This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- A-level English Study Group
- A-Level Literature Hamlet
- What exam board would you say is easiest for English literature?
- Exam Anxiety
- A-level English Literature Study Group 2022-2023
- AQA or OCR english lit a level
- Looking for a study buddy!
- A-level English Literature Study Group 2023-2024
- Anyone taking CIE English Literature?
- focusing for alevels - english lit especially
- OCR A-level English Literature Paper 1 (H472/01) - 24th May 2023 [Exam Chat]
- 2023 OCR A English lit
- OCR A Level English Literature Drama and poetry pre-1900 H472/01 - 7 Jun 2022 [Chat]
- AQA vs WJEC
- OCR English Lit 2019 exam
- What is OCR English lit like at A level
- What are some good sociology revision resources?
- AQA Biology A2 A* Revision notes
- Economic's AS + A2 Notes (ALL BOARDS)
- OCR English Literature- Unit 1
AQA Hamlet Exam A2
Scroll to see replies
wow nat x alie! Thats really good. thanks for posting. I'll post 2mra.
cheers for all the notes on the women... i'll make a small offering
in my notes i've got ophelia down as being contrary to what polonius calls her "green girl"...considering polonius is invariably wrong. And also that Ophelia seems to know a lot about what is going on, when she gives out the fennel,which is apparently symbolic of infidelity, and also when she sings that song which has the same symbolism.
Gertrude had to have everything pointed out to her by Hamlet so i'd consider her to be quite a typical shakespearian woman. Although she obviously has some power over claudius due to love: “She is so conjunctive to my life and soul”, but thats just a fact of life more than a representation of a powerful female character on shakespeare's part.
Women have the power to stir up strong emotions within the main characters. Gertrude makes Hamlet hate women.frailty, thy name is woman", "wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them" etc..Ophelia has Hamlet all over the place from love to hate..
but they do not particularly have any powerful role in society or any influence over decisions or events, or any real strength (ophelia commits suicide and gertrude just dies rather pathetically). I think it's more a case of the male character's having weaknesses than the women having any strength.
sorry for the **** english..i can't write today
in my notes i've got ophelia down as being contrary to what polonius calls her "green girl"...considering polonius is invariably wrong. And also that Ophelia seems to know a lot about what is going on, when she gives out the fennel,which is apparently symbolic of infidelity, and also when she sings that song which has the same symbolism.
Gertrude had to have everything pointed out to her by Hamlet so i'd consider her to be quite a typical shakespearian woman. Although she obviously has some power over claudius due to love: “She is so conjunctive to my life and soul”, but thats just a fact of life more than a representation of a powerful female character on shakespeare's part.
Women have the power to stir up strong emotions within the main characters. Gertrude makes Hamlet hate women.frailty, thy name is woman", "wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them" etc..Ophelia has Hamlet all over the place from love to hate..
but they do not particularly have any powerful role in society or any influence over decisions or events, or any real strength (ophelia commits suicide and gertrude just dies rather pathetically). I think it's more a case of the male character's having weaknesses than the women having any strength.
sorry for the **** english..i can't write today
thank you sooo much nat x alie and thischarmlessman!
Does anyone have any other notes like that for themes or characters which give evidence for two different statements? doesn't need to be as detailed as the above, just a general outline.
xxx
Does anyone have any other notes like that for themes or characters which give evidence for two different statements? doesn't need to be as detailed as the above, just a general outline.
xxx
not sure about two statements.. i'll just put up what i've doneif it helps anyone. its basically jus quotes im learning
Revenge
Hamlet
“I am pigeon livered and lack gall”
“Am I a coward?”
“proud, revengeful, ambitious”
“the play’s the thing, wherein i’ll catch the conscience of the king”
“A villain kills my father, and for that i his sole son do this same villain send to heaven”
“thinking too precisely on the event”
“a thought which quartered hath but one part wisdom, And ever three parts coward”
“O from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth”
Laertes
“I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father”
“O treble woe, fall ten times treble on that cursed head”
“the devil take thy soul”
“to cut his throat i’ th’ church”
Fortinbras
“We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name”
“delicate and tender prince”
“To all that fortune, death and danger dare, And for an egg shell”
Phyrrus and Priam
“and never did the Cyclop’s hammers fall,
On Mars’ armour forged for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’s bleeding sword,
Now falls on Priam”
Hamlet
“I am pigeon livered and lack gall”
“Am I a coward?”
