For the final Hamlet blog, I would like you to write an honest reflection on your personal experience with Hamlet. THis should be at least 4 paragraphs long and you should discuss things like: whether or not you liked the play; how you feel about Shakespeare; what you thought about watching the play in conjunction with reading it in class; what you thought about the particular version we watched in class (was it a good interpretation of the play); the mini-projects after the acts; the blogs; and anything else you would liked to discuss. Please be as honest as possible. You will be graded on the quality of writing your opinions - not your actual opinions. You should post this blog by Friday, March 4th and you should respond to at least 3 others by Monday, March 7th.

Choose one of the following questions to answer in 5 paragraph essay. (I suggest typing the essay in word first to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.) a. Write an essay on the function of the soliloquies in Hamlet. b. Discuss Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real? c. Discuss the role of parents in the play. Your blog should be posted by Friday, April 27th. You should respond to at least 3 other blogs by Monday, April 30th.

Act II Discussion Question

Choose ONE of the following to respond to on your blog:

1. Write a modern love letter to Ophelia from Hamlet. Take into consideration that Hamlet is trying to fool Claudius and Polonius into believing he might be love sick. Feel free to (once again) take creative license with this. You may make this as modern as possible or you can stick to traditional writing. However, this exercise should focus on language. You may either attempt to write in Shakespearean language or you may want to modernize it and use "text" language.

2. Compare and contrast the way that Hamlet talks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from when he first greets them to when he says good-bye to them. Find at least 2 quotes to support your opinion on how Hamlet changes through this interaction.

3. Write a soliloquy for Hamlet where he pontificates over his changing friendship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Who does Hamlet blame for these changes? Does he think that they would have grown apart no matter what happened or does he think they abandon him because his father has died?

Act I Discussion Question

Class, please be sure to post your discussion to the question on your own blog. You are then responsible for going on any 3 other blogs from the class and responding to their responses. A few guidelines: Your actual blogs are going to be counted as a writing grade. This means that your original blog should have a substantial amount of writing on it - at least 3 solid paragraphs per blog entry. When you post on 3 other blogs, those posts will be counted as homework. This means that you are responsible for writing approximately one paragraph per response. If you have any questions on how long something should be - please see me. Your first blog is going to be a creative one. You are going to write a scene between Hamlet and Ophelia before the play begins - when Hamlet's father is still alive and king. The scene can be written in prose (as paragraphs describing the scene) or in dialogue (as lines in a play). You do NOT have to use Shakespearean language in your writing. Because this is a creative blog, please keep the length limitations in mind. When you are responding to other people's scenes, you should be writing more than "This is great!" You should mention specific things that you liked or didn't like. Finally, feel free to take as much creative license as you want. You can modernize the couple, (have them in Miami over spring break) or add intrigue into their unseen relationship (maybe she is pregnant!) or you can stay true to the writings of the play. The choice is yours. Happy Writing!