Essay is to choose one character from hamlet

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Reference no: EM132313630

Hamlet research essay

Your job for this essay is to choose one character from Hamlet and argue whether or not that character's conflicting personality traits and/or actions lead the audience to feel sympathetic or unsympathetic towards that character. For example, you might argue that Claudius is ambitious and deceitful, but also penitent. Then, you would have to determine whether or not his penitence outweighs his ambition and deceit. Characters you might consider writing about include Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, and Horatio.

Remember that: A sympathetic character is one in which a reader can come to identify with and care about, but not necessarily admire. Protagonists are usually sympathetic, but many supporting characters and even villains can also be sympathetic.

And also that: An unsympathetic character is one in which a reader does not identify with or care about, and definitely does not admire. Unsympathetic characters are usually villains but can sometimes be protagonists and supporting characters.

Note: Though you are not necessarily expected to take a critical perspective in this essay, it could be helpful to do so in determining the lens through which you think the reader should sympathize or not sympathize with your character.

Here are some sample thesis statements:

It is for these reasons that, though the purported ghost of Old Hamlet initially presents himself as both merciful and capable of great emotion, he is ultimately revealed to be unrepentantly manipulative, deceitful, hypocritical, and neglectful, and therefore unworthy of sympathy.

But the real masterpiece is the protagonist himself - Shakespeare crafted Hamlet to be sympathetic via his complex personality, realistic reactions, and decisions that both confound and satisfy the audience's darkest inner desires.

At times, Claudius appears to have redeeming qualities, such as guilt and concern for others, but his good qualities are often overshadowed by his selfish and manipulative nature, which causes the audience to feel unsympathetic towards him.

Despite his faults of being gullible and rash at times, readers can sympathize with Laertes because he is a victim who is deeply affected by sudden misfortunes and proves to be a caring and protective brother towards Ophelia and later demonstrates a genuine repentance towards his behavior with Hamlet.

Although Ophelia does not stand up for herself and can be perceived as weak, her genuine obedience, passiveness, and dependence on her family allow the reader to see her in a sympathetic manner.

Although Queen Gertrude seems unsympathetic due to her disloyalty to Hamlet and obedience to Claudius, the audience only gets to know her from Hamlet's viewpoint. Ultimately, she is indeed unfairly treated and deserves sympathy because of her final brave resistance to Claudius, which is fueled by her mother love for Hamlet.

Criteria:

-Your introduction must hook your reader and briefly summarize the play as it relates to your character.

-Your thesis must be the last sentence of your introduction and must reveal your overall position.

-Each topic sentence should reveal a specific point from your thesis.

-You must use at least one quote or paraphrase from the play in each body paragraph.

-For support, you must also use 5 outside sources that have to do directly with Hamlet. You can find many sources on ELAC's library website through Gale Literary Sources and the other library databases to which the college subscribes. You must use each source at least once in the essay to support your argument.

-In your conclusion, don't merely reiterate your points. Be sure to also push forward your argument in some way.

-Your essay must reach at least 6 pages.

-Your essay must be relatively free of grammar issues.

-You must follow MLA format in your in-text citations and the works cited page.

-Remember to turn in your proof of Writing Center visit (for extra credit) on the day the essay is due.

Attachment:- Dynamic Character Who Deserves Sympathy.rar

Attachment:- Annotated Bibliography Hamlet.rar

Reference no: EM132313630

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