Hamlet Close-Reading Essay

Prompt:

·         Pick one of the following soliloquies or monologues from the play Hamlet. In a well-organized essay, analyze how the character’s use of language (literary/poetic devices, diction, imagery, figurative language, etc…) helps to convey his complex state of mind.

Text Options:

·         Claudius Act 1 Scene 2 Monologue (Though yet of Hamlet…)

·         Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2 Soliloquy (O, that this too, too sullied flesh…)

·         Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5 Soliloquy (O all you host of heaven…)

·         Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2 Monologue (I have of late, but wherefore I know not…)

·         Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2 Soliloquy (O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I…)

·         Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1 Soliloquy (To be or not to be…)

·         Claudius Act 3 Scene 3 Soliloquy (O, my offense is rank…)

Requirements:

·         2-4 Pages

·         MLA Format and Citations.

·         Use formal voice (no “I,” “me,” or “us;” do not refer to the reader either).

·         Rough Draft hardy copy (intro and first body paragraph) due Friday 10/23

·         Final Draft due on Turnitin.com Tuesday 11/3 at 9:00pm

·         Final Draft hard copy due block period 11/4 or 11/5