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39. No Fear Shakespeare (Hamlet) by Sparknotes

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39. No Fear Shakespeare (Hamlet) by Sparknotes

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Folger Digital Texts - your source for reliable, expertly edited and encoded Shakespeare texts

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37. Shakespeare uncovered (David Tennant On Hamlet)

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37. Shakespeare uncovered (David Tennant On Hamlet)

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36. Act IV flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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36. Act IV flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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35. Act V flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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35. Act V flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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Brief Biography of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where he became an actor and playwright. He was an immediate success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular playwright of the day as well as a part-owner of the Globe Theater. His theater troupe was adopted by King James as the King's Men in 1603. Shakespeare retired as a rich and prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613, and died three years later.

Historical Context of Hamlet

Hamlet is in many ways a product of the Reformation, in which Protestants broke away from the until-then dominant Catholic Church, as well as the skeptical humanism of late Renaissance Northern Europe, which held that there were limits on human knowledge. Hamlet's constant anxiety about the difference between appearance and reality, as well as his concerns about and difficulties with religion (the sinfulness of suicide, the unfairness that killing a murderer while the murderer is praying would result in sending the murder to heaven) can be seen as directly emerging from the breaks in religion and thought brought on by the Reformation and Renaissance humanist thought.

Other Books Related to Hamlet

Hamlet falls into the tradition of revenge tragedy, in which the central character's quest for revenge usually results in general tragedy. This tradition existed from Roman times (the Roman playwright Seneca was well known for writing revenge tragedies). The most famous revenge tragedy of Shakespeare's day before Hamlet was Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and some believe that Kyd wrote an earlier play of Hamlet, now lost, which scholars call the Ur-Hamlet. The story of Hamlet is based on a Danish revenge story first recorded by Saxo Grammaticus in the 1100s. In these stories, a Danish prince fakes madness in order to take revenge on his uncle, who had killed the prince's father and married his mother. But Shakespeare modified this rather straightforward story and filled it with dread and uncertainty-Hamlet doesn't just feign madness; he seems at times to actually be crazy.

Full Title: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

When Written: Between 1599 - 1601

Where Written: England

When Published: 1603 (First Quarto), 1604 (Second Quarto).

Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)

Genre: Tragic drama; Revenge tragedy

Setting: Denmark during the late middle ages (circa 1200), though characters in the play occasionally reference things or events from the Elizabethan Age (circa 1500).

Climax: The climax of Hamlet is a subject of debate. Some say it occurs when Hamlet kills Claudius, others when Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius while Claudius is praying, others when Hamlet kills Polonius, and still others when Hamlet vows to focus on revenge at the end of Act 4.

Extra Credit for Hamlet

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

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Shakespeare's father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where he became an actor and playwright.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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32. Act III flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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32. Act III flipped video (by Ms Valerie Bronstein)

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Hamlet Act 2, scenes 1 and 2, Analysis Guide Support

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Shakespeare's Language  Archaic Usage and Poetry

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See related links to what you are looking for.

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25. "This above all: to thine own self be true."William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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25. "This above all: to thine own self be true."William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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24. Presentation (by Juliane, Lucas & Félix)

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24. Presentation (by Juliane, Lucas & Félix)

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HAMLET by W. SHAKESPEARE Summary Themes Biography Hamlet is asked by his father's ghost to kill his uncle, Claudius, to avenge his death. Claudius realises it and sends Hamlet to England. He comes back when his love kills herself. Claudius tries to trick him during a fencing

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Ophelia, Gertrude, and Regicide - Hamlet Part 2: Crash Course Literature 204

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TASK

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We have launched the new ReadWriteThink.org and we would love to get your feedback: Give Feedback

Students compose epitaphs for deceased characters in the play Hamlet, paying particular attention to how their words appeal to the senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone. Using three-paneled poster board, students design gravestones to display their epitaphs. Students must capture the essence of their characters in their epitaphs, and their poster boards must reflect the themes that support their character's personality and station in life. The resulting projects make compelling hallway displays and provide students with an audience for their writing.

