Paper #2Hamlet: Textual Instabilities
Prompt:
Hamlet is one of the most written about works of literature in the English language. The number of words, words, words produced about this play is nearly impossible to quantify. However, as print history suggests, the play upon which those words are based is unstable. There were three editions of the play printed in Shakespeares lifetime, and each differs from the other. This leads us to wonder: which is the authoritative text? Does it matter? In this short essay, you will compare a brief scene in two different editions of the play Hamlet to answer the following question:
How does the lack of a definitive text influence our interpretation of Hamlet?
You will answer the above question by completing the following steps:
1. Identify a brief, but significant, portion of the playaim for between 10 and 30 lines (e.g., one of Hamlets soliloquies or the conversation with the ghost). Review that section of the play across the Folger edition of the play and one of the Quarto versions of the play available at the following resource:
FOLGER EDITION: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/hamlet/characters-in-the-play/
QUARTO EDITIONS: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/hamlet/act-1-scene-1/
2. Closely compare the two versions of the section of the play you have chosen. Look for differences in:
Chronologythe order in which the scene appears in the play
Dictiondifferent individual words used by characters
Omissions or Additionsany words, lines, or even entire speeches that have been left out or added
3. Draft a brief essay of 800 words (four paragraphs) that does the following:
Form your thoughts into an organized essay, with an introduction that introduces the general topic, the scene to be discussed, as well as your thesis that provides a response to the above major question. Then, in two body paragraphs, develop your analysis of the scene: first, explain the major changes from one edition to the next. Second, analyze those changes: how do they generally alter our understanding of the play? Each body paragraph should follow the MEAL format that we address in class. Finally, offer a conclusion that restates your thesis and suggests the wider context for this analysis.
Guidelines:
Your response should:
be between 800 a minimum of words, or approximately 3 typed pages
follow these formatting guidelines: double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-pt. font (Times New Roman, or similar), with an MLA-style heading, numbered pages, and properly formatted quotations. See our blackboard page for a sample paper.
include a properly formatted, MLA-style Works Cited page
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