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Lesson 4

We will read the first half of Act 5, Scene 2, the final scene in the play, and examine Hamlet’s state of mind and his archetypal role as a tragic hero.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze Hamlet through a psychological lens?

  • Can I analyze Hamlet through an archetypal 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

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will discuss our responses to the homework questions for lines 230–319 from Act 5, Scene 1.

In groups, discuss your responses to the homework questions for Lines 230-319 from Act 5, Scene 1:

  1. Why is Laertes upset with the priest?

  2. How does Hamlet react when he finds out that Ophelia has died? Is his reaction believable? What does it reveal about his state of mind?

  3. How do Laertes, Claudius, and Gertrude react to Hamlet’s response?

Write down key takeaways from the discussion on your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 2: Read

We will read lines 1–91 from Act 5, Scene 2.

Read and annotate Lines 1-91 from Act 5, Scene 2. Use the following questions to guide your reading:

  1. What does Hamlet reveal to Horatio?

  2. What does the revelation reveal about Hamlet’s state of mind?

  3. What effect, if any, does this revelation have on Hamlet’s position as a tragic hero?

Activity 3: Discuss

We will discuss lines 1–91 of Act 5, Scene 2.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What does Hamlet reveal to Horatio?

  2. What does the revelation reveal about Hamlet’s state of mind?

  3. What effect, if any, does this revelation have on Hamlet’s position as a tragic hero?

Write down key takeaways from the discussion on your Psychological Lens Note-Taking Tool and Archetypal Lens Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 4: Read

We will read lines 92–238 from Act 5, Scene 2.

Respond to the following questions regarding Lines 92-238 from Act 5, Scene 2:

  1. What message does Osric bring?

  2. How does Hamlet react to the message? What evidence supports your interpretation?

  3. How does Horatio react to the message? What evidence supports your interpretation? How does Horatio’s reaction foreshadow the ending of the play?

  4. What archetypal features of the tragic hero are embodied in this scene?

Activity 5: Discuss

We will discuss lines 92–238 from Act 5, Scene 2.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What message does Osric bring?

  2. How does Hamlet react to the message? What evidence supports your interpretation?

  3. How does Horatio react to the message? What evidence supports your interpretation?

  4. How does Horatio’s reaction foreshadow the ending of the play?

  5. What archetypal features of the tragic hero are embodied in this scene?

Write down key takeaways from the discussion on your Archetypal Lens Note-Taking Tool.