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Lesson 4

We will continue to analyze the character of Claudius through a political lens. We will be introduced to the character of Hamlet and psychological literary criticism through reading the remaining lines of Act 1, Scene 2.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze the motivations and actions of Claudius in Act 1, Scene 2 through a political lens?

  • Can I analyze the mental state of the character Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2 by comparing how he views himself and his situation to how other characters view him and his situation?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Simon and Schuster, 2003
  • Multimedia
    • Hamlet: The Fully Dramatized Audio Edition, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2014

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter,” David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor, TED-Ed, 2015

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will work in groups to review our answers to the guiding homework questions for lines 1–41 of Act 1, Scene 2.

In groups, discuss at least one word or phrase that you added to your Vocabulary Journal. Then, discuss your responses to the guiding homework questions about Act 1, Scene 2 Lines 1-41. For reference, they are found below:

  1. Why would Claudius marry his dead brother’s wife?

  2. What reaction might the royal family have to this hasty marriage during the mourning period? What reaction might the citizens of Denmark have to this hasty marriage during the mourning period?

  3. What does Claudius’s reaction to Young Fortinbras reveal about Claudius’s perception of his own power?

Use the discussion to add to or revise your notes on the Political Lens Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 2: Write

We will be introduced to key features of the psychological literary criticism lens.

Access your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool and write down the following notes in the Notes on Psychological Lens cell:

  • Using psychological criticism, analyze the words and actions of a character in an attempt to reconstruct the inner workings of their minds. Hamlet is considered by many experts to be Shakespeare’s most psychologically complex character.

  • As you explore the psychology of the characters in Hamlet, consider the following questions:

    1. What traits do the characters possess? How are these traits revealed (actions, words, or thoughts)?

    2. How do the characters view themselves? How are the characters viewed by others? Do the two views agree or disagree?

    3. Is there a conflict between what the characters say or think and what they do?

    4. Is there a reasonable explanation for the characters’ seemingly irrational behavior?

    5. Do the characters change? If so, how and why?

    6. Can the reader trust that the characters are telling the truth?

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will read lines 42–65 from Act 1, Scene 2 and be introduced to the key characters polonius and laertes.

Read Lines 42-65 from Act 1, Scene 2. As you read, pay attention to the relationship among Polonius, Laertes, and Claudius. Use the questions below to assist you in annotating.

With a partner, discuss the following questions:

  1. Who is Polonius? What is his professional relationship with Claudius?

  2. Who is Laertes? What is his personal relationship with Polonius?

  3. Why is Laertes in Elsinore? What does Laertes request from Claudius? What is Cladius’s response?

Write down your answers in your Learning Log.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss

We will read lines 66–132 from Act 1, Scene 2 and be introduced to the protagonist of the play, young prince Hamlet.

Read Lines 66-132 of Act 1, Scene 2. Use the following questions to guide your reading of Lines 66-130:

  1. What is Hamlet’s mood in these lines? What lines support this interpretation?

  2. What do Claudius and Gertrude think are the origins of his mood? What lines support this interpretation?

After reading and annotating the lines, discuss the questions with a partner. Write down your answers in your Learning Log.

Activity 5: Read – Discuss

We will read Hamlet’s first soliloquy (lines 133–164) and examine his state of mind.

A soliloquy is a dramatic device in which characters talk to themselves alone onstage. Soliloquies allow the audience to know what a character is thinking.

Hamlet is often considered Shakespeare's most psychological play. Hamlet is a highly introspective character, and the reader gets to delve into his mind through his many soliloquies. From Hamlet’s quick aside in Line 67, you can infer that he is hiding his true thoughts from others. In this soliloquy, he is able to express freely his feelings about his uncle, mother, and father.

As you read and annotate Hamlet’s soliloquy, pay attention to whom he blames for his mood.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. Whom is Hamlet angry with? And why? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

  2. Is his anger justified? Why or why not? What lines support this interpretation?

  3. How does the punctuation used in the lines emphasize Hamlet’s mental state?

Write down notes on your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool. It is important that you take thorough notes on this tool, as you will use them when drafting a response to the Section Diagnostics and Culminating Task.

Activity 6: Read – Discuss

We will reread selected lines from Hamlet’s soliloquy more closely to further examine Hamlet’s state of mind.

Reread Lines 133-138.

HAMLET: O, that this too too solid flesh would melt

Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!

Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!

How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What insights do these lines provide on Hamlet’s current mental state?

  2. What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

Write down notes on your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 7: Read

We will examine the use of iambic pentameter and poetry structure in Hamlet.

You have likely noticed that Shakespeare uses apostrophes to remove letters from some words, such as ‘gainst (against) in Line 136. He does this because he wants to maintain a consistent meter. Meter contributes to the rhythm of poetry as a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Consider the following lines from Hamlet:

O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God, God (1.2.133-136)

Each line follows a pattern of five unstressed-stressed units to add up to a total of 10 syllables per line. This type of meter is called iambic pentameter. If Shakespeare had used against instead of ‘gainst, he would have thrown off his meter by including an 11th syllable.

Not every line of Hamlet is written in iambic pentameter, but many are. The use of a consistent meter creates a musical quality when reading the lines aloud, emphasizing the importance of the lines. Add iambic pentameter to your Vocabulary Journal. Your instructor will give you the definition.

View the short informational video explaining Shakespeare’s use of meter.

As you read additional scenes, listen for the musical quality of the lines.

Activity 8: Read

For homework, we will read the remaining lines in Act 1, Scene 2.

For homework, read and annotate Lines 165-280 from Act 1, Scene 2.

Consider reading the lines aloud with iambic pentameter in mind.