The following assignment will evaluate students’ knowledge of the play, Tragedy of Hamlet, and test how students apply skills learned in thecourse lectures and discussion. In a five-pageliterary essay, students will analyze the theme Human Action(or action) as it appears in the play. As discussed in class, Hamlet, at numerous times throughout the play, is faced with the choice of acting versus not acting. However, his actions impact far more people than just himself and encourage us to think about the meaning behind human action –what factors play a role in decision-making and how actions can have consequences on both small and large scales.
For this assignment, I encourage you to look deeper into Hamlet’s actions. Were they calculated or thoughtout? Perhaps you believe that they were not controlled and instead, view them as reckless.Do you believe that actions guided by emotion can have violent endings? Or do you believe that actions guided by one’s moral conscious or ethics can have a more positive result or outcome? These questions can help you formulate an opinion on whether the theme of Human Action(or action) is helpful or harmful prior to writing your paper.
Essays should include the following:-Introduction-Three Body Paragraphs-Conclusion
** I have attached the step-by-step Essay Writing Guide. Please use this guide to help you as you write your paper because it clearly indicates what the expectations are for each paragraph.
** I have also attached the rubric that will be used to mark your paperbelow. Please note that the only accepted referencing or citing format for this assignment is MLA.
** This assignment should notbe written in the first-person point of view.
Essay Writing Guide:
Introduction:1stSentence: Define the theme of the essay in your own words.2ndSentence: Introduce the play, the year the playwas published, and the author of the play.3rdSentence –4thSentence: Provide a brief summary of the play.5thSentence –6thSentence: “This paper will begin by summarizing the theme of _______ in _______. For example, ____________________.”7thSentence –8thSentence: “Next, this paper will analyze how the theme of _______ can be (helpful or harmful). For example, ____________________.”9thSentence: “Lastly, this paper will connect the theme of ______ to the real world.For example, ____________________.” In one sentence, mention how the theme is present in something that is currently happening in the world.10thSentence Provide a thesis statement.
THESIS WRITING:Theme Answer of whether the theme is helpful or harmful (your opinion) because _______________________ (connection to the real world).
Body Paragraph 1:1stSentence Topic sentence. What will the paragraph be about? Note: You can summarize the theme of the paper in different words.2ndSentence: “The theme of ______ is evident in the play______ at two specific times. These include ____________________and ____________________.”3rdSentence –9thSentence: Explain your chosen two examples of when the theme is evident in the play.10thSentence: Concluding sentence. What was the paragraph above about and what will the following paragraph be about? (Ex. “Evidently, the theme of revenge is demonstrated through both Hamlet and Laertes’ desire to kill the individual who killed their father (Stated in 1stparagraph)and ultimately, leads to their demise as characters in the play (Suggestion of what is to come in 2ndparagraph).”).
Body Paragraph 2:1st Sentence: Topic sentence. What will the paragraph be about? Note: You can state that the theme is helpful or harmful (your choice).2ndSentence –9thSentence: Explain why the theme is helpful or harmful and provide an example from the play to prove your argument.10thSentence: Concluding sentence. What was the paragraph above about and what will the following paragraph be about? (Ex. “Ultimately, revenge can consume an individual’s thoughts and lead to them making poor choices that could harm their overall wellbeing or sanity.”).
Body Paragraph 3:1stSentence: Topic sentence. What will the paragraph be about? Note: You canstate that the theme appears in the real world.2ndSentence: “The theme of ______ is not only present in the play______, but it is also present in Canada as well.”3rdSentence –9thSentence: Explain your chosen real-world example and how the theme is present in this example.10thSentence Concluding sentence. What was the paragraph above about? (Ex. “In sum, the theme of revenge is also present in Canada as we see countries, such as the United States of America, attempting to ‘get back’ at Canada for making what they believe are poor economic decisions and ultimately, leading to their own downfall as they drop out of historic trade deals that once benefitted them.”).
Conclusion:1stSentence: Restate your thesis in different words.2ndSentence: “In the play, ______, by ______, the theme of ______ is present.”3rdSentence –5thSentence: Provide a brief summary of the play in different words than what was stated in your Introduction.6thSentence: Restate your paper’s 1stbody paragraph argument. 7thSentence: Restate your paper’s 2ndbody paragraph argument.8thSentence: Restate your paper’s 3rdbody paragraph argument.9thSentence: Closing sentence. Suggestion of future research. (Ex. “This paper discussed the theme of revenge in Tragedy of Hamlet; however,future papers can analyze morality in the play.”)