Hamlet Assignments

Section 1 Assignment
Two-paragraph Character Profile or Threads of Act 1 Commentary
For your first assignment on Act 1 of Hamlet, you have two choices. Read through each carefully before you decide which one to

complete.

Option A: Character Profile
Write a two-paragraph profile of either Claudius or Hamlet. Strive for clarity, unity, and provide the necessary specific details from

the play to make your answer complete. You may choose to imagine that you are an actor in the play developing a character that you will

be performing.

Option B: Threads of Act 1 Commentary
Having completed the lessons for Act 1 you will be well prepared for the rest of the play if you review all the different threads of

action. The following are threads that help to make us wonder what will happen and what is motivating the characters:

Horatio and the Guards
Claudius’s handling of courtly issues (Fortinbras, Laertes, Hamlet)
Hamlet’s soliloquy
Polonius’s dealings with his son and daughter
Hamlet and the Ghost
Hamlet’s relationship with his mother, Gertrude

Each of these narrative threads is taken up later in the play, and we need to keep more and more in mind as we read on.

If you select this option, your assignment is to choose one of the threads that most interests you and to develop a two-paragraph

commentary on the issues and ideas that you have developed. Describe the central issue and link it to the most important event that it

develops into later in the play. Notice also, that you should be able to use the content of your journal.

You will need to have a precise point to argue in your commentary—start developing a carefully crafted thesis statement. The thesis

statement at the beginning of the essay states an idea that is worth discussing and contributes to a reader’s understanding and insight

into the topic. In addition, the paragraphs need to be linked by some meaningful transition.

Now all that is missing is the “passion” of the writer. This ingredient is added if the writer is excited about the topic and genuinely

wants to communicate ideas to the reader. So do pick a topic of interest. Further, the list of topics here is not exhaustive. If you

think there is another thread of the play that you are more interested in, contact your teacher to develop another topic together.

Each paragraph should be no longer than 200 words. As you develop them, consider how to use transition words to link the paragraphs.

Also consider how you will express a conclusion in your last paragraph.

Evaluation Guidelines Marks

Multi-Paragraph Scoring Guide x 3 to mark your profile or commentary

Option A: Character Profile
Main points to consider for content: (12 marks)
Have you identified your character precisely?
Have you included several precise points about his/her character?
Have you included specific details from the play to complete your profile?
Have you considered how an actor would evaluate this character inside and out?

Main points to consider for form: (6 marks)
Are sentences complete?
Are spelling and punctuation correct?
Did you edit your paper?
Have you organized your paper?

Option B: Threads of Act 1 Commentary
Main points to consider for content: (12 marks)
Have you developed a clear thesis statement?
Have you provided sufficient details to round out your commentary?
Are your examples appropriate and do they reveal that you understand the topic?

Main points to consider for form: (6 marks)
Are sentences complete?
Have you used transition words and phrases between points?
Are spelling and punctuation correct?
Did you edit your paper?
Have you organized your paper? 18

Total Marks /18
http://www.w3.org/People/maxf/XSLideMaker/hamlet.pdf