Your teacher has recently learned that the director of a local production of Hamlet is considering eliminating the particular soliloquy that you have chosen to write about in order to shorten the four-hour long play and make it more engaging for the audience.
Your task is to persuade the
director that this soliloquy is integral to the play and essential for a successful
production. One or more essays from your class will be sent to the director in order to change
her mind.
Write an essay that focuses on whichever of these soliloquies you believe is most essential for the audience to understand the character and a key element of the plot. Why is this soliloquy essential to a performance of Hamlet? What would happen to the audience’s understanding of the character and the play if it were removed? Explain your interpretation of the soliloquy based on how you think it should be performed and share your advice for the director to help her make effective performance choices. Include specific examples and/or quotations to support your claim(s) and indicate why these lines are particularly significant and how they should be performed.
Begin by revisiting each soliloquy in order to decide which one is most essential for a production of Hamlet. Refer to your Tracking the Action chart to help you make your decision, to understand the context for the soliloquy, and to locate evidence for your argu
