Hamlet & Shakespeare Seminar
Wed. Dec.9th
English 30-1
Introduction to Shakespeare & “Hamlet”
1. Breakout Edu Session-45 Minutes
2. “The History of Tragedy & The Tragic Hero”-Discussion &
(Handout) Notes
3. Strategies for understanding Shakespeare’s LanguageDiscussion and (Handout) Notes
4. Text Map-(Handout & notes)
5. The Cast: Class Activity
6. Character Map
ACT ONE
7. Act I-Scene 1: Summary
a. Read Scene I:ii-L1-201
b. Journal(Select One of Three )/Exit Card
8. Act I-Scene III/IV: Summary
a. Read Scene I:V L1-123
b. Act I-Scene V-Journal (A or B) /Exit Card
ACT TWO
9. Act II-Scene I-Summary
10.
Read Act II: Scene ii: Line-57-184/281-333/545-end
i. Journal (Act 2-Sc #1-Pick A or B)
ii. Exit Card-Ophelia Quotes Chart
BREAK
ACT THREE
11.
12.
Watch “To Be or Not to Be” speech-“Hamlet Play”
Read Act III-Scene III All
a. Journal (Choose A or B) OR Exit Card
LUNCH
During Lunch Watch ACT III Scene IV-“Hamlet Movie”
ACT FOUR
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Summary-Beginning of Act IV-Scene I & II
Read Act IV:Scene IV-Line 33-END
Watch –Ophelia Crazy Scene
Read Act IV-Scene VII-ALL
Class Activity-Modernizing Lines-Exit Card
ACT FIVE
1. Summary Act V-Scene I
2. AUDIOBOOK-Act V-Scene I-Line 185-END
3. Journal (A or B) or EXIT Card Flowchart
4. View the End of the Film “Hamlet”
5. Discussion-“Is it a Tragedy?”-Think and Discuss
6. Motifs and Themes-Discuss
Essay
1. Super Sub: Lecture and Organizer
2. Create your own Super Sub using one of the Essay
Topics
3. Rough Draft of Essay
4. PRT Review & Handout
Hamlet: Essay Topics
1) Conflict is essential to drama. Show
that Hamlet presents both an outward and inward
conflict.
2) How do Hamlet's seven soliloquies reveal his
character?
3) Is Hamlet primarily a tragedy of revenge?
4) Discuss Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude.
5) How important is the general setting of Denmark
to the overall play.
6) Of what significance is Ophelia to Hamlet? Was
Hamlet truly in love with Ophelia?
7) The character Claudius has been compared to
Macbeth. How similar are these two characters? In
what ways are they similar?
8) Compare and contrast the characters of Hamlet
and Horatio. How alike or dislike are they and why?
9) In Act 5, scene 2, Hamlet remarks, "His madness is
poor Hamlet's enemy." Explain Hamlet's motivation
behind this comment and examine how true is his remark.
10) Compare and contrast the characters of Hamlet
and Fortinbras. Is Fortinbras a valuable character in
his own right or does he serve only to highlight
aspects of Hamlet's personality?
11) What is Goethe's opinion of Hamlet? Do you agree
with his famous conclusions?
12) Discuss the references to the English stage of
Shakespeare's own time in Act II.