Divinity, adieu: The opening lines of Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"

"Doctor Faustus": The opening soliloquy

Here is the beginning from the original 1616 B-text:

Faustus in his study. Faust.

Settle thy studies Faustus, and begin

to sound the depth of that thou wilt professe,

Hauing commenc'd, be a Diuine in shew,

Yet leuell at the end of euery Art,

And liue and die in Aristotles workes.

Sweet Analitikes, tis thou hast rauisht me,

Bene disserere set finis Logicis.

Is to dispute well Logickes chiefest end?

Affoords this Art no greater miracle?

Then read no more, thou hast attain'd that end;

A greater subject fitteth Faustus wit:

We will read the opening soliloquy from Marlowe's play together. In small groups/pairs, answer these questions:

1. What are his views about philosophy, medicine, law and theology?

2. What imagery does he uses to justify his rejection of these disciplines?

3. Find references to death and religion in this soliloquy. Why might they be important?

4. What does the speech reveal about his desires at this point of the play?

5. What impression do we get of Faustus from this speech?

Mel Gibson's "Hamlet"

We will conclude our viewing of this production in part 2.

Homework

Essay: Discuss Marlowe's presentation of Faustus in both the opening Chorus and soliloquy by Faustus himself. 650-750 words, A4 word-processed. Remember to quote closely from the script.

Have a really good Christmas!

Contexts for "Hamlet" and "Doctor Faustus"

The context of Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

Compare your notes on the site you visited about Shakespeare's Catholicism with a partner. Prepare to present five points you found out to the class.

Lecture: The English Reformation, Part 1: Henry VIII to Edward VI

Listen to a lecture on this topic and take any additional notes on the slides provided.

"Hamlet" Links

Having listened to the lecture, work in small groups to identify links between the context and the play. See if you can find at least 3-5 links.

Mel Gibson's "Hamlet"

I hope we will be able to watch some of this production and continue with a comparative take on it - Holly/Adrianna don't forget the DVD!

The Prologue of "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe

If we have time, we will read the Prologue together. In small groups or pairs, annotate the text to summarise what and how the Prologue tells us in advance about the play.

Homework, 5th December 2008

Make a summary of:

1. Links you noticed between historical/social/religious context and "Hamlet".

2. Similarities and differences you noted between Branagh's and Gibson's versions of "Hamlet" so far (only if we were able to watch the DVD).

3. How Marlowe uses the Prologue to introduce "Doctor Faustus" to his audience.

Image: The famous Hans Holbein Portrait of Henry VIII.

Mel Gibson's "Hamlet" and Shakespeare's language

Shakespeare's Language

You have been working on an essay about this. I will give a short presentation about aspects of this that you should know about and try to apply in your writing, specially in the Explorative Study for your coursework later.

Mel Gibson's "Hamlet"

We will be watching parts of this and taking notes on similarities and differences between Gibson and Brannagh's interpretations of the play.

Your Creative Critical response will require you to think about the reception of the play in context.

Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus"

You will need to buy this text so that we can begin exploring some key scenes from this second text. You will need to read the complete text so that you can refer to it in your coursework. We have elected to go for the Longman edition.

A picture of the edition and an amazon link is given here.

Homework:

1.Write a summary of similarities and differences between you impressions of the Brannagh and Gibson "Hamlet"s. Try to refer to the script if possible.

2.Read one of the articles on Shakespeare's Catholicism listed on the sidebar to the left. We will divide them up in class. Make some notes to present some of the main ideas for class discussion.

3.Get "Doctor Faustus".

Language in "Hamlet"

I'm not in school today, so in my absence, please prepare an essay with this title:

Compare and contrast two extracts from "Hamlet" exploring how Shakespeare uses language to develop character, action and theme.

Make sure you focus especially on:

Imagery, metaphor, poetic effects (like rhyme/blank verse), repetition, verse/prose.

I will give you a short presentation about Shakespeare's language next week but to get further help you could visit these links:

Folger Shakespeare Library

About.com:Shakespeare

Please also look at the new side-bar about Shakespeare's language to the left - scroll down until you find it beneath the new picture of Christopher Marlowe.

800 words, word-processed and double-spaced (1.5 spacing works well). Hand in 28th November 2008.

Dr.M.

PS Note new links on Shakespeare's Catholicism on the left. We will be covering this topic as part of your coursework preparation and part of the study of contexts for Renaissance drama. You should have an advanced look at any of these links!

