Themes in Hamlet[1]

8/8/2019 Themes in Hamlet[1]

1/17

Warm up!

Think of a television show that youhave watched recently (last night?)

1. Try to explain what the main topicof the story was about in no morethen three words.

2. Try to explain what the main topicof the story was about in no more

then three words.


2/17

Themes inThemes in

HamletHamletAnalyze the way in whichtheme represents a view or

comment on life, usingtextual evidence as

support


3/17

Concept: Theme

Is the central idea or insight about humanexperience revealed in a work of literature.

Can usually be expressed in a word or two

Why is it important to discover the theme?

The theme is what the writer wishes toconvey about that subject: the writers view

of the world or revelation about humannature. We can learn more about ourselvesand humanity by analyzing the theme.


4/17

Identifying and AnalyzingTheme:

always involves generalizations and abstractions.

There are universal themes that can be found incountless works of literature, such as love and hate,good and evil, innocence and experience,communication and isolation, life and death, society

and the individual. A story or poem may be about a specific love affair, for

example; it is easy to say the general subject is love,but interpreting the theme involves explaining whatthe work says about love.

You analyze the theme by asking what the work

says about _____ (theme)


5/17

Back to the warm upThink of a television show that you have watched recently

(last night?)

1. Try to explain what the story was about using only one,two or three words.

CFU: Is what you wrote down a theme?

CFU: How do you know? How is it developed?

CFU: What does the story say about your theme?

2. Explain what Romeo and Juliet is about using one, two orthree words.

CFU: Is what you wrote down a theme?

CFU: How do you know? How is it developed?

CFU: What does the story say about your theme?


6/17

The themes in Hamlet are:


7/17


8/17


9/17


10/17


11/17

Our job:

Is not to find the theme

Our job is to analyze the theme. Thismeans that we will be discussing howthe themes are developed, and whatthe story is saying about the theme,using specific evidence from the text

(quotes)

How are themes developed you ask?


12/17

Themes may be developed in anumber of ways:

How the Character develops theme: DoCharacters change?

Are themes revealed through actions, dramatic

statements or personalities of characters? Do the characters convey conflicting values? Which values

does the whole work seem to be defending?

Sometimes a character's main function is to symbolize anabstract quality, such as greed or honesty or laziness.

Remember that names are sometimes symbolic, in obviousor subtle ways.

Are there characters or events or other details thatseem to have no importance in the plot of a story?

In good literature, these details are there for a reason; theyprobably have a special thematic significance.


13/17

How the plot develops theme: What happens?

What actions are taking place that develop the theme?

What ideas are implied by the total impression of the wholework?

Sometimes theme is revealed only when the work is viewed as a whole.

How points of view develops theme: What is said?

Are themes revealed in direct statements by one or more

characters in the play? Hamlet says.. While Laertes says.

How setting develops theme: Symbols?

Are there other symbols, images, and descriptive details in

the work that suggest themes? Look for repeated words and images as clues to theme.


14/17

Focus Finder:

Explore the way that the theme is developed

through the categories of: Plot

Character

Setting

Point of view

Identify textual evidence (quotes) that relate

to each category and exemplify your theme. In a paragraph, explain what the story says

about your theme

F F
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://treehousechores.com/images/cartoon%2520tree%2520leaning.jpg&imgrefurl=http://treehousechores.com/About%2520us.html&usg=__g0b4QZDV_Mhx0B5RhlrtZcpc3kg=&h=375&w=250&sz=21&hl=en&start=8&sig2=AZZqQsLVX79LfBe72Wtoiw&um=1&tbnid=G5A9MG99EmJavM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=81&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtree%2Bcartoon%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26um%3D1&ei=r7b9SurBJ4futgOKs_GHCwhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images-3.redbubble.net/img/art/size:large/view:main/340558-10-point-of-view.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.redbubble.com/people/meimages/art/340558-10-point-of-view&usg=__M7XM1tp6RdbZC6iCfzCo5PeBumU=&h=392&w=550&sz=52&hl=en&start=27&sig2=33i_1MJslyjXqICZ7GXaFw&um=1&tbnid=ixzSIlVuFhAbQM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpoint%2Bof%2Bview%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1&ei=0rb9SpGcE5a4tgP9rIiICwhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://treehousechores.com/images/cartoon%2520tree%2520leaning.jpg&imgrefurl=http://treehousechores.com/About%2520us.html&usg=__g0b4QZDV_Mhx0B5RhlrtZcpc3kg=&h=375&w=250&sz=21&hl=en&start=8&sig2=AZZqQsLVX79LfBe72Wtoiw&um=1&tbnid=G5A9MG99EmJavM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=81&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtree%2Bcartoon%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26um%3D1&ei=r7b9SurBJ4futgOKs_GHCwhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images-3.redbubble.net/img/art/size:large/view:main/340558-10-point-of-view.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.redbubble.com/people/meimages/art/340558-10-point-of-view&usg=__M7XM1tp6RdbZC6iCfzCo5PeBumU=&h=392&w=550&sz=52&hl=en&start=27&sig2=33i_1MJslyjXqICZ7GXaFw&um=1&tbnid=ixzSIlVuFhAbQM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpoint%2Bof%2Bview%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1&ei=0rb9SpGcE5a4tgP9rIiICwhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://treehousechores.com/images/cartoon%2520tree%2520leaning.jpg&imgrefurl=http://treehousechores.com/About%2520us.html&usg=__g0b4QZDV_Mhx0B5RhlrtZcpc3kg=&h=375&w=250&sz=21&hl=en&start=8&sig2=AZZqQsLVX79LfBe72Wtoiw&um=1&tbnid=G5A9MG99EmJavM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=81&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtree%2Bcartoon%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26um%3D1&ei=r7b9SurBJ4futgOKs_GHCwhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs294-7/fa07/gallery/files/Song,%2520Jenny/05%2520Character%2520Design/05%2520Existing%2520Character.jpg&imgrefurl=http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs294-7/fa07/gallery/&usg=__wN_jH5APp-3D92OpCDjzjaT9KTE=&h=449&w=400&sz=36&hl=en&start=34&sig2=ZJVpLshEewMhYDqx1BoeQw&um=1&tbnid=9hrgt2F7LCNa9M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcharacter%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1&ei=abb9SsrPEJvotQO55c2eCg


15/17

Focus F n erHow the character develops theme

Do Characters change?

Does a character symbolize an abstract quality

Do the characters convey conflicting values

Does a character seem not to be Important? How

might that be important?

How point of

view develops

theme

Is the theme

expressed

through other

characters POV?

How plot

develops theme

What actions are

taking place?

Any ideas are

implied by the

work as a whole?

How setting develops theme

Are there any symbols, repeatedwords or images?

Theme

Family

Pressures

Plot Quote:Setting Quote:

Character Quote:POV Quote:

On a separate piece of paper, explain what story says about family pressures.


16/17

Closure Questions: Concept:

What is a theme? What does a theme reveal about the author?

Importance:

What can we learn by discovering the theme?

Skill: How are themes developed? (4 ways)

What do we look for when we analyze plot?

What do we look for when we analyze setting?

What do we look for when we analyze character? What do we look for when we analyze point of view?

What is the purpose of including quotes?


17/17

In Class work:

Work independently (by yourself) to

Complete your focus finder for thetheme of madness, revenge or familypressures.

We will share these with the classtomorrow.

Documents

Themes in Hamlet[1]