This activity can be easily adapted to another tragedy by changing the characters students write epitaphs about. For instance, students can write epitaphs for Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet or write epitaphs for Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Duncan, and Banquo in Macbeth.

ReadWriteThink Drama Map: Students analyzing a play can map out the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution for a variety purposes.

In her article on teaching short stories, Diana Mitchell explains the importance of involving students in investigating and exploring texts:

"When we teach something, we learn more than the students. We have to think deeply about the material, extract important ideas and concepts, and figure out how to involve students. We look for points of connection, figure how it's related to other things in class, and how we can have students respond through writing and talking. Instead of remaining the chief learner in the classroom, why not let the student be part of this kind of critical thinking and learning?" (73)

In order to create meaningful epitaphs for this classroom activity, students tap such critical thinking and learning as they explore their characters deeply. This opportunity for deep thinking provides students with a summative assessment activity that goes beyond repeating facts and details to deeper engagement with the literary texts that they read.
Further Reading

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

General arts and crafts supplies

Students should finish reading and discussing Hamlet before this activity takes place. They should be familiar with the plot and the major themes of the play.

Make copies or overhead transparencies of the Epitaph Assignment, "The Epitaph" by Thomas Gray or another epitaph if you prefer, Student Epitaph Examples, Peer Review Form, and Epitaph Rubric.

Ask students to obtain three-panel poster board or other materials suitable for the final display of their epitaphs. The presentation of students' epitaphs can be adjusted to fit classroom resources and space by using single sheets of poster paper, 11" by 17" paper, legal-size paper, construction paper, and so forth.

Test the ReadWriteThink Drama Map on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

Students will

identify the main ideas in a text and use them as the basis of interpretation.

identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of theme, structure, and literary genre.

analyze the ways language appeals to the senses, creates imagery, suggests mood, and sets tone.

use written language to accomplish their purposes.

complete process-based writing, with attention to organization, content, detail, and standard English conventions.

1. Ask students to return to this passage from Act II, Scene ii of Hamlet, which takes place as the group of players encounter Hamlet and Polonius. Discuss the idea behind the passage in the context of the scene:
Let them be well used, for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time. After your death you were better have a bad epitaph than their ill report while you live. (II, ii, 457-458)
Note: If you are adapting this lesson for another tragedy, skip this first step.

2. Discuss the definition of the word epitaph, and if relevant, connect to the passage from Hamlet.

3. Explain and discuss the assignment and the expectations for student work.

4. Ask student to brainstorm the major deceased characters of Hamlet (Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius). Record their responses on the board or chart paper.

5. Have students brainstorm some personality traits of each character. For example, for Hamlet, students might offer these traits: loyal, devoted, vengeful, and angry. Ophelia could be described as beautiful, innocent, pure, naive, and misunderstood.

6. Read the poem to the class, and ask students to note descriptive words, phrases, and figurative language that capture the essence of the character in their notebooks as you read.

7. Once the reading is complete, have students share the words and phrases that they noted. Record the details on the board or chart paper, or highlight the items on the overhead.

8. Ask students to explain key phrases and figurative language in more detail. Questions such as the following are useful in encouraging deeper reading: What effect does the use of personification in the line "Melancholy mark'd him for her own" have in helping readers understand the subject of Gray's epitaph?

9. Ask students to identify the tone of Gray's epitaph. Ask students to consider whether the subject is praised, pitied, celebrated, or derided? Encourage students to point to evidence from the poem that supports their interpretations. Ask questions such as the following to guide this discussion: What words in the poem support the fact that this is a particularly sad epitaph?

10. Have students identify specific language in the poem that appeals to the senses. Ask questions such as the following to encourage students to identify this imagery: What image does the line from Gray's epitaph "Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth" convey to the reader?

11. Make any concluding comments or observations about Gray's epitaph.

12. For homework, ask students to choose the character from the play that they will memorialize. In their notebooks, ask students to brainstorm examples of imagery and vivid, descriptive words that fit the characters they have chosen. If students need to review details on their characters, ask them to complete the Character Map from the ReadWriteThink Drama Map as well.

