Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 3 Pre-Intermediate Hamlet

Teachers Notes

Hamlet
By William Shakespeare

Summary
The King of Denmark, is dead and has been succeeded not by his son, Hamlet, but by his brother, Claudius. Soon after the funeral, Claudius marries his brothers widow, Gertrude. Hamlet, still upset by his fathers death, sees the ghost of his father, who tells him that he was murdered by Claudius. The Ghost asks his son to avenge his death. Hamlet pretends to go mad. Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, forbids his daughter, Ophelia, to see Hamlet. Spied on by Polonius and Claudius, Ophelia returns Hamlets love letters and is violently rejected by him. A group of travelling actors arrive at the court. Hamlet asks them to perform a play in which a king is murdered by his nephew. He hopes that the story, which is similar to the murder of his father by Claudius, will force Claudius to betray his guilt. Hamlet is right: Claudius is upset by the play. Hamlet is summoned to his mothers room, where he angrily criticises her for her hasty marriage. He accidentally kills Polonius, who is hiding behind a curtain, believing him to be Claudius. Claudius sends Hamlet to England, planning to have him murdered. Laertes, Poloniuss son, returns to Denmark from France, demanding revenge for his fathers death. Ophelia, mad with grief, drowns herself. Hamlet returns from England, having discovered Claudiuss plot to have him killed. He confronts Laertes and Claudius at Ophelias funeral. Claudius plots with Laertes to kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword in a swordfight. The plot goes wrong and Laertes dies. Gertrude drinks from a poisoned cup intended for Hamlet and dies. Hamlet, wounded by the poisoned sword, kills Claudius before he, too, dies. Young Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, enters and claims the throne of Denmark for himself.

wrote 37 plays, sometimes writing three plays a year! He also wrote poetry, including a number of beautiful sonnets. Some of his plays: The Taming of the Shrew (1591), Richard III (1592), A Midsummer Nights Dream (1594), Romeo and Juliet (1595), The Merchant of Venice (1596), Henry V (1599), Much Ado About Nothing (1599), Julius Caesar (1599), Twelfth Night (1600), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1605), Antony and Cleopatra (1606), Macbeth (1605), The Tempest (1611).

Background and themes

Shakespeares plays are famous throughout the world for their poetry and their insights into the nature of life and the human condition. A large number of them are set in the south of Europe, particularly Italy. However, he chose gloomy northern European landscapes for three of his darkest tragedies: Macbeth, King Lear and Hamlet. The story of Hamlet is found in the folk literature of Iceland, Ireland and Denmark. The earliest reference we have to Hamlet is in an eleventh-century Icelandic poem. Shakespeares play is as widely read, seen and performed today as it was four hundred years ago. One of the main reasons is that Hamlet himself is a character that people will always identify with. He is a complex character his sense of honour and duty is in constant conflict with his inner doubts and uncertainties. This confusion leads to delay and indecision and, ultimately, to final tragedy. Apart from the complex nature of Hamlet himself, there are other themes: One of the main themes is madness. Hamlet pretends to be mad to conceal his indecision. But this ploy backfires, leading to, among other things, Ophelias genuine descent into madness over Hamlets unintentional murder of her father. Another theme of the play is disease and poison Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Poison is the main instrument of death in the story. A further theme is revenge. In a traditional revenge tragedy, the hero plans his revenge. In Hamlet, the tragedy stems from the heros doubt and uncertainty. Many lives would have been saved if Hamlet had just killed his uncle earlier. An interesting theme is destiny and fate the appearance of the Ghost is responsible for everything. Does Hamlet have a choice in what he does, or is there some great plan which makes everything inevitable?

About William Shakespeare

Although Shakespeare is one of the worlds greatest writers, surprisingly little is known about his life, especially his early years in Stratford. However, we do know that: he was born on 23rd April 1564 and died on his 52nd birthday, in 1616. his mother, Mary Arden, came from a higher social background than his father, who was a civil servant. he went to a good school but did not attend university. in 1582 he married Anne Hathaway and they had three children. From 1590, his plays began to be performed on the London stage. Over a period of 23 years (15901613), he
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Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 3 Pre-Intermediate Hamlet

