Transcript Hamlet: Pre-work

Hamlet: Pre-work
For discussion and consideration for Act I
Oedipus battled between fate and free will. How so does
Hamlet? How does Hamlet view these two concepts?
 What are the differences re the control Oedipus has over
his life…and what control Hamlet has over his?
 What powers revenge in humankind?
 Unlike the characters in Blindness, Oedipus finds
introspection, clarity, and peace in his blindness. Any early
thoughts on what/how blindness may affect Hamlet? What
are the indications of this?

Hamlet, Act I
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Questions for consideration:
 From
a moral perspective, how does Hamlet’s
plan for revenge impact the primal “eye for an
eye” v. the social “thou shall not kill?”
 Hamlet as Everyman. Is this a plausible
theory?
 Is it fate/destiny or self-choice that underlies
humankind’s conscience?
 Oedipus v. Hamlet: Does fate dominate?
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development: Where’s Hamlet?
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Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)
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1. Obedience and punishment orientation
2. Self-interest orientation
 ( What's in it for me?)
Level 2 (Conventional)
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3. Interpersonal accord and conformity
 ( The good boy/good girl attitude)
4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation

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( Law and order morality)
Level 3 (Post-Conventional)
5. Social contract orientation
 6. Universal ethical principles
 ( Principled conscience)
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Hamlet, Act II
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What are the inherent conflicts that comprise a
moral decision? How are these conflicts
related to the abundance of “spying” that
occurs in Scene II?
What is misogyny? Is it a valid
theory/concept?
Consider “Frailty, thy name is woman.”
(I.ii.146) and how this relates to the motif of
misogyny that courses through this play.
Are there any misogynistic parallels between
Hamlet and Oedipus? Why or why not?