Honors Dystopian Literature: Block E 3/5/14 DOL #29 Book club in G101 ***We will probably finish Lion King

tomorrow***

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/5/14 Finish Lion King Begin our next unit Start reading Hamlet Act 1

Unit C:“A King of Infinite Space” Where does the title come from?

In Hamlet, Hamlet tells his friends, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself the king of infinite space.” In other words, if he lived in a nutshell and that was the only world he knew, he would think he was the king of the universe. But since he knows better, he feels trapped in his little world.

What are we going to read in this unit?We’ll read Hamlet in class, but we’ll only read parts of it. We’ll

skip and summarize some parts, and other parts we’ll watch instead of read.

Everyone will read the book Room in book club. Room is about a 5-year-old boy who was born in a garden shed where his mother is kept prisoner. The shed is the only world he knows.

“A King of Infinite Space” Why are we reading Shakespeare in dystopian

literature?First, because Shakespeare is awesome.

Especially, Hamlet is awesome, and it’s the perfect play to read during your senior year in high school.

Second, because even though Hamlet was written in the 17th century and isn’t futuristic or post-apocalyptic, it deals with a lot of the themes we talk about in dystopian literature: power, surveillance, war, humanity, perfect and imperfect worlds…believe it or not, we’ll even talk about how people manipulate media to achieve their own goals.

“A King of Infinite Space” Essential questions for this unit:

How do people define a perfect world based on their own experiences and their limited knowledge?

How do people get and maintain power? How do the powerful exercise that power over the powerless?

What does it mean to be human? When is someone said to become human? Is there a point at which we could be made to lose our humanity?

“A King of Infinite Space” Topics we’ll cover

Innocence and knowledgeThe roles religion and social norms play in what we

think of as “moral,” and how they shape our identityHow people in power can control behavior by

keeping people ignorantWhat we lose and what we gain as we become

more knowledgeableThe individual’s world vs. the outside worldHow surveillance influences a person’s behavior

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/7/14 DOL #30 Journal: Could there ever be a

point at which someone could be said to lose his or her humanity?

Hand out Room books, meet in groups to determine benchmarks.

Review what happened in Hamlet 1.1

Preview of Hamlet 1.2 Read as much of 1.2 as possible.

Book Club DatesMarch 14th

March 25th

April 3rd

What happened before the play started?

King Hamlet (Denmark) Killed and took some of Norway’s land

King Fortinbras of Norway

Dies later(we don’t know how yet)

Younger brother Claudius takes throne

Younger brother “Old Norway” takes throne

Prince Fortinbras (King Fortinbras’ son) is gathering an army to take throne from uncle and land from Denmark

What happens in 1.2? We meet a lot of new characters:

King Claudius: King Hamlet’s younger brother. He took the throne and married his sister-in-law.

Queen Gertrude: King Hamlet’s widow, King Claudius’s wife, and Hamlet’s mom

Polonius: The king’s advisor, Laertes and Ophelia’s dad

Laertes: Polonius’s son, a student in FranceHamlet: The prince

What happens in 1.2? Claudius makes a speech to the court Claudius sends two messengers to the king of Norway

to tell the king what his nephew (Fortinbras) is up to Laertes asks Claudius’s permission to go back to

school in France Claudius and Gertrude tell Hamlet to stop acting so

sad about his dad’s death Hamlet tells the audience that he’s in such deep grief

over his father’s death that he’s considering suicide Horatio and the guards tell Hamlet that they’ve seen

his father’s ghost.

Questions for 1.2 Why did Gertrude marry Claudius? What are

the possible reasons? How sincere is Claudius? Who is Hamlet more angry at: his uncle or his

mom? Why? Why does Hamlet say he won’t commit

suicide? What is Hamlet like? Will the ghost talk to Hamlet?

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/10/14 DOL #31 Journal: What advice have you gotten as you

prepare to graduate? What advice has been useful and what hasn’t?

Book club project (due Thurs., 3/20 at 5:00 P.M. to turnitin).

Preview of Hamlet 1.3 Watch 1.3 and discuss Preview of Hamlet 1.4-1.5 Watch 1.4-1.5 and discuss

What happens in Hamlet 1.3 We meet Ophelia, Laertes’s sister and

Polonius’s daughter We find out Ophelia and Hamlet are dating Laertes gives Ophelia some advice about

Hamlet before he leaves for college Polonius gives Laertes some advice before

Laertes leaves for college Polonius gives Ophelia some advice about

Hamlet

Questions for 1.3 What are Laertes and Polonius concerned

about regarding Ophelia and Hamlet? What is our impression of Polonius? What is our impression of Ophelia? What are Ophelia’s relationships to her

brother and father like? What do they think about her?

Honors Dystopian Literature: Block 3/11/14

Objective: Students will understand the Elizabethan Chain of Being and apply it to Hamlet, will understand the nature of the ghost and Hamlet’s plan to take revenge.

