Skip to Main Content

Lesson 2

We will interact with our newly acquired vocabulary in different language exercises to establish our understanding of their meaning. We will return to the introductory text to establish our understanding of the features of the tragedy genre. We will also read Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet and explore how the use of figurative language contributes to the mood of the play.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I accurately use newly acquired vocabulary from a text?

  • Can I determine central ideas in a text?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • Tragedy, excerpt from “A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature, Section II Tragedy: A Genre, Tragedy,” English Department, Brooklyn College, English Department, Brooklyn College, 2009
  • Multimedia
    • Hamlet: The Fully Dramatized Audio Edition, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2014
  • Tradebook
    • Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Simon and Schuster, 2003

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “Why Should You Read Hamlet?,” Iseult Gillespie, TED-Ed, 2019

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Write – Discuss

We will review the words we defined for homework to cement our understanding of their definitions.

Work with a partner to respond to the vocabulary exercises directed by your teacher.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

As a class, we will establish our understanding of the key features of the Tragedy genre.

Reread the first three paragraphs of “A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature, Section II Tragedy: A Genre, Tragedy,” As a class, discuss the following question:

  1. What are the key features of the tragedy genre?

Write down your discussion notes in your Learning Log.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will reread a selected excerpt from one of the texts we have read to analyze the author’s use of language.

Step 1

Reading like a writer involves studying how an author writes and determining why the author makes specific writing choices at the paragraph and sentence level. Understanding what those writing choices mean and deconstructing how the author made those choices can help you emulate those choices in your own writing practice and diversify your range of writing strategies. As you read the texts in this unit, use your Mentor Sentence Journal to compile sentences that stand out to you. These sentences might be interesting, or they might represent a strong example of a particular language use concept you have learned. You can use these sentences, as well as those from other units, to build a "writer’s toolbox," wherein you have a number of techniques at your disposal to use when writing.

Follow your teacher’s direction regarding grouping, materials, and which mentor sentence you will analyze. Use the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool to work through the following steps for each mentor sentence:

Step 2

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 3

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

  • Determine the parts of speech and function.

  • Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 4

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 5

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

  1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

  2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, modifiers) enhance the main clause?

  3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

  4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 6

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

  2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

  3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 7

Follow your teacher’s directions about choosing one or two mentor sentences to mimic. Use your deconstruction analysis of your chosen sentences to write your own, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Activity 4: View – Discuss

We will watch an introductory video on Hamlet. Then, we will discuss the video in groups.

Watch the video "Why Should You Read ‘Hamlet’?"

After viewing the animated video, discuss the following questions with a group:

  1. What are some details you learned about the plot of Hamlet?

  2. What are some details you learned about the characters in Hamlet?

  3. What are some details you learned about the themes in Hamlet?

  4. What details do you have questions about?

Activity 5: Read

We will read Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet and answer a series of guiding questions.

Step 1

Read and annotate Act 1, Scene 1 of Hamlet. Use the following questions to guide your reading. These questions can be found on the Section 1 Question Set:

  1. What has frightened the guardsmen at Elsinore? What lines support this?

  2. Who do the guardsmen plan to tell about what they have seen? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

  3. What plans does young Fortinbras of Norway have? What lines support this?

Step 2

After the reading, discuss the questions as a class. Write down your notes in your Learning Log.

Activity 6: Read

For homework, we will reread lines from Act 1, Scene 1 to deepen our understanding of the mood of the play.

For homework, reread Lines 124-137 from Act 1, Scene 1. Pay close attention to how Shakespeare establishes the mood of the play through his use of allusions, imagery, and personification.

HORATIO: A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.

In the most high and palmy state of Rome,

A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,

The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead

Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets:

As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood,

Disasters in the sun; and the moist star

Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands

Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse:

And even the like precurse of fierce events,

As harbingers preceding still the fates

And prologue to the omen coming on,

Have heaven and earth together demonstrated

Unto our climatures and countrymen. (1.1.124-137)

In your Learning Log, respond to the following questions, which appear on the Section 1 Question Set:

  1. How does the historical allusion to Rome and Julius Caesar connect to the situation in Denmark?

  2. What imagery is present in the lines? Which lines have the strongest imagery? What mood is created with the imagery?

  3. What effect does the use of personification have on the reader’s understanding of the situation in Denmark? What lines support this interpretation?

  4. What impact does Shakespeare’s word choice have on the meaning of this scene?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal. If necessary, revisit the Vocabulary in Context Tool to assist you with words or phrases you struggle with.