The format for the third exam will be the same as that of the second. I will again try to choose the passages from those cited on the syllabus and will try to make sure that each passage has been discussed in class. Those of you whose last names begin with the letters from S to Z must submit a 1500-word paper instead of taking the quiz. You may either write on one of the following topics or choose your own topic; if you choose your own you must clear it with me by e-mail ahead of time. Please recall that you are responsible for the materials in the Tragedies section of the web site and that many of these topics cannot be adequately addressed without a thorough understanding of those materials. These topics are suggested:

1.In Hamlet the hero's despondency seems to center more on his mother's "o'erhasty marriage" than on his father's murder even after the ghost's revelation of his uncle's crime. Gertrude's sexuality provokes a crisis in the hero's own sexual identity. Hamlet projects what he sees as his mother's transgressive sexual appetite onto the innocent Ophelia, whom he then spurns as life itself. Discuss, with special attention to the "Get thee to a nunnery" scene.

2. Discuss the function of the gravedigger scene in Hamlet and its role in Hamlet's acceptance of "special providence." Be sure to consult the web site.

3. Discuss the figure of Laertes and the morality of revenge. Be sure to consult the materials on the web site.

4. According to her son Gertrude plays a transgressive role, violating the canons of the feminine as constructed by her patriarchal society. Discuss the role of sexual transgression in the construction and gendering of evil in Gertrude. Be sure to consider the debate of the Player King and Queen and their relation to the Ghost's expectations of its supposed wife.

5. Discuss the function of the soliloquy and the aside in Hamlet.

6. Describe the differing styles of three of Hamlet's soliloquies and discuss the significance of these styles for the play.

7. Discuss the function of the character of Claudius in the play, with special attention to the "Prayer Scene." Include Hamlet's aside ( 3.3.73-94) in your discussion.