Analysis:
Literary Devices in Hamlet
Due 2/23/16
During our reading of Hamlet, your job is to identify a specific literary device employed by
William Shakespeare and analyze how Shakespeare’s use of that device impacts the overall
meaning of the story. Carefully annotate your text to capture Shakespeare’s use of devices
that convey powerful meaning (both explicit and implicit, since Shakespeare is the master
of double-meanings). You are analyzing the progression of meaning that occurs through
the use of your chosen device, which is why you are focusing on just one device.
For each act of the play, you are responsible for a minimum of one page of analysis (in
MLA format) wherein you take a close critical look at Shakespeare’s use of your chosen
device in that act. You will also write a final page of analysis in which you discuss what
thematic meaning Shakespeare conveys through the use of that device for the story as a
whole (5 acts + 1 thematic discussion/conclusion = a minimum of six pages). You will
submit your analysis after completing your reading of the play, rather than act by act.
For each act, you must quote a specific passage in which the device is used, then explain
the context for the passage (what’s happening in the play at that point) and analyze the
significance of the device (what meaning is conveyed through Shakespeare’s use of that
device). My hope is that you will explore dimensions of meaning in the text that will help
to illuminate the story for you in a meaningful way.
(Note: You may write about 2 examples within the same act rather than providing an
example for each act as long as you have at least 5 examples that show a progression of
ideas through Shakespeare’s use of that device.)
My expectation is that you write with precision and depth of analysis. I also require that
you adhere to standard guidelines for written English, including citing your sources using
MLA format. When you cite your passages, remember to do the following:
a.
Always include the act/scene/line number. Be sure to include the author and title
of the piece when you begin your discussion.
b. Put quotation marks around the entire passage, but not around the citation, and
put the period outside of the citation.
c. Always imbed your quotes within your discussion, making sure that the sentence
into which you integrated your quote is grammatically correct. If you need to
change the case of a letter, do so by using brackets.
d. Only use ellipses when omitting words from the middle of a quote, not at the
beginning or the end of a quote.
Example:
This is how your example passage would look. Notice the correct citation, and the slash
marks to indicate line breaks.
Ophelia’s response to Laertes’s advice in Act 1.3 indicates that she knows her
brother well; after hearing his advice, she responds, “I shall the effect of this good
lesson keep / As watchman to my heart. But… / Do not, as some ungracious pastors
do, / Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, / Whiles, like a puffed and
reckless libertine, / Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads / And recks not
his own rede” (49-55).
Suggested Devices to Analyze
(See “Literary Terms a Literatus Should Know” for definitions)
Allusion
Ambiguity
Apostrophe
Aside
Cacophony
Conceit
Dramatic irony
Dynamic character
Epiphany
Foil
Hamartia
Hubris
Hyperbole
Juxtaposition
Litotes
Metaphor
Metonymy
Motif
Oxymoron
Paradox
Persona
Reversal
Simile
Soliloquy
Symbolism
Synecdoche
Theme
Tone
Verbal irony
Requirements:
-MLA format (typed)
-Include a title (always)
-Min. 1 page per act/section (=5)
-Concluding analysis w/ delayed thesis (=1)
-Total of 6 min. pages
-Use subheadings/label each section
-Say interesting things; use your voice!