Words, Words, Words...

Now that we've finished Act 2, I give you...

The Muppet Show - Hamlet/Brush Up Your Shakespeare

Hamlet 3.1--Who gets the most famous soliloquy right?

As we continue our discussion of Hamlet, let's look at the most famous soliloquy in the play, the grandaddy of them all:  "To Be or Not To Be..." (3.1.64-99)

For this week's post, conduct a search on YouTube for two different interpretations of this critical soliloquy.  You can simply search for "To Be or Not to Be," and you should find multiple clips.  Please embed each video in your blog post, (try to embed the actual videos, not just the links) so your readers can see the videos you chose, and write a short comparison/contrast of the two versions of the soliloquy.  What do you notice about what each Hamlet emphasizes in his delivery of this speech?  Which version do you prefer and why?

Then, for Thursday's class, please be sure to comment on one of your peers' posts.

Photoshop and "Barbie Doll"

via IFTTT

The power of Adobe Photoshop

Check out this video, folks.  It might provide some food for thought for anyone planning to revise an essay on Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll".

Blogging at 41,000 Feet

I'm posting this weekend from my flight from San Francisco back home to the OC after attending the Fall CUE conference in Napa.  Look forward to some #eduawesome posts of some of the tips, tricks, and tools I learned!

For my students this week:

I'd like you to take one paragraph from your recent short works essay, a paragraph that you struggled with, as evidenced by the feedback from me and/or your peer reviewer.  First, post the paragraph in its original form, as you turned it in to me.  You will want to copy the text from Word into a TextEdit or some text program to remove all the formatting before you post it.  Then, under the original, I want to see your revision of that paragraph.  Think carefully about the topic sentence, the evidence you used (and how you set it up and analyzed it), and edit your word choices so your paragraph includes NO weak verbs (to be, to have, to go, etc) and is as concise--yet thorough--as possible.  And of course, be sure to address any and all feedback I gave you on said paragraph.

Happy editing!

Portrayals of Hamlet 1.3-1.5

For this week's post, I'd like you to look at how Act I has been performed in the past and consider the director and actor's choices in presenting these key scenes that set the tone for the rest of the play.

Select one of the following options:

1.  Look at this portrayal of 1.3 and discuss how Ophelia is portrayed in this scene. Do you agree with how this actress approaches her?

Now compare this portrayal with this scene from the Zeffirelli version:

2.  Watch Kenneth Branagh discuss Act 1, Scene 5:

And then watch the actual scene:

What strikes you about this portrayal of the scene and Branagh's approach?

Best version of Hamlet 1.3 I've ever seen...

Thank you, YouTube, for brightening my day...