Unit 1: Forging a Hero and Unit 2: Reflecting on Society
What is the oldest story written in the English Language?
Beowulf
What is Hamlet's Father's name? (The Original King)
Hamlet.
Who was the play Hamlet likely named after?
Shakespeare's dead son - Hamnet.
Lightning round - Lit Terms!
Buzz in your answer to receive 100 points per lit term that you correctly identify. (This is open to everyone)
Assorted
Two characters in Hamlet give soliloquies. Who are they?
Hamlet and... the King.
What is Satire?
Satire is the use of humor, exaggeration, and irony to criticize individuals, groups, or parts of society in general in the hope of making things better.
Why does Hamlet not trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
When he first sees them they hesitate to tell him that they have been sent for (they did not come out of the goodness of their own hearts)
What is the difference between monologue and soliloquy?
A monologue is a speech delivered to another character (uninterrupted normally). A soliloquy is a speech a character gives to the audience (usually showing inner thoughts or ideas).
What is the skeleton of a thesis statement that I have provided for all students whenever we write an essay?
By looking at ________ it is easier to understand __________.
Name one example of satire that isn't The Wife of Bath's Tale.
South Park. But there are others.
DAILY DOUBLE: Chart the four evolutions of the English language - what are the four separate variants of English that developed from roughly the year 1000 to the modern day?
1000 - 1300 - Old English
1300 - 1500 - Middle English
1500 - 1700 - Early Modern English
1700 - 2025 - Modern English
How was Hamlet's father specifically murdered?
His brother (Claudius) poured a poison (cursed juice of Hebona) in his ear.
In Shakespeare's time, Suicide was considered an especially taboo subject. How was suicide treated differently in Shakespeare's time?
Families would often hide the fact that a loved one committed suicide because the Church could also claim all of that person's belongings.
What might Yorick's skull in Hamlet symbolize?
Yorick's skull goes beyond simply symbolizing death - it specifically symbolizes Hamlet's own feelings on the inevitability of death and how it renders even great men into nothing more than dust.
Near the end of Act III the King attempts to ask for forgiveness for his sins (namely killing his brother) but he knows he won't be forgiven... why won't he be forgiven?
He's unwilling to give up the stuff he got (his crown, his ambition, and his wife)
What terrible crime did the Knight commit in The Wife of Bath's Tale, and what was his punishment?
He raped a young maid.
His punishment was originally execution. The Queen pushed him to answer the question "What is it that women most desire" and if he could find an answer to that question within a year, he would not be executed.
What is the "To be or not to be" speech really about? (go into detail! What is so controversial about the speech?)
Whose skull does Hamlet famously hold and give a famous speech while looking at?
Yorick, the old King's Jester.
What is something that The Wife of Bath's Tale satirizes?
Gender, Women, Men, Justice, Consent (Rape), the Church (briefly).
Why do the two clowns in Act V of Hamlet believe Ophelia has been given a proper Christian Burial?
Because she is a noblewoman (who she knows) also money.
In Beowulf, explain why Grendel and his mother are so evil.
They are evil because they are descended from Cain, he who committed the first murder.
How does Hamlet manage to survive and return home after he is shipped off to England to be executed?
During the voyage his ship is attacked by pirates - he manages to end up on the pirates' ship and they take him home.
What Language does Shakespeare write in?
Early Modern English, or Elizabethan English.
Why might you be able to argue that Beowulf isn't a hero?
Because he does his heroic deeds not out of the goodness of his own heart - but because he wants to be famous. (also money)
What is the preferred name of Mr. Sondergaard?
(What is he called when he isn't a teacher?)
Blake