Research Paper on "Hamlet Research it Is Doubtful That William"

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Hamlet Research

It is doubtful that William Shakespeare had any idea when he began writing his play, Hamlet, (Shakespeare) of the far reaching and varied effect that his words and characters would have. Perhaps no play in history has been analyzed more thoroughly and had more impact on popular culture and philosophical thought. (Collier & Sons)

The setting for Hamlet is the kingdom of Denmark. Whether Shakespeare actually intended it to be the actual kingdom of Denmark or some mythical location is uncertain and really matters very little to the value of the story or to the character development. Nothing tin story is dependent on the setting. There is some evidence that the prevailing battle between the doctrines of Catholicism and the emerging Protestant theology may be at play in the play this is not a prevailing factor in the play. Any religious overtones in the play are likely coincidental.

The opening scene in Hamlet is one of the most compelling in the Shakespearean library. Sentinels are on stage awaiting the arrival of ghosts including the ghost of the late king, Hamlet's father. Hamlet himself sees his father's ghost and learns that his father has been poisoned by Claudius. Hamlet's father asks him to avenge his death by slaying Claudius. Thus, the stage is set for the remainder of the play's action as the intrigue between Hamlet and Claudius forms the majority of the story line.

The main character Hamlet is an extremely philosophical and contemplative individual who spends the entire play thinking of questions that cannot be answered. Indecisiveness is seemingly his greatest trait. Despite being nearly certain that hi

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s uncle murdered his father, Hamlet becomes completely involved in making sure that this is the case before taking any action. In his search to determine the absolute certainty about his uncle's role in his father's death, Hamlet takes on other unanswerable questions such as the existence of the afterlife and the wisdom of suicide. (Davies)

Relative to suicide Hamlet actually contemplates the act for himself. He wishes that "the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. (Miner) He eventually abandons the idea despite his dissatisfaction with his life because he would rather continue living in "an unweeded garden" than live in hell as a consequence of suicide providing all observers an insight into his underlying religious beliefs. (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Hamlet's desire to act morally carries over into his desire to avenge his father's death. He is intent to murder his father's murder, his uncle Claudius, but he will not do so unless it can be done in a moral and accepting way. All this changes, however, when Hamlet returns from an uncompleted voyage to England.

Upon his return Hamlet's personality is seemingly transformed. Passion and anger take over replacing his indecisiveness. Hamlet suddenly decides that he must begin taking action. He begins to take chances as he starts focusing on avenging his father's death. "O, from this time forth / My thoughts be bloody ore be nothing worth." (Shakespeare, Hamlet) With his new zeal, Hamlet is able to overcome his inherent flaws and eventually follow the wishes of his ghost father by murdering his Uncle Claudius.

One of the more interesting and controversial explanations offered to explain Hamlet's hesitancy in going forward with the murder of Claudius is the guilt that Hamlet felt over his feelings for his mother, Gertrude. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, originated this theory. His theory was based on the argument that Hamlet harbored lustful feelings for his mother and that as a result of these feelings he is no better than his uncle whom he is supposed to kill. (Indick)

The villain King Claudius is an enigma. Having murdered his brother he convinces the nobles to elect him to replace his murdered brother. Strangely, he proves to be highly competent ruler. "A bad man, but a good king." In his capacity as king, Claudius diplomatically avoids a war with Norway and successful quells a potential rebellion by Laertes, who like Hamlet loses his father at the hand of a murderer. Unlike Hamlet, however, Laertes, takes immediate action to avenge his father's death. In doing so Laertes storms the palace resulting in the need for Claudius' intervention. In the end, it is Claudius' talents of manipulation that make capable of both being a murderer and an effective ruler. Unlike Hamlet, Claudius does not allow his conscience to get in the way of doing the job that needs to be done.

The opening scene in Hamlet introduces the character of the ghost to the play's observers. The ghost's identity has been long speculated by Shakespeare experts. Whether hs was Hamlet's father or was Hamlet's imagination, his importance to the story cannot be denied. The ghost represents the torment and confusion felt by young Hamlet throughout the entire play. At regular stages throughout the play, Hamlet and the ghost share dialogue about the situation and examine the alternative courses of action. Courses of action that resemble what Hamlet's own father might have suggested. Whether the ghost was real or imaginary the effect is the same: he serves as Hamlet's last memory of his beloved father.