Teachers Notes
Many films have been made of the play. The most wellknown were made in: 1948 with Laurence Olivier as Hamlet. It won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. 1969 with Nicol Williamson as Hamlet and Anthony Hopkins as Claudius. 1996 with Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet and Kate Winslet as Ophelia. Act 3 1 Put students into small groups to discuss these questions. What does Hamlet think about (a) life and death? (b) women? (c) Claudius when he is praying? (d) his mothers marriage? (e) Poloniuss death? Do you agree with him? Why/why not? 2 Put students into groups of three. Ask them to act out this imaginary courtroom scene. Student A: You are Claudiuss lawyer. Tell the judge why Hamlet is guilty of Poloniuss murder. What punishment should Hamlet have? Why? Student B: You are Hamlets lawyer. Tell the judge why Hamlet should not be punished for Poloniuss murder. Student C: You are the judge. Listen to the lawyers arguments. Ask them questions. Make your decision. Act 4 Put students into small groups to discuss these questions. (a) What news does Hamlet have for Horatio, do you think? (b) What is Claudiuss plan for Hamlet? Will it succeed? Why/why not? Act 5 poison revenge Put students into groups of three. Ask them to act out this conversation. Student A: You think everything is Hamlets fault. Say why. Student B: You think everything is Claudiuss fault. Say why. Student C: You think everything is the Ghosts fault. Say why. ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK Put students into small groups. Ask them to choose one scene from the play. Ask them to choose parts and read the scene together. When they are ready, they act out the scene in front of the class.

Communicative activites
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text as the exercises at the back of the Reader, and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises covering shorter sections of the book, see the photocopiable Students Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class Readers but, with the exception of discussion and pair/group work questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self-access centre. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Put students into small groups. Ask them (a) what Shakespeare plays they know. (b) what they know about the characters/story/setting of any of these plays. (c) what they know about Hamlet. Discuss group findings as a class. 2 Write these words on the board: castle ghost grave wicked mad

Ask students to write sentences using these words. Ask students to read out their sentences and write the best ones on the board. ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Act 1 1 Put students into groups to discuss these questions. (a) How do these people feel about each other? Why? (1) Hamlet and Gertrude (2) Hamlet and Claudius (3) Polonius and Hamlet (b) What does the Ghost want Hamlet to do? Why? 2 Put students into pairs. Ask them to act out this imaginary conversation. Student A: You are Hamlet. Tell Ophelia about the Ghost and your plans for revenge. Student B: You are Ophelia. You dont think Hamlet should listen to the Ghost. Tell him why. Act 2 Put students into small groups to discuss these questions. (a) What secrets do these people want to know? How do they plan to find them? (1) Hamlet (2) Claudius (3) Polonius (b) Will their plans succeed? Why/why not?
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Word list
It will be useful for your students to know the new words found on page 56 of the Reader. They are practised in he Before You Read sections in the back of the book. (The definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study Dictionary.)

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Level 3 Pre-Intermediate Hamlet Photocopiable

Students Activities

Hamlet
By William Shakespeare

These activities can be done alone or with one or more other students. Pair/group only activities are marked*. ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 Look at the pictures in the book. On which pages can you see: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) a sword? a ghost? a curtain? a servant? a lord? poison?

(b) Polonius feels (1) amused by (2) angry with (3) sorry for

Hamlet.

(c) Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he (1) is bored with life. (2) loves Ophelia. (3) does not like plays. 2 Which of these words describe Hamlet, and why? angry brave nervous strange unsure wise Act 3 1 Are these sentences about Hamlet right or wrong? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) He is afraid of death. He wants to marry Ophelia. He sits next to Ophelia during the play. He is excited after the play. He is angry with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He decides to forgive Claudius. He kills Polonius by mistake. He tries to kill his mother. pleased pleased rude

2 Read the introduction on pages v-viii and choose the right answer. (a) (b) (c) (d) Hamlet wants to find / forget / punish his uncle. Hamlet is a story about love / mystery / revenge. Hamlet was written 200 / 300 / 400 years ago. In the 1996 film, Hamlet is played by Robin Williams / Gerard Depardieu / Kenneth Branagh. (e) Shakespeare was unknown / unpopular / successful in his lifetime.

ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK Act 1 1 Put these people in the order that Hamlet talks to them. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Horatio Claudius Marcellus the Ghost Gertrude

2 Which of these words describe Claudius, and why? amused angry frightened unhappy worried Act 4 1 Who talks about these things, and why? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) worms flowers a letter revenge swords poison icy water Gertrude Claudius Rosencrantz Ophelia Laertes

2 Who says these things? What do the underlined words mean? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Act 2 1 Choose the right answer. (a) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have come to help (1) Hamlet. (2) Claudius. (3) Ophelia. It is a crime against God. That was the worst day of my life. My Lord, I think I saw him last night. I order you to stay away from him. Hes listening too much to his imagination. He won the heart of my queen.

2 Are these people angry with Hamlet? Why/why not?

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Students Activities
Act 5 Who are these sentences about? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) He talks to a skull. They fight near a grave. They die in England. They ask for forgiveness. She drinks poison. He kills Hamlet. He is the next King of Denmark.