1. Arrange students into small groups, based on the characters that they have chosen. If necessary, create more than one group for a character to ensure workable group size.

2. In these groups, ask students to compare the lists that they created for homework and compile a group list of the best ten to fifteen descriptive words or phrases. Have students record their lists on chart paper or the board so that the entire class can see the lists.

3. Circulate among groups as they compile their lists, providing feedback and support.

4. Once all the lists are complete, have groups review their lists for the rest of the class. Encourage students to explain their decision-making process and highlight especially appropriate choices.

5. Using their lists as a starting point, ask students to return to the play and find quotations and/or plot events that support the items on their lists. They should aim to have at least one item for each word or phrase on their lists, but more are certainly acceptable and will help as they begin composing their epitaphs.

6. As they annotate their lists, have all students record the information in their notebooks for reference later as they compose their epitaphs.

7. Check with groups as they work and once their lists are complete to review their final choices. Provide feedback and support.

8. When a group finishes compiling their supporting references to the play, ask them to begin the process of creating a first draft of their epitaphs. Repeat this process with each group as its members finish their search for textual support.

9. For homework, ask students to complete a rough draft of their epitaphs to share and revise during the next session.

1. Read Jessica Borgonzi's Epitaph for Hamlet (from the Student Epitaph Examples) aloud to the class.

2. Ask students to return to their groups from the previous session.

3. In their groups, have students read their epitaphs to one another.

4. After each reading, ask the group to answer the questions on the Epitaph Peer Review Form for the piece. Authors should pay attention and take notes on the discussion for reference later when revising the epitaph.

5. Instruct students to compare the draft to the requirements on the Rubric and to make suggestions for improvement.

6. If time remains during the session, students can begin the work of revising and planning the visual and oral presentation of their epitaphs.

Independent Work Sessions

Either at home or during additional class time, students design and complete their visual presentations and practice the oral presentation of the work. If students will work during class time, classroom supplies should be available for students to use. Useful resources include markers, construction paper and/or colored paper, rulers, stencils, calligraphy markers, scissors, glue, and tape. If computer resources are available, students might find or create materials for their presentations online or using available software on the workstations. Be sure to discuss fair use and copyright issues before students look for artwork online.

1. Allow students several minutes to make any last-minute changes or preparations for their presentations.

2. Provide any instructions for where students should set up their gravestones.

3. Allow five to ten minutes for students to browse one another's gravestones.

4. Gather the class and have students individually present their epitaphs to the class.

5. If desired, allow the gravestones to remain on display for students to return to later or as a display for the school as a whole.

Review the connections between the cultural background for Hamlet and other Renaissance works with the ReadWriteThink lesson Renaissance Humanism in Hamlet and The Birth of Venus.

Extend your exploration of tragedy with the EDSITEment lesson plan Hamlet Meets Chushingura: Traditions of the Revenge Tragedy, which invites students to compare Shakespearean tragedy to tragedy of Bunraku/Kabuki dramas.

Hamlet on the Ramparts is an evolving collection of texts, images, and film relevant to Hamlet's first encounter with the Ghost. Part of the Shakespeare Electronic Archive of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this site includes lesson plans and activities that can be used to extend any study of Hamlet.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Monitor student interaction and progress during group work to assess social skills and content understanding, and assist any students having problems with the project.

Use the Epitaph Rubric to assess individual work. Ask students to share notes, working drafts, and their peer review feedback to gain a more complete understanding of their work on the project.

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Analyzing Character in Hamlet through Epitaphs

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We have launched the new ReadWriteThink.org and we would love to get your feedback: Give Feedback Students compose epitaphs for deceased characters in the play Hamlet, paying particular attention to how their words appeal to the senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone. Using three-paneled poster board, students design gravestones to display their epitaphs.

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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare, Act V - Vocabulary List : Vocabulary.com

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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare, Act IV - Vocabulary List : Vocabulary.com

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contend Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit, Behind the arras hearing something stir, Whips out his rapier, cries, 'A rat, a rat!' And, in this brainish apprehension, kills The unseen good old man.

