Welcome! March 12th, 2018 Monday Do Now Take a weekly Bell Ringer sheet from the front table. Once the bell rings, we’ll watch a video, and you will have five minutes to respond to the question in at least five sentences. Remember: Do Now's are INDEPENDENT and QUIET exercises. Thank you 

Describe a magic trick or illusion you have seen (in real life or Click on the link below to watch a video clip. Respond in writing by providing your thoughts on the following question: Describe a magic trick or illusion you have seen (in real life or on TV) that you thought was amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-uZsYGFJMk © Presto Plans

Hamlet: Socratic Seminar Hey, everyone! As you hopefully remembered, we’re having our Socratic seminar today. Hooray! Some things to remember before we get started: Remember, when you speak today, I will be grading your two BEST comments, so try to be as involved as you can in the conversation. Also remember that and at least two things you say needs to be backed up by evidence. Don’t forget that you will need to write a reflection on one of the discussion topics that you didn’t prepare for, so take notes! See your assignment sheet if you don’t quite remember the details.

Hamlet: Socratic Seminar Seminar Expectations: First off, let’s move our desks into a circle. Remember, you are only allowed to talk if you have the Kittykin. If you want to contribute, raise your hand once the person talking is done speaking. Make sure you pass to everyone. People who have not yet spoken should get priority over someone who has already contributed. Don’t be afraid to challenge/build upon people’s ideas! If you disagree or agree, let them know – and tell them why. Even if it’s a topic you didn’t prepare notes for. I can and WILL give extra credit for responses I am especially impressed by. 

Topic 1: Was Hamlet an honorable person, less than honorable, or somewhere in between? Was Hamlet a moral and ethical person? Is there a difference between being honorable and being moral? Was Hamlet justified in his pursuit for revenge? What are Hamlet’s true motivations for even pursuing the murder of Claudius? Is it Fear? Love? Loyalty/Obligation?

Topic 2: Is Hamlet a true tragic hero? A tragic hero wants to do good, means to make things well, but is ultimately flawed. What are Hamlet’s flaws? In what ways does he allow his passions to overrule his reason? At the end of the play, Fortinbras states “Let four captains bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage, for he was likely, had he been put on, to have proved most royal…” Do you agree? Would Hamlet have been a good king if events had transpired differently? Why or why not?

Topic 4: Feminist critics have claimed that much of the audience’s perception of both Ophelia and Gertrude is shaped by what men say to/about them…and that this is a problem that must be addressed when analyzing their characters. Discuss the roles of the women in this play. How are they flawed? How are they treated? (Consider Ophelia being used by Claudius and Polonius, and Gertrude’s ignorance and her relationships with both Hamlet and Claudius). How do they challenge- or fail to challenge- the domination of male characters? Is Hamlet a misogynist? What is Shakespeare saying about women?

Topic 5: Hamlet’s “antic disposition”- his make-believe madness- is a pose he hides behind while he contemplates his revenge…or is it? His actual state of mind seems terribly unstable at several points throughout the play and it is difficult to know for certain whether or not he ever actually slips over the edge into genuine madness. Did Hamlet really go crazy or was he feigning madness? Trace moments of mental instability and clarity throughout the play and determine to what extent Hamlet really is “mad.”

Topic 6: Hamlet famously declares “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Actions and images on the theme of corruption are abound in Hamlet. Among the most powerful images of the play are those which reveal disintegrating situations, both in personal terms for Prince Hamlet, and in political terms for Denmark. What, precisely, is rotten in Denmark? Is Hamlet's "revenge" more than simply the killing of the king? Could it be that he is purging all the rottenness in the Danish court? Or is Hamlet contributing to the decay of Denmark? Is Hamlet a Noble Prince in a corrupt and evil world? Or a death-infected source of the rottenness in Elsinore?

Reflection Take the rest of class to write your reflection on the seminar. On a sheet of paper, first identify the topic number you’re discussing. Then, write a reflection that includes: On outline of your opinion on the topic A summary of how the discussion went on that topic An explanation of who you agreed and disagreed with, and why Something that you add to the conversation