is closely related to #1 (above), but some students do ok with orientation and direction without really capturing their argument in a thesis statement. You will get a better grade if you can make a supportable claim which you articulate in a statement of 1-2 sentences relatively early in your essay.
Discussion of formal/ stylistic features of the text and/ or production. Examples include (you don’t need to discuss ALL of these!): rhythm/ meter, sentence structure, word choice, dramatic structure, set and costume design, etc.
Awareness/ anticipation of other voices/ positions. How well do you use your secondary sources? Do you give your reader the sense that you are having something like a real conversation with the critics (“listening” to what they have to say and responding in a thoughtful, relevant way)? Make sure to include your primary AND secondary sources on your Works Cited page.
Focused paragraphs with good transitions.
Well-connected, well-constructed sentences.
Evidence of Substantive Revision: You will submit a first draft and participate in peer review.The goal of the essay is to help you learn about why this play has been of interest to one group of people and about how those people have responded creatively. You will have to do research on your own time, but the professor will help you get started. A link to the MIT Global Shakespeares project is available through our course in Canvas. If this resource does not help you identify a topic, please set up an appointment with your professorQuestions to Ask Re: Hamlet Adaptations/ Interpretations
As you start to examine specific versions of the play, you can use the following questions to help you generate ideas relevant to the essay prompt. Note that you should aim to discuss at least two adaptations/ interpretations of Hamlet:
HOW TO DO IT: You will choose a nation or community for which Hamlet has been an interesting text. You may define “nation” and “community” however you wish. Note that it’s probably not a good idea to choose the USA or England as your nation because you simply will have too much material. You may focus on a group or sub-culture *within* the US or UK (examples: feminists, skateboarders, hipsters…), or you may choose a very large group that transcends national boundaries (examples: Arabic speakers, Catholics…).
Questions to Ask Re: Hamlet Adaptations/ Interpretations:
Which parts of the play does this version emphasize? How? Why?
Which parts of the play does this version de-emphasize? How? Why?
What is distinctive about the “look” of this version? (Costumes, set, etc.) What message does this “look” send?
What is the language of this version? If it’s English, is it modernized? If it’s not English, is formal? Is it in verse? Prose? Both? Can you think of other relevant questions about language? If so, what are they and why are they relevant?
*** this essay must be choose one nation and discuss about why chose nation is interpreted the Hamlet***
please use the quote from the hamlet book and don’t forget to mention about the act and sense number.
Hamlet (Barbara A.Mowat and Paul Werstine)
Please use resource from
