Plot and Character
Who is the primary antagonist in Hamlet, having murdered his brother to seize the throne?
King Claudius (Hamlet's uncle)
According to George Miller, what key theme does Mad Max: Fury Road share with American Westerns?
Survival.
In the context of reading Shakespeare's play, what structural divisions are used instead of page numbers and chapters?
Act, Scene, and Line Number.
Which specific scene in Mad Max: Fury Road is highlighted for analysis through a Feminist Theory lens with the focus of female leadership, solidarity, and reclaiming power?
"The Return to the Citadel"
According to the achievement standard definitions, what must a Merit response achieve that an Achievement response does not?
A Merit response must analyse the specified aspect(s) convincingly and provide reasoned and clear interpretations that are generally connected to each other.
Name the four key characters in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Max Rockatansky, Imperator Furiosa, Immortan Joe, and Nux.
Which central theme is expressed in the phrase spoken by Marcellus: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"?
Corruption.
What are the two distinct categories of film techniques (ways the audience experiences the film) that should be analysed in the essay structure?
Visual techniques (what we SEE, e.g., editing, lighting) and Aural techniques (what we HEAR, e.g., diegetic/non-diegetic sound, dialogue).
What specific anxieties did Elizabethans have regarding foreign threats that might be reflected in the play's setting of Denmark preparing for war?
Elizabethan anxiety about foreign threats, invasions, or wars. (Denmark fears invasion from Prince Fortinbras of Norway in the plot overview).
When selecting an essay topic, why might a question focusing on a minor character like Horatio (e.g., "Analyse how a minor character is used to develop an idea") be considered beneficial?
Horatio is established as a "voice of reason" and an honest/knowledgeable guy, serving to clarify whether the Ghost is real and not a simple illusion, aiding the audience's understanding of the plot and themes.
What immediate action does Hamlet plan to take after the Ghost reveals Claudius's treachery?
Hamlet resolves "To put an antic disposition" on, meaning he plans to act as though he has gone mad.
What primary idea or motivation dominates the actions of Max, Furiosa, and the Five Wives during the film's main journey?
Redemption.
(Will accept Returning Home, as Max's home was destroyed, Furiosa was taken from her home, and the wives seek a new home.)
Identify the figurative language device that is present in Hamlet's famous line: "To be, or not to be, that is the question".
(Think: aspect that might appear in an essay question).
Inner Conflict
According to Simone de Beauvoir, "She is defined and differentiated with reference to man... He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other". Briefly explain how Immortan Joe uses the Five Wives to fulfill this concept of "The Other."
Immortan Joe treats the women as a resource and as his "treasured" breeders. They are defined solely by their relation to him (reproduction/possession) rather than as autonomous subjects, making them the marginalised "Other."
What is the purpose of the introductory scene of Mad Max: Fury Road?
The director (George Miller) did this because he wanted to establish the themes of survival and redemption, and the character of Max in a high-stakes world.
Immortan Joe sends Imperator Furiosa in the War Rig for what stated purpose, before realising she has betrayed him?
To trade produce and water for petrol and ammunition with his allies, the Bullet Farmer and the People Eater.
Drawing on the theme of Class Struggle (Marxism), explain how the water release scene at the beginning of the film demonstrates the quote: "Accumulation of wealth at one pole is, therefore, at the same time accumulation of misery [...] at the opposite pole."
Immortan Joe controls the vital resource of water and accumulates wealth/power at the Citadel (one pole), while the masses below (the opposite pole) are left in misery and dependent on his capricious generosity
You have a technique checklist for paragraph writing (S-V-A-T/F-P-E-E). What must the 'T/F' (Think/Feel) section accomplish?
It explains how the visual and aural techniques combine to help the audience think or feel something in response to the question.
The study of Hamlet requires consideration of the zeitgeist of Elizabethan England. What concept of kingship (specifically related to the monarch's divine position) would Elizabethan society have widely recognised?
The idea that rulers were chosen by God, known as "the divine right of kings".
What is a specific requirement for achieving Excellence in an essay that is satisfied by referencing Karl Marx or Simone de Beauvoir?
It requires using a quote from a source BEYOND THE TEXT.
During the final dueling scene, how is Queen Gertrude killed, and who does Laertes subsequently blame?
Gertrude unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup intended for Hamlet.
Laertes confesses on his deathbed that he is "justly kill’d with mine own treachery," thereby confirming Claudius's conspiracy.
Hamlet expresses a subjectivistic idea of truth when he tells Rosencrantz: "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so". What broader philosophical concept is this linked to in the context of the play?
Relativism, Existentialism, or Scepticism.
(Will accept ballpark ideas)
The Ghost character serves multiple purposes, including acting as a "harbinger of doom". Explain how Shakespeare uses the ambiguity of the Ghost’s reality (is it real, a hallucination, or a false ghost?) to maintain a key feature of dramatic structure for the audience.
The ambiguity of the Ghost's reality creates a chilling sense of uncertainty for the audience. This uncertainty can also reflect Hamlet's inner turmoil or foreshadow madness.
Consider the focus of the scene "Furiosa Takes the Shot" (Gender and capability; deconstructing male dominance). How might this scene reflect the complex interpretation of gender suggested by Judith Butler's view that "Gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time... through a stylised repetition of acts"?
Furiosa's capability to take the shot successfully, particularly when Max cannot, relies on her acts (her skill as an Imperator/warrior), rather than traditional male characteristics. This highlights gender roles and dominance as performance or practice, thereby challenging traditional portrayals of the male action hero.
One potential essay topic is: "Analyse how a relationship helped you understand more about other people’s beliefs". Choose Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia and specify ONE distinct plot event that could be used as evidence to explore their beliefs about madness or family loyalty.
Ophelia telling Polonius about Hamlet behaving erratically/rejecting her (Act II, Scene I), leading Polonius to believe Hamlet is "mad for thy love"
OR
Hamlet crying "get thee to a nunnery" (Act III, Scene I), where Hamlet's confused feelings about female sexuality might influence his view of Ophelia's morality or fidelity.