Hamlet Analysis Paper: Mise en Scène

*Worth 3 Grades

To further your study of Hamlet, you will write an essay based on a selected

scene from the playcomparing text and any available stage directions therein

with that same scene as adapted for film.Ample film adaptations of Hamlet are

availableincluding versions directed by Peter Brook,Laurence Olivier, Franco

Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, Grigori Kozintsev, andMichael Almereyda. We will view scenes from some productions in class over the next week, so

as you watch make note of costume, props, staging, casting, lighting, movement,

all the elements that characterize that scene.

You will select your own scene and adaptation to analyze (although I might choose to place limits on how many in each class may do a specific scene), so consider choosing a scene that you feel comfortable with, a scene where you feel you understand the motivations behind characters words and actions.

This essay should consist of 1000-1200 words and will be assessed based on the following criteria:

1. Standards of documentary form – 20 points

  • Did you include a correctly formatted bibliography citing the play, the film and secondary sources included?
  • Are your internal citations correct?
  • Did you include an appropriate amount of textual (including the film as text) references? Are these references fluently embedded into the essay, do they make sense where they are? Have you included a critical perspective (GALE)?
  • How convincing is the language and register? Is active voice used when possible? Are you using varied sentence structure, sophisticated language?

2. Insight and Analysis – 60 points

  • Do you have a clearly stated thesis that communicates the director’s intentions in this scene and how he carries them out (theme and stylistic devices)?
  • Have you balanced evidence/details that support your thesis with sufficient commentary to convince me of their significance?
  • How well have you applied labels and other language appropriate to literary/filmic analysis?
  • Have you effectively included critical support to strengthen your assertions? (include at least one critical perspective from Gale or from a similarly scholarly source).

3. Presentation and Register – 20 points

  • How organized is the analysis? Does the essay reveal planning?
  • Was the thesis and outline submitted to turnitin.com by November 6
  • Was the final paper submitted on time without complication (missing bibliography, incorrect draft, etc.)

The final draft submitted to turnitin.com is due November 13by midnight and will count towards your grade for the 3rd six week term.