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Lesson 7

We will view a performance of Hamlet’s famous “Get Thee to a Nunnery” scene from Act 3 and engage in a class discussion that examines the scene through a feminist lens.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze Hamlet and Ophelia’s interaction in Act 3, Scene 1 through a feminist lens?

Texts

Core

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

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

As a class, we will review our answers to the guiding homework questions for lines 96–203 from Act 3, Scene 1.

With the class, discuss your responses to the guiding homework questions:

  1. How does Hamlet feel about Ophelia?

  2. What does Hamlet command Ophelia to do? Why?

  3. How does Ophelia react to Hamlet’s words?

  4. How does witnessing the scene affect Claudius’s understanding of Hamlet’s madness?

  5. How does witnessing the scene affect Polonius’s understanding of Hamlet’s madness?

Revise your annotations and notes in your Learning Log based on the class discussion.

Activity 2: View

We will view and analyze a film clip of the “Get Thee To A Nunnery” scene.

As you view the clip, pay attention to the following:

  1. What are Hamlet’s real feelings about Ophelia? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

  2. What causes Hamlet to become harsher as the scene progresses?

After viewing the clip, discuss your answers to the questions in groups. Refer to lines from the text to support your answers.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will engage in a class discussion to examine the scene through a feminist lens.

Discuss the following questions with the whole class:

  1. What role does Ophelia play in this scene?

  2. How is she viewed by others?

  3. How do you think Shakespeare intended the audience to view her? Why? What evidence supports your response?

Capture key takeaways on your Feminist Lens Note-Taking Tool.