Hamlet Teacher Resources

Young scholars research the social context of Elizabethan England for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". They identify cultural influences on the play focusing on the theme of revenge and then analyze and compare film interpretations of the play.

Encourage readers to determine if Hamlet's madness is actually divinest sense. Class members analyze the words of the play before studying related texts, including T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," scenes from...

“Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die/Passing through nature to eternity.” Grief, and the response to grief and loss, is the focus of a series of activities that uses Hamlet as a launchpad. Groups examine Act I, scene ii to...

Match the speaker to the quote from Hamlet. Each question is multiple-choice and gives the quote with four people to choose from. With not necessarily the most well-known quotes, this quiz is a little more challenging.

Though this assignment may be thought madness, there is an actual method. Scholars perform a close reading of the original text of the soliloquies in Hamlet and modern translations to ensure they understand the speeches. They then select...

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...

Hamlet's experience with his father's death rings true for those who have experienced the death of their own fathers. A video and set of activities, part of the Shakespeare English Exercises series, provides a unique perspective on...

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...

In Part Two of a video course in Hamlet, narrator John Green looks at the gender dynamics in the play. He presents Ophelia and Gertrude as powerful characters and argues that these women do have options that affect the course of the...

The lessons in Shakespeare's Hamlet transcend language and culture. An actor describes his view of the play in a short video accompanied by tasks, part of the Shakespeare English exercises series. While listening to the video,...

Romeo may appeal to more romantic students, but the broodier teenagers in your class are bound to relate to the melancholic, inward-facing Hamlet. Show an enthralling video that summarizes plot elements, characterization, and the...

High schoolers read texts, view film and video and conduct research in an analysis and comparison of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Kabuki piece "Chushingura". They focus their analysis on the theme of revenge.

"Words, words, words." Part I of a two-part course in Hamlet focuses on the changes Shakespeare made in his version of the old Danish tale and the reasons he might have made these changes. In particular, the narrator examines...

There is a method in a 28-page Hamlet toolkit. Rogues, peasant slaves, and young actors have an opportunity to engage in 11 activities that enable them to experience Hamlet in a whole new way. What a piece of work!

Should Hamlet avenge his father's death? Is the ghost telling the truth or is it trying to trick Hamlet? Is Hamlet's inconsistent behavior a ploy or is he really insane? Something really is rotten in Denmark, and with the help of the...

Here's a short anticipation guide for Hamlet. Before reading the text, learners will mark the things they believe will happen in the text. Then, after they read, they will revisit the guide to see what actually happened. 

Everyone is familiar with the beginning of Hamlet's soliloquy, "To be or not to be..." While reading Hamlet, help your middle schoolers analyze the lines that follow, but how do you help them make personal connections to the text? Use...

Complete the quote by Shakespeare's Hamlet. Each question gives a quote from the play Hamlet, usually spoken by the character Hamlet, with a missing word that you must fill in. The final question is a word that is spelled out using the...

Even those experienced teachers of Hamlet can find much to like in a guide that offers many fresh ideas for activities. Class members may take on the role of FBI profilers that investigate Claudius and Hamlet as murderers, or...

If you're looking for a quick time filler, pass out this learning exercise. High schoolers find the names of the characters introduced in Hamlet in a word search. An answer page is not provided, but it appears to be challenging as the...

Hopefully, learners do not sleep during a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet. A helpful study guide introduces theater goers to the popular Shakespearean tragedy and includes activities to accompany a production of the play. Activities...