Queen Gertrude, mother of Hamlet and wife to two Kings, Hamlet's murdered father and Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, provides the unifying theme to the play. The full extent of Gertrude's role in the family intrigue that surrounds the plot in Hamlet is left unsaid in the language of the play. The play observer is left to imagine how involved Gertrude actually is in the treachery. Was she having an affair with Claudius prior to Old Hamlet's death? Is Gertrude aware of Claudius' role in her husband's death? Does she know that Claudius tried to poison her son? None of these answers are provided in the body of the play and because they are unanswered the mystery surrounding the play is increased further. Gertrude's role in the play is central to the plot but, like so many characters in Hamlet, her true personality is never revealed.

One of the minor characters in the play that nevertheless provides a great insight into the personality of the main character, Hamlet, is the Norwegian prince. Fortinbras. Fortinbras is Hamlet's alter ego. Like Hamlet, he also lost his father but, unlike Hamlet, Fortinbras is prepared to take decisive and immediate action to revenge his father's death. In doing so, Fortinbras provides a strong contrast to Hamlet. A contrast that is not lost on the vacillating Hamlet who observes: "To be great is not to stir without great argument but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honor's at the stake." (Shakespeare, Hamlet) Fortinbras is the antithesis of Hamlet. He is a man of action with little thought- exactly the opposite of Hamlet.

To provide comedic relief to the constant conflicts in Hamlet's mind Shakespeare introduces the dueling personalities of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not likeable fellows but in being so unlikeable they become likeable. Hamlet's decision early in the play to impulsively decide to have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern murdered gives additional insight into the complexity of Hamlet's personality. Hamlet is tortured over whether to revenge his father's death by killing his Uncle Claudius but seems to have no trouble killing two harmless individuals like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - further evidence of the complexity of Hamlet's character.

Horatio is young Hamlet's closest friend and is the most stable character in the play. Horatio is provided the distinction of being the one major character in the play to survive to the very end and he is the one person in whom Hamlet appears to have every confidence. It is Horatio who is ultimately left with the burden of summarizing what occurs at the bloodbath that ends the play. He is left to explain how all the main characters, Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and Gertrude reach a tragic end.

Another comedic feature of the play is the interjection of the character Polonius. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia and his importance to the play is in that role. Although it is done through the silly nature of Polonius, Shakespeare is able to demonstrate the importance of a father in the lives of children while, at the same time, demonstrate that this importance is not always healthy or well directed. Polonius is not blessed with a particularly high level of integrity but he is a wonderful study in the frailty of the human spirit.

Ophelia, Polonius daughter and Laertes' sister, is the object of Hamlet's affections throughout the play. Ophelia is a tragic figure who is manipulated by nearly every man in her life. Her father manipulates her to gain favor with Hamlet; her brother provides her with conflicting advice as to how to handle her relationship with Hamlet; and Hamlet, her supposed lover, accuses her of being unfaithful and deceptive. In the end, Ophelia is weakened emotionally by all the confusing messages being provided to her by those closest to her and she becomes… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Hamlet Research it Is Doubtful That William" Assignment:

“

Please reed carfully

very important

You will write a 1,800-word essay (about 6-7 pages, not including the Works Cited page). You should have at least four sources (not including the text itself, or the film or films you watch, although the text and film(s) should also be listed in the Works Cited -- and you should watch at least one film version of the play), drawing mainly on scholarly materials (books, critical articles on the play and films, film reviews -- NOT study aids like Cliffs Notes or online equivalents, or non-scholarly web sites; these are okay for grounding yourself, but not as cited materials). A Research Proposal and Working Bibliography will be due November 14th; an Outline and *****"Citation & Response*****" paragraph will be due November 21st (See the *****"Citation & Response*****" Discussion Board for a detailed demonstration). Then, a draft for my review, and for comments from other students, will be due November 28th. The final version is due Sunday, December 12th, midnight. (The *****"Assignments*****" timer will read a couple of days later; this is a *****"grace period*****" in case of technical difficulties, e.g., the server going down.) You should post several process assignments, including a draft, to the appropriate Discussion Boards -- see the syllabus.