“proud, revengeful, ambitious”
“the play’s the thing, wherein i’ll catch the conscience of the king”
“A villain kills my father, and for that i his sole son do this same villain send to heaven”
“thinking too precisely on the event”
“a thought which quartered hath but one part wisdom, And ever three parts coward”
“O from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth”
Laertes
“I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father”
“O treble woe, fall ten times treble on that cursed head”
“the devil take thy soul”
“to cut his throat i’ th’ church”
Fortinbras
“We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name”
“delicate and tender prince”
“To all that fortune, death and danger dare, And for an egg shell”
Phyrrus and Priam
“and never did the Cyclop’s hammers fall,
On Mars’ armour forged for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus’s bleeding sword,
Now falls on Priam”
Aaaa! Phyrrus is my mortal enemy! I know every line in the play except the player's!
A note on Hamlet's relationship with his father: there is a great distance between them. When contemplating killing Claudius Hamlet describes "Heaven" and "Hell", which was in contrast to the ghost's Catholic purgatory. Also, "there's a divinity" sounds Calvinist (again contrasting Catholicism). In 3.1 Hamlet asserts that "no traveller returns" from death, even though his father has. Further, shortly after Hamlet reprimands Gertrude for saying "seems", his father calls her his "seeming vrtuous queen" - they don't think the same!
The above, and the closet scene of course, MIGHT support an Oedipul reading, although I can't accept that.
P.S. ... All original research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A note on Hamlet's relationship with his father: there is a great distance between them. When contemplating killing Claudius Hamlet describes "Heaven" and "Hell", which was in contrast to the ghost's Catholic purgatory. Also, "there's a divinity" sounds Calvinist (again contrasting Catholicism). In 3.1 Hamlet asserts that "no traveller returns" from death, even though his father has. Further, shortly after Hamlet reprimands Gertrude for saying "seems", his father calls her his "seeming vrtuous queen" - they don't think the same!
The above, and the closet scene of course, MIGHT support an Oedipul reading, although I can't accept that.
P.S. ... All original research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for mine..which is lit & lang.. i think it'll just be a good understanding of the play...few quotes...context within the play and context of the time. its only 45mins so they can't be expecting anything too groundbreaking. but if you're doing lit i don't know.
look at the mark scheme on www.aqa.org.uk
look at the mark scheme on www.aqa.org.uk
what have people got on the state of denmark?
i only have a few quotes... which all kind of lead to the same point.
"tis an unweeded Garden that grows to seed things rank and gross in nature
"something rotten in the state of denmark"
"sick at heart"
"many a pocky corpse"
"dont throw manure onto the weeds to make them ranker"
“Denmark’s A Prison”
“the air bites shrewdly, it is very cold.” -pathetic fallacy
“i think it lacks of twelve” - atmosphere
“who there?” - worried
suppose you could link in anything on betrayal.. themes of death, everyone is spying on each other, the fact that fortinbras is allowed to roam across their land. King is preoccupied with personal matters etc.
anything else?
i only have a few quotes... which all kind of lead to the same point.
"tis an unweeded Garden that grows to seed things rank and gross in nature
"something rotten in the state of denmark"
"sick at heart"
"many a pocky corpse"
"dont throw manure onto the weeds to make them ranker"
“Denmark’s A Prison”
“the air bites shrewdly, it is very cold.” -pathetic fallacy
“i think it lacks of twelve” - atmosphere
“who there?” - worried
suppose you could link in anything on betrayal.. themes of death, everyone is spying on each other, the fact that fortinbras is allowed to roam across their land. King is preoccupied with personal matters etc.
anything else?
how would you argue for/against act 5.2 being an adequate ending for Hamlet?
I personally hope a theme like revenge or reality/appearences or women will come up.. or something on Ophelia I know some stuff about her!
polka_dott
I personally hope a theme like revenge or reality/appearences or women will come up.. or something on Ophelia I know some stuff about her!
I'm praying that women/revenge come up because there's way too much to say on hamlet and i wouldn't know where to start plus claudius came up in jan so won't again... apparantly ophelia/gertrude have never come up?
all_or_nothing
how would you argue for/against act 5.2 being an adequate ending for Hamlet?
Against;
Too rushed.
Were all the deaths needed.
Portrayal of Hamlet as Hero not fully filled.
