Urgent help with hamlet critical response! Im desperate d: (1 Viewer)

[kevinee3]

The question is to:
Write a letter to the director giving your interpretation of:
- The central universal theme/themes that must be conveyed to the audience
-How the character of Hamlet should be portrayed to connect with the audience (Senior Students).
In the letter you should make reference to the perspectives of others/different productions/different interpretations of Hamlet to support your own interpretation of the text.

Essay length : 1000 - 1500 words.

I'm not sure of how to go about this ! Although I think the universal themes are that of Revenge and Madness.

Please HELP ! IM DESPERATE !

How should I start going about it ?
And what can I write for both themes ?
AND SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO WRITE PERSUASIVELY PLEASE !

Thanks in advance all you sexy peoples !

 

[Toranilor]

Essentially, this question seems a different way of asking your personal response to the play. I'd structure it as you would any other essay, for instance, ordering your response into paragraphs according to theme, while making numerous references to the characterisation of hamlet. Be sure to quote other critics etc.

I just finished a four essay Hamlet assesment task, so if you need themes, some of the ones I used were;

-Harmatia (fatal flaw) "The stamp of one defect... virtues else they be as pure as grace... take corruption from that particular fault" Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 4
-Fillial Obligation (i.e. revenge)
-Rash action v forethought (Hamlet's desire to act against his father, but his need to investigate)

In regards to Hamlet's characterisation, I think you should just put emphasis on a few key points that represent the themes or add textual integrity, such as;

-Hamlet's Duplicity of character - He's sane with the audience, but (feigned) mad with others, increasing an audience connection
-Hamlet's parralels to renaissance humanism - Explore his soliloquies, his transformation from pre-determinist to humanist
-Hamlet's enlightened pessimism - explores death, Hamlet seems 'mopey', consideres suicide etc.
-More Soliloquy Specific points - hamlet explores key philosophical beliefs in his soliloquys, like the relationship between throught and action "Thus conscience doth make fools of us all"

Just my two cents, good luck with your task!

 

[kevinee3]

Holy damn ! Thanks so much !
In truth your two cents was a great help !

I think I have an idea on how to dig in to this assessment

Ps: Love your themes.

 

[Toranilor]

No problem, glad I could help.

 

[kevinee3]

Would you also happen to have any other quotes relevant to Hamlet's duplicity and his feigned madness ?

I don't know where to start looking o_o ! It's been a while since I last picked up the book --"

 

[Toranilor]

“The play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”
- Soliloquy, very open and direct; Hamlet knows what he is doing, and so do the audience.

"Excellent well, you are a fishmonger!" "My wits diseased" - Under his feigned madness, Hamlet becomes stranger, decieving other characters and diminishing his connection to the audience.

Also, You could contrast Hamlet's character when he is talking to his father's ghost. While Hamlet is seen as a pillar of intellectualism, when with his father, he renounces all scholarly pursuits "I'll wipe away all saws of books, all trivial records." - Could stress the importance of being true to one's self, or not ebing manipulated, or independence from family (Good to compare with the Polonius family parallel narrative.)

They're all I've got lying around that don't come with a huge amount of excess baggage.