Name: ______________________________Date: ___________________Period: ________
Hamlet
Socratic Seminar
Directions: For your final assessment on Hamlet you are going to engage in a 20-30 minute
Socratic Seminar discussion with a small group (5-6 people). You will not know until the day of
the seminar what your topic will be and at what time during the period you will discuss in the
inner circle. You may prepare as many notes as possible and you are allowed to use your book
during the discussion. This will count as your TEST grade for the play.
Outer Circle Requirements:
When you are in the outer circle you will be required to take notes on the topic that is being
discussed. These notes include your opinion to the prompt along with evidence from the text, as
well as, your reaction to the Socratic Seminar discussion. Consider the following questions:
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What would you contribute to the discussion?
Would you agree or disagree with what is being said?
What questions would you ask the group?
What is your overall impression of the discussion?
Does the group follow the structure/format of a Socratic Seminar?
Your notes in the outer circle should be thorough, thought provoking and written neatly.
This assessment will count as a 100 point TEST grade for the novel. See the rubric on the
reverse side for grading.
Seminar Discussion Dates:
Because this Socratic Seminar spans the course of three days, you will have the option to request
a preferential date that you would like to complete the seminar. Please number the dates with #1
being your first choice, #2 as your second and #3 as your third. I will try my best to provide you
with your number one choice, but please keep in mind it is not guaranteed. If you know you are
going to be absent from school on one of the below dates, please indicate that on your request. If
you have no preference please let me know that as well.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Topics for Socratic Seminar Discussion
Option #1: Was Hamlet an honorable person, less than honorable, or somewhere in between?
Was Hamlet a moral and ethical person? Is there a difference between being honorable and being
moral? Was Hamlet justified in his pursuit for revenge?
Option #2: At the end of the play, Fortinbras states “Let four captains bear Hamlet like a soldier
to the stage, for he was likely, had he been put on, to have proved most royal…” Do you agree?
Why or why not? Is Hamlet a true tragic hero? A tragic hero wants to do good, means to make
things well, but is ultimately flawed. What are Hamlet’s flaws? Does he allow his passions to
overrule his reason?
Option #3: Who is at fault for the play’s concluding events? Was this ending unavoidable? How
much responsibility for the tragedy are you willing to place on Hamlet? Claudius? Gertrude?
Ophelia? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Horatio? Why?
Option #4: Did Hamlet really go crazy or was he feigning madness? How does this connect to
his wavering between action and inaction? Why doesn’t Hamlet just kill Claudius? Is he a just
man who needs assurance beyond a doubt of Claudius’ guilt? Is he unable to take action because
the opportunity never presents itself? Is he simply a coward? What are Hamlet’s true motivations
for even pursuing the murder of Claudius? Is it Fear? Revenge? Love? Loyalty/Obligation?
Option #5: Hamlet famously declares “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Is
something rotten in the state of Denmark? If so, what precisely is it? Is Hamlet's "revenge" more
than simply the killing of the king? Could it be that he is purging all the rottenness in the Danish
court? Or is Hamlet contributing to the decay of Denmark? Is Hamlet a Noble Prince in a corrupt
and evil world? Or a death-infected source of the rottenness in Elsinore?
Option #6: Describe Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia. Did Hamlet really love Ophelia? Is he
to blame in her death? Was it suicide? What is the significance of Ophelia’s madness? Why
include it? What does it represent?
Name: ______________________________Date: ___________________Period: ________
Hamlet
Socratic Seminar
A Level Participant:
Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move
the conversation forward. Through comments, demonstrates a deep
knowledge of the text and question. Participant has come to the
seminar prepared, with notes and marked/annotated texts. Participant,
through comments, shows active listening to other participant.
Participant offers clarification and/or follow-up that extends the
conversation. Participant’s remarks often refer back to specific parts
of the text. (72/75 points)
B Level Participant:
Participant offers solid analysis without prompting. Through
comments, participant demonstrates a good knowledge of the text and
the question. Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes
and a marked/annotated text. Participant shows that he/she is actively
listening to others and offers clarification and/or follow-up. (63/75
points)
C Level Participant:
Participant offers some analysis, but needs prompting from the
seminar leader. Through comments, participant demonstrates a
general knowledge of the text and question. Participant is less
prepared, with few notes and no annotated text. Participant is actively
listening to others, but does not offer clarification and/or follow-up to
others’ comments. Participant relies more upon opinion, and less on
the text to drive comments. (57/75 points)
D Level Participant:
Participant offers little commentary and comes to the seminar ill
prepared with little understanding of the text and question. Participant
does not listen to others, offers no commentary to further the
discussion. Distracts the group by interrupting other speakers or by
offering off topic questions and comments. Participant ignores the
discussion and its participants. (50/75 points)
F Level Participant:
Participant does not speak during the Socratic Seminar or comes ill
prepared with no understanding of the text and question. (0/75 points)
RUBRIC:
Discussion:
__________/75 points
Outer Circle Notes:
__________/25 points
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TOTAL:
__________/100 points