For;
Portrayal of Hamlet as tragic hero being filled.
a sense of justice.
the dramatic tension; build-up etc leading to it was justified.
thank you kar
i always find those kinds of questions the hardest
i always find those kinds of questions the hardest
could someone put up their notes on appearance/reality, the whole concept of it just passes me by.. is it basically people pretending to be what they're not? ie. hamlet's antic disposition...polonius pretending to be intelligent etc
appearance versus reality i think is like polinus thinking that hamlet is very much in love with ophelia beacause of the letter, it just appears that way it appears that his madness is due to the love for ophelia calling it the very 'ecstasy' of young love yet in relaity hes apperntly putting on his madness or if he is mad its at being torn between his mind and conscience and his role in seeking revenge for his father.
another one hamlet is mad in appearance ( how ophelia describes seeing him with 'no hat upon his head') with 'no hat but in relaity his answers mistaken for madness are actually very clever and witty just a play on words or he interprates a word in a different way
another, the appearance of the ghost the audience is lead to belive there is a ghost beacuse horatio hamlet and marcellus all see it, however Ophelia doesn't, so the audience cannot be compltely sure if there appears tobe a ghost or if the ghost is very real.
the court through Claudius' speech seems one of honest to start with for example he acts really honest about everything thats going on and appears to be a good king by the fact that he writes to Fortinbras uncle to stop Fortinbras from war, so it would seem he is very rational, but in relaity he is not rational he has killed his brother and married his wife showing the underlying corruption. he seems intelligent yet the court always drinks in celebration he actually really overindulgent in everything
it would appear with sending Laretes to go to France he has his best interests at heart, showing trust to someone on the court BUT he doesn't want hamlet to go showing his 'selfish' nature.
also, Hamlet is obsessed with appearance because when he has the chance to kill polonius he doesn't because he is in 'prayer' but he may just be thinking about how this deed would appear to old Hamlet beacuse it would send this man who killed his father straught to heaven
this is just from my head so i'm sorry if it doesn't make sense just some idea, hope it helps a little!
another one hamlet is mad in appearance ( how ophelia describes seeing him with 'no hat upon his head') with 'no hat but in relaity his answers mistaken for madness are actually very clever and witty just a play on words or he interprates a word in a different way
another, the appearance of the ghost the audience is lead to belive there is a ghost beacuse horatio hamlet and marcellus all see it, however Ophelia doesn't, so the audience cannot be compltely sure if there appears tobe a ghost or if the ghost is very real.
the court through Claudius' speech seems one of honest to start with for example he acts really honest about everything thats going on and appears to be a good king by the fact that he writes to Fortinbras uncle to stop Fortinbras from war, so it would seem he is very rational, but in relaity he is not rational he has killed his brother and married his wife showing the underlying corruption. he seems intelligent yet the court always drinks in celebration he actually really overindulgent in everything
it would appear with sending Laretes to go to France he has his best interests at heart, showing trust to someone on the court BUT he doesn't want hamlet to go showing his 'selfish' nature.
also, Hamlet is obsessed with appearance because when he has the chance to kill polonius he doesn't because he is in 'prayer' but he may just be thinking about how this deed would appear to old Hamlet beacuse it would send this man who killed his father straught to heaven
this is just from my head so i'm sorry if it doesn't make sense just some idea, hope it helps a little!
how would you argue for/against act 5.2 being an adequate ending for Hamlet?
adding to whar kar said urmm
for: ties up loose ends
everyone gets there revenge
fills typical revenge tragedy by having a dual
elizabethan aduence may need it after such a long play, and they may be agitated by Hamlets lack of action
interesting beacuse Hamlet avenges Claudius as the end of the play whihc makes some of the plot of the play
shows corruption and how a whole court is killed, apart from horation but he is from outside
Shows a humble side to Fortinbras
there is forgiveness, between Hamlet and Laertes showing some good is to come from their deaths
and shows what happens to Hamlet when he takes on the uncomfortable role of avenger, doesn't suit him
against- sticks out from the rest of the play
happens very quickly
clever shows how Gertrude when disobeying Caludius by dirnking is lead to her death pos saying something about how women had to agree
and that's all i can think of!
