john-the-begger on 31/10/2010 at 03:16
Hello all,
I feel like a complete dumbass for asking, but I am in need of assistance. I have never completed high school and now I am finishing my last course to get a grade 12. The biggest things I need help for is a research essay. I can write an essay no problem just that I cannot come up with any topic to write about so please tell me a good topic that some dumb-ass guy can write about.
I also need help with the play Hamlet such as the questions:
explain Hamlets dilemma?
What are four qualities of a tragic hero?
and a bunch of other stuff but I can figure it out..
I really hate asking but between raising two kids and working and being in a band... school work just isn't getting enough time to be done..a little assistance would help.
Mingan on 31/10/2010 at 03:22
Re subject:
Environmental impact of oil sands exploitation (bonus points for being on a current-day subject)
Re Hamlet:
Check the Cliff Notes?
Muzman on 31/10/2010 at 03:31
Hamlet's dilemma: I guess that'd refer to the 'to be or not to be' bit if it's not more specific. There I guess you can just go through the monologue and explain what he's talking about He does have other dilemmas though.
See if the reading list recommends a specific publication of the play. They often come with some particular academic analyses printed with them that answer these questions.
icemann on 31/10/2010 at 11:41
Google is your best friend for all of your questions.
reizak on 2/11/2010 at 20:55
Quote Posted by Muzman
Hamlet's dilemma: I guess that'd refer to the 'to be or not to be' bit if it's not more specific.
That line is in iambic pentameter but curiously has an extra unstressed syllable tacked on, which gives it a weak or
feminine ending. I think that's a subtle indication that Hamlet is struggling with with his sexual identity and is probably a homo.
catbarf on 3/11/2010 at 00:46
Quote Posted by john-the-begger
What are four qualities of a tragic hero?
Just a few off the top of my head.
-They're usually royalty, or at least important. Tragic heroes are still heroes, and so legendary characters rather than 'average joes'.
-They tend to have a tragic flaw. This is one major flaw that causes their downfall. For Oedipus it's his pride, for Othello it's his trust in Iago/suspicion of his wife.
-The fall is intrinsically the hero's fault. Following the previous examples, Oedipus is the one who learns of the truth behind his birth, and Othello ends up willingly and voluntarily strangling his own wife.
-The hero recognizes his fall. A major part of any tragedy is dramatic irony, where the audience has a much wider perspective than the hero. By the end, though, the hero has the same perspective, and holds the same knowledge as the audience- Oedipus' wife is his mother, Iago is a lying bastard. These are things we knew from the start, but are only revealed to the hero after his fall.
That's by no means exhaustive but it's what I thought of off the top of my head. Of course there are exceptions and grey areas, but most tragic heroes I've seen (especially in Shakespeare) tend to follow those guidelines.
PeeperStorm on 3/11/2010 at 01:07
Regarding the dilemma:
I doubt that the "To be or not to be..." speech is it. That's just him fantasizing about getting off the hook for what's bothering him. Most of the play is about him trying to make up his mind about whether or not to kill Claudius. I'd expect that that is his dilemma.
demagogue on 3/11/2010 at 02:05
What makes a hero tragic is that the very quality that defines their heroism also defines their fall from grace. For Hamlet it's being cautious and not acting on his emotions. At first that makes him reasonable and it's something we admire... He's so filled with grief he realizes he could be manipulated and doesn't want to cause the whole nation more trauma. But in the end, even when he has indisputable proof his uncle is an ass and has the chance to off him, he's still second-guessing himself to a maddening degree with by-now ridiculously trivial nitpicks, when he should just go for the jugular and be done with it.
