Wild Justice: The Literature of Revenge
|
|
"Why is there so much literary obsession with revenge? The dream of getting even is one of the oldest ideas in literature and has inspired some of the most compelling stories. Revenge tragedies raise challenging questions about justice, ethics, and authority. Who has the right to retaliate? Does private revenge put the law out of office? Does pursuing retribution defend an old order or establish a new one? Where does revenge lead? This class will pursue these vindictive questions, and even ask if literary works themselves can be acts of revenge. We will explore the long tradition of revenge stories, from Renaissance drama such as Hamlet to recent films such as ‘V’ for Vendetta." This guide offers a selection of research strategies, information resources, and library services to help you read and write about Shakespeare. Know better.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." --Hamlet, Act 1, Scene V |
Assignment Five
Assignment Five: Hamlet and revenge
Length: 8 pages
Due date of first draft: Thursday, November 12 (in class)
Due date of final draft: Thursday, November 19 (in class)
Revenge his most foul and unnatural murder
At the very end of Hamlet, Fortinbras surveys the scene and declares that “[s]uch a sight as this / Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss” (5.2.380-381). What is so amiss at the end of this play and what does this tell us about the kind of revenge that we have witnessed? More broadly, what is revenge in Hamlet and what effects does it finally produce?
For this assignment, you are to explore the meaning of revenge in Hamlet by presenting a close analysis of one specific scene, and by making wider reference to developments throughout the play. The analysis of your chosen scene should be patient and detailed, and should pay close attention to the language employed in this particular scene. Appropriate scenes might include one of Hamlet’s soliloquies, Hamlet’s encounter with his father’s ghost in 1.5, the scene in Gertrude’s chamber (3.4), the final scene of the play, or another scene of your own choosing. Your analysis should have a thematic focus of some sort, meaning that you should pursue a specific idea or concept in the play that has some influence on how you understand Hamlet’s revenge. Possible candidates might include justice, memory, accident, delay, fortune, melancholy, or skepticism.
There are two other requirements for this assignment:
1. You should make some comparison to another one of the play’s we have read this semester. This comparison should be at least a paragraph in length and should note some similarities or contrasts between the two plays.
2. You should make use of a secondary source in developing your argument. This should be something other than what appears in the Norton Critical Edition of Hamlet. You should use this secondary source to add substance to your argument, either through agreeing or disagreeing with, or extending your argument beyond, the position of your chosen secondary source.
Rationale
This assignment is designed to allow detailed engagement with a specific passage from Hamlet, with attention being paid to the manner and matter of the relevant section of text. This passage should be connected with larger questions of the interpretation and implications of the play. The assignment also provides opportunity for comparison with other contemporaneous writing on the same subject. The assignment will encourage the development of sustained critical argument with use of textual evidence, and also the use of synthetic and comparative thinking. Finally, this assignment provides opportunity for producing an extended piece of critical prose writing and for utilizing writing skills developed throughout the semester.
Description
Loading content... please wait
 |
Loading content... please wait