TODAY IN CLASS
Finishing Act III, Scene 1: We discussed Hamlet's mood/tone of the "To be or not to be . . ." soliloquy.  Bottom line:  more thoughtful and contemplative than distraught and desperate. Though it had been assigned over the week-end, students read the exchange between Ophelia and Hamlet aloud in pairs from Ophelia's attempt to return items Hamlet had given her through Hamlet's exit. We pondered Ophelia's response, double-checked the course of action Claudius intends to take--his overt reason and his public excuse as well as the unstated one--and noted the suggestion Polonius makes. Students were given an Act III study guide and either had some time to work on the Scene 1 portion in class (1st/3rd) or as homework (5th).

FOR TOMORROW
Yes, finish questions 1-8 on the study guide for Tuesday if not completed in class.
Also, read part of Act III, Scene 2:  Read from the beginning of the scene to the point that the King (echoed by Polonius) call for lights. This is near the bottom of P. 153 in the Folger edition (line 296) amd p.151 in the other book (line 272).

Reading instructions:  Read everything, but I know that the "play within the play" lines are hard because they are deliberately formal and wordy in the style of almost "over-dramatized" drama.  Use the summary and the notes to follow it as best you can.

FOCUS on the actual dialogue/conversation between and among people we know:  Hamlet, Ophelia, Getrude, Claudius, Polonius, Horation . . .try to think about their own moods/feelings behind the overt speech.

There will be some accountability on this tomorrow BEFORE we discuss anything together.