Curated OER
Shakespearean Comedy on Film
This lesson will focus on the aspects of Shakespeare's comedy that become more evident in performance. By viewing clips of the same Shakespeare scene in different film versions, high schoolers have the opportunity to engage in a close...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Vengeful Verbs in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
It's time for pupils to read, examine, and contemplate literature to explore the difference between vivid and generic verbs. Pupils distinguish between the two types of verbs as they read the ghost scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. They...
Curated OER
Hamlet's State of Mind
Analyze various excerpts from Hamlet and read articles to develop an argument about his sanity. Middle and high schoolers write an argument essay defending whether or not they believe Hamlet is insane. You could modify this assignment...
Curated OER
Close Reading
Eleventh graders read and study Hamlet. Then they are introduced to close reading as a means of understanding what is being read--not only understanding the printed word, but also the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by...
Curated OER
"Exploring Shakespeare" An Introduction of Character and "Hamlet"
Students examine the literary terms "round character" and "characterization" through the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. They view and discuss examples of clip art, video, and comic strips, and describe the character traits. ...
Curated OER
Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Ethic in Text and Film
Students discover how Shakespeare's play interprets Elizabethan attitudes toward revenge, as reflected in the structure of the Elizabethan revenge tragedy, one of the most popular forms of drama of that era. Students perform certain...
Curated OER
"To Be Or Not To Be" And the VT
Using the online Visual Thesaurus, nascent actors work in groups to analyze and interpret Hamlet's "To Be Or Not To Be" monologue. Individuals then craft a contemporary version of this famous speech and present their adaptation...
Curated OER
Relationship Role Plays
Young scholars connect a scene from a play they are reading to events in their own lives. Working in male/female pairs, students act out a scene from "Hamlet." Pairs work to role play a scene as an extension of the one they have read,...
Curated OER
Reviewing Status Using Hamlet
Students complete exercises examining the use of status and class in selected portions of Hamlet. Working in pairs of small groups, students act out the mannerisms encountered in the selected text. They compare and contrast these...
Curated OER
Folger on the Ramparts
Students use the website "Hamlet on the Ramparts" to investigate different ways of producing the ghost scenes 1.4 and 1.5 of Hamlet. They use this information to help them develop their own ideas on staging these important scenes.
University of Victoria (Canada)
Shakespeare's Life and Times: History and Politics
This section on the life and times of Shakespeare addresses the stories behind his 'histories'.
Other
Stratford Shakespeare Festival: Hamlet 2015 Study Guide [Pdf]
This Stratford Study Guide has a history of the Stratford Shakespeare Theatre and its productions of Hamlet, a biography of Shakespeare, a timeline of his playwriting, a synopsis of the play, classroom activities, and a bibliography.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library: Lesson Plan Archive: Imagery in Hamlet
Lesson plan takes young scholars through an exploration of the figurative language in "Hamlet."
Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library: Teaching Modules: Hamlet
Lesson plan asks students to learn about patterns of imagery in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" through online resources.
Other
Shakespeare Resource Center: Shakespeare's Grammar
This site provides a searchable glossary of over 2100 words from Shakespeare's works.