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 1 Work in pairs and discuss these questions. (a) Who do you feel most sorry for at the end of the play? Why? (b) Why doesnt Hamlet kill Claudius earlier? Is he right to wait? Why/why not? (c) What is the worst thing that Hamlet does? (d) Is Hamlet a strong or a weak man? Why? 2 Discuss these lines from the play with another student. What do they mean? Do you agree with them? Why/ why not? (a) Too much sadness is not the grief of a real man. (b) Weakness, your name is Woman! (c) When a young mans blood burns with love, his tongue easily finds fine words. (d) To be, or not to be? Thats the question. (e) Clever words mean nothing to a stupid ear. 3 You are Horatio. Write a speech about your friend, Hamlet. Say why your country has lost a great, future king.

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Penguin Readers Answer Key

Level 4 Pre-Intermediate Hamlet

Hamlet
Answers to Book Activities
1 2 Openanswers (a) people:lord/nephew/servant partsofaplay:act/scene thingsthatarefoundinthe ground:grave/skull/worm thingsthatcankill:poison/ revenge/sword (b) Openanswers (a) Denmark (b)Claudius (c) perfect (d)simple (e) 1,700yearsago (f) 24 (g)between1598and1602 Openanswers 6 (a) ClaudiusHamletsuncle (b)FortinbrastheKingofNorways nephew (c) PoloniustheKingofDenmarks friend (d)LaertesPoloniussson (e) GertrudeHamletsmother (f) HoratioHamletsfriend (g)OpheliaLaertesssister 14 15 16 (e) honest (f) are (g)doesnotfeel (h) doesnotknow (i) cannot (j) Claudius Openanswers (a) when (b)if (c) but (d)because/when (e) during (f) so (g)after (h) while/because (i) before (j) until (a) ClaudiusHamlethateshimand wantstokillhim. RosencrantzandGuildenstern Hamletdoesnotlikethem becausetheyarespies. OpheliaHamletisprobably afraidofher.Hehasactedbadly withher,andhaskilledherfather bymistake. PoloniusHamletthinksthathe wasasillyoldman.Butheissorry thatheisdead. GertrudeHeislessangrywith herthanbefore.Hewantsto forgiveher. (b)Claudiusisafraidofhim. RosencrantzandGuildenstern wanttobefriendly,butdonot understandhim. Opheliaprobablyhateshimfor killingherfather. Poloniusisdead. Gertrudepitieshim.Shethinks thatheismad. (a) HamletwillwanttokillClaudius. Claudiuswillprobablywanttokill Hamlet. (b)HamlethaskilledOpheliasfather. OpheliawillhateHamlet. (c) Laerteswillbeangryabout hisfathersdeath.Perhapshe willthinkthatClaudiusisthe murderer. ClaudiuswillbeafraidofLaertes. ButperhapshecanmakeLaertes angrywithHamlet. (d)Hamletwillbeworriedbecause hehaskilledLaertessfather. Laerteswillwantrevenge. (a) Hamlet/Polonius (b)Ophelia/Polonius (c) Claudius/Hamlet,Poloniuss death,Opheliasmadness, Laertessreturn (d)Laertes/Opheliasmadness (e) Hamlet/hisjourneytoEngland (f) Claudius/Hamlet (g)Laertes/Hamlet (h) Gertrude/Ophelia (a) (worm)dog (b)(brother)father (c) (Hamlet)Laertes (d)(Claudius)Noone (e) (money)help (f) (three)two (g)(sad)glad,happy,pleased, excited (h) (gun)sword (i) (food)drink (j) (jumped)fell

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(a) mad (b)kind (c) secret (d)stupid (e) fat/thin (f) safe (g)afraid (h) unbelievable (i) patient (j) thirsty (a) Hamlet (b)Yorick (c) Gertrude (d)Hamlet (e) Osric (f) Horatio (g)Claudius (h) Laertes (i) Horatio (j) Fortinbras

2122 Openanswers 23

(a) lostlandtoHamletsfather. (b)didnotreallylovehisfather. (c) doesnotwanthisdaughtertoget intotrouble. (d)punishtheKing. (a) Openanswers (b)(possibleanswer)weakness (c) Openanswers (d)(possibleanswer)towatchhim carefully (a)(4) (b)(5) (c)(1) (d)(3) (e)(2) (f)(6) (a) wrongheisnotreallymad (b)wrongPoloniusdoes (c) right (d)wrongshehasshownthemto herfather,buthasreturnedthem toHamlet (e) wrongtheyarenotsure (f) right (g)wrongonlyHoratio,Marcellus andBarnardoknowaboutthe Ghost (h) wrongheisnotsurethatthe Ghostwashonest (i) right (a) (possibleanswers) PoloniusthinksthatHamletismad withloveforhisdaughter.Hefeels abitsorryforhim. OphelialovesHamlet,butsheis afraidofhismadactions. RosencrantzandGuildenstern seemtolikeHamlet,buttheyare spyingonhimfortheKing. Gertrudeisreallyworriedabout Hamletandwantshimtoget better. ClaudiusismoreafraidofHamlet thanworriedabouthim. (b)Openanswers (a) live (b)stupid (c) doesnotbelieve (d)afraidof