Image: Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet".

"Hamlet" Act 5: Now cracks a noble heart!

Task 1:

In pairs or small groups, prepare a brief presentation of material you found about the Elizabethan/Jacobean period from homework.

Task 2:

We will watch the remainder of Brannagh's "Hamlet"!

Task 3: The Graveyard Scene (5.1)

In groups, discuss:

1. What this scene reveals about Hamlet?

2. What kind of humour is evident in the scene?

3. How language makes the scene memorable - think of/find examples of imagery that is memorable and vivid in this scene.

Homework:

1. Summarise Acts 4-5 of the play on A4 paper.

2. Choose two short extracts from the play to compare and contrast (50-100 lines each). Make notes on how they are similar and different, especially in terms of language. You could photocopy them and annotate each.

For help with Shakespeare's language go here:

Internet Shakespeare Editions

Dr.M.

You could also try:
http://cummingsstudyguides.net/xShakeSph.html#top
☺Dr. M

Hi,
Here is a link that i have found particularly useful for the Elizabethan England research task.
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/
I hope it comes in handy, should you choose to use it.
From Lucy Coatsworth.

Death and madness: The return of Laertes and Hamlet

Task 1:

Just for fun, share the sonnet you found with a partner and tell them about it. Be prepared to read it out and explain what you think about it to the group.

Task 2:

We will continue our study of "Hamlet" with Acts 4.4 to 5, focusing on Laertes, Ophelia and Hamlet's return from England. We will watch Brannagh's production.

What do we learn about Hamlet and Ophelia from Act 4 scenes 5 & 6?

Re-read the Queen's description of Ophelia's death at the end of Act 4 scene 7. How has it been written to create sympathy for Ophelia but retain some doubt about the manner of her death?

Homework (7th November 2008):

Task 1: Contextual research

Find out about life in Elizabethan England. This could include information about religion, politics, monarchy, everyday life, crime or the family. You could start by going to:

The Shakespeare Resource Centre (Click on this link).

Prepare notes to discuss in class.

BEWARE: The history of this period has, until recently been mainly based on what is called the "Whig" interpretation of the period. This is a largely Protestant version of the period written by the winners (Protestantism) of a religious conflict called the Reformation in which Catholicism was suppressed, often violently in England during this period (1517 - 1621).

I will be delivering a lecture about this to you shortly!

Task 2: What is a man?

Re-read Hamlet's soliloquy "How all occasions do inform against me" (Act 4 scene 4) and his letter to Horatio in Act 4 scene 6.

What do we learn about Hamlet and his circumstances from them?

Make notes on a side of A4 paper for next week.

Enjoy! Dr.M.

Image: Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais, 1852.

Shakespeare's Sonnet 64

Here is a facsimile of the 1609 copy of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, from the complete Sonnets:

A modern English translation of another, sonnet 64, reads:

Sonnet 64

When I have seen by time's fell hand defaced
The rich proud cost of outworn buried age;
When sometime lofty towers I see down-razed,
And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;
When I have seen the hungry ocean gain
Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,
And the firm soil win of the watery main,
Increasing store with loss, and loss with store;
When I have seen such interchange of state,
Or state itself confounded to decay,
Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate,
That time will come and take my love away.
This thought is as a death, which cannot choose
But weep to have that which it fears to lose.

1. What is this sonnet about?


2. What kinds of imagery does it use?


3. How might we read this as more than a poem about love, death and time?

Explore further facsimiles of the sonnets at: Internet Shakespeare Editions.

Dr.M. Hope you are enjoying your break!

"O, my offence is rank": Claudius' guilt and the death of Polonius

This week we will be studying Act 3 further.

Task 1:
Look again at the Player King and Queen's speeches in Act 3 Scene 2. Work together to decide which are Hamlet's 12-16 lines he wrote especially for this play.

Be prepared to justify your choice.

Task 2:

We will continue to watch Branagh's "Hamlet"

Task 3:

Look at Claudius' soliloquy in Act 3 scene 3 "O, my offence is rank". Work together to select examples of words and phrases from his speech that suggest his guilt.

Be prepared to share them with the group.

Homework: 24th October 2008

Task 1: Summarise the action of Acts 1-3 of "Hamlet"

Task 2: Study Hamlet and Gertrude's exchange in Act 3 Scene 4. What does it tell you about both characters and about their relationship? What is the role of the Ghost in this scene?