When submitting the file, this is Essay # 2. So, according to the Instructions for Submitting handout, you should title the file something like this:

doe_pat_2.rtf (if your name were *****Pat Doe*****).

This is, obviously, the single most important part of the course, and it has many component parts: we will study a work of literature, one of the great works of literature, Hamlet; we will in part study it through film interpretations; we will develop our understanding of it through traditional academic research; and we will do it all electronically. So, we*****'ve got a multi-layered, but a very enjoyable, challenge ahead of us.

My lectures will focus on the following issues:

Â· Approaches to reading Hamlet

Â· Detailed an*****s of the play

Â· How to do research

Â· How to study film

Â· How to write your research essay

If I break these concerns down further, we will: read the play, study each of the five acts of the play, and make an overview of the play; also, we will study research in its general parameters, along with the challenges of finding sources, reading and evaluating sources, creating an interpretive argument, outlining the essay, keeping notes, distinguishing among quotations of various sorts, paraphrasing, and summary, responding to research sources, citing them, documenting them, and putting it all together in a finished paper; and we will study film as a medium, relating it to the play itself. So, I project at least a dozen small lectures over the next month or so.

**

Let me begin with a general but detailed description of what I have in mind.

First, we will read the play. It is five acts; it was written around 400 years ago, in a culture very different from our own, but very important to our own. Their ideas of entertainment were different then: no TV, no film, no MTV, no electric lights, and lots of darkness in the winter months. Even the theater was a dicey thing at that time Ã¢â‚¬***** women were forbidden from acting on the stage (young men or boys played women*****'s roles), and for a generation, the theater was banned altogether when the Puritans took control from the monarchy. Even in Shakespeare*****'s time, the theater was viewed by authorities as potentially subversive: it brought large crowds of young people together, who were prone to talk, vent their frustrations, and occasionally riot in the streets (sounds like a typical sporting event in our own time). Further, it was not a democracy -- the London mayor could shut the theaters down at will, and in fact, he did so for an extended period. Shakespeare turned briefly to long narrative poems when he had no outlet for his stage work. And finally, people didn*****'t drink water much then -- they drank ale and wine, and so I don*****'t think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that the common person was often a little inebriated.

You have to be a little bit of an anthropologist to read Shakespeare, or any other work of literature from long ago. Be concerned with what life was like then. It takes some effort, but ultimately, it is the best way to understand our own time and lives of today.

But to continue: this play is long. It is written mostly in blank verse, or unrhymed (but for certain concluding couplet-rhymes) ten-syllable iambic lines, called iambic pentameter. Consider why, then, some passages are given as prose. Further, Shakespeare was an inventive user of the language, at a time when there were no grammar books or dictionaries. He was a leader in the common practice of inventing language on the fly -- not out of thin air, but from the history and textures of the language. Further, Hamlet is a punster: he speaks in riddles, for various reasons we will explore.

So, please start reading, at a slow, even pace. Plan on reading the whole play more than once. Try not to worry about not getting every word, or sometimes not understanding at all. When you re-read, study, and attempt other methods I*****'ll discuss, you*****'ll get it firmly under your belt soon enough.

Try reading the play out loud, perhaps with friends. Hearing it can help a lot in making it more understandable.

Try visualizing the scene: where are people standing? What is in the room? How are they moving? What is the right tone of voice for what they say?

I will set up a Hamlet discussion site just for sorting out confusions with each other as you read. See what other people think.

Go ahead and use Cliff*****'s Notes, or other (many online) explanations and summaries -- but don*****'t think you can understand or write about the play without also studying the text itself, based on your own careful reading! We will do more serious, useful research along the way; but it isn*****'t bad to have a summary in mind already as you read. Just don*****'t think you can do this project without actually reading the play itself!

