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Lesson 5

We will read the end of the play and discuss the insights that each critical lens brings to understanding and appreciating the scene. We will prepare for the next lesson’s Section Diagnostic.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I analyze the final scene of Hamlet through an archetypal lens?

  • Can I analyze the final scene of Hamlet through a feminist lens?

  • Can I analyze the final scene of Hamlet through a psychological lens?

  • Can I analyze the final scene of Hamlet through a political 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

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will read lines 239–449 from Act 5, Scene 2, the final lines of the play.

Read and annotate Lines 239-449 from Act 5, Scene 2.

Activity 2: Discuss

We will discuss lines 239–449 of Act 5, Scene 2, the final lines of the play.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What catastrophic events take place in the scene? Who is responsible for each event?

  2. What characters demonstrate an inner change? Which do not? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

  3. What key features of the tragedy genre are present in this scene? Which are not? How does the presence, or absence, of these features affect the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the scene?

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

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will analyze the scene from feminist and political lenses.

Reconsider the scene from a feminist lens. Use the following questions to guide your analysis:

  1. How is Gertrude portrayed in this scene? Strong or weak? Innocent or deceitful? Sympathetic or unfeeling? A combination of traits?

  2. What lines from the scene support your interpretation?

Now, reconsider the scene from a political lens. Use the following questions to guide your analysis:

  1. Who is portrayed as in control in this scene?

  2. Who is portrayed as out of control?

  3. What irony does this present?

  4. What lines from the scene support your interpretation?

With a partner, discuss the following question:

  1. What insights do you, the reader, have from analyzing the same scene through multiple lenses?

Write down key takeaways from the discussion on your Note-Taking Tools for the appropriate lens.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will review the norms for a Socratic Seminar and begin preparation to have an effective seminar in our groups.

Step 1

The next lesson is the Section Diagnostic. For this diagnostic, you will engage in a Socratic Seminar.

A Socratic Seminar is student-led discussion, in which you aim to gain a deeper and more robust understanding of the ideas and values in a text or across multiple texts.

Review the Section 4 Diagnostic Checklist. Ask clarifying questions as needed.

Step 2

There is no leader in a Socratic Seminar: Each learner's voice is equal, and there are no experts.

In a Socratic Seminar, different perspectives are critical: they help all participants see multiple sides of complex topics and expand everyone's understanding. During a seminar, it is important to pose questions that elicit discussion, not a simple right-or-wrong answer.

As such, it is critical that questions in a Socratic Seminar are open-ended (they elicit multiple perspectives), thought-provoking (they challenge students to evaluate and synthesize their ideas), and clear (they are easily understandable).

With your classmates, create norms for a Socratic Seminar.

Activity 5: Write

We will write open-ended questions in preparation for a Socratic Seminar.

Consider the play and the critical essays you have read so far on your topic. Write two open-ended, thought-provoking questions about your topic. Three examples of such questions are below:

  1. What advantages or limitations does the political lens have on understanding the meaning of the play?

  2. What themes of Hamlet are illuminated when analyzing the play through a psychological lens?

  3. "Why has Ophelia been such a potent and obsessive figure in our cultural mythology?" (from "Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism")

Below are some thought-provoking questions frames that you might use to craft your questions:

  1. What do you think about _____? What evidence from the text supports your belief?

  2. What is the relationship between _____ and _____?

  3. What do the texts say about _____? What about this perspective do you agree or disagree with?

  4. What significance is this to _____?

  5. If _____ is true, then _____?

Questions to avoid:

  • questions that are too vague (other group members are unsure what you are asking, so they will not respond to the question)

  • questions that are too general (not everyone understands the question)

  • yes-or-no questions (a discussion does not arise from the question)