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Lesson 8

We will view a film adaptation of Act 3, Scene 2 and examine how Shakespeare’s play within a play furthers Hamlet’s actions.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze the characters’ actions and words in Act 3, Scenes 2 and 3 through a psychological lens?

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

  • Multimedia
    • Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh, Sony Pictures, 1996

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: View

We will view a film adaptation of Act 3, Scene 2 in which the acting troupe performs a play written by Hamlet for claudius and gertrude.

View the film adaptation of Act 3, Scene 2. As you view it, pay attention to the following:

  • Hamlet’s request of Horatio

  • Hamlet’s attitude and treatment of other characters

  • The Mousetrap (Shakespeare’s play within a play) and its plot

  • Claudius’s reaction to the play

Though you are watching the film, have the text at hand so that you can consult it to find textual evidence to support your answers in the next discussion activity.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will discuss Act 3, Scene 2.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What does Hamlet request Horatio to do? Why does Hamlet trust Horatio? What lines from the play support this?

  2. What is the plot of The Mousetrap? How does it relate to the events of Hamlet?

  3. What is Claudius’s reaction to The Mousetrap?

  4. How does Hamlet treat Polonius in this scene?

  5. How does Hamlet treat Gertrude in this scene?

  6. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia in this scene?

  7. How does Hamlet treat Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in this scene?

  8. What do Hamlet’s words and actions in this scene reveal about his mental state? His personality? How might these differ from other scenes regarding his mental state?

Capture key takeaways from the discussion in your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 3: Read

We will read Act 3, Scene 3 and examine the inner thoughts of claudius and Hamlet.

Read and annotate Act 3, Scene 3. As you read, pay attention to what inner thoughts Claudius and Hamlet express in their respective soliloquies.

Activity 4: Write

For homework, we will respond to a series of questions about Act 3, Scene 3.

For homework, respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What task does Claudius give Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

  2. What is Polonius’s plan?

  3. What does Claudius confess in his soliloquy?

  4. Why does Hamlet refrain from killing Claudius in this scene? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

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.