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Reply 1
Made up exam questions from class:

'Hamlet is brave and careless of death but he vacillates (moves between) from sensibility and procrastinates from thought'

'Hamlet does not want courage, skill, will or opportunity but every incident sets him thinking'

How far do you agree with these critical views? How do you think Shakespeare has presented Hamlet?
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'Hamlet believes neither in himself nor anything else, and so loses himself in caverns of introspection'

'hamlet gives dignity to the human race by showing off what facts are capable, he extends the bounds of experiences for others and enchances their appreciation of life'

What support can you find in the play for each of the opinions?
What impact has the play had on you?

:smile:
Those statements seem so hard I wouldn't know where to start!
Do you have any notes/essays plans on the above questions ostentatious?
Reply 3
all_or_nothing
Those statements seem so hard I wouldn't know where to start!
Do you have any notes/essays plans on the above questions ostentatious?


No I'm sorry I haven't answered these yet. I know they're hard, that's just my class trying to show off I think. They probably won't be this bad, I suggest you look at the past papers on the AQA website for the last exams on Othello, they should give you a good idea of the level of hardness.

There is another question we made in class, I think it's a bit easier:

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1)'A habitual dweller (thinker rather than a do-er) with his own thoughts, preferring the possible to the real'
2)'Less than madness and more than faughed (faked)'

Examine how far these assessments of Hamlet's mental state our accurate? How do you think Shakespeare has presented Hamlet's state of mind in the play?
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Reply 4

Act 4 Scene 5 is a moving and poingnant scene in which we see that Ophelia is a victim of the world in which she lives

Act 4 Scene 5 is a frustrating scene, merely a tool used by Shakespeare to show Hamlet's madness is feigned.


How do you respond to the function of Act 4 Scene 5 in Hamlet?



Hamlet is a victim of the Danish Court and the imprisonment he suffers within it.

Hamlet's Weakness is his inability to understand the world in which he lives.


How do you respond to the character of Hamlet?


Appearance and reality are Shakespeare's key interests in 'Hamlet'.

The nature of revenge and its implications are Shakespeare's primary concerns in 'Hamlet'.


How do you respond to the themes of 'Hamlet'?


'Halmet' is a play that upholds Christian morality.

Religion in 'Hamlet' is ambiguous and doesn't motivate the characters.


How do you respond to the presentation of religion in the play?


Polonius is a pompous fool and the audience are constantly invited to laugh at him.

Polonius is a well meaning father.


How do you respond to the character of Polonius?


Gertrude is an incestuous traitor and the audience cannot sympathyse with her.

Gertrude is a necessary pragmatist who marries Claudius to maintain order.


How do you respond to the character of Gertrude?


Ophelia is a feeble and undeveloped character.

Ophelia is a symbol of purity.


How do you respond to the character of Ophelia?


'Hamlet' is a misogynistic play that reveals nothing but hatered for women.

The ambiguity of women presented in 'Hamlet' makes them fascinating.


How do you respond to the presentation of women in 'Hamlet'?


That should keep you going for a while!
Reply 5
In the exam do we have an hour for the Hamlet essay? The exam is 120 minutes long, and we have two essays to write [Hamlet and Blake for me] so I assume it's evenly split. Any body know?
Reply 6
Yeppo
In the exam do we have an hour for the Hamlet essay? The exam is 120 minutes long, and we have two essays to write [Hamlet and Blake for me] so I assume it's evenly split. Any body know?


Yep, an hour for each.
Reply 7
Yeppo


Polonius is a pompous fool and the audience are constantly invited to laugh at him.

Polonius is a well meaning father.


How do you respond to the character of Polonius?


Gertrude is an incestuous traitor and the audience cannot sympathyse with her.

Gertrude is a necessary pragmatist who marries Claudius to maintain order.


How do you respond to the character of Gertrude?


Ophelia is a feeble and undeveloped character.

Ophelia is a symbol of purity.


How do you respond to the character of Ophelia?


'Hamlet' is a misogynistic play that reveals nothing but hatered for women.

The ambiguity of women presented in 'Hamlet' makes them fascinating.


How do you respond to the presentation of women in 'Hamlet'?


That should keep you going for a while!


is it really likely that character questions are going to come up as laertes and claudius where the focus of the jan exam??

themes all the way...revenge, madness and sickness&decay :biggrin::cool:
Reply 8
forster1988
is it really likely that character questions are going to come up as laertes and claudius where the focus of the jan exam??

themes all the way...revenge, madness and sickness&decay :biggrin::cool:


Might as well cover all bases.
Reply 9
Does anyone have the past AQA Laertes and Claudius question from January? I can't find on the other threads. Cheers.
Reply 10
January 2007


EITHER

1. “Claudius makes a good king. He is a careful ruler and a loving husband, providing stability for both his country and wife.”

“Murderer of the rightful king, Claudius is the play’s hateful, lying villain.”
What justification is there in the text to support these two views?

What is your opinion of the way Shakespeare presents Claudius?

OR

2. “Laertes is the rash and foolish revenger, intent on violence at any price.”

“In Laertes, Shakespeare provides the noble, courageous revenger that Hamlet cannot be.”

How do you respond to these different views?
What is your response to the presentation of Laertes?
Reply 11
Thank you very much!
Reply 12
Does any one have any good tips for this exam? I don't have much notes on the themes and I'm stressed!! I need help ...
This technique is working for me. Started doing them this morning and I dont feel like I want to cry as much as I did yesterday.

What Im doing is like individual brainstorms on different aspects of the text, condensing all my other revision on that theme onto a single sheet, showing all the different presentations of that theme/aspect so that each point could be developed into a paragraph in an essay. Im also gonna try and include 3 of the most relevant quotes on there too.

It'd be great if other people had done these too cos then we could share and it would save time! I just scanned it in and tried to attach but it exceeded the forums limit. Nevermind!!:frown:
Reply 14
Quote flashcards - different colours for different themes!!

Yeah... I need to get out more...
Reply 15
burnthepaedos

It'd be great if other people had done these too cos then we could share and it would save time! I just scanned it in and tried to attach but it exceeded the forums limit. Nevermind!!:frown:


Put it into photoshop [if you have it] and click 'save for web'. I'd really like to see this :smile:
Reply 16
hamlet is giving me headaches, BIG TIME!
i can't do it :frown:
are you thinking of your own interpretations or getting them from somewhere else?
Yeppo
Put it into photoshop [if you have it] and click 'save for web'. I'd really like to see this :smile:


Sorry I havent got Photoshop!!
all_or_nothing
are you thinking of your own interpretations or getting them from somewhere else?


Interpretations dont have to be complex or deep. Just when you're talking about an aspect of the play, think about how else it could be perceived. For example, the death of Ophelia. Some people think it was suicide, others think it was an accident, others think that it was initially an accident but that her passive nature meant that she allowed herself to drown.

Stuff like that.