NAME ___________________________________
BLOCK ____________
Hamlet Study Guide (Hint: You may want to tab your copy by act for easier reference.)
A.
1.
2.
B.
Notating for the entire play
Mark significant words spoken by the major characters for “quotation extra credit” in class.
Maintain the study guide “chart” (attached) throughout the reading of the play. It will be collected and assessed upon
completion of our reading of the play (or earlier). Legibility is important.
Structure. Fill in the outline below as you read – both inside and outside of class.
Full title of the play: __________________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW THE FORMAT BELOW TO OUTLINE THE ENTIRE PLAY. MOST OF I.i. HAS BEEN DONE AS AN
EXAMPLE FOR YOU. Do this work on your own paper and attach it to this guide.
I.i.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
e.
C.
setting: Elsinore Castle. The platform of the watch.
characters:
1.
Bernardo and Francisco, two sentinels
2.
Horatio and Marcellus, their relievers
3.
Horatio
4.
Ghost
private or public :
private
inside or outside :
outside
scene categorization: (ghost scene, court scene, mad scene, etc. – I’ve provided 3 examples and would like
you to come up with at least 3 more categories of scenes. Consider the type of action that is occurring in the
scene.
mood(s): Yellow Pages tone words may help with this.
Complete the following charts as you read. Make sure you have these with you in class daily.
Poetic and Sound Devices
Device
inversion
assonance
alliteration
ellipsis
epigram
end rhyme
Example
Reference
Literary Devices
Term
pun
Example
Reference
personification
metaphor
simile
allusion
pun
malapropism
oxymoron
hyperbole
apostrophe
universal symbol
contextual symbol
Motifs
Motif
spying,
eavesdropping
questioning,
interrogation
madness
“acting,” playing”
ears/hearing
drunkenness
the celestial
alliances formed
alliances broken
Example(s)
Reference
seeing/not seeing
flattery
plans/conspiracies
baiting
poison
flowers
letters, messages,
news
Organization and Syntax
Term
antithesis
Example
Reference
parallel structure
rhetorical
question
Foils
Claudius, King of Denmark
Hamlet, nephew to the king
Polonius, counselor to the king
Horatio, friend to Hamlet
Laertes, son to Polonius
Rosencrantz, courtier
Guildenstern, courtier
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, mother to Hamlet
Ophelia, daughter to Polonius
Ghost of Hamlet’s father
D.
Soliloquy Analysis Prepare each soliloquy in the manner outlined below. All writing
(including marginal notations) must be done in blue or black ink unless otherwise designated.
1.
2.
Paraphrase the entire soliloquy line by line on notebook paper.
On the back of the soliloquy, identify SOAP (subject, occasion, audience, purpose) to the 5th
slash.
Subject = What problems seem to be uppermost in Hamlet’s mind? What conclusion does he
reach?
Occasion = Under what circumstances is Hamlet speaking? When? Where? Why? Why now?
Audience = The characters Hamlet wishes could hear him and what attitude does Hamlet express
toward these and any other characters?
Purpose answers the question why. Why does Hamlet muse over each subject?
Imagery: Identify an important image in the soliloquy. This will usually entail more than one line
of text. Highlight the image in yellow. In the margin, note the sense to which it appeals AND
classify it according to category. See possible categories on p. 8 of the Yellow Pages. Highlight
your marginal notations for imagery in yellow.
Highlight all allusions in pink. In the margin, identify the allusion and connect it to
Shakespeare’s (or Hamlet’s) meaning. See template on p. 17 of the YP. I will expect you to
follow this template. There is a huge hint for Sol. 1 on p. 17. Highlight the marginal notation in
pink.
Choose two examples of significant diction. Look for precise word choices on Shakespeare’s
part. Shakespeare is putting these words in Hamlet’s mouth in order to convey certain ideas.
Highlight these two words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and occasionally phrases) in blue.
Follow the diction template on p. 14 of the YP for your marginal notation, which should also be
highlighted in blue.
In green, highlight an example of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, or
hyperbole) and make a marginal notation connecting it to meaning. Follow the templates on p.
15 -16 of the YP for your marginal notation which should also be highlighted in green.
Bracket 3-5 lines of the text in red. In the margin, write a YP tone word (in red ink) that describes
Hamlet’s tone in those lines.
Identify 2 existential themes in the soliloquy. Bracket in blue or black and write the theme in the
margin in the same color.
At the bottom of the page on which the soliloquy is printed, create a metaphor about the
soliloquy. See the material below. (Adapted from Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher)




3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
One student created the following metaphors to describe Hamlet. Try to complete # 1 and 2 and then create metaphors of your
own about Hamlet and each soliloquy. # 3 -5 are possible templates for your own metaphor.
1.
Hamlet is like a referee because both Hamlet and a referee possess these characteristics:
(a)________________________________________________________________________________________
(b)________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
Hamlet is like a see-saw because both Hamlet and a see-saw possess these characteristics:
(a)________________________________________________________________________________________
(b)________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
Hamlet is like a ________________ because both Hamlet and a _______________ possess these characteristics:
(a)________________________________________________________________________________________
(b)________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Hamlet’s mood in this soliloquy is like a _______________________________ because both Hamlet’s mood and a
_______________________ share these characteristics:
(a)________________________________________________________________________________________
(b)________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
This soliloquy is organized like a ______________________________ because both this organization and a
____________________________ share these characteristics:
(a)________________________________________________________________________________________
(b)________________________________________________________________________________________
Soliloquy list:
Soliloquy 1 - “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt” (1.2.133-164)
Soliloquy 2 - “O all you host of heaven” (1.5.99-116)
Soliloquy 3 – “ O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (2.2.577-634)
Soliloquy 4 – “To be or not to be-that is the question.” (3.164-98
Soliloquy 5 - “Tis now the very witching time of night” (3.2.419-432)
Soliloquy 6 – “And so he goes to heaven” (3.3.79-101)
Soliloquy 7 - “How all occasions do inform against me” (4.4.34-69)
[31 lines]
[17 lines]
[57 lines]
[34 lines]
[13 lines]
[22 lines]
[35 lines]
You may be assessed in four ways: AP-style multiple choice questions, timed writing, with poetry focus
statements, or on the basis of your notations.
Characteristics of these soliloquies:
I.
Density of thought
A.
No word is wasted.
B.
Every sound, every syllable expresses the depth of Hamlet’s reflection and
the intensity of his emotions.
II.
Beauty of language
A.
Each is a piece pf pure poetry, replete with images. (PFS!!)
B.
Each is written in blank verse.
C.
Each is sustained by a rhythm, sometimes smooth, sometimes rugged,
sometimes slow, but always offering a surprise.
III.
Hidden plot of the play
A.
Each one is a stage in Hamlet’s development.
B.
This development represents man’s development.
Existential Themes; the emptiness of existence; suicide; death; suffering; action; a fear of death; a fear of
the beyond; the degradation of the flesh; the triumph of vice over virtue; the pride and hypocrisy of
human beings; the difficulty of acting under the weight of thought