For next class, finish Hamlet but don't worry about answering any questions this time. We'll look closely at Act 5 in class and do a brief in-class response looking at some of the strange features of this very exciting act, which is one of the rare acts in Shakespeare's plays where the fifth act is actually one of the most eventful--not a mere tying-up of loose ends.
Pay special attention to the graveyard scene of Act 5.1, which is definitely something Shakespeare added to the pre-existing story of Hamlet. Remember that the play is based on two sources: 1, an old Danish story that was in circulation for some time, which was translated in French around Shakespeare's time, and 2. an actual play called Hamlet which was popular just before he took to the stage, and seemed to have had many of the same features and plot, though it was reportedly full of stiff speeches (a bit like the speeches Shakespeare mocks in Act 3, with the Mousetrap play). However, the original story didn't have a graveyard scene, it has Shakespeare's stamp all over it. It's not important for the plot, and yet, it's one of the most iconic scenes in the play. So why did he include it? Hmm...
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