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Lesson 7

We will explore Hamlet’s interaction with the Ghost through three different literary lenses: feminist, political, and psychological.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze the interaction between the Ghost and Hamlet through the different literary lenses: feminist, political, and psychological?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Hamlet, William Shakespeare, Simon and Schuster, 2003

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “Hamlet and Elizabethan England,” Hannah Lavery, The Open University, 2016

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will reread lines 1–119 through a feminist lens.

In groups, discuss the following questions:

  1. How are women, particularly Gertrude, portrayed in this scene (lines 1–119)?

  2. How are the Ghost’s and Hamlet’s views of women similar? How do they differ?

  3. What lines support this interpretation?

Capture takeaways from this discussion on your Feminist 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 2: Read – Discuss

We will reread lines 1–119 of Act 1, Scene 5 again, this time through a political lens.

Reread Lines 1–119 of Act 1, Scene 5, this time through a political lens.

In groups, discuss the following questions:

  1. What role do politics and power play in this scene?

  2. How might they contribute to the motivations of the characters?

  3. What consequences might they present?

  4. What lines support this interpretation?

Capture takeaways from this discussion on your Political 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 3: Read – Discuss

We will reread lines 99–119 of Act 1, Scene 5 one last time, this time through a psychological lens.

Reread Lines 99–119 of Act 1, Scene 5, this time through a psychological lens.

In groups, discuss the following questions:

  1. What does Hamlet’s reaction to the Ghost’s revelation reveal about his mental state?

  2. What lines support this interpretation?

Capture takeaways from this discussion 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 4: Read

For homework, we will read the remaining lines (lines 120–212) in Act 1, Scene 5.

For homework, read and annotate the remaining lines (Lines 120–212) in Act 1, Scene 5. Respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What does Hamlet reveal to Horatio and Marcellus?

  2. What does he not reveal?

As you read for homework, write down 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.