Aim: How does Hamlet’s self-reproaching soliloquy reveal his conflicting moods?

1. Aim: How does Hamlet’s self-reproaching soliloquy reveal his conflicting moods? Do Now: Hamlet: Scholar vs. Man of Action. Hamlet is waiting for more proof before he definitely acts. Is this wise? What if he never gets definitive proof? Consider the following: “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.” HW: Read Act 3 Scene 1. What do you make of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy? What is he asking in that first line? What does Hamlet term the undiscovered country?

2. “What is this quintessence of dust?” • Images: • “this most excellent canopy the air” • “majestical roof fretted with golden fire” • “foul and pestilent congregation of vapors” • With this last line, how does Hamlet summarize the sky? • “Man delights not me” • Why is Hamlet so disappointed by man? By the world around him? • Existentialism – How does this speech further explore Hamlet’s existential angst?

3. “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” • Faced with an actor who can cry at the imagined torments of a fictional character in a play, Hamlet reproaches himself for his own lack of action. However, according to Hamlet’s soliloquy, what IS stopping him from acting? • Hamlet’s Moods – His emotions range from guilt, to self-deprecation, to regret, to condemnation, to resolution, to motivation.

4. Simplifying Hamlet’s Moods • Sydney Bolt argues that the soliloquies in Hamlet can be read as involving at least three speakers—(1) a passionate avenger, (2) an ironic critic, and (3) an actor considering his part. • Can you break down the monologue into these 3 parts? How would the delivery of these 3 parts change? How would you indicate the shift? – Work in groups of 3.

5. “The play’s the thing” • Is theatre as powerful as Hamlet claims? Can it move an audience, or incite demonstrations, violence or other actions? Can you provide examples? Can it move a criminal to confess? • Reality vs. Appearance • Which characters would fall under this theme?