Fat Ham

What is the meaning of the play’s title? How might it take on multiple meanings?

The opening stage directions indicate that the play’s setting is in North Carolina but “could also be Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee. It is not Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. That’s a different thing altogether” (6). What might Ijames mean by this? What is unique about each of these particular states? What qualities might they share that Ijames feels make them relevant to the play?

Choose one or two characters and examine how he or she is impacted by societal gender norms and expectations. What are the penalties for violating these norms? What is sacrificed to comply with them?

How does humor function throughout the play? Cite three examples from the text.

Shakespeare famously employed asides and soliloquies in which a character speaks directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. Where does Fat Ham similarly break the fourth wall, and to what end?

In what ways are Juicy and Hamlet alike? How do they differ? What is Juicy’s main flaw?

Conduct brief research to determine how Laertes differs from Hamlet and what purpose this contrast serves. In what ways is this dynamic present between Juicy and Larry?

The karaoke songs that Tedra and Juicy sing reveal their unique characteristics. Choose another character from the play and select a piece of art—a song, a painting, a film—that represents his/her character. Explain the parallels.