To Do Friday

These are as they were written for the sub. It's getting late and I want to go home, so I'm not going to change the voice to fit you as the audience. Perhaps it can be a sneaky object lesson in how a misplaced voice can fall flat. ;)

• Please take roll

They are discussing in small groups today.

• First give them 10 minutes to discuss Act 1 Scene 3 lines 56-87
• Look for tone, famous lines, type of advice. How do these things help characterize Polonius?
• Then 15-20 minutes to discuss Act 1 Scene 3 lines 1-55 and 90-145
• How does Laertes treat Ophelia?
• How does Polonius treat Ophelia?
• What do Ophelia’s reactions to their advice tell us about her and her character?
• Debate the question: Is Ophelia a participant or a pawn? Explain and discuss your reasons.
• For 10 minutes, discuss in what ways the beliefs about ghosts on the board might have influenced their reactions to the ghost and its invitation to Hamlet.
• Finish up with discussing the allusions and implications of Hamlet’s meeting with the  ghost in scene 5. Did this really happen? Is Hamlet going mad, or is he in his right mind? How can you tell?
• If they move through this more quickly than planned, they should read Act 2, which is due on Monday.