Outline Topic Three: Fate vs. free will in Hamlet and Oedipus.
Brainstorm: Look at your Hamlet and Oedipus graphic organizers. Choose whether you will analyze fate or free will for Hamlet and fate or free will for Oedipus. Your selections for fate and free will on the graphic organizer should guide your choices in your essay because you will
Outline Topic One: Compare and contrast Hamlet and Oedipus as tragic heroes.
Brainstorm: Look at the five characteristics of a tragic hero. Find one that both Hamlet and Oedipus meet in the same way, and another that they meet differently. Use your graphic organizer to help you narrow down your characteristics. (If I were you, I would look for the characteristics I had the best quotes for as a starting point.)
Introduction:
· Explain the five characteristics of a tragic hero
· Explain that Hamlet and Oedipus both meet all of the characteristics
· Thesis: Choose one characteristic that is comparable between the two characters and one that can be contrasted. Your thesis should explain which characteristic compares and why and which characteristic that contrasts and why.
Body Paragraph One: Compare
· Topic Sentence: Explain which characteristic the paragraph will analyze and the fact that it is met by both characters in the same way.
· Introduce the characteristic for Oedipus
o Find a quote to support how Oedipus meets that characteristic
o Explain how the quote shows that Oedipus meets that characteristic
· Transition from Oedipus to Hamlet by explaining that Hamlet also meets this characteristic
· Introduce the characteristic for Hamlet
o Find a quote to support how Hamlet meets that characteristic
o Explain how the quote shows that Hamlet meets that characteristic
· Wrap up the ideas with a conclusion sentence and transition into the characteristic
Body Paragraph Two: Contrast
· Topic Sentence: Explain which characteristic the paragraph will analyze and the fact that it is met by both characters differently.
· Introduce the characteristic for Oedipus
o Find a quote to support how Oedipus meets that characteristic
o Explain how the quote shows that Oedipus meets that characteristic
· Transition from Oedipus to Hamlet by explaining that Hamlet meets this characteristic differently
· Introduce the characteristic for Hamlet
o Find a quote to support how Hamlet meets that characteristic
o Explain how the quote shows that Hamlet meets that characteristic
· Wrap up the ideas with a conclusion sentence and transition into the conclusion
Conclusion:
· Restate your thesis USING DIFFERENT WORDS!!!
· Quickly restate your compare argument
· Quickly restate your contrast argument
· Optional: You could reflect on Hamlet and Oedipus as tragic heroes if you wish.
should not choose Oedipus’ perception that he is innocent at the beginning of Oedipus and Ophelia’s perception that Hamlet is crazy; these two ideas have NOTHING to do with one another and cannot be related.
Introduction:
· Explain the idea that a character’s perception can be the same as or different than reality.
· Introduce the two characters whose perception vs. reality you have chosen to analyze (REMEMBER YOU CANNOT USE “YOU”).
· Thesis: Explain how the perception and realities of these two characters relate. This is the main idea of your argument, not simply that they have perceptions and realities. You are comparing or contrasting the perceptions and realities of these two characters.
Body Paragraph One: Character from Oedipus
· Topic Sentence: Explain whether the character’s perception does or does not match the reality.
· Introduce the main idea of their perception.
o Find a quote that proves that this is the character’s perception.
o Explain how the quote proves that this is the character’s perception.
o Explain the reality of the situation.
· Conclusion Sentence: Wrap up how the character’s perception matches or does not match reality, then transition into the next character’s situation.
Body Paragraph Two: Character from Hamlet
· Topic Sentence: Explain whether the character’s perception does or does not match the reality.
· Introduce the main idea of their perception.
o Find a quote that proves that this is the character’s perception.
o Explain how the quote proves that this is the character’s perception.
o Explain the reality of the situation.
· Conclusion Sentence: Wrap up how the character’s perception matches or does not match reality, then transition into the conclusion.
Conclusion:
· Restate your thesis using DIFFERENT WORDS.
· Quickly restate the perception and reality of the character from Oedipus.
· Quickly restate the perception and reality of the character from Hamlet.
· Quickly re-explain how the characters’ perceptions and reality relate to one another.
able to use the quotes from your graphic organizer in your essay.
Introduction:
· Define and discuss the concept of fate.
· Define and discuss the concept of free will.
· Thesis: Your thesis should explain whether Oedipus’ experiences are caused by fate or free will AND whether Hamlet’s experiences are caused by fate or free will.
Body Paragraph One: Oedipus
· Topic Sentence: Explain that Oedipus’ experiences were caused by fate OR explain that Oedipus’ experiences were caused by free will.
· Introduce an event in Oedipus’ life that is caused by either fate or free will.
o Find a quote to support that the event was caused by fate or free will.
o Explain how the quote shows that the event was caused by fate or free will.
· Introduce a second event in Oedipus’ life that is caused by either fate or free will. (WARNING: YOU MUST CHOOSE EITHER FATE OR FREE WILL!! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ONE QUOTE AND SAY IT’S FATE AND ANOTHER AND SAY IT’S FREE WILL!!!)
o Find a quote to support that the event was caused by fate or free will.
o Explain how the quote shows that the event was caused by fate or free will.
· Wrap up the ideas with a conclusion sentence and transition into the next character’s fate or free will.
Body Paragraph Two: Hamlet
· Topic Sentence: Explain that Hamlet’s experiences were caused by fate OR explain that Hamlet’s experiences were caused by free will.
· Introduce an event in Hamlet’s life that is caused by either fate or free will.
o Find a quote to support that the event was caused by fate or free will.
o Explain how the quote shows that the event was caused by fate or free will.
· Introduce a second event in Hamlet’s life that is caused by either fate or free will. (WARNING: YOU MUST CHOOSE EITHER FATE OR FREE WILL!! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ONE QUOTE AND SAY IT IS FATE AND ANOTHER AND SAY IT’S FREE WILL!!!)
o Find a quote to support that the event was caused by fate or free will.
o Explain how the quote shows that the event was caused by fate or free will.
· Wrap up the ideas with a conclusion sentence and transition into your conclusion.
Conclusion:
Your conclusion should explain how the ideas of fate in free will in Hamlet and Oedipus compare or contrast. This is basically a wrap up of ideas that connects the two texts by explain how they compare or contrast with regards to fate or free will.