And finally, there are the recorded versions of the play in performance. It is a play, not a movie; but we will mostly have to use film versions. You can find tapes or DVDs of actual staged play-versions, but not easily. Still, I will talk somewhat about the difference between a videotaped or filmed stage production, and a feature-film production. There are, essentially, five ways the play can exist for us: as a written text (in various modes); as a radio play, or voice-recorded version (you might find or download a spoken-word recording of the play for your car commute Ã¢â‚¬***** start with Half Price Books, or the Books on Tape section of a regular bookstore, or go to Audible.com); as a play live on the stage (and recorded as such, perhaps, on film or tape); as a film (there are many filmed versions); or, finally, and ultimately, as a memory of our experience of the work of art. And after we*****'ve finished this project, you*****'ll have Hamlet as a permanent part of your memory, believe me!

Go ahead, then, and watch the play on film. Go to Hollywood Video, Blockbuster Video, or wherever you rent videos and DVDs. Try Netflix online; see if Youtube has a version, or some other online video source. You are likely to find at least a few of the following:

Hamlet (1948) Directed by Lawrence Olivier, starring Lawrence Olivier

Hamlet (1964) Directed by John Gielgud, starring Richard Burton

Hamlet (1969) Directed by Tony Richardson, starring Nicol Williamson

Hamlet (1990) Directed by Franco Zefferelli, starring Mel Gibson

Hamlet (1990) Directed by Campbell Scott, starring Campbell Scott

Hamlet (1990) Directed by Kevin Kline, starring Kevin Kline

Hamlet (1996) Directed by Kenneth Branaugh, starring Kenneth Branaugh

Hamlet (2002) Directed by Michael Almereyda, starring Ethan Hawke

Some, but not all, of the above are available by now on DVD as well as VHS tape. If you don*****'t find a version, ask the staff! They can probably find it, or order it for you, or locate a copy at another store. These can also be found at Audio/Video Plus, on West Clay Street @ Waugh Drive, north of Montrose.

Another version is in the BBC Shakespeare series from the late sixties/early seventies; the Hamlet episode stars Derek Jacobi. It is at the UH library, but also occasionally found in stores.

You can also find copies at many libraries. If you are in Houston, try the Houston Public Library; also, get a Texshare card through the HCCS librarians so can check materials out from UH, TSU, and other area institutions. Also, I have several versions on Reserve at the HCC Southeast College library; call or check their website for hours.

You must watch at least one film version (if there happens to be a play version on stage somewhere soon, that*****'s great; but I don*****'t know of one). I recommend watching two. I also recommend watching the film more than once, after you*****'ve already read through the play and studied it a little, and I recommend taking notes as you watch.

So: you*****'ll read the play, watch the movie(s), and talk about it all with the rest of us. This is a research project, so you*****'ll also do research. In fact, reading the play and watching the movies is research -- primary research. You will do secondary research in the following ways:

You will browse the Internet, looking for interpretations, opinions, historical information, and so forth. You will find critical articles, and you will find film reviews: some light, other more substantial and scholarly. You should also look for images and other media sources of information. Seeing how an artist portrays a scene from the play, or what actors of the past looked like in performing the play, is a source of insight and information, if you know how to interpret such information.

You will also use the Internet through your remote connection to the HCC library databases. Go to the library homepage and explore; there is a link that explains how to set up remote access, if you haven*****'t tried that already. Of course, you can also go to one of the campuses to access these databases. If you have a Houston Public Library card, they also have good online databases. UH has many more, which you can use if you go to the M.D. Anderson library. What are the databases? They are for the most part (for our purposes) sources of citations for articles, and often, abstracts or full-text versions of those articles. You want to find what other readers and critics of the play have had to say about it. You also want to find film criticism that was available through the open Internet. But with remote access, you can access a great deal of those right from your home computer.

Still, it*****'s probably a good idea to plan on going physically to one or more libraries. UH, Rice, and other area university libraries will have many resources. You will be looking for reference books on Shakespeare, Hamlet, film, and perhaps certain historical and cultural issues, depending on how you structure your argument (more later on that). You will primarily be looking for monographs, or single-author works on Shakespeare, Hamlet, the films, etc. And you will be looking for anthologies of articles written by several authors, but collected together in one volume.

