Do Now

At this point in your high school
career, you’ve read several of
Shakespeare’s works. Do you see
certain themes, ideas, or subjects
reiterated in his plays or sonnets?
Hamlet
Hamlet

Shakespeare received the inspiration
for Hamlet from two previous tales.
◦ Historia Danica (1200)
◦ Histoires Tragiques (1576)

Inspiration may have also come from
a tale called Ur-Hamlet, probably
written by Thomas Kyd.
◦ However, no written version of Kyd’s tale
exists.
Hamlet

Hamlet was most likely performed in
1600.
◦ Midpoint of Shakespeare’s career.
 1588 – Comedy of Errors
 1613 – Henry VIII

One of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies.
◦ Othello
◦ King Lear
◦ Macbeth
Hamlet - Themes
Uncertainty and Decision Making

◦
◦
◦
◦
Action is continually postponed
A play about indecisiveness and
Hamlet’s failure to act appropriately
How possible is it to take reasonable,
effective, purposeful actions?
“A procrastinating protagonist”
Hamlet – Themes

Death and Suicide
◦ Hamlet has an obsession with death.
◦ Death may answer all of Hamlet’s questions.

Denmark’s connection to the royal
family
◦ Everything is connected
 Royal family – government – whole country
◦ If the royal family is corrupt, the country will follow.
Guiding Questions






Where does feigned madness end and real
insanity begin?
How do we exist in a cruel world?
Is Hamlet a victim or is he blameworthy?
Is he a sentimental dreamer, deeply in love
with Ophelia? Or a callous manipulator?
How “Oedipal” is his treatment of his
mother?
Is he vindictive? Or does he have a moral
responsibility to kill Claudius?
Classwork

Review the statements listed on your
worksheet. Discuss whether you agree
or disagree with each and why.
Homework

Read Act 1, Scenes 1-2 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

The word “crazy” is thrown around a
lot in our world today in many
different ways. What do you think of
when you hear the word crazy? What
do you think of a person who is
described as such? Be specific.
Act 1, Scenes 1-2
As you read the first few lines of the
opening scene, what do you see in your
mind’s eye? Hear? Smell? How do you
feel? What purpose does portraying the
scene in this way serve?
 How do Claudius and Gertrude respond
to Hamlet’s melancholy? Are they being
fair to him?
 Contrast the attitudes towards the death
of the old King as expressed by Hamlet
and Claudius.

Act 1, Scene 2

Contradictory words and ideas
◦ Lines 1-14
◦ Ideas sit uneasily with each other

Claudius takes on a fatherly role
◦ Line 87/Line 90

Soliloquy about suicide
◦ Line 129/Line 133
Classwork

Compare the first scenes of the play to
the first half hour of a movie. What do
you think is necessary to hook an
audience and what happens when a
work does not have these attributes?
What happens when a work takes too
long to explain the main characters or
actions of the plot?
Homework

Read Act 1, Scenes 3-4 for homework
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now

In our world today, what would you
describe as a dysfunctional family? Is
every family arguably dysfunctional
because no one is truly perfect?
Explain.
Act 1, Scenes 3-4




Compare the advice given to Ophelia by Laertes
and that given by Polonius.
Imagine that Laertes, Ophelia, and Polonius are
members of a present-day family speaking modernday English. Rewrite Laertes’s and Polonius’s
advice to Ophelia.
What does “To thine own self be true” mean?
Who says “Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark”? What does he mean?
Act 1, Scene 3

Polonius’s speech to Laertes
◦ Line 54/Line 60

Ophelia
◦ Laertes: Line 30/Line 35
◦ Polonius: Line 100/Line 110

Brings to light the theme of incest
◦ Claudius and Gertrude
◦ Hamlet and Gertrude
◦ Laertes and Ophelia
Act 1, Scene 4
Ghost continues to be an omen of
trouble to come.
 Scene also discusses the problems of
Denmark

◦ Line 90/Line 100
Classwork

Complete character web worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 1, Scene 5 and Act 2, Scene 1
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now

What do you make of people who
overanalyze various aspects of their
lives? Is there any area of your life
where you are particularly sensitive or
overly analytical? Describe.
Act 1, Scene 5 and Act 2, Scene 1
What kind of king do you think King
Hamlet was? What kind of husband?
 What kind of wife do you think
Gertrude was?
 Why does Hamlet’s appearance
frighten Ophelia? What is Polonius’s
diagnosis?
 What do Polonius’s interactions with
Reynaldo and Ophelia tell you about
him?

