English 12AP Hamlet

Novak Essay tips sheet

Sample thesis statements:

Briefly appearing character question:

“In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, King Hamlet’s Ghost plays a pivotal role in Hamlet’s
developmental journey when he matures from a weak character into a more determined
being, learns to accept and to understand the inevitability of death, and comes to
differentiate between deception and reality.”

Mystery question:
“Through Hamlet’s journey of revenge and realization, William Shakespeare expresses
the importance of discovering one’s own self-worth and the necessity of a higher belief.”

Pulled in two conflicting directions:

“In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark struggles between the
influence of his father’s Ghost spurring him to revenge King Hamlet’s murder and his
fear of God’s wrath for committing sins such as killing another man or suicide,
demonstrating the importance of leaving one’s mark on the world and Shakespeare’s
ultimate thought that one must accept death to conquer it.”

Note: thesis statements reflect both the points and the overall theme forming the basis of
the essay.

Rewrite speculative CM:

“Hamlet’s caution and procrastination are his tragic flaws, for if he had killed Claudius
earlier, as he initially swore to do, he would have been alive to take the throne.”

“Hamlet’s caution and procrastination are his tragic flaws, for his failure to kill Claudius
in a timely manner, as he initially swore to do, leads to Hamlet’s death and prevents his
succession to the throne.”

Sample TS:
“The Ghost forces Hamlet to face death and the ambiguity of the afterlife.”

“Throughout Hamlet’s investigation of his father’s murder, he confronts the ambiguous

concept of death, which allows him to accept his fate in the end.”

“In a pivotal graveyard scene at the end of the play, Hamlet realizes that all the dead
eventually turn to dust and are held as equals on earth.”
“In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is just sorrowful over his father’s death, but after
his encounter with the Ghost, Hamlet begins to develop as a character, becoming
vengeful, indecisive, suicidal, and even a little insane.”

“Shakespeare utilizes Fortinbras in order to aggravate Hamlet’s thirst for blood by having
the protagonist realize his own inadequacy in comparison to this ‘tender prince.’”

Note: a good TS introduces the point for the paragraph and connects to the larger issue
under discussion.

Rewrite passive voice (PV):

“In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, is portrayed as a tragic hero
who embodies the flaws and weaknesses every human is prone to.”

“In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays a tragic hero who . . .”