Task 3: Visit the link on this site called "Shakespeare Sonnets". Choose a sonnet and make a print out of it. Make some notes about it and bring it to class next term. We will read some of his sonnets - just because they are unbeatable!

Happy Holidays!

Year 12: Work for 20th October 2008 (Mrs Sanders)

Please complete both the poetry and prose sections of this handout. The understanding the text work should take about 15 minutes for each text. You can work in groups on this if you wish to. The exam practice should take 45 minutes and should be completed individually.

Below is an extract from The Collector by John Fowles

When she was home from her boarding school I used to see her almost every day sometimes, because their house was right opposite the Town Hall Annexe. She and her younger sister used to go in and out a lot, often with young men, which of course I didn’t like. When I had free movement from the files and ledgers I stood by the window and used to look down over the road over the frosting and sometimes I’d see her. In the evening I marked it in my observation diary, at first with X, and then when I knew her name with M. I saw her several times outside too. I stood right behind her once in a queue at the public library down Crossfield Street. She didn’t look once at me, but I watched the back of her head and her hair in a long pigtail. It was very pale, silky, like burnet cocoons. All in one pigtail coming down almost to hr waist, sometimes in front, sometimes at the back. Sometimes she wore it up. Only once, before she came to be my guest here, did I have the privilege to see her with it loose, and it took my breath away it was so beautiful, like a mermaid.

Another time one Saturday off when I went up to the Natural History Museum I came back on the same train. She sat three seats down and sideways to me, and read a book so I could watch her for thirty-five minutes. Seeing her always made me feel like I was catching a rarity, going up to it very careful, heart-in-mouth as they say. A Pale Clouded Yellow, for instance. I always thought of her like that, I mean words like elusive and sporadic, and very refined – not like the other ones, even the pretty ones. More for the real connoisseur.

Understanding the text:

What do you infer about the narrator?
How does he perceive the girl? Pick out the descriptive phrases and try to group them. What are the connotations of these words?
What is his relationship with her? Pick out all the phrases that give an indication.
How does the title of the novel guide your interpretation?

Exam practice – 45 mins

(a) Novelists craft sentences to create interest.
Identify and comment on the effect of the writer’s choice of sentence structure. (5 marks)

(b) Novelists use imagery to create effects.
Identify and comment on the effect of two images from the extract. (5 marks)

(c) Novelists make a conscious choice of narrative voice in their work. Using your
knowledge of narrative voice, discuss the ways in which John Fowles uses it in this
passage. (10 marks)The poem we are studying is ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ by Robert Browning.

Understanding the text

List your expectations of a poem with such a title.

Find a copy of the poem by using the following link:
http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/victorian/authors/rb/porphyria.html

Read the first 9 lines and make notes on the following:

What is the effect of the description of the setting on you?
How is the narrator first presented?
How does he respond to Porphyria’s arrival?

Read the next 26 lines to ‘While I debated what to do’ and make notes on

Who speaks? Who moves? Who watches?
What effect does this action / inaction suggest?
Is a third person suggested in this relationship?
The narrator debates what to do – what possibilities occur to the reader?

Read the final section of the poem.

Is the outcome a shock or were you prepared for it? Why?
Are there similar images in The Collector?


Exam practice – 45 mins

(a) Rhyme is often considered to be an important feature in poetry.
Discuss the use and effect of rhyme in this poem. (5 marks)

(b) Poets often make use of imagery.
Using two examples from the poem explore this poet’s use of imagery. (5 marks)

(c) Discuss the effect of the use of dramatic monologue. How is the character of the speaker established? (10 marks)

The play's the thing: Hamlet, Ophelia and the conscience of the King

In this lesson we will watch Kenneth Branagh's version of Act 3 of "Hamlet". Before doing so, however, you will present your ideas about Act 2 and language from the first two acts of the play.

Task 1: Presentations about sequences on Act 2

In your groups, present your ideas about this part of the play.

Task 2: "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"

Hamlet ends Act 2 with a soliloquy comparing himself to the Player who has just spoken about King Priam. In pairs, after we have watched and read this soliloquy, discuss how the soliloquy communicates:

• Hamlet's self-examination
• Hamlet's emotions about his own situation
• Hamlet's decision making

Be prepared to support your ideas from the script (annotate your own copy).