Act 1, Scene 5
Think about how King Hamlet was
murdered: poison in the ear
 What link can you see between how he
was murdered and the idea that words
can be used as a weapon?

◦ Words can poison a person’s ear.
Act 2, Scene 1

Recall from your earlier notes what
characteristics Hamlet possesses.
◦ “A procrastinating protagonist”

What does this scene begin to tell you
about Hamlet’s mental state?
◦ It will become increasingly harder to distinguish
between feigned madness and real insanity .
Classwork

Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 2, Scene 2 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

As high school seniors, you have many
important decisions coming up in the
next few months. When making an
important decision in your life, what
factors influence you? How do you
quantify what’s most important to
you?
Act 2, Scene 2




What does Polonius mean in an aside, as he
speaks with Hamlet, “Though this be madness,
yet there is method in’t”?
What is the significance of the speech which
Hamlet requests from the actor, taken from the
story of the Trojan War?
What do you suppose Hamlet’s tone is as he says
“The play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the
conscience of the king”?
What is the significance of Fortinbras in this
scene? How does he differ from Hamlet?
Act 2, Scene 2
Longest scene in the play
 Fortinbras and Hamlet as foils

◦ A foil is a character who by contrast
emphasizes the distinct characteristics of
another character.
 Both are sons of dead kings
 Both have uncles who inherited the throne
 They act differently:
 Fortinbras is bent on revenge.
 Hamlet is depressed and indecisive.
Act 2, Scene 2

Horatio and Laertes also serve as foils
to Hamlet.
◦ Hamlet has admiration for Horatio.

Has Hamlet finally lost it?
◦ Lines 321-322/Lines 402-403
 This section shows that he is only mad at
calculated times.
◦ The audience can’t be sure.

Lines 543-544/Lines 633-634
Classwork

Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 3, Scenes 1-2 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

Think of a time in your life when you
experienced something particularly
difficult. What sort of questions did
you ask yourself or the world in
general when you were experiencing
this hardship?
Act 3, Scenes 1-2
What is the point of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be”
soliloquy? What is the underlying question?
 Does Hamlet mean what he says to Ophelia? What
does it show you about his view of women in
general?
 Hamlet comments on marriage in these scenes.
Why does he tell Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery”?
Why does he say this? What is he saying about
marriage in general?
 What is Gertrude referring to in Line 226 (white
version)/Line 254 (orange version)? Why is this
line so famous?

Classwork

Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 3, Scenes 3-4 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

Has there ever been a time in your life
when you felt particularly guilty about
something you had done? How did
you deal with your guilt? What were
the end results of your actions?
Act 3, Scenes 3-4
How does Hamlet react after he murders
Polonius? What does this show you about
his current mental state?
 What occurs beginning on Line 36 (white
version)/Line 40 (orange version) of Scene
3? Compare Claudius’s thoughts on his
own guilt as he tries to pray to Gertrude’s
recognition of her guilt when confronted by
Hamlet.

Act 3, Scenes 3-4

In Scene 4, how is the theme of incest
seen in Hamlet’s conversation with
Gertrude? (Include quotes from their
conversation that illustrate this.)
◦ Freud wrote that Hamlet had an Oedipus
complex.
Act 3, Scenes 3-4

How do Gertrude’s changing
emotions convey the idea that women
are unable to act and react without the
direction of men?
Act 3, Scenes 3-4

Hamlet is now obsessed with gaining
certain, divine knowledge.
◦ Wants to know God’s plan
◦ Wants to know that Claudius will go to
hell after death
Classwork

Complete character web worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 4, Scenes 1-2 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

The idea of family is central to
Hamlet. Parents are supposed to
protect their children and put them
first. But sometimes people have
children for all the wrong reasons.
What do you think of people who are
parents but act selfishly? What do you
think are wrong reasons to have
children?
Act 4, Scenes 1-2

Do you think Gertrude believes
Hamlet is trying to conceal his secret?
Or does she think that he is crazy? If
forced to chose, do you think she
should stick by her husband or her
son?
Act 4, Scenes 1-2
How does the King react when he
learns that Polonius is dead? Do you
think his reaction shows a side of him
that is self-serving – or
compassionate?
 How is the view of Hamlet shifted
after he kills Polonius?

