Hamlet Lesson Plans
by William Shakespeare

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Hamlet eNotes Lesson Plan

One of the best-known plays ever written and undoubtedly William Shakespeare’s most popular, Hamlet was first performed in 1601 or 1602. Although it appears Shakespeare took the basic premise from another play written decades earlier, his drama is a very significant literary departure from the original—and from revenge plays of...

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Hamlet eNotes Curriculum Plan

Many of William Shakespeare's works feature “stock” characters. Stock characters have commonly recognized traits. In Shakespeare’s theater company, the same actor often played the same stock character in different productions. A few examples of stock characters are the damsel in distress, the shrewish woman, the wise grandfather, and the fool. Polonius is the stock “fool”...

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Hamlet eNotes Reading Response Prompts

What supernatural element is established immediately in the play? Why has Horatio been asked to stand watch with Barnardo and Marcellus? Describe Hamlet’s emotional state after the death of his father. What do Claudius and Gertrude want from Hamlet? Why can’t Hamlet comply with their wishes? Describe what Laertes thinks about Hamlet’s feelings...

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Hamlet on Film Lesson Plan

Through viewing Laurence Olivier’s, Franco Zeffirelli’s, and Kenneth Branagh’s film versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet, students will see how one director interprets the text of the play. Students will demonstrate the ability to criticize by developing and organizing their own reactions to convey information about the film. Students will also demonstrate...

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Hamlet Literary Devices Lesson Plan

Theme Revealed Through Motif: This lesson plan focuses on Shakespeare’s use of motif in developing an important theme in Hamlet. Students will examine deception as a major motif in the play and interpret what Shakespeare suggests about adopting deceptive behavior to resolve conflicts. Students will focus on Hamlet and Claudius...

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Hamlet eNotes Teaching Guide

This guide highlights some of the most salient aspects of William Shakespeare's Hamlet before you begin teaching. In helping guide your students through the text, they will gain insight into humanism as a literary movement and the English Renaissance as a literary period, as well as important themes surrounding mortality, revenge,...

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Hamlet Reading Comprehension Quiz

This quiz contains reading comprehension questions for Hamlet.

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Hamlet Character Analysis Lesson Plan

Gertrude and Ophelia as Shakespeare's Innocents Destroyed: This lesson plan focuses Gertrude’s and Ophelia’s roles as innocent, tragic victims in Hamlet who succumb to the demands of their society and the deadly forces in Claudius’s court. Students will contrast their positions in the court, describe their relationships with Hamlet, Claudius,...

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Hamlet Act 3, Scenes 3 and 4 Dialogue Analysis Activity

Through dialogue, playwrights reveal a character’s motivations, personality traits, and relationships with other characters. Diction (word choice) plays an essential role in writing dialogue because it creates mood, develops characters, and establishes events in the play. The following activity will help students analyze passages of dialogue and determine how they...

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