200 WORDS FOR THE PROMPT AND 175 WORDS OR LESS FOR THE PEER RESPONSE PLEASE SUBM

200 WORDS FOR THE PROMPT AND 175 WORDS OR LESS FOR THE PEER RESPONSE
PLEASE SUBMIT EVERYTHING WHEN DONE
Discussion Topic #5
ASSIGNMENT:
Part 1: Reply to this message with your answer to the prompt (minimum 10 complete sentences). 50 points. *Do not create a new thread!*
Part 2: Then, to earn full credit for this discussion, reply to 2 classmates with at least 3 complete sentences. 25 points each. Use your best writing – these are discussions, not texts. Memes and/or pictures or videos may be included, but do not count toward the requirement.
Prompt: Choose one of the following and answer:
Choose 1 of the following and answer:
1. Think about Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia. Does he love her? Does he stop loving her? Did he ever love her? What evidence can you find in the play to support your opinion?
2. Consider Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s role in the play. Why might Shakespeare have created characters like this? Are they there for comic relief, or do they serve a more serious purpose? Why does the news of their deaths come only after the deaths of the royal family in Act V, as if this news were not anticlimactic? Is it acceptable for Hamlet to treat them as he does? Why or why not?
3. Analyze the use of descriptions and images in Hamlet. How does Shakespeare use descriptive language to enhance the visual possibilities of a stage production? How does he use imagery to create a mood of tension, suspense, fear, and despair?
4. Analyze the use of comedy in Hamlet, paying particular attention to the gravediggers, Osric, and Polonius. Does comedy serve merely to relieve the tension of the tragedy, or do the comic scenes serve a more serious thematic purpose as well?
5. Suicide is an important theme in Hamlet. Discuss how the play treats the idea of suicide morally, religiously, and aesthetically, with particular attention to Hamlet’s two important statements about suicide: the “O, that this too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.56–88). Why does Hamlet believe that, although capable of suicide, most human beings choose to live, despite the cruelty, pain, and injustice of the world?
6. Discuss the family relations in the play. You may choose to focus in on a single relationship (such as Hamlet & Gertrude) or 2-3 interconnected relationships (Hamlet, Gertrude, King Hamlet, and Claudius OR Ophelia, Polonius, and Laertes) etc. How do they/don’t they function? Why or why not? What evidence can you find in the play to support your opinions?
7. Think about the other relationships in the play (Hamlet & Horatio, Ophelia & Laertes, Gertrude & Claudius, etc.). What kind of relationships are these and how do they or don’t they function well throughout the play? What is the nature of the relationship (romantic, sibling rivalry, something more?)? Who is in power? How do you know? Find plenty of evidence to support your opinion.
8. In what ways is Hamlet a hero? Or is he an Antihero? Perhaps you think him a villain? Analyze the character of Hamlet in terms of his role in the hero-villain categorization and make a case to support your argument.
9. Think carefully about the women of the play, Ophelia and Gertrude. Who knew what? What were their respective roles in the events of the tragedy? How do you know? You may choose to focus on one woman or both.
10. What theme could be attributed to this play? What are we meant to learn from reading/seeing this story? Hypothesize about a possible theme and use evidence to support your claim.