Topic Ten (1.10): Wider Reading – Critical Perspectives 2
Introduction
In this final topic, you will read further in the introduction to your copy of the play and explore some additional critical articles about Hamlet in preparation for completing Assignment One. The focus of these critical articles is the female characters in the play so some supporting contextual material from Mastering English Literature which you originally read at AS, is revisited here.
Wider Reading
- You should now read the following sections in the introduction to your copy of the play and add to your notes and Critical Viewpoints Grid as appropriate:
- ‘The story of Hamlet’ (pages 60 to 75)
- ‘Hamlet in Shakespeare’s time’ (pages 36 to 60)
- The following resources are a potential source of critical quotations for your first assignment on the play, so read through each of them with your Critical Viewpoints Grid to hand.
- Now read this overview of the role of female characters in Hamlet:
EXPLORE – Women in a Patriarchal Society (Cliffnotes) Links to an external site.
- The following resources examine the differences Hamlet perceives between Claudius and Old Hamlet and the corrupt condition of Denmark under Claudius’ rule:
EXPLORE – Claudius and the Condition of Denmark (Shakespeare-Online) Links to an external site.
Review
- You read this at AS, but now is a good time to re-read Chapter 40, ‘External Interpretation: Feminism’ on pages 389 to 406 in Mastering English Literature, this time bearing in mind the female characters in Hamlet and adding any helpful detail to your notes as you go.
- Pay particular attention to the material included on ideals of womanhood.
- If you did not study AS with Wolsey Hall, make sure you read this chapter carefully now.
Support for Assignment One
- You are now ready to tackle your first AL assignment, a passage-based question on Hamlet.
- Remember: you will need to be comfortable with using a wide range of literary terminology as Shakespeare uses many devices in his work, so make sure you have your copy of the Guide to Shakespeare’s Language to hand as you break down the passage.
- Don’t forget to plan your essay carefully according to the tips provided in Module Zero and to make sure it addresses all five AL assessment criteria, including critical perspectives.
REVIEW - Module Zero: Introductory Skills
- In your essay, you should make reference to three or four critical perspectives, as appropriate to the task. Try to spread these through the essay and integrate them into your argument.
- Remember to include context. You learnt about Elizabethan England and some of the key social and historical contexts surrounding the play in this module earlier in this module, so you should draw on some of these in your response. The material you covered on women in the ‘Review’ task above will also be helpful to you.
- As you did at AS, aim for around three different references to context, spread across the essay. These can be brief, but they must be properly embedded into the discussion. (See the poster from the English Review in Topic 1.2 for an overview.)
Assignment
When you have completed all the activities and are fully prepared and feel confident with the material, you should complete Assignment One and submit it to your tutor via Canvas for marking and feedback.