soliloquy+activity

  problems afterwards! So we prefer to tolerate the problems we have now.  ourselves.    But what kind of dreams would we have?   The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all  The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin?  The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?  No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.  To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause:  Hamlet talks about various things that make life difficult. Can you match these to the following examples with Hamlet’s descriptions? A - Your arrogant friend never treats you with respect B - You feel old C - The flowers you send to someone you like are returned D - Your legal case takes years to be decided E - You are always nice to someone who treats you badly F - Your boss is rude to you all the time  Activity: Think about a time when you were confronted by a difficult decision. Perhaps you are contemplating a difficult decision even now. Write your own soliloquy, patterned after Hamlet’s famous speech. It needs to be at least 20 lines long, and each line must have at least 10 syllables. Don’t make it rhyme, and don’t bother with the iambic pentameter. Sentences may break in the middle of lines. The assignment will be graded on word choice and idea development (10 points each), so try to be vivid and specific about the mental and emotional states you are describing. Contemplate the pros and cons of each decision, and try to envision the results of choosing each. Some ideas:
 * Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy **
 * Match the lettered paraphrases with sections from the soliloquy below: **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">A ** But what is there after death? This is a difficult question and maybe there are more
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">B ** Who wants to fight against so many problems? We could find peace by killing
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">C ** This is one great way of avoiding these problems – then we can sleep
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">D ** Is it better to tolerate problems and difficulties, or to fight them?
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">E ** But there is another problem: if we die, we sleep, and if we sleep, we might dream.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">1. ** The dread of something after death,
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">2. ** For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">3. ** Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">4. ** To die: to sleep;
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">5. ** To die, to sleep;
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">1. The whips and scorns of time **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">2. The proud man's contumely **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">3. The pangs of despised love **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">4. The law's delay **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">5. The insolence of office **
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Bold; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial,Bold'">6. The spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes **


 * which college to attend
 * whether to go to college or to work for a year or two
 * whether or not to join the military
 * whether to tell the truth or to lie about something
 * whether or not to end a friendship or relationship
 * choosing a course of action in a difficult circumstance

Make sure your soliloquy follows this basic form:

To_ or not to___. That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler/better/smarter (etc.) to___ _ Or to _

College English II Hamlet soliloquy sample

“To Leave Or Not to Leave”

To leave or not to leave, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in spirit to maintain one’s present course Or to set off in a new direction, seeking new opportunities. The search for something else, something better— It is an option always in the back of a teacher’s mind. In March, especially, when the warm breezes blow Rebellious breath into the fluorescent-light weakened soul. It would be so easy to say, “So long. See you around!” And set off into the wild blue yonder, perhaps climb back up Into the ivory tower I know and love so well. To flee—to fly away, above the struggles of Pulling thought from stone, coaxing inspiration, Coaxing integrity out of the ethereal, obstinate air. Nevermind the bureaucracy, the tyranny of endless reporting. So little trust. So little time for fun and fancy, The creative chaos of yesteryear. And yet, what struggles lie unseen and yet unknown In the great beyond? Could I reconcile the economics of it all? The commute? Could I navigate the tenure track, The potential hazards of publish-or-perish Without losing the very sanity I think to save? Better to cling to more familiar terrors. For now, anyway. There’s always Hamlet, Poor Simon talking to the Lord of the Flies, Arthur Miller braving his Crucible, And every once in a while someone else out there Notices. Betrayed by a brightness in the eyes, A flicker of thought. Brave answers. Brave questions. Nothing in this world is perfect. Happiness is relative.