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8 (ab)Openanswers 9 10 17

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18

13

12 (ab)Openanswers

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(a) (1)Hamletsfather (2)Polonius (3)Ophelia (4)RosencrantzandGuildenstern (5)Gertrude (6)Laertes (7)Claudius (8)Hamlet (b)Hamletsfatherinhisgarden. Poloniusbehindacurtainin Gertrudesroom. Opheliainanicystream. RosencrantzandGuildenstern inEngland. Gertrude,Laertes,Claudiusand Hamletthelargeroominthe castle. (cd)Hamletsfathermurderedby Claudius. Poloniuskilledaccidentallyby Hamlet. Opheliafelloutofatreeintothe water. RosencrantzandGuildenstern killedbytheKingofEngland becauseHamlethadsecretly changedtheletterfromClaudius. Gertrudepoisonedaccidentally byClaudius. Laerteskilledbythepoisonon hisownsword. ClaudiuskilledbyHamlet. Hamletkilledbythepoisonon Laertesssword. (e) Openanswers

2535 Openanswers

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Answers to Factsheet Activities

Communicative Activities ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 12 Openanswers ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Act 1 1 (a) Hamletisunhappybecause GertrudemarriedClaudius. GertrudewantsHamlettostop beingunfriendlytoClaudius. HamlethatesClaudiusbecause hemurderedhisfather.Claudius isfriendlytoHamlet. Poloniusdoesnotwanthis daughtertoseeHamlet.Wedo notknowhowHamletfeelsabout Polonius. (b)TheGhostwantsHamletto punishClaudiusformurdering him. 2 Openanswers Act 2 1 (a) HamletwantstoknowifClaudius reallymurderedhisfather.He wantsClaudiustowatchaplay aboutasimilarcrime. Claudiuswantstoknowwhy Hamletisactingstrangely. HeasksRosencrantzand Guildensterntohelphim. Poloniuswantstoprovethat Hamletismadbecauseoflove forhisdaughter.Heplansto watchHamletandOpheliain secret. (b)Openanswers Act 3 1 (a) Hamletthinksthatlifeisnotas frighteningasdeath. (b)Hethinksthatprettinessisabad thing. (c) HedoesnotwanttokillClaudius whileheispraying.Hedoesnot wantClaudiustogotoHeaven. (d)Hethinksthathismothers marriageiswicked. (e) HethinksthatPoloniuswassilly, butheissorrythatheisdead. 2 Openanswers Act 4 Openanswers Act 5 Openanswers ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK Openanswers Students Activities ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK 1 2 (a) aswordpages7,25,35,45 (b)aghostpage7 (c) acurtainpages13,35 (d)aservantpage45 (e) alordpage45 (f) poisonpage45 (a) punish (b) evenge r (c)400 (d) ennethBranagh K (e)successful

ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK Act 1 1 2 (a) 3 (b) 1 (c) 4 (d)5 (e) 2 (a) Claudius/toomuchsadness (b)Hamlet/thedayofhisfathers death (c)Horatio/theGhostorHamlets father (d) olonius/Hamlet P (e)Horatio/Hamlet (f) theGhost/Claudius

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK 13 Openanswers

Act 2 1 (a) Claudius (b) orryfor s (c)isboredwithlife 2 Act 3 1 2 Act 4 1 2 pleasedbecausethereisgoingto beaplay rudetoPolonius strangeheseemstobemad unsurehedoesnotknowifthe Ghostishonest (a) right (b) rong w (c)right (d) ight r (e)right (f) wrong (g) ight r (h)wrong angryabouttheplay frightenedofHamletaftertheplay pleasedthatHamletisinterestedin theplay unhappybecausehecannotask Godforforgiveness worriedaboutthesecretinHamlets heart (a) HamletPoloniusisdead (feedingtheworms). (b) pheliaTherearenoflowerson O herfathersgrave. (c)ClaudiusHereceivesaletter fromHamlet. (d) aertesHewantsrevengeon L Hamletforkillinghisfather. (e)ClaudiusandLaertestheyplan tokillHamletinaswordfight. (f) ClaudiusandLaertesLaertes willputpoisonontheendofhis sword.Claudiuswillputpoisonin Hamletscup. (g) ertrudeshebringsnewsabout G Opheliasdeathinacoldstream.

(a) NoShewantsHamlettoforgive her. (b) esHamlethaskilledPolonius. Y Claudiusthinksthatheis dangerous. (c)YesHamletisrudetohim. (d) oSheismad. N (e)YesHisfatherandsisterare deadbecauseofHamlet. (a) Hamlet (b) aertesandHamlet L (c)RosencrantzandGuildenstern (d) amletandLaertes H (e)Gertrude (f) Laertes (g) ortinbras F

Act 5 1

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