Hammy Said Whaaattt????

Sonnet

From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

- William Shakespeare

AP Hamlet PLN

1. http://msdhernandez.wikispaces.com/AP+Hamlet

2. http://deborahharris.edublogs.org/2010/04/16/ap-hamlet-essay-directions/

3. https://sites.google.com/site/esmithliteraturetheatre/AP-Summer-Assignment/ap-syllabus/ap-
hamlet

4. http://aplitandcomp.wikidot.com/hamlet

5. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamletscenes.html

6. http://libguides.mpsaz.net/content.php?pid=132411&sid=1135984

7. http://hamlethaven.com/

8.  http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/literary-devices.html

9. http://www.apstudynotes.org/english/sample-essays/character-analysis-hamlet/

10. http://goshenschoolsny.org/Schools/GHS/Websites/English/Mackay/AP%20English/Essay%20Assignments/Hamlet%20essay%202010.pdf

11. http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=hamlet-quiz-ap-english-literature-composition

12. http://www.clubbennett.com/juliana/index.htm

 13. http://www.rcstn.net/richard.roberts/files/hamlet_-_practice_ap_questions_only.pdf

14. https://apstudyguides.wikispaces.com/Hamlet

15. http://apenglish9.blogspot.com/2010/05/shakespeares-hamlet.html

As you all can tell I've taken a lot of time to deepen my understanding of Hamlet, but there's only so much a person can do before they've reached the bottom of their own personal bag of tricks. So instead of sitting around and just living off my interpretations and that of my peers, my teacher gave us the task of expanding our personal learning network (PLN). So as you can see above, I created a list showing the first 15 sites I came across in the order I found them, but of these 15 sites there were 5 that were particularly helpful. 

The first site that gave me some paint for my blank canvas was a site that I had already visited and had contacted before, #5. Shakespeare Online does a great job of providing you with easy-to-understand summaries and plot analyses. This site is definitely a great starting point for anyone who needs a little help in understanding Hamlet, but as my english teacher says in reference to wikipedia, "It's a great place to start, but a bad place to end." So do yourself a favor and go out into the big viral world and find some more tools for your tool belt.

The second site that grabbed my attention was #7 because it offers a wide array of tools, analyses, and concepts that would be greatly beneficial in expanding how we view literature in general. They cover everything from Ophelia's death to analyzing Yorick, who was only mentioned in the play for a very short period of time. Needless to say this site was in-depth, easy to navigate and offered more than I expected from any website. Check it out!!

Third we have a site that really serves more as a worksheet but still deserves to be duly noted. #10 does a great job of questioning both your comprehension and interpretations with specific questions that can range from single details to complicated concepts within the play. So if you're looking for a place to see if you truly are understanding the material I would check this site out!

Coming in at fourth we have a site that in my opinion does a fantastic job of fitting the needs of an AP English Literature and Composition course. #14 provides you with the things all AP students search for when researching a text from class and couldn't make it any easier to understand and internalize. YET, as I said in when talking about #5, you have a big viral world out there, so don't come to this website, or any website for that matter, and look at it like a one-stop shop.

Last but certainly not least was #15 which is an actual AP English blog that provides you with journal topics and themes for you to consider and use to challenge yourself. Though the post is from 2010 I believe that the journal topics still give people a different avenue of looking at Hamlet. So sit back, grab a notebook and pen, and get crackin'! You never know when I might just give you a quiz on your Hamlet-know-how.

Consider yourself warned! 

Dear Ophelia

I know it may seem like you've reached an impasse, but you must understand where your family is coming from. Now before you start skimming through the letter because now you think I'm going to nag you, you must understand that understanding is different from agreeing. You don't have to agree to at least understand and empathize with a person, so please try to understand your father and brother. Love isn't a bauble, it can be a very resplendent and extraordinary thing, but there is a large difference between love and lust. Yet, when love is created without the right intentions it can be quite lackluster and your family doesn't want you to settle for anything that doesn't complement your undoubted flamboyant mind. Hamlet, unfortunately, doesn't have the luxury to have love sub rosa because he is the prince of Denmark, this means he is obliged to do what is best for the state rather than be an apostate and indulge in his every whim. But pay heed to my advice when I say not to be lugubrious, though this may not be your one true love you will undoubtedly find a gentlemen who will honor you and love you the way you deserve. Your family does not want to stigmatize Hamlet because in truth he is a man with great probity and bravado, but the do not want you to get hurt. They truly do have your best interest at heart and they do trust in you. Just because they tell you how licentious this affection can be, it doesn't mean that is how they think of you. Ultimately it is up to both you and Hamlet to adjudicate whether or not your affections could burgeon into something more and I have faith that you won't let matters of the heart beguile your rationality.

Best Wishes,

Samantha

Hello? Is Anybody Out There?

On Friday, I was sent on an epic quest (well it's not all that epic and it isn't really a quest either, but bear with me here!) to find learning communities dedicated to studying Hamlet and all things Hamlet-related. I am now her to report that I have found three ad hoc (that's right, I just pulled out a vocab word! BAM!) websites that only provide information regarding Hamlet and Shakespeare. I tried reaching out to two of those websites in hope of having people who specialize in this giving us some special insight. The good news is that one of the emails actually sent, but the bad news is that the other did not because their is a problem with the email's domain. Yet this does not take away from the fact that the site is very helpful and detailed. So, without further ado, here are the websites:

1. Absolute Shakespeare
2. Art's Alive
3. Hamlet Study Guide

How much do I really know about Shakespeare and "Hamlet"?

1. All I really know about Hamlet, the Melancholy Dane, is that he comes in contact with the ghost of his father and somewhere down the line his sanity becomes just as questionable as his ability to be an active participant in the kingdom run by his uncle Claudius. I know it's not a lot, especially since I like to say I enjoy reading Shakespeare, but unfortunately I never got around to Hamlet. 
2. My knowledge of Shakespeare, thankfully, is a bit more extensive than my knowledge of Hamlet. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and is credited with creating modern English. His works have managed to transcend all the barriers of time due to their unique style and political controversy. Shakespeare, who was married to Anne Hathaway, created the Globe Theater and many of his works were played in that theater. Shakespeare wrote a variety of things, from sonnets to plays written entirely in iambic pentameter and many of them containing several political criticisms of either the queen or her court.
3. I think students frown because typically when teachers talk about Shakespeare they don't really allow too much free reign with interpretation. The best part about reading ANYTHING is that no two people would get the same interpretation. Yet when teachers bring Shakespeare up, that freedom to think and interpret the play is restricted until you can think of how the teacher would interpret it, which makes reading Shakespeare a chore rather than an experience.
4. I think the way we can read this play to make it a memorable experience is to have us read and act it out in class that way everyone is involved and we get a visual aid to help us understand the play a little better. I only recommend this because my seventh grade class did this when reading A Midsummer Night's Dream and I still remember the play and the experience as if it were yesterday.