1. There were three “nagging questions” written on the board for students to write out. There are big questions students are asked to consider as they follow along with the play and they’ll eventually have to make up their mind on what answer they think the literature supports. Should Hamlet trust the Ghost? Is Gertrude guilty of adultery and murder? Is Hamlet pretending madness at Ophelia’s or faking already?
2. We got right back into the reading and got quite far today. We read along with the text as the audio version was played. At the portion where we had just ended before the bell, Hamlet gives a clear message to the audience that he cannot be sure the Ghost should be trusted, because sometimes “devils” will appear and tempt men to their fates through familiar characters. Shakespeare means to imply that Hamlet waits for proof of his job – of revenge. Has he at all procrastinated, at this point? You decide. The “play within the play” is in our next scene and is one of the most popular parts of all Shakespeare plays.

Here is Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet – the scene we read through today in class. His version is well-liked, but the Mel Gibson one, I’m afraid, is the more popular.

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