Hamlet Act 4 Scene 4

Assignment for Act 3: Scene 1 (The 'To be, or not to be' soliloquy)

You have until Monday 3.16.09 @ noon to complete this assignment.
It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the following three versions (posted below) from Hamlet's soliloquy from Act 3 Scene 1 and argue which of the three videos is the best video interpretation of Hamlet's state of mind.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. (I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice!)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music

You should use the same structure for explication to develop a thesis. It should be about 1,000 words. Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please! The last essays were not nearly well-crafted enough or thought out. These should take more than one sitting to complete and show some depth and organizational structure.

Act 3: Scene 1 (Kenneth Branagh)

Post your essay here if you think this is the best version of this soliloquy.

Act 3: Scene 1 (Alexander Fodor)

Post your essay in this comment stream if you think this is the best version of the soliloquy.

Act 3: Scene 1 (Laurence Olivier)

Post your essay in this comment stream if you think this is the best version of the soliloquy.

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 4-5

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996)

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the performance above of a potion of Act 1 Scene 5 and crtique the director's interpretation of the scene.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3

Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000) with Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber & Bill Murray.

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the performance above of a potion of Act 1 Scene 3 and crtique the director's interpretation of the scene.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet

Laurence Olivier as Hamlet

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the two performances above of Hamlet's first soliloquy from Act 1 Scene 2 and choose which version is the best interpretation of the lines.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

Hamlet Act V Scene II (Kenneth Branagh)

Act 5 Scene 1 (Branagh "Alas, poor Yorick!) 1996

Act 5 Scene 1 (OLIVIER- "ALAS, POOR YORICK"-1948)

Act 5 Scene 1 (Kevin Kline)

Act 4 Scene 4 Soliloquy

Act 3:1 - 3:2

Most of Act 3:1 and the end of Act 3:2. Feel free to comment about what you think of this portrayal based on your developing theories of the characters involved. (You may only critique my over-acting skills if you include textual evidence from Hamlet at the beginning of Act 3:2.)

Optional of course, but I'm entirely curious...

Assignment: Video Critique

The first thing you should do is click this link. I created a label for all the Hamlet Videos, which you will see at the bottom of the posts. Clicking that link will do the same thing; it narrows down the content on the blog.

You have until Monday 3.10.08 night @ 11:59 to complete this assignment.
It is worth 50 points and will be graded with the open response rubric.

Objective: Choose any one of the following six videos of passages from Hamlet and critique the performance of the video. Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video.

I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice!

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor or actress
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music

There are so many different things to comment on and you should have a mountain of writing about this play already, so I'll expect the posts to be substantial. You should use the same structure for explication to develop a thesis.

Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be 2-3 pages before you post. Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post!

Act 2 Scene 2 "Hamlet's Soliloquy"

Act 2 Scene 2 "Aeneas' tale"

Act 2 Scene 2 Hamlet with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5 Soliloquy

Act1 Scene 5 Hamlet meets his father's ghost

Mel Gibson as Hamlet - Hamlet meets his father's ghost. Many lines are cut in this version, but it acts as a good summary.