This document outlines activities for students to complete in small groups for each act of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. For each act, students will be assigned one of five activities: 1) A 5-minute dramatic performance of the act; 2) An analysis of characters and their traits through quotes; 3) An exploration of themes through a presentation; 4) An analysis of imagery and rhetorical devices through a document; or 5) An analysis of a soliloquy and comparison of film versions. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes with visuals and discussion to engage classmates in learning. The goal is for students to understand and analyze each act of the play.
This document outlines activities for students to complete in small groups for each act of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. For each act, students will be assigned one of five activities: 1) A 5-minute dramatic performance of the act; 2) An analysis of characters and their traits through quotes; 3) An exploration of themes through a presentation; 4) An analysis of imagery and rhetorical devices through a document; or 5) An analysis of a soliloquy and comparison of film versions. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes with visuals and discussion to engage classmates in learning. The goal is for students to understand and analyze each act of the play.
This document outlines activities for students to complete in small groups for each act of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. For each act, students will be assigned one of five activities: 1) A 5-minute dramatic performance of the act; 2) An analysis of characters and their traits through quotes; 3) An exploration of themes through a presentation; 4) An analysis of imagery and rhetorical devices through a document; or 5) An analysis of a soliloquy and comparison of film versions. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes with visuals and discussion to engage classmates in learning. The goal is for students to understand and analyze each act of the play.
This document outlines activities for students to complete in small groups for each act of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. For each act, students will be assigned one of five activities: 1) A 5-minute dramatic performance of the act; 2) An analysis of characters and their traits through quotes; 3) An exploration of themes through a presentation; 4) An analysis of imagery and rhetorical devices through a document; or 5) An analysis of a soliloquy and comparison of film versions. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes with visuals and discussion to engage classmates in learning. The goal is for students to understand and analyze each act of the play.
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A Walk Through William Shakespeares Hamlet Act by Act!
For each Act:
a) It is your responsibility to be in class, follow along, help by reading a part out loud from time to time, and TO ASK QUESTIONS IF ANY PART OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IS NOT CLEAR TO YOU. By the time weve finished reading the act, you should know what happened. b) When we are done reading the act, you will, in a small group, prepare one of the activities below, depending on what youve been assigned. There are five activities and five acts. You will remain in the same group for the duration of our study of the play. You will do all activities once. c) You will present what youve prepared. The class will ask you questions about anything that they are not sure about.
Activities #1
A Dramatic Rendition of the Act in Five Minutes.
Your task is to perform the act for us in five minutes! This means that you will decide what must be left in or condensed and what can be left out. You may use modern English but each performer must incorporate one original line from the play in their dialogue. You should use simple costumes and props, especially if you need to play more than one part. You may have a script in your hand in case you forget your lines, but it should seem rehearsed enough that the Act flows!
#2
The Characters
Your task is to analyse the main characters as they present themselves in that Act. Focus on what character traits are revealed by what the character said or did, or by what others said about them. Explain the significance of the main characters to the class. Also, create a google spreadsheet with the following headlines and share your completed work with on google classroom.
Eg
Character Trait
Macbeth
brave leader
How we know it
Quotation
Soldier said he was
a fierce leader and
the victory fell
fighter.
us (1,2, 23)
upon
A minimum of 10 entries are expected.
Create and post a visual board on Pinterest for one of the main characters in this act. Present your board to the class explaining why you chose these images for this character. (at least 10 pins) #3
Themes
There are major themes that are introduced or developed in each act. Examples would be appearance versus reality, introspection versus action insanity good versus evil honour etc. Your task is to explore the various topics that Shakespeare presents to us through the action of the play. What is he showing us is true about these themes? What are the moments in this act that touch on these themes? Present these themes in a well-developed Prezi or Google Presentation including links to meaningful media. Share the link with our classroom.
#4
Imagery and other Rhetorical Devices
a) Shakespeare uses imagery to extend meaning in his play. Find references to the following imagery in your Act. Provide an explanation of its effectiveness and a quotation for each. Corruption
Disease
Insanity
Supernatural
Death
b) Explore the metaphors, hyperbole, symbols, analogies, allusions etc. that Shakespeare uses to bring his story alive through words. What is significant to notice about the use of these rhetorical devices? How do they reinforce themes or character traits? Show us 5 of the most beautifully crafted lines in this act and explain why they are so well-crafted. Create a google doc. In chart form, list the imagery, quotation and explanation and share it with our community.
#5
Analyzing Soliloquies and comparing two film Versions
You will analyze the soliloquy from your Act and explain the meaning and imagery in it to the class. Have the words on the screen for the class to view as you explain them. In class we watched the Branagh version of the play. Find 2 other versions of the soliloquy online and show them to the class. Compare the two versions in terms of: a) b) c)
the interpretation of the role of Hamlet.
the film setting of this important scene. special effects or sound effects used by the filmmaker to enhance the moment.
Other Guidelines / Requirements:
Your groups presentation of information should be approximately 10-15 minutes.
Everyone in the group is expected to contribute equally but all do not have to speak equally.
Visuals make it easier for your audience to focus on specific lines from the play that you refer to or specific details you want to point out. Create an electronic note detailing the significant discoveries of your group. You may refer to it during your presentation and post it on the google classroom for everyone to study from.
For each activity, except the acting and soliloquy analysis
Make sure your audience is actively learning through discussion questions, games or any other creative way that engages them in your presentation.
