1. Practice Essay Prompts and Responses
Hamlet

2. Prompt #1
(From AP Exam 1984) In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and discuss how a scene of violence confronts the reader or audience. Explain the scene and how it contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere summary.

3. Prompt #1 - Thesis
Though other events in the play exhibit violence, nothing so effectively captures the link between the royal family and Denmark’s condition as the final death scene of the play Hamlet. This scene is essential to securing a brighter future for Denmark, and for the audience’s catharsis as well.
KEY POINTS:
All ‘diseased’ characters are killed
Signifies a ‘purging’ of the cause of the sickness afflicting Denmark
Appointing Fortinbras as new king restores hope of loyalty and effective leadership to Denmark

4. Prompt #2
(From 1994 Exam) In some works of literary merit, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a work that features such a character and write an essay where you show how the character functions in the work. Discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid mere plot summary.

5. Prompt #2 - Thesis
The appearance of King Hamlet’s ghost initiates the sacred mission of Prince Hamlet to avenge his father’s murder and purge the poisoned kingdom, an act that not only serves to define the play as a ‘revenge’ play, but that also advances the overall plot of the play and supports development of the themes of Nation as a Diseased State, and Uncertainty of Certainty.

6. Prompt #2 – Response KEY POINTS:
Murder of noble person – key Tragedy element
Identifies as ‘revenge’ play
Initiates all actions occurring in story
Reveals Prince Hamlet’s struggle with murder and wish to avoid the avenging
Reveals struggle with taking action; uncertainty of certainty; condition of the kingdom
Contributes to Hamlet’s pretend madness which at times seems to be real

7. Prompt #3
(From 2001 Exam) One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote: Much madness is divinest Sense – To a discerning Eye – Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a ‘discerning eye.’ Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the ‘madness’ to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

8. Prompt #3 - Thesis
Without question, Denmark is a mad, mad, mad, mad world and surviving there requires an ‘antic disposition’ to live among the ruling and noble class, especially after King Hamlet’s death. In the play Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s apparent madness not only seems reasonable but is in fact necessary to obtain key information needed to successfully avenge his father’s murder and restore order to this rotten kingdom.
IS THIS THE BEST?

9. Prompt #3 – Response KEY POINTS:
Existence of treachery, betrayal and disloyalty (‘fight fire with fire’)
Increased Hamlet’s access and flexibility to gain knowledge
NOW YOU THINK… What other key points???

10. Student sample
The concept of madness is often integral to Shakespearean tragedy. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the titular character of Hamlet feigns insanity through fits of rage and inappropriate action and language. While these peculiar actions may be seen as senseless or eccentric, a discerning eye could see them as a logical strategy in Hamlet’s mission for revenge – a strategy that ultimately contributes to the theme of complexity of action.