Hamlet Questions/Topics
In what ways does the ghost influence Hamlet’s decisions? Should Hamlet trust it?
How are women depicted in the play?
Is Polonius really a fool? Does he deserve to die?
Why does Hamlet delay killing Claudius?
What type of humor does Shakespeare employ in the play? Why?
In what sense is Hamlet both a hero and a villain?
Is Hamlet really acting, i.e. putting on an “antic disposition”?
English Composition II Research Project
This project consists of two main components:
(1) You will revise and expand your essay on Hamlet by incorporating a minimum of ten scholarly sources into your discussion of the play. These sources may be accessed via our library’s web site. Please follow the link provided under this module to the library’s online orientation page. Legitimate and reliable scholarly sources can be found in our online catalog and through EBSCO. Secondary sources can be synthesized into your essay in a number of different ways. You might cite an opinion that differs from your own so that you might signal to the reader the exact line of debate in which you are engaged. Or, you might cite a source that confirms your own opinion. Additionally, you may quote a critic in order to build on his or her work. At any rate, the goals are to demonstrate familiarity with some facet of the critical debate surrounding the play and enter that debate by proposing and arguing for your own persuasive claim.
(2) You will also compile an annotated bibliography consisting of those same ten scholarly sources (4 essays, 4 books, and 2 legitimate web sources). This is simply a list of secondary works on the play in MLA format with a brief (3-5 sentences) paragraph following the citation and explaining the argument of said source. In addition to explicating the source, you should also speculate as to where you might make use of the source in your own essay.