◦ Up until this point, he could have been
viewed as a hero.
Classwork

Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 4, Scenes 3-4 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

Have you ever been in a situation
where, like Hamlet in Scene 4, you
compared yourself unfavorably with
someone else – and were spurred to
action by that comparison? Explain.
Act 4, Scenes 3-4

Why does Claudius decide to have
Hamlet executed in England?
◦ Line 4/Line 4

Does Hamlet think that this fight over
worthless ground is foolish or
admirable? Why? What do you
think?
Act 4, Scenes 3-4

How might Fortinbras be seen as
Hamlet’s foil in these scenes? What,
specifically, does Hamlet admire
about Fortinbras? (Include quotes
from the passage in Scene 4.)
Classwork

Complete classwork worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 4, Scenes 5-6 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

Think of a time when you were
wronged or mistreated and you stood
up for yourself. How did you go about
it? What did you do to make sure you
were thorough and legitimate in your
argument? What was the end result?
Act 4, Scenes 5-6
How does Ophelia react to her
father’s death? Is this consistent with
what you know of her? Or would you
have expected her to be more strong
or vindictive?
 Discuss the implication of Ophelia’s
song lyrics. What do they suggest
about her relationship with Hamlet
and her grief for her father, especially
as causes for her apparent madness?

Act 4, Scenes 5-6

How has Denmark declined as a result
of Claudius’s actions?
Classwork

Contrast Hamlet’s and Laertes’s
reactions to their fathers’ deaths.
When finished, write your findings on
the board. Record the other groups’
findings as well on your worksheet.
Homework

Read Act 4, Scene 7 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

At this point in your life, you have no
doubt experienced disappointments
and loss. How do you deal with such
things? How have you learned to
cope? What do you do to get through
the difficult times?
Act 4, Scene 7
Laertes wants to know why his father’s
murderer hasn’t been punished. What is
Claudius’s response? Is he telling the
truth?
 How does Ophelia die? Do you think she
commits suicide? What reasons might she
have for doing so?
 Briefly, what is Claudius’s plot for killing
Hamlet? How does Laertes respond to the
plan? Do you blame him?

Act 4, Scene 7

Ophelia is one of the most analyzed and critiqued of
Shakespeare’s characters for her tragic end, fragile
demeanor, and the imagery of flowers associated with
her. She has been represented in numerous ways by
poets and artists. With your group, examine the
rendering of Ophelia you are given.
◦ What do you think the artist was trying to accomplish?
◦ How close is what the artist did to what Shakespeare
described?
◦ Why do you think the artist chose to portray Ophelia in this
way?
◦ How does it differ from the other prints?
◦ What is your feeling when looking at the painting? What
emotions does it inspire?
Homework

Read Act 5, Scenes 1-2 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now

How do you feel about the way the
play ended? Was it what you
expected? What themes were echoed
in the final scenes?
Act 5, Scenes 1-2
What famous image from the play is
found in these scenes? What is its
significance?
 What is the significance of the
gravediggers? What do they tell
Hamlet?

Act 5, Scenes 1-2

Discuss the professions of love and grief
expressed at Ophelia’s funeral by Laertes
and Hamlet, as compared to similar scenes
featuring Claudius, in terms of their
implications for the play’s outcome: who is
honest, deserving, and just, among the
play’s key players?
Classwork

Write a scene that did not appear in
the play, but might have. For
example, a celebration for Hamlet’s
birthday or a scene showing what
Hamlet was like before his father died.
Homework

Bring three review questions for test
review.