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EAL Nexus resource
Hamlet – revenge tragedy
Essay scaffold cards
Subject:
English
Age ranges:
12–14, 15–16, 17–18
Topic:
Hamlet
Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes.
Source | This resource was originally developed by EAL Nexus.
©British Council 2015
Is Shakespeare’s play
‘Hamlet’ an example
of an Elizabethan
Revenge Tragedy?
D
William Shakespeare:
Key words: Shakespeare, Hamlet
Nouns: playwright, Elizabethan England, 16th century,
comedies, tragedies, revenge tragedies, popular
Verbs: to write
William Shakespeare was …
Here I am going to consider whether …
In this essay I am going to show how far …
Revenge tragedy:
F
Key words: Seneca, a Greek writer, Thomas Kyd, an
Elizabethan writer
Nouns: elements, a formula
Verbs: to model on, to originate from, to contain, to develop
Transition phrases: in addition, similarly, later
Useful phrases: Before doing this/Before I discuss this:
1. it is important to explain what is meant by a … .
2. I will clarify what is meant by a … .
It was modelled on …
It was developed by …
It originated from …
It contains …
A
Key words: King Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, King Claudius
Nouns: element, a formula, characteristic, a crime,
justice system, the main character
Verbs: to commit, to resolve, to murder, to get revenge
Transition phrases: Firstly, To begin with, In the first
place
Useful phrases:
One of the key elements in a revenge tragedy is that … .
1. This is evident in Hamlet when …
2. We can see this in Hamlet when …
Adding evidence: When _______ says, “quote”, he
shows that …
Element:
Key words: The ghost of Hamlet’s father, Prince Hamlet
Nouns: ghost
Verbs: to appear, to persuade, to get revenge
Transition phrases: Secondly, Another, Further, Second
Useful phrases:
A … characteristic of a revenge tragedy is that … .
1. This can be seen in … when …
2. This takes place in Hamlet when …
Adding evidence: When _______ says, “quote”, it is
clear that …
G
Key words: Prince Hamlet
Nouns: the main character
Adjectives: doubtful
Verbs: to hesitate, to get revenge
Transition phrases: Thirdly
H
Useful phrases:
In all revenge tragedies …
1. This is illustrated in Hamlet when …
2. Prince Hamlet …
Adding evidence: For example, in Act __ Scene ___,
Hamlet says “quote”. This shows that …
Further evidence of this can be seen when …
I
Key words: Prince Hamlet
Nouns: the main character, soliloquy, audience, thoughts
Adjectives: alone
Verbs: to talk
Transition phrases: Additionally, In addition, Furthermore
Useful phrases:
______________ are typical of revenge tragedies.
1. There are several examples of this in Hamlet, for
instance when …
Adding evidence: In Act ___ Scene ___, Hamlet says
“quote”. He tells the audience that …
Hamlet speaks to the audience again when he says “quote”.
This helps to …
E
Key words: Prince Hamlet, Laertes, King Claudius,
Gertrude
Nouns: the main characters, ending, conclusion, the
majority of
Adjectives: bloody, violent, all, most of
Verbs: to get revenge, to die
Transition phrases: Lastly, Finally, Similarly, However,
Useful phrases:
… at the end of the revenge tragedy …
Similarly in Hamlet …
Adding evidence: In the final act, ___________ says
“quote”. This shows that …
Key words: Thomas Kyd, Hamlet, Olivia, Horatio
Nouns: element, characteristic, accomplice, the main
character, madness
Verbs: to go mad, to add, to pretend
Transition phrases: Both … and …
Useful phrases:
In Elizabethan times, Thomas Kyd …
1. For example …
2. Additionally …
This can be seen in Hamlet, when …
Throughout the play …
During the play …
Adding evidence: In Act ___ Scene____, ______says
“quote”.
This shows that …
B
C
Key words: Hamlet, Shakespeare,
Nouns: devices, elements, characteristics
Verbs: to contain, to demonstrate
Transition phrases: In conclusion, To summarise, In
summary, For the most part … The only exception is that …
Useful phrases:
… Shakespeare’s Hamlet contains evidence of …
1. For example …
2. The only exception is that …