Hamlet

If someone else in class worked on the same Hamlet note-gathering project as you did, meet with him or her to share and expand information. Otherwise, complete the following procedure on your own.

Carefully re-read the project you chose. Determine the point of the project. Develop a thesis statement that expresses that point (as you understand it) into a two- to three-page paper.

Ask yourself if you have gathered sufficient material from the play to develop that paper fully. If not, go back through the play to gather more material. Be sure that your notes cover each aspect of the project thoroughly. You will turn in your notes along with your final draft; it will receive a separate grade based on thoroughness.

Develop a plan (formal outline, informal outline, diagram, etc.) that describes the structure of the paper. You will turn in your plan along with your final draft; it will receive a separate grade based on organization and detailing.

Write a paper that develops the thesis, uses the notes you gathered, and follows the plan you generated. The paper must be two or three pages long. Each assertion must be supported by summary information of relevant events from the play and by quotations correctly integrated into the flow of the paper and correctly documented.* It must follow the standard MLA format. It must have a meaningful and interesting title.

Papers must be submitted by the beginning of the period on Wednesday, March 13. Papers late for any reason will be docked one letter grade. Papers submitted early will be awarded bonus points if the paper follows MLA format perfectly and is free of such egregious errors as fragments and run-ons, spelling errors, capitalization errors, and if the paper includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

* The correct format for documenting a play includes act, scene, and line(s) all placed in parentheses following the quotation. For example, a quotation of lines 23 and 24 of the second scene of the third act would look like this: (3.2.23-24).