DOL #32 Journal: Is there a limit to what a person can

ask another person to do? Notes: the Elizabethan Chain of Being Preview / questions for Hamlet 1.4-1.5 Watch 1.4-1.5 and discuss

The Elizabethan Chain of Being

GOD: All-knowing, all-powerful, incapable of sin. Created and controls the chain. All spirit, no body. Capable of reason.

ANGELS: All-knowing, powerful over humans but subservient to God. Capable of intellectual sin but not physical sin. All spirit, no body. Capable of reason Have their own hierarchy (archangels, angels, seraphim, cherubim, etc.)

HUMANS: Strive to be like angels, but nature tempts them to act like animals. Capable of intellectual sin and physical sin. Have a spirit and a body. Capable of reason. Have their own social hierarchy (kings, merchants, peasants) and family hierarchy (father, mother, son, daughter).

ANIMALS: Incapable of reason or sin. Act on basic instincts. No soul. Have their own hierarchy (mammals, fish and reptiles, bugs).

PLANTS: Living, not sentient. Hierarchy: trees, shrubs, grass

MINERALS: No spirit, not sentient. Hierarchy: gold, brass, stone

How does the Elizabethan Chain of Being relate to Hamlet?

People in Shakespeare’s day saw society as very ordered and structured.

They believed bad things could happen when someone or something disrupted the order.Small betrayals might result in minor punishments, and big betrayals

might result in major punishments. If a peasant overthrew a king, a natural disaster (like a hurricane or

earthquake) might happen. If a daughter disobeyed her father, she might die.

Hamlet believes his uncle disrupted the order of things by ascending to the throne and he has to fix it.“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it

right.” Other characters violate the chain and suffer the consequences.

What happens in Hamlet 1.4-1.5 Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus wait for the ghost while

Claudius parties downstairs The ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to go away

with it The ghost tells Hamlet how he died and commands him

to avenge his death Horatio and Marcellus find Hamlet and notice he’s

acting a little jumpy Hamlet makes them swear not to tell anyone what they

saw Hamlet tells them that he’s going to act mad (crazy) to

make it easier to kill Claudius

Questions for 1.4-1.5 Why don’t Horatio and Marcellus want Hamlet to

follow the ghost alone? Why isn’t Hamlet afraid of the ghost? Where does the ghost go during the day and at

night? Why? How was King Hamlet murdered (according to the

ghost)? What’s the story the public of Denmark has heard?

Why does Hamlet plan to act mad to get his revenge?

Is Hamlet really mad?

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/13/14

Objective: Students will understand how Hamlet’s reason for being “mad” differs from what other characters think.

DOL #33 Journal: Is it ever OK for parents to spy or

snoop on their kids? Finish watching Act 1 Preview and read / watch Hamlet 2.1-2.2

What happens in Hamlet 2.1-2.2? Act 2 Scene 1

Polonius hires Reynaldo to spy on Laertes to make sure Laertes is behaving at college.

Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet came into her room acting crazy

Polonius thinks Ophelia’s rejection caused Hamlet’s madness Act 2 Scene 2

Claudius and Gertrude hire Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Hamlet’s childhood friends) to figure out why Hamlet is acting mad and report back to them.

Polonius tells C&G that Hamlet is acting crazy because Ophelia rejected him.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern try to figure out why Hamlet is acting mad

A troupe of actors arrives at the court to put on a play.

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/13/14 Objective: To understand how Hamlet views the world and

whether he trusts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. DOL #34 Read Hamlet’s conversation with Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern Book clubs in G101 Homework:

Book club RAFT project due 3/20

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/18/14 Objective: To understand Hamlet’s plot to “trap” the king,

and to review the play so far and find connections by creating a mind map.

DOL #35 Journal: Write about movie, song, book, etc. that

has emotional resonance for you. Read end of Hamlet’s soliloquy (Act 2) and take

notes Mind map of Hamlet acts 1 & 2 Homework

RAFT project due Thursday

The actor’s speech: The legend of Pyrrhus and Hecuba Hamlet asks the actor to tell the story of

Pyrrhus’s attack on Troy Pyrrhus=Greek general attacking Troy Priam=Trojan king Hecuba=Trojan queen, mother of 20+ sons Hecuba watches all her children and her

husband get killed by Pyrrhus The actor gets emotional thinking about

Hecuba’s tragedy.

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/18/14 Objective: Improve mind maps by making more

connections between Hamlet and Room with quotes and analysis.

Work on mind mapsBe sure to include this quote from Room, which is

a paraphrase of a line from Hamlet: “There’s more things on earth than you’ve ever dreamed of” (--Ma, pg. 94).

