Hamlet One-prop Scene Performance
In groups of 2-4, you will perform a scene of choice from Hamlet. To select your
scene, answer the following question:
What scene captures a pivotal moment in the plot, and also conveys a powerful
theme at play in the work as a whole?
You may choose from the following scenes:
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
Act
1,
1,
2,
3,
3,
3,
4,
4,
4,
5,
5,
scene 2, lines 165-280 (3 people) - Horatio and Marcellus tell Hamlet about the ghost
scene 3, lines 1-145 (3 people) - Laertes leaves for France and Polonius insults Ophelia
scene 1, lines 1-134 (3 people) - Polonius has Reynaldo spy and Ophelia is frightened by Hamlet
scene 1, lines 48-175 (5 people) - Hamlet freaks out on Ophelia
scene 3, lines 1-105 (4 people) - Claudius prays and Hamlet contemplates killing him
scene 4, lines 1-240 [cut some lines] (4 people) - Hamlet kills Polonius and yells at his mom
scenes 1-3, lines 1-45, 1-30, & 1-75 (5 people) - Ros. & Guild. try to find Polonius’s body
scene 5, lines 122-245 (4 people) - Ophelia goes mad; Claudius manipulates Laertes
scene 7, lines 38-220 [cut some lines] (4 people) - Claudius and Laertes conspire against Hamlet
scene 1, lines 120-315 [cut some lines] (5 people) - Hamlet confronts morality and Ophelia’s death
scene 2, lines 238-449 [cut some lines] (6 people) – Laertes and Hamlet duel; everyone dies
You will then complete the following steps:
1. Get your scene approved by Mitchell.
2. Assign parts, discuss the scene’s importance (answer the question above), agree
upon a setting and prop, and block (plan) your scene.
3. Practice your scene to perfection.
4. Complete your Thematic Commentary (you write your own after consulting with your
group members verbally).
Thematic Commentary:
-Explain why you consider this scene to be pivotal in terms of how it moves the plot
forward. Are important elements of character established? Is a new motif being
introduced, or an existing motif reinforced? Does this change the course of action in
a significant way? Identify key elements of the scene and articulate their importance.
-To support your above assertions, quote at least two passages from the scene that
illustrate your ideas, and discuss specifically how these passages demonstrate the
ideas you have shared.
-Identify a thematic focus for this scene. In other words, what important idea does
Shakespeare convey in this part of the story? Your stated theme should be a
complete sentence, and once in which you capture the complexities of being human
as conveyed by Shakespeare through his characters.
-Discuss your group’s approach to the scene and explain your rationale for choosing
the prop you chose and acting it out the way you did. Share anything else you find
amusing or important about the process of planning and executing your scene.
-Your commentary should be typed, in MLA format, and you should write a minimum
of 5 well-developed paragraphs. This is not a formal paper, so rather than writing an
introduction, body, and conclusion, you are merely exploring ideas; however, your
ideas should be expressed logically and in a well-organized manner.
Scene performances: 3/1/16 and 3/3/16
Thematic commentary due 3/3/16