Read the following from the Norton Shakespeare (scroll Table of Contents at left side navigation):
Read: Hamlet Introduction, Performance Note, and Performance Comments (right after Act 5).
Read: C: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Acts 1-5).
In Hamlet, everyone dies. Hamlet accidentally kills Ophelia’s father, Polonius. He then kills Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ophelia goes insane and commits suicide. Hamlet and Laertes have a sword fight and are both wounded with Laertes’s poisoned blade. Gertrude drinks poisoned wine which Claudius intended for Hamlet. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink the rest of the poisoned wine. Hamlet and Laertes, each mortally wounded by the poison, exchange forgiveness and die.
Assignment 4: Write a one to one-and-a-half (1 – 1.5) page paper with a clear thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion in which you discuss why there are so many deaths by the end of the play and whether you think there is justice in this ending. Please include one or two properly-cited quotes from the play to support your paper. NOTE: In using quotes, please do not use large quotes for short papers–the similarity checker should not go above 20-22%–if it does, go back and shorten the quote or include more analysis.
DRAW SPECIFICALLY FROM THE TEXT FOR YOUR QUOTES. (Use the “MLA Style Sheet – Quoting Shakespeare”–RIGHT BELOW–to incorporate properly-cited, MLA compliant quotes from the play).
DO NOT REFERENCE OUTSIDE SOURCES (Google, Wikipedia, student guides, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.). DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Plagiarism results in an “F” on the paper, and the paper and it cannot be re-done. A second instance of plagiarism results in automatic failure of the course.
USE STANDARD MLA STYLE (see “MLA Style Sheet for Essays and Assignments” and “MLA Style Sheet for Quoting Shakespeare” under Class Information for proper formatting of quotes from the play).
Always create your own title for your assignment (do not call it Assignment 4 or “Hamlet”) and double-space all writing.
Per standard composition format:
1. Create your own title for your paper. Capitalize all main words in your essay title.
2. Indent paragraphs.
3. Spell the author’s name correctly (William Shakespeare)
4. Use the author’s surname (last name) after mentioning him by full name: Shakespeare.
Essay Structure:
1. One to one-and-a-half (1 – 1.5) pages for the short weekly assignments. For the Formal Essays, see the specific page counts for each. All writing must be double-spaced (not 2.5), with 12 pt. font (not 14).
2. MLA formatted heading.
3. A title for your essay, centered.
4. Clear opening paragraph with thesis statement and signal phrase (mentioning full name of author and title of text).
5. Clear topic sentences.
6. Quotations (properly introduced and cited). Do not use long quotes. Keep the similarity rating to a maximum of 20-22%. If it exceeds that, try shortening a few quotes and paraphrasing more.
7. Transitional phrases to move from paragraph to paragraph.
8. A clear conclusion.
Additional Notes on Grammar:
1. You must proofread for sentence structure (sentence fragments, run-ons, comma splices, subject/verb agreement errors, spelling errors, etc.). I uploaded grammar guides to the Moodle Room, and you can also use NetTutor to help you proofread. In addition, use the ETS rater–it will help, but it does not find all errors. It is your responsibility to upload the strongest paper you can.
2. You must use proper punctuation (periods, commas, quotation marks, semicolons, apostrophes, etc.).
3. You must use proper capitalization of words.
4. Again, you must focus on format AND content.
5. Again, please proofread before uploading your work.
