is an thorough analysis of 5 themes enough for hamlet? (1 Viewer)

[Morgan1234pooki]

just wondering if i need any more?

 

[yours]

I only did 3 themes. You're not using enough quotes if you're exploring 5 in one essay

 

[enoilgam]

just wondering if i need any more?

I would say you should be doing 3-4. How much can you write in 40 minutes?

 

[Morgan1234pooki]

haha no, i meant i have 5 prepared themes for the essay. depending on the question i am only going to use 2. have you prepared more than 5 themes?

 

[enoilgam]

haha no, i meant i have 5 prepared themes for the essay. depending on the question i am only going to use 2. have you prepared more than 5 themes?

Fair enough, thats probably the best plan then. Writing 5 on the essay would be crazy.

 

[Morgan1234pooki]

Writing 5 on the essay would be crazy.

it would be impossible

 

[yours]

I get what you mean now since the last questions have all been on specific themes 'love and loyalty' and 'struggle and disillusionment' and a trial somewhere was 'uncertainty'. What do you think if you approach it using the same 3 themes you've been using usually, just connecting them some way to the 'theme-word' of the question?
e.g. discuss love and loyalty
me: panic, i wanted to write about the revenge theme
then something like... shakespeare explores love and loyalty through the theme of revenge. mention hamlet's love and loyalty for/to his father and how this complicates/intensifies his dilemma... same goes for Fortinbras and Laertes who love and are loyal to their fathers, though shakespeare poses the question of whether they are more loyal because of their swift actions and thus prove their love and loyalty compared to procrastinating hamlet. (quotes that show they are foils etc.)

so I end up talking about the 'revenge' theme I've prepared for and just make connections wherever they appear

 

[enoilgam]

I'd argue that love and loyalty drove revenge in the play.

 

[yours]

I'd argue that love and loyalty drove revenge in the play.

what would your other points be?
ed: what about how love can conflict with loyalty - ophelia loves Hamlet and Polonius and this makes it ambiguous where her loyalty lies - to father or lover? It is possible her madness results from this conflict of love and loyalty. Also Gertrude, who loves Hamlet/Old Hamlet/Claudius - who is she loyal to? Specifically it seems women are more affected by 'love' than the male characters, as Hamlet seems to reject Ophelia, although when she dies he seems genuinely sad when he fights with Laertes in her grave, but maybe he's just pretending to be mad. Ophelia's interaction with her father, obeying him shows love and loyalty.

I suppose you can find examples when you think about it.

 

[enoilgam]

Well one of pre-memorised themes was loyalty, so I'd include that (obviously). Then treachery (since its the opposite of loyalty).