Task 3: Watching Branagh's "Hamlet"

Homework 1: Essay

Discuss how Shakespeare uses at least two soliloquies to communicate to the audience about Prince Hamlet. You may focus on Acts 1-3 alone but make sure you refer closely to the script.

Present your work as word processed and double-spaced with 800 words.

Homework 2: Hamlet and Ophelia

Re-read Act 3 scene 1 lines 58-164, the soliloquy "To be or not to be" and dialogue between Hamlet and Ophelia. Make notes on what we learn in this sequence about Hamlet and Ophelia and their relationship.

Bring to next week's lesson on A4 paper for discussion.

"Hamlet" Act 2: My excellent good friends!

Quiz

Find out who says the following lines in Act 1, to whom and what they are about:

1. "What art thou that usurp'st this time of night...?" (1.1)
2. "This above all - to thine own self be true" (1.3)
3. "O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain" (1.5)
4. "O cursed spite/That ever I was born to set it right" (1.5)
5. "My lord, he hath importuned me with love" (1.3)
6. "O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!" (1.5)
7. "Good Hamlet, cast thy nightly colour off" (1.2)
8. "Now sir, young Fortinbras,/Of unimproved mettle hot and full" (1.1)
9. "And in the morn and liquid dew of youth/Contagious blastments are most imminemt" (1.3)
10. "Angels and ministers of grace defend us!" (1.4)

Be prepared to explain your ideas to the class.

"Hamlet" Act 2

Act 2 is divided into five sections:

1. Polonius the diligent father?
2. Who are Rosencranz and Guildenstern?
3. Hamlet’s Love Letter
4. My excellent good friends!
5. Hamlet and the Players

If you did your homework last week and read Act 2, you should be able to work with a partner/small group on one of these sections to present your ideas about:

• What happens
• What we learn about major characters
• What themes seem to be becoming important in the play?

Work together to present your findings; please inclde what you think are at least five key quotations from your section to explain for their significance.

HOMEWORK 10th October 2008

Language Focus: Shakespeare's Imagery

"Hamlet" contains many sets of related images. These are, for example of:

• Death
• Disease and corruption
• Madness
• Good and evil
• Love
• Kingship and royalty
• Nature
• Sexuality

Choose one of these and build notes about as many examples you can find in Acts 1 and 2 of the play.

Good luck!
Dr. Milne.

Hamlet's encounter with the Ghost

Homework: 3rd October 2008 (Happy birthday Dr Milne!)

"I am thy father's spirit,
Doomed for a certain term to walk the night" (Hamlet 1.5).

Task 1:

Re-read Act 1 scene 4 in which Hamlet first sees the Ghost of his dead father. Look especially at lines 20-39 starting "Angels and ministers of grace defend us!"

1. What evidence is there in Hamlet's speech of his uncertainty about the Ghost?
2. How should we explain this?

Task 2:

Re-read the Ghost's story in Act 1 scene 5 from lines 9-91.

1. What is the Ghost's explanation for his death?
2. What imagery in the Ghost's speech suggests the corruption at the heart of the Danish court?
3. What examples of religious imagery can you find in the Ghost's speech?

Task 3:

Read at least to the end of Act 2 of "Hamlet" (more if you can). Check out the links I have provided about studying Shakespeare to help you (scroll down left hand side of the page to see these Shakespeare hotspots).

Get a google account then send me your email address (to thepapist@live.co.uk) and I'll make you a member. Post any questions you have or requests for help!

Hand in next week, 10th October on A4 paper, answers word-processed please!

Join the Conversation

Welcome to our new A-Level English Literature blog, Shakespeare Inc. Please post any of the following on the site for comment or feedback:

• Your writing and homework
• Links on the net you have found that other students may find useful for their own research
• Links to writing you have found and want comment on
• Questions you want to ask Dr Milne
• Coursework drafts you want help with/feedback on

I will be posting, where at all possible:

• Essential reading
• Homeworks
• Hints for study, homework and course
• Links to study site for Shakespeare and renaissance literature
• Writing and about Shakespeare
• Examples of writing for you to mark and comment on to help your writing develop

The purpose of the blog is to encourage ideas and the development of your engagement with literature, especially Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Please note that you have to be a member to post materials here. You will need a google account, including email address and password to login to this blog and post.

Click here to sign up for a google account.

Give me your google account email address and I will invite you to join. You will receive an email that you must use to activate your membership of this blog.

Enjoy

DrM.