adding to whar kar said urmm
for: ties up loose ends
everyone gets there revenge
fills typical revenge tragedy by having a dual
elizabethan aduence may need it after such a long play, and they may be agitated by Hamlets lack of action
interesting beacuse Hamlet avenges Claudius as the end of the play whihc makes some of the plot of the play
shows corruption and how a whole court is killed, apart from horation but he is from outside
Shows a humble side to Fortinbras
there is forgiveness, between Hamlet and Laertes showing some good is to come from their deaths
and shows what happens to Hamlet when he takes on the uncomfortable role of avenger, doesn't suit him
against- sticks out from the rest of the play
happens very quickly
clever shows how Gertrude when disobeying Caludius by dirnking is lead to her death pos saying something about how women had to agree
and that's all i can think of!
kayh
I've gone through most of those themes in my revision but haven't touched on mortality or players at all. What sort of thing would come under those headings?
Mortality
I would talk about how Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of mortality and is always thinking about it
eg. - to be or not to be speech - whether suicide is the right answer
- deciding that conscience doth make cowards of us all because of a fear of what the afterlife might hold
- the graveyard scene - skull of yosric - hamlet is obsessed with death. he sees how everything returns to the ground eg. alexander the great becomes dust and can be used to stop an ale barrel or something [cant quite remember lol!]
- killing polonius and saying about we fat ourselves for maggots
- the idea that death is the only certainty - predestined fate - 'divinity rough-hew our ends'
- dad back from the dead - ghosts, afterlife
- hamlet kinda accepts death at the end and this is why he can kill claudius
- claudius praying in his room
Players
this is kinda the appearance vs. reality i guess but more about how everyone is playing a role
- hamlet = soldier/prince/man/scholar/mad etc. which one is he??
-claudius = king/husband/uncle/murderer
gertrude = mother/seductress
and how the players come along and hamlet feels most at home with them when he is acting - doesn't like being himself
kinda stuff like that!
don't take me on the quotes by the way coz im just remembering them off the top of my head and i dont think they're quite right!!
if you wanna know any other theme stuff just ask because it's good revision for me!!
AND
are people putting in critic's opinions??
do we need to do this?
Related discussions
- A-level English Study Group
- A-Level Literature Hamlet
- What exam board would you say is easiest for English literature?
- Exam Anxiety
- A-level English Literature Study Group 2022-2023
- AQA or OCR english lit a level
- Looking for a study buddy!
- A-level English Literature Study Group 2023-2024
- Anyone taking CIE English Literature?
- focusing for alevels - english lit especially
- OCR A-level English Literature Paper 1 (H472/01) - 24th May 2023 [Exam Chat]
- 2023 OCR A English lit
- OCR A Level English Literature Drama and poetry pre-1900 H472/01 - 7 Jun 2022 [Chat]
- AQA vs WJEC
- OCR English Lit 2019 exam
- What is OCR English lit like at A level
- What are some good sociology revision resources?
- AQA Biology A2 A* Revision notes
- Economic's AS + A2 Notes (ALL BOARDS)
- OCR English Literature- Unit 1
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 days ago
Please mark my gcse english language paper 2 question 5!!!Last reply 1 month ago
AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 (8700/1) - 23rd May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 1 month ago
Edexcel igcse english language a 2024 may paper 1Last reply 1 month ago
OCR A-level English Literature Paper 2 (H472/02) - 5th June 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 1 month ago
Edexcel GCSE English Language Paper 1 (1EN0 01) - 23rd May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 months ago
AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2 (8700/2) - 9th November 2023 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 months ago
AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2 (8702/2) - 20th May 2024 [Exam Chat]English exams and study help
294
1234
Last reply 3 months ago
Does anyone know what war poem appeared on the 2024 GCSE paper?Last reply 3 months ago
Edexcel A-level English Literature Paper 3 (9ET0 3) - 14th June 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 months ago
AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2 (8700/2) - 6th June 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 months ago
AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 (8702/1) - 13th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 3 months ago
AQA A-level English Language Paper 2 (7702/2) - 7th June 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 4 months ago
IGCSE Edexcel English Language A Paper 2 (2024 May/June)Last reply 4 months ago
OCR A-level English Literature Paper 1 (H472/01) - 24th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 4 months ago
Edexcel A-level English Literature Paper 1 (9ET0 1) - 24th May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 4 months ago
AQA A-level English Literature & Language Paper 1 (7707/1) - 24 May 2024 [Exam Chat]Last reply 4 months ago
Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 2 (1ET0 02) - 20th May 2024 [Exam Chat]
