Hamlet AP Timed Essay Response

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1982 AP Question: In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose [Hamlet and show how it] confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the [play].

1988 AP Question: [In Hamlet] some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action.

1996 AP Question: The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings: “The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from the readers are the writers [like Shakespeare] who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last minute rescue from death—but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.

[Hamlet] has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.

2008. In [Hamlet] , a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

2011. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from [Hamlet] who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole.

2012. “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” –Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces

Consider how cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character in Hamlet. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.