Secondary Language Arts Shakespeare: Hamlet's Soliloquy

Curriculum page : Language Arts Curriculum : Language Arts Lesson Plans

Title of Lesson: Comprehending Shakespeare: Hamlet's Soliloquy

Appropriate for Grade: 12

Supporting Mastery of Outcomes: 1201, 1202, 1204, and 1205

Lesson Objectives: Students will . . .

1. use the Internet to find Prince Charles' version of the Hamlet soliloquy,
2. read and discuss Hamlet's "To be or not to be . . . soliloquy," using the study guide questions,
3. read and discuss Prince Charles' update of the soliloquy, and
4. compare and contrast the two versions for form, content, and language usage.

Time Needed to Complete the Lesson: 2 periods or 80 Minutes

Materials Needed to Complete the Lesson:

1. The "To be or not to be . . . " soliloquy from Hamlet, Act III, Scene i
2. Prince Charles' version of the soliloquy
3. Study guide questions

Web Site(s) Required to Complete the Lesson:
http://www.hamlet.edmonton.ab.ca/charles.htm

Lesson Procedures:

1. Students should have read and discussed the "To be or not to be . . . " soliloquy from Hamlet.
2. Students will access the web site.
3. Students will read and discuss Prince Charles' update of the soliloquy, focusing on a discussion of slang terms, informal English, and the lack of subtlety and completeness.
4. Students will read and answer the study guide questions which relate to both soliloquy examples.

Study Guide Questions:

1. What is meant by the question, "To be or not to be . . . "?
2. What does Hamlet mean by "noble"?
3. What are "slings and arrows"?
4. Give a synonym for "fortune" in this context.
5. What is Hamlet referring to when he speaks of ending a sea of troubles?
6. To what does Hamlet compare death?
7. Define consummation in this context.
8. Why is this "a consummation devoutly to be wished"?
9. Define "contumely."
10. What does life consist of according to Hamlet?
11. How does one make a "quietus . . . with a bare bodkin"?
12. Define "fardels."
13. According to Hamlet, why do we bear fardels?
14. What does Hamlet refer to as "the undiscovered country"?
15. Define "bourn."
16. According to the passage, what do we dread?
17. How does our "conscience . . . make cowards of us all"?
18. What does Hamlet mean when he says, "the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought..."?
19. What is Hamlet trying to excuse at the end of the soliloquy?
20. What aspects of the soliloquy has Prince Charles neglected in his slang version?
21. Rewrite the soliloquy using informal language (colloquial usage, slang) -- without neglecting any aspects of the piece.

Lesson Assessment: Students will be successful in this lesson if they are able to

1. use the Internet to find the Prince Charles version of Hamlet's "To be or not to be . . . " soliloquy,
2. read and discuss Hamlet's "To be or not to be . . . " soliloquy and Prince Charles' version of the soliloquy using the study guide questions,
3. focus on the language usage changes in the two versions, and
4. participate effectively in the discussion of selected study guide questions.