How do you start in finding the books? You go to the online catalogue, which you can do from anywhere with an Internet-connected computer. Do your catalogue searching before you actually go to the library, and save yourself some time. Do a keyword search; then, browse the stacks (shelves) where many of the works on Shakespeare*****'s plays are located. But also, once you have a book or two in your hands, use it carefully: look at its index to see what issues it discusses; look at its footnotes and/or bibliographies for other works that might suit your purposes; then, you*****'ll have precise titles and author/editor names to search with, which is always better. There are book-length bibliographies, and most scholarly works includes lists of relevant sources. Pay attention to this information. Even if a particular work is not useful to you, it might point toward other works that are.

One of the key databases you will need to use for scholarly articles in literature is the MLA International Bibliography. It is a little tricky to use, but it is the most comprehensive index of materials in this field. A search by *****"Hamlet*****" will get you a few thousand entries; so, you*****'ll need to do a Boolean search: *****"Hamlet*****" and *****"suicide,*****" *****"Ophelia,*****" or whatever limited term suits your idea. Keep in mind that this database, unlike some others, gives you citations only -- not a full-text version of the article itself. After you have checked and printed out a list of potentially useful article titles, you will still need to turn to the online library catalogue to search by journal/periodical title in the library*****'s collection. For HCC, you will then look alphabetically for the journal by title in the library; at UH and elsewhere, you will usually need a call number, just as you do for a book. The Call number is the number/letter address of the book: where it is on a shelf somewhere in the library. So, I repeat: in the MLA database, find relevant titles of articles; copy or print out the bibliographic information: title of article, name of author, name of journal, and date/volume/issue information. Then, search by periodical title to see if the libraries carry it. Then, you have to go find it (back issue are usually separate from current issues), and you will need to read it on site or photocopy it; they don*****'t check out periodicals.

There are other, less comprehensive databases that will give you the article online: try the Literature Resource Center (Gale), Proquest, Academic Search Premier, J-Stor, Project Muse (at UH), Netlibrary, among others. Proquest has some full-text, and some abstract or citation only. But it*****'s worth a look.

Research is an essential skill; there are many resources, many useful tools. You have to get to know the library, no matter how much you can do online. Your first, and best, resource is the librarian. Ask him or her for help Ã¢â‚¬***** they can help by phone, online (sometimes), and in person. When you don*****'t find what you need, ask! They will always help you.

**

Okay. You*****'re reading, watching movies, and doing research. Toward what end? I want you to write an essay about the play, based on your research into the play and its film versions, that argues in some way about meanings and effects of the work. You can choose any topic, as long as it leads toward an analytical pursuit of how the play works or what it means in some sense. You might:

focus on a particular character;

focus on a particular scene; or,

focus on a particular theme (suicide, love, honor, leadership, motherhood, etc.), or

a combination of the above.

You might structure your essay according to the different film versions you mention as they relate to the theme/character/scene. You might find in your research a range of opposing or different opinions on effect or meaning in the play or a film version, and so your essay structure could be a classification or comparison of those opinions. You might break a theme down into sub-topics, and structure it that way.

As you read, keep a journal; think from the beginning about how you want to approach the paper, and what focused topic you will choose. You can do preliminary research to help you focus on good topics; before long, you*****'ll need to choose one before you can do serious, focused research that allows you to ignore the massive amount of material that might be interesting but won*****'t serve your particular purpose.

The key here is to respond to the play in your own mind and heart; as difficult as it will be to read, after you have worked with it a bit, you will find that it demands a response from the most essential aspects of yourself. It is one of the finest works or art ever made, and relates to some of the most important human concerns. Your essay should defend your point of view on some issue that relates to the play and the film(s); the research is meant to support what you have to say, although many of your realizations will come from the research itself.

We will study how to properly cite and respond to research material; you should study your Composition Handbook if you have one, the research appendix in Literature for Composition (see the Appendices), and the various online links I*****'ve gathered. Be careful about separating your ideas from those you find in research. *****

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