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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare, Act III - Vocabulary List : Vocabulary.com

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insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin?

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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare, Act II - Vocabulary List : Vocabulary.com

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purport As if he had been loosed out of hell To speak of horrors, he comes before me.

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"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare, Act I - Vocabulary List : Vocabulary.com

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discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him, Together with remembrance of ourselves.

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Test-Yourself Quiz on Hamlet Acts III, IV, and V

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Test-Yourself Reading Quiz on Hamlet (Acts I & II)

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Plot summary of Shakespeare's Hamlet, themes, criticism, analysis, figures of speech, study guides

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Hamlet Haven: An Online, Annotated Bibliography

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Welcome to Hamlet Haven, an online annotated Hamlet bibliography by Harmonie blankenship.

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Task

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19. Hamlet tells the players how to act, then, as the court assembles to hear the play, he is very rude to Ophelia. Since she hasn't left, he assumes she is being used willingly. Poor Ophelia is even more distressed and confused by his behaviour.

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19. Hamlet tells the players how to act, then, as the court assembles to hear the play, he is very rude to Ophelia. Since she hasn't left, he assumes she is being used willingly. Poor Ophelia is even more distressed and confused by his behaviour.

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Task

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A cowardly plot by corrupt King Claudius ended tragically today, with the entire Royal Family dead by poison.

This appalling massacre closes a chapter of horror in Denmark's history which began with the murder of old King Hamlet by his brother, Claudius.

The murderous noble then moved in on the dead king's throne and widow. On his return to court, Prince Hamlet was shocked to find his father dead, and his mother married to his uncle.

Hamlet was rattled further by a ghostly visit from his father. Learning the truth about the old King's death made him fearful for his life, so the young Prince pretended to be mad to avoid his uncle's evil intentions.

Vowing to revenge his

father, Hamlet tried to force a confession out of his Uncle with a special theatre performance. But the plan backfired when Hamlet accidentally killed trusted counsellor Polonius, the father of his former sweetheart Ophelia.

Worried that her son would be arrested, Gertrude sent him away to England - not realising her new husband had arranged for his death on arrival.

But Hamlet escaped and returned just in time for the funeral of Ophelia, who had died after being driven mad by her father's tragic fate.

Claudius, scared by his nephew's return, hatched a desperate plot to poison him in a fixed swordfight. But things went horrifically wrong, and both Gertrude and Hamlet's opponent Laertes were accidentally poisoned too.

Hamlet
A thoughtful and deep young man, popular with the Danish people, Hamlet was a fan of the theatre and learning. He's very loyal, but also very indecisive and rather depressive.

Claudius
Hamlet's uncle, Claudius turned out to be a ruthless murderer, who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted - his brother's throne and wife. But it didn't bring him happiness.

Gertrude
Hamlet's mother, and a good woman, Gertrude was unaware of Claudius' evil. When her son told her of it, she was appalled, and tried to help him avenge her husband.

Ophelia
Polonius' daughter and Laertes' sister, she was sweet on Hamlet, but he rejected her. With her father's death, this drove her mad. She drowned soon after, possibly by suicide.

"To be or not to be, that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
Hamlet, Act III, Sc I

"To sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub."
Hamlet, Act III, Sc I

"This above all: to thine own self be true."
Polonius, Act I, Sc III

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Marcellus, Act I, Sc IV

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Gertrude, Act III, Sc II

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Hamlet Act II, Sc II

Read the whole play Today's weather All about writing
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BBC - Drama - 60 Second Shakespeare - Shakespeare's plays, themes and characters - Hamlet

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60 Second Shakespeare - at a glance guides to the themes and characters of Shakespeare's major plays

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Hamlet Analysis Activities & Lesson Plan| Hamlet by Shakespeare

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This ❰StoryboardThat❱ ✩ lesson plan for The Tragedy of Hamlet by Shakespeare includes activities for the tragic hero, structure, characters & more!

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"Hamlet" INTRO! -- William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" ... from 60second Recap®

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Home → SparkNotes → Shakespeare Study Guides → Hamlet

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