There is already a wealth of material on Shakespeare and on Hamlet on the Web, so that there is no need for me to create a guide for this play. You can browse among the Web-sites listed below. Students in previous classes particularly recommended this site: A Short Course on Hamlet Instructions for Using a Short Course on Hamlet     The section called Course Contents contains the complete (but not edited) text of Hamlet; I do not recommend reading this version rather than the Signet edition of the play. However, the brief discussion which precedes the text of each scene provides a useful introduction to that scene. There are also questions about each act, sample answers to the questions, and short discussions in Documents of topics like Hamlet as Villain or Hamlet as Failure.       Another section called the Forum may be of interest to you in studying the play. Suggestions for Using Course Contents: 1. First, read the assigned act in your textbook. 2. Read the brief discussion which appears at the beginning of each scene in "A Short Course on Hamlet". 3. Once you have read the discussion of one scene, click on [Next], which appears at the top of the screen, to go on to the next scene. 4. After you have read the brief discussion for every scene in an act, click on [Questions]; a brief summary of the act just discussed and a list of questions about that act appear. 5. Read the questions and think about your answers. 6. Click on [Answers] for a discussion of the questions raised. Think about whether you agree or disagree with the discussion or to what extent you agree or disagree. Why do you agaree or disagree, wholely or partly? 7. After you have read the entire play, look at some of the topics in Documents. The Documents that I particularly recommend are Hamlet as Villain, Hamlet as Failure, Hamlet and Oedipus, and Of  Revenge. The Forum:     The Forum is a discussion of various topics, e.g., Hamlet's dislike of his parents. Click on Enter to join the discussion. The Forum lists only the most recent discussion; however, you can search for specific topics. Selections from A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6 The following selections provide historical and literary information about the Renaissance, tragedy, the tragic vision, and the theater at the time of Shakespeare. The Renaissance      General Characteristics      The Great Chain of Being           This theory provides some of the political underpinning for Hamlet      Humanism      "Imitation"      The Protestant Reformation Tragedy      Greek Theory      Selections from Aristotle's Poetics      Medieval Theory      Elizabethan and Shakespearean Tragedy The Tragic Vision The Elizabethan Theater      The Mid-sixteenth Century Stage      Shakespeare's Stage      Shakespeare's Language      Shakespeare's Genres      Shakespeare's Multiple Perspectives      How NOT to Read Shakespeare Shakespeare Websites Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet     Links to scholarly materials on the Internet about Shakespeare; a search engine; a Shakespeare timeline. Shakespeare Web     Although the Shakespeare Queries and Replies has been suspended, back discussion is available. If you like to write poetry, try the Poetry Machine.   This site used to be on or linked to the Shakespeare Web but is now separate.  I left it here anyway. Shakespeare Oxford Society Home Page     A theory about who really wrote Shakespeare's plays--Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Other theories suggest Christopher Marlowe and Francis Bacon as the authors of Shakespeare's plays. This site will probably appeal to conspiracy-buffs and potential Shakespeare scholars. The Shakespeare Authorship Page: Dedicated to the Proposition that Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare     The name says it all. Hamlet Websites A Short Course on Hamlet.    I discusss this at the beginning of this page. Hamlet. Site of Alexander Pogrebinsky, Jr.     The topics covered include criticism, theater, film, play, and Shakespeare. It has a forum and a search facility. Hamlet and His Problems     An essay by T.S. Eliot, one of the foremost poets and literary critics of the twentieth century. Hamlet Criticism      Numerous articles on Hamlet by a variety of criticism. Heavy Seneca: His Influence on Shakespeare's Tragedies     You may want to skim this essay till you come to the section discussing the influence of the Roman philosopher Seneca (died 65 A.D.) on Hamlet. Of interest especially to students who like philosophy. Hamlet Online     A wide variety of topics.  Browse to see whether anything piques your curiosity..  'Too Much in the (Black) Sun': Hamlet's First Soliloquy: A Kristevan View     An essay applying the theories of the feminist critic Kristeva to Hamlet. Reading her essays is heavy going. SYLLABUS F, Sept. 8 Shakespeare, Online overview Hamlet, Act I **Supplemental Reading**       A Short Course on Shakespeare's Hamlet, I       Tragedy       The Tragic Vision       The Great Chain of Being       The Great Chain of Being and Love M, Sept. 11 Hamlet, Act II **Supplemental Reading** A Short Course on Shakespeare's Hamlet, II W, Sept. 13 Hamlet, Act III **Supplemental Reading** A Short Course on Shakespeare's Hamlet, II M, Sept. 18 Hamlet, Act IV **Supplemental Reading** A Short Course on Shakespeare's Hamlet, IV W, Sept. 20 Hamlet, Act V, **Supplemental Reading** A Short Course on Shakespeare's Hamlet, V F, Sept. 22 Hamlet, Act V (continued) Syllabus for the Course || Core Studies 6 Page || Melani Home Page