Literary Analysis WRITING THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

BODY PARAGRAPH FORMAT  (A)Transitional word/phrase/idea plus a topic sentence about the first point you want to make about your thesis  (B,C,D,E,F,G) Detail/support/example showing what you mean by the topic sentence or proving your assertion/analysis in your topic sentence  (H) Closing sentence: Reflection back on how that example or source proved your point

1.Hamlet is a tragedy on many levels. Where it is different from most tragedies, however, is audience knowledge. 2.Shakespeare uses individual characters to represent negative human traits. 3.Claudius’ major flaw is his ambition. It is his initial ambition that creates a situation that ultimately results in many deaths. 4.Claudius’ ambition puts the king in a bad situation, which demonstrates his untrustworthy nature, another negative trait. 5.Shakespeare additionally uses Polonius, Claudius’ right hand man, to express his opinions on humanity. 6.Along with foolishness, Polonius is the figure representing selfishness in the play. 7. The untrustworthiness Shakespeare emphasizes in Claudius also shows up in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The two are childhood friends of Hamlet, which would seem to put them on Hamlet and the audience’s good side, except that they pledge their loyalty instead to Claudius. 8.Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s inability to look past the immediate interests of Claudius are part of the foolishness they display. 9.Many of Shakespeare’s lessons about humanity come through the actions of the play’s secondary characters. 10.This negative opinion is also expressed in the play’s most famous lines, Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy. THROUGH HAMLET AND HIS INTERACTIONS WITH SECONDARY CHARACTERS, SHAKESPEARE HIGHLIGHTS THESE SEVERAL NEGATIVE CHARACTER TRAITS THAT PLAGUE HUMANITY.

1.The betrayal his uncle commits against the royal family begins the domino effect of Hamlet’s mental anguish. 2.Ophelia’s abrupt disconnection with Hamlet leads him to transcend into his madness ploy. 3.The betrayal of trust which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern commit pushes Hamlet to become unusually hostile and murderous. 4.Gertrude’s betrayal of the family’s bond leads Hamlet to harbor unhealthy grudges. 5.From a grieving son to a murderous fiend, Hamlet’s mental health certainly degrades for the worse after the continuous betrayal committed by those around him. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL, THE CONTINUAL BETRAYAL OF HAMLET’S TRUST LEADS TO HIS MENTAL DESTRUCTION.

BODY PARAGRAPH FORMAT  (A)Transitional word/phrase/idea plus a topic sentence about the first point you want to make about your thesis  (B,C,D,E,F,G) Detail/support/example showing what you mean by the topic sentence or proving your assertion/analysis in your topic sentence  (H) Closing sentence: Reflection back on how that example or source proved your point

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (H) (A) Although seldom mentioned in the play, the character Fortinbras has a pivotal role in developing the character of Hamlet. His sole purpose in the play is to be compared to the Prince of Denmark, and to show Hamlet’s deficiencies. (B) In the beginning of the play, they are put in similar situations. Both of their father’s are killed, and they are next in line for the throne of their respective nations. This is where the similarities end, however. (C) From this point on in the play everything Fortinbras does shows Hamlet’s weakness. (D) Fortinbras acts without remorse, and has no sense of morals. He is cut throat, which is the only way to gain power. Fortinbras assembled an army of lawless criminals, while Hamlet was too weak to kill Claudius, just because he was praying. As Hamlet wrestled with his conscious he states, “Now might I do it now he is a-praying, and now I’ll do it. [He draws his sword.] And so he goes to heaven, and so am I revenged.” (III.iii.77-80). Hamlet continually makes excuses that spare the life of Claudius. Fortinbras would have killed him with no remorse. (E) This leads to Hamlet’s defining characteristic becoming indecisiveness, based on his lack of ability to take advantage of opportunities. (F) Hamlet’s strengths pale in comparison to Fortinbras’, and it shows that he does not have what it takes to be a leader of a country. While Fortinbras is fighting to expand and better his nation, Hamlet is faking madness, and sitting idly. (G) This foil between the characters Fortinbras and Hamlet is designed by Shakespeare to portray Hamlet’s flaws. (H) In seeing how strong of a leader Fortinbras is, Hamlet appears weaker and weaker every line of the play. EXAMPLE #1

(A) (B) (C) (D) (A) Although seldom mentioned in the play, the character Fortinbras has a pivotal role in developing the character of Hamlet. His sole purpose in the play is to be compared to the Prince of Denmark, and to show Hamlet’s deficiencies. (B) In the beginning of the play, they are put in similar situations. Both of their father’s are killed, and they are next in line for the throne of their respective nations. This is where the similarities end, however. (C) From this point on in the play everything Fortinbras does shows Hamlet’s weakness. (D) Fortinbras acts without remorse, and has no sense of morals. He is cut throat, which is the only way to gain power. Fortinbras assembled an army of lawless criminals, while Hamlet was too weak to kill Claudius, just because he was praying. As Hamlet wrestled with his conscious he states, “Now might I do it now he is a- praying, and now I’ll do it. [He draws his sword.] And so he goes to heaven, and so am I revenged.” (III.iii.77-80). Hamlet continually makes excuses that spare the life of Claudius. Fortinbras would have killed him with no remorse. EXAMPLE #1 BREAK DOWN

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (H) (A) Hamlet is a tragedy on many levels. Where it is different from most tragedies, however, is audience knowledge. (B) In most tragedies, the audience knows more than the characters involved. (C) In Hamlet, “the audience never has insight or knowledge superior to Hamlet’s or, indeed, different from Hamlet’s” (Booth). (D) Unlike other plays in which the audience has a general idea of where the story will go, Shakespeare leaves the audience on the same level as his main character. (E) What Hamlet is able to understand and interpret, the audience understands and interprets. As Hamlet works his way through the stories and the dilemmas that emerge, so does the audience. This connects the audience to Hamlet. In a way, it even adds legitimacy to Hamlets words and thoughts. Since the audience cannot rely on its own superior knowledge, it defers to Hamlet, who is described highly as “[Denmark’s] chiefest courtier” (I.ii.121). (F) Hamlet’s noble nature early in the play initially attaches the audience to the protagonist. Connect by shared knowledge, the audience roots for the prince. The audience’s attachment serves one ultimate purpose: to convey Shakespeare’s message. (G) Because the audience is so deeply connected to Hamlet, what Hamlet says is usually accepted as fact. The audience has no superior knowledge to prove otherwise, and no reason to distrust Hamlet. What Hamlet feels or believes is often interpreted as the morally correct belief because Hamlet is the least flawed of all characters. (H) This allows Shakespeare to convey his messages about human nature. EXAMPLE #2

BODY PARAGRAPH FORMAT  (A)Transitional word/phrase/idea plus a topic sentence about the first point you want to make about your thesis  (B,C,D,E,F,G) Detail/support/example showing what you mean by the topic sentence or proving your assertion/analysis in your topic sentence  (H) Closing sentence: Reflection back on how that example or source proved your point