Hamlet

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of Hamlet by choosing a prompt from below, developing a thesis statement out of it, and answering the thesis statement by analyzing and using direct evidence from the text. 

QUESTIONS TO DEVELOP THESIS STATEMENTS ABOUT AND ANSWER

1)    Polonius is sometimes played as a senile old fool, sometimes as a shrewd and worldly old man.  Which interpretation do you agree with and why?

2)    Pick one character who could, at some point, have changed the whole chain of events.  Discuss.

3)    Analyze the three appearances of the ghost seen in the play.  Where did he appear; to whom did he appear?  How does the third appearance differ from the first two?  What is the significance of this?

4)    Discuss the reasons for Hamlet’s apparent delay in seeking revenge for his father.  What is your opinion regarding his procrastination?

5)    Compare and contrast Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras as avengers.

6)    What is Hamlet’s attitude towards life and people?  How does it affect his actions?

7)    Apply the following quote to Hamlet: “A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good.  Therefore, it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how to not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it, according to the necessity of the case.”  -- THE PRINCE, Machiavelli

8)    Examine the reoccurring pun on sun and son.  How does this symbol work in the overall meaning of the play.

9)    Was Ophelia pregnant with Hamlet’s child?

10)  Did Hamlet slip into madness?

11)  It is Hamlet who causes the downfall of Denmark.

12) What is the meaning of the pirates?

13) Is Hamlet Jesus Christ?  How is Horatio either John the Baptist or an apostle.

14) Why or how is Denmark the Garden of Eden?

15) Gertrude knows about the murder?

16) The meaning of prostitution in Hamlet?

17) Can Hamlet be compared to our current society?  If so, how?

18) Perhaps others—as we read or when we finish

OBJECTIVES:  At the end of this unit students will be able to

Knowledge:

1) List the five elements of tragedy

2) List the five elements of a tragic hero

3) Define theme, plot, setting, foreshadow, oxymoron, soliloquy, personification, dramatic foil, metaphor (direct, implied, extended), symbol, simile, pun

4) Give the four elements of a sonnet and a brief description of traditional sonnet themes

5) Define various vocabulary words from the play

       

Comprehension:

6) Identify a metaphor (direct, implied, extended), simile, pun or symbol within the play

7) Identify the rhyme scheme of a English sonnet and break a sonnet into quatrains and couplets

8) Give a brief description of all the characters and their roles in the play

9) Given a line of dialogue identify the speaker

10) Outline the plot and break in up into exposition, inciting event, rising action, climax, falling action and catastrophe (or resolution)

11) Summarize each scene into a headline

12) Answer various discussion questions and come to class prepared to discuss/jutify/argue answers in a group setting 

Application

13) Demonstrate an understanding of a scene in a drawing

14) Demonstrate a relation of characters to contemporary times through a simulation 

15) Demonstrate an understanding of characters and acting techniques by writing out a script (including the lines, subtext, emotion or tone, and blocking) and acting out the scene from memory

16) Demonstrate an understanding of the play by writing journal entries and in-class writing assignments including a Dear Abbey Letter, interviews with citizens of Denmark, personal responses, and in-class presentations on characters.   

17) Demonstrate an understanding of parts of the play by translation Shakespeare’s lines into contemporary English

18) Write a poem or a rap about Hamlet

19) Research a character: the different critical views and present findings to class

Analysis

20) Write a analysis paper on some element or question of Hamlet and present the paper to class as an 

oration

21) Students will view different versions of the same scene and describe the interpretation of the characters

And ideas that have taken by the actors/director.  

22) Students will take a question and prepare an extemporaneous commentary speech based Hamlet.

Synthesis

23) Write a sonnet

24) Write Shakespearean Insults 

WHY READ HAMLET???????

Hamlet ACT 1 Scene 1


1) How is interest created in the opening scene?
2) What information are we given to help us understand the situation?
3) What happens at the end of the scene to create suspense and keep up the reader’s interest?
4) What is the mood of the scene?
5) Why are the sentries apprehensive (there are two reasons)?
6) What reasons are suggested by Horatio for the appearance of the late King’s ghost?
7) Who are the characters present in the scene?
8) List one thing Horatio says about the former King?
9) Who is young Fortinbras?
10) What does Horatio say happened in Rome after Julius Caesar was murdered?
11) How does Horatio differ from Marcellus and Barnardo in scene 1?
12) What is Horatio’s purpose in scene 1 (why is he present)?
13) What past history (Denmark’s history) is revealed in scene 1?

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