Unit 8: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
Unit 8: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Essential Questions and Skills:
How are Elizabethan beliefs and lifestyle portrayed in Hamlet? How does Shakespeare’s choice of setting in 16th century Denmark affect the play? How does Shakespeare use foil characters to create judgments on the behavior and motives of Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and several of the minor characters? What enables us to interpret tone in the play without any stage directions to help us? Is Polonius an old fool or a sinister manipulator? Is Hamlet truly mad or just pretending to be? How is the motif of acting used by Shakespeare for both characterization and plot? How does Shakespeare’s use of puns affect our interpretation of the dialogue? How does Shakespeare insert comic relief into his tragedies? Does Hamlet have an Oedipal complex? Is Hamlet a classical tragic hero?
How do we read Shakespearean dialogue and verse aloud? What is the proper format for writing an obituary?
Materials:
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Film, Kenneth Branagh version
Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone by Nancy Dean
Assessments:
A. Groups: Diplomatic Mission: Your group is to send a diplomatic envoy to Denmark to determine the political situation there. (Closely read I. i. 78-147). When you arrive, you find that there is much activity. When you return to your homeland, prepare a report for your leader’s advisors in which you tell them the nature of the activity going on in Denmark and the reasons for this activity. Describe the “mood” of the country, as part of your report.
B. Rewrite Hamlet’s soliloquy in modern English Be sure to keep meaning and attitude. You may add stage directions, if it would help get your interpretation across more easily. (I ii. / II. ii./ II. iii./ III. i./ IV. i.)
C. Write a letter from Ophelia to Hamlet in which she questions his strange behavior to her. Be specific in referring to the behavior (as seen in the play).
D. Writing Assignment: Hamlet says the combination of the Ghosts’ appearance and plea for justice would make even stones feel pity (“form and cause cojoined and capable”). Hamlet implores the Ghost to turn his gaze away because it weakens his impulse to revenge. Write three sentences that describe, respectively, the facial expressions on Hamlet, Gertrude, and the Ghost, during this crucial scene. Explain why you chose the expression.
E. Writing Assignment: The play is littered with corpses at the end and others have died earlier. Using what you’ve learned about the character by reading the play, write the obituary of one dead character.
F. Final Projects: In lieu of a final exam on the play, you are being given an extended essay assignment. You will be judged on the following criteria: how well you tackle the question (response to prompt), how well you present your answer (proper structure: introduction with thesis, supporting paragraphs, conclusion, use of textual evidence with proper citation), your understanding of the text (as shown by your use of it) and your skill in interpreting Shakespearean text. Only use plot to set context.(Choices include: characterizing Hamlet as either depressed, insane, an over-thinker, religious, a misogynist; evaluating Claudius as a strong leader or a ruthless man; presenting the play from Horatio’s perspective in relation to Hamlet’s wishes in Act 5, Scene 2, Lines 378-383; characterizing Polonius as wise, ambitious, foolish, or a combination; Hamlet’s changing ideas of life and death; Shakespeare’s use of foil characters in relation to Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras; Bertrude as a loving mother or a weak woman defining herself through her husband; characterization of Ophelia).
D. Weekly vocabulary assessments
E. Weekly exercises from Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone.
G. Student generated AP style multiple choice questions
Essential Questions and Skills:
How are Elizabethan beliefs and lifestyle portrayed in Hamlet? How does Shakespeare’s choice of setting in 16th century Denmark affect the play? How does Shakespeare use foil characters to create judgments on the behavior and motives of Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and several of the minor characters? What enables us to interpret tone in the play without any stage directions to help us? Is Polonius an old fool or a sinister manipulator? Is Hamlet truly mad or just pretending to be? How is the motif of acting used by Shakespeare for both characterization and plot? How does Shakespeare’s use of puns affect our interpretation of the dialogue? How does Shakespeare insert comic relief into his tragedies? Does Hamlet have an Oedipal complex? Is Hamlet a classical tragic hero?
How do we read Shakespearean dialogue and verse aloud? What is the proper format for writing an obituary?
Materials:
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Film, Kenneth Branagh version
Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone by Nancy Dean
Assessments:
A. Groups: Diplomatic Mission: Your group is to send a diplomatic envoy to Denmark to determine the political situation there. (Closely read I. i. 78-147). When you arrive, you find that there is much activity. When you return to your homeland, prepare a report for your leader’s advisors in which you tell them the nature of the activity going on in Denmark and the reasons for this activity. Describe the “mood” of the country, as part of your report.
B. Rewrite Hamlet’s soliloquy in modern English Be sure to keep meaning and attitude. You may add stage directions, if it would help get your interpretation across more easily. (I ii. / II. ii./ II. iii./ III. i./ IV. i.)
C. Write a letter from Ophelia to Hamlet in which she questions his strange behavior to her. Be specific in referring to the behavior (as seen in the play).
D. Writing Assignment: Hamlet says the combination of the Ghosts’ appearance and plea for justice would make even stones feel pity (“form and cause cojoined and capable”). Hamlet implores the Ghost to turn his gaze away because it weakens his impulse to revenge. Write three sentences that describe, respectively, the facial expressions on Hamlet, Gertrude, and the Ghost, during this crucial scene. Explain why you chose the expression.
E. Writing Assignment: The play is littered with corpses at the end and others have died earlier. Using what you’ve learned about the character by reading the play, write the obituary of one dead character.
F. Final Projects: In lieu of a final exam on the play, you are being given an extended essay assignment. You will be judged on the following criteria: how well you tackle the question (response to prompt), how well you present your answer (proper structure: introduction with thesis, supporting paragraphs, conclusion, use of textual evidence with proper citation), your understanding of the text (as shown by your use of it) and your skill in interpreting Shakespearean text. Only use plot to set context.(Choices include: characterizing Hamlet as either depressed, insane, an over-thinker, religious, a misogynist; evaluating Claudius as a strong leader or a ruthless man; presenting the play from Horatio’s perspective in relation to Hamlet’s wishes in Act 5, Scene 2, Lines 378-383; characterizing Polonius as wise, ambitious, foolish, or a combination; Hamlet’s changing ideas of life and death; Shakespeare’s use of foil characters in relation to Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras; Bertrude as a loving mother or a weak woman defining herself through her husband; characterization of Ophelia).
D. Weekly vocabulary assessments
E. Weekly exercises from Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone.
G. Student generated AP style multiple choice questions