HomeworkRAFT project due today at 5 P.M.!Next book club: Tuesday

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/25/14 Objective: To understand the three big questions in the

nunnery scene and how the answer to those questions might impact the interpretation of the characters

No DOL or journal Read Hamlet 3.1 (starting on pg. 95): the

Nunnery Scene Book club—staying in the room due to MCAS.

Homework:

Journals and reflections due Tuesday, April 1st

What happens in Hamlet 3.1 (the Nunnery Scene)? Claudius and Polonius ask Gertrude to leave, then hide

behind an arras (a large tapestry) to spy on Hamlet Hamlet delivers the “to be or not to be” soliloquy where he

Considers suicide, since that would be easier than dealing with the miseries of life

Decides against it, since he’s afraid that what comes after death might be worse than life

Ophelia meets with Hamlet to return his gifts and break up with him (while Claudius and Polonius watch)

Hamlet freaks out on Ophelia and tells her to go live in a nunnery

This is an arras

Big questions in the Nunnery Scene What were the literal and slang definitions of

the word “nunnery” to Shakespeare’s audience?

Did (or does) Hamlet really love Ophelia? Does Hamlet know he’s being watched, and if

he does, when does he figure it out? How do our answers to these questions affect

how we view Hamlet and Ophelia?

Big questions in this scene: What did the word “nunnery” mean to Shakespeare’s audience?Literal Definition

A convent

Hamlet wants to protect Ophelia from bad men, OR if

he can’t have her, no one can.

Hamlet loves her, or he feels like he owns her

Slang Definition

A brothel (house of prostitution)

Hamlet’s calling Ophelia a whore

Hamlet and Ophelia may have had sex

Big question in this scene: Did (does?) Hamlet really love Ophelia?

YesHe’s broken-hearted that

Ophelia is breaking up with him

His emotion in this scene is real

NoHe doesn’t care that Ophelia

is breaking up with him

His emotion in this scene is a show for Claudius and

Polonius

Big questions in this scene: Does Hamlet know he’s being watched?

YesHamlet’s putting on a show to

convince Claudius and Polonius he’s mad

He really loves (or loved) Ophelia and doesn’t mean what he says

He’s only a little bit of a jerk

NoHamlet’s being honest

He may have loved her but is very angry with her, or he never loved her, OR he’s really mad

Hamlet is very cruel or very insane

Honors Dystopian Literature: E Block 3/26/14 DOL # 35 Journal: What effects can guilt have on a person? Is anyone ready to recite for extra credit? Preview of Hamlet 3.2-3.3 Watch Hamlet 3.2-3.3 Important lines (If time) Notes: Hamlet and Oedipus Homework:

Journal and reflections due Tuesday, 4/1“To be or not to be” extra credit due Friday, 4/4

What happens in Hamlet 3.2-3.3? The players perform the play Hamlet wrote to

see if Claudius reacts Claudius commands Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England Hamlet walks in on Claudius praying and

almost kills him, but decides against it.

Hamlet and the Legend of Oedipus Oedipus (“ed-i-puss”) = ancient Greek king Born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes

Oracle says Oedipus will kill Laius and marry Jocasta when he grows up

Left on a mountain to die of exposureFound by a shepherd; raised without knowing he’s a prince

Grows up, meets King Laius on the road; they argue, Oedipus kills Laius

Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, who has been terrorizing Thebes

Oedipus becomes King of Thebes, marries Jocasta, has four kids

When they finally find out, Jocasta kills herself, Oedipus pokes out his own eyes.

The Oedipus Complex Coined by Freud in early 1900s Between ages 3-5, every boy feels jealous of his father

for taking his mother’s attention: the “Oedipal stage” Subconsciously, every boy ages 3-5 wants to kill his

father and marry his mother. This is normal and most boys grow out of it. Experience of Oedipal stage helps boys eventually have

successful relationships with women. Some boys don’t grow out of the Oedipal stage

Grow up subconsciously wanting to kill father and marry mother

“Mama’s boys”Men who expect their wives to be just like their mothers

What does this have to do with Hamlet?

Does Hamlet have an Oedipus complex?Hamlet fixates on his mother’s remarriage to his uncle

and the fact that she has sexual urges at her age.Hamlet has a very volatile relationship with Ophelia

If Hamlet does have an Oedipus complex . . .He’d want to have murdered his father and married his

motherInstead, Claudius did thatHamlet hates Claudius but also identifies with him, since

Claudius did what Hamlet subconsciously wanted to doHamlet hesitates in killing Claudius because that would

be like killing a part of himself.

Do I have to believe this? No.

Most psychologists don’t believe in the Oedipus complex, at least not totally.

Many scholars think diagnosing Hamlet with an Oedipus complex over-simplifies his relationship with his mother.

This interpretation is starting to go out of style. However, it’s important to know that lots of people

DO believe Hamlet has an Oedipus complex, and some productions reflect that with overly-affectionate touching / kissing between Hamlet and Gertrude.