Requirements of the Module
MODULE B CRITICAL STUDY OF TEXT: HAMLET
Requirements of Module B ADVANCED
· This critical study tests your understanding of textual analysis, and how texts work. It seeks to flush out independent critical thought from students rather than merely re-expressing the ideas of your teachers and other writers you may read concerning the prescribed texts. You cannot merely regurgitate what everyone is saying about the text. You need to make up your own mind about what the text means and what it implies.
· Textual integrity is achieved when all components of the text – style, characterisation, form, language, etc - combine to form a cohesive whole. The Board of Studies defines textual integrity as “the unity of a text; its coherent use of form and language to produce an integrated whole in terms of meaning and value.” Thus, you will have to demonstrate how your text displays a unity of form and language to produce meaning and value over a wide range of contexts, including your own.
Hamlet: contextual concerns
· Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, written between 1599 and 1601.
· It is Shakespeare’s longest play, and posits a storyline of a seemingly endless capacity for retelling and adaptation by others. What is it about the play that allows for this mutation?
· Shakespeare’s context is the Elizabethan era. Research the value systems and hierarchies of this historical timeframe, and examine how the context is reflected in Hamlet. Consider, for example, the significance of the Great Chain of Being, God at the top of the hierarchy, and rocks at the very bottom! Where does royalty fit in, and what is the impact on the play’s meaning when you consider this hierarchy?
Thematic concerns in Hamlet include:
· The natural order (fate / death) - throughout the play, the notion of fate or the natural order is constantly being broached. The Great Chain of Being has been disrupted here by the murder of Hamlet’s father. It is a “most unnatural murder,” highlighting the gross act against the natural order. Such acts can, and must, be punished. Even Claudius recognizes his fate in the prayer scene. Yet, the act of revenge is also a difficult act to perform, for it also calls for murder. Fate, therefore, stands at the center of the action in the play. The natural order of things has been shaken, and it is for this reason that we hear characters like Horatio and Marcellus say things to this effect: “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. It is this basic ‘crisis’ that structures the play.
Thesis statement
· Ensure your thesis statement works for you – it must refer back to the syllabus and rubric notions, and include your personal response to the overarching thematic preoccupation.
Paragraph structure
· Aim for a cohesive and unified discussion that explores how your interpretation of the play has been shaped by your critical research, the perspectives of others. This can include academic scholarship, a review of a play, a production etc.
· Ensure you discuss the use of narrative and language techniques. How do these techniques work to convey the text’s key thematic concerns? What is the impact of these techniques on meaning and interpretation?
Conclusion
· Your essay must consider notions of textual integrity, and engage in a detailed deconstruction of the architecture of the text. Consider - what is the consequence of your analysis? What broader comment about is generated by your analysis in relation to the demands of Module B? For example, how does the text portray the anxieties and ambiguities of a world of uncertain truths, and how does this anxiety resonate with contemporary readers?
In summary
· Read your core text closely, annotate it intricately, and choose supplementary material that you can link clearly to your core text.
· One reading is never enough – only multiple readings will unpack the deeper level of analysis that you need to achieve a Band 6 response in the HSC.
· In order to generate the marks you want, you must constantly engage with the syllabus concepts and ensure that your arguments and insights support and demonstrate your personal relationship with the texts and your knowledge of the key ideas.
· You must read widely, making sure you understand the broader implications of your critical study.
Some techniques to consider when discussing how meaning is shaped:
dramatic irony
foreshadowing
comic relief
Mise en abyme
metatheatre
soliloquy
monologue
the ghost
foils
characterisation
symbolism
language (iambic pentamater etc)
puns
Requirements of Module B ADVANCED
· This critical study tests your understanding of textual analysis, and how texts work. It seeks to flush out independent critical thought from students rather than merely re-expressing the ideas of your teachers and other writers you may read concerning the prescribed texts. You cannot merely regurgitate what everyone is saying about the text. You need to make up your own mind about what the text means and what it implies.
· Textual integrity is achieved when all components of the text – style, characterisation, form, language, etc - combine to form a cohesive whole. The Board of Studies defines textual integrity as “the unity of a text; its coherent use of form and language to produce an integrated whole in terms of meaning and value.” Thus, you will have to demonstrate how your text displays a unity of form and language to produce meaning and value over a wide range of contexts, including your own.
Hamlet: contextual concerns
· Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, written between 1599 and 1601.
· It is Shakespeare’s longest play, and posits a storyline of a seemingly endless capacity for retelling and adaptation by others. What is it about the play that allows for this mutation?
· Shakespeare’s context is the Elizabethan era. Research the value systems and hierarchies of this historical timeframe, and examine how the context is reflected in Hamlet. Consider, for example, the significance of the Great Chain of Being, God at the top of the hierarchy, and rocks at the very bottom! Where does royalty fit in, and what is the impact on the play’s meaning when you consider this hierarchy?
Thematic concerns in Hamlet include:
- The uncertainty principle – Hamlet opens with a question. What does this foreshadow regarding the play as a whole? Consider the tone it sets, and how it identifies for the audience the atmosphere of uncertainty that permeates the Kingdom of Denmark.
· The natural order (fate / death) - throughout the play, the notion of fate or the natural order is constantly being broached. The Great Chain of Being has been disrupted here by the murder of Hamlet’s father. It is a “most unnatural murder,” highlighting the gross act against the natural order. Such acts can, and must, be punished. Even Claudius recognizes his fate in the prayer scene. Yet, the act of revenge is also a difficult act to perform, for it also calls for murder. Fate, therefore, stands at the center of the action in the play. The natural order of things has been shaken, and it is for this reason that we hear characters like Horatio and Marcellus say things to this effect: “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. It is this basic ‘crisis’ that structures the play.
Thesis statement
· Ensure your thesis statement works for you – it must refer back to the syllabus and rubric notions, and include your personal response to the overarching thematic preoccupation.
Paragraph structure
· Aim for a cohesive and unified discussion that explores how your interpretation of the play has been shaped by your critical research, the perspectives of others. This can include academic scholarship, a review of a play, a production etc.
· Ensure you discuss the use of narrative and language techniques. How do these techniques work to convey the text’s key thematic concerns? What is the impact of these techniques on meaning and interpretation?
Conclusion
· Your essay must consider notions of textual integrity, and engage in a detailed deconstruction of the architecture of the text. Consider - what is the consequence of your analysis? What broader comment about is generated by your analysis in relation to the demands of Module B? For example, how does the text portray the anxieties and ambiguities of a world of uncertain truths, and how does this anxiety resonate with contemporary readers?
In summary
· Read your core text closely, annotate it intricately, and choose supplementary material that you can link clearly to your core text.
· One reading is never enough – only multiple readings will unpack the deeper level of analysis that you need to achieve a Band 6 response in the HSC.
· In order to generate the marks you want, you must constantly engage with the syllabus concepts and ensure that your arguments and insights support and demonstrate your personal relationship with the texts and your knowledge of the key ideas.
· You must read widely, making sure you understand the broader implications of your critical study.
Some techniques to consider when discussing how meaning is shaped:
dramatic irony
foreshadowing
comic relief
Mise en abyme
metatheatre
soliloquy
monologue
the ghost
foils
characterisation
symbolism
language (iambic pentamater etc)
puns