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 designers who create costumes that reveal their interpretation of a character. Others may opt to assume the voice of a character and craft of diary, blog, or journal entry that reveals inner conflicts. To tweet or not to tweet is another question individuals may consider.

Concepts

hamlet, william shakespeare, dramatic plays, characterization, literary analysis

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Show multiple versions of act I, scene v and have class members discuss how the various presentations of the ghost scene indicate the director's interpretation of Hamlet's character
• Just for fun, show videos of many actors delivering the first line of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy

Classroom Considerations

• Although designed to accompany a viewing of a live production of the play, the materials are appropriate for any reading or film version
• If the text appears strange, open in another browser

Pros

• The 59-page guide includes a synopsis, a character list, before and after viewing questions, notes about the staging, activity suggestions, and a resource list

Cons

• None