Overview
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a “revenge tragedy,” in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father’s murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties.
Among them: What is the Ghost—Hamlet’s father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?
Most Popular Resources
March Lesson of the Month: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
March Lesson of the Month: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
What happens when fatherly voices dialogue across gender, race, time, and region? Check out this professional development, and dive into one of our most popular lessons. This professional development was recorded on March 31, 2022 at 8PM.
Sneak Peek! Lessons from the Forthcoming Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet.
Sneak Peek! Lessons from the Forthcoming Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet.
Get a taste of The Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet., You don’t want to miss this! This teacher workshop was previously recorded on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 8pm ET.
Juicy Lesson! Pre-reading: A 20-minute Hamlet
Juicy Lesson! Pre-reading: A 20-minute Hamlet
Don’t miss this juicy lesson on how to introduce students to the plot, setting, and characters of a play in a straightforward way so that quickly get inside the language of the play.
Free resource
Lesson Plans
Film Expert Groups: The Closet Scene
Film Expert Groups: The Closet Scene
There’s a wrong way to use film in class. This lesson shows you how to avoid it—and teach thoughtful analysis!
Creating a Promptbook: Hamlet 1.1
Creating a Promptbook: Hamlet 1.1
Give students a real purpose for reading closely and creatively, and be amazed at what happens.
Cutting a Scene: Hamlet 2.2
Cutting a Scene: Hamlet 2.2
What happens when your students edit Shakespeare’s Hamlet?
Choral Reading and Cutting a Text: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
Choral Reading and Cutting a Text: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
Living inside the language of Clint Smith and Shakespeare, students examine fatherly advice, race, and growing up.
Free resource
Professional Development
March Lesson of the Month: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
March Lesson of the Month: Pairing Clint Smith’s “My Hopes, Dreams, Fears for My Future Son” with Hamlet
What happens when fatherly voices dialogue across gender, race, time, and region? Check out this professional development, and dive into one of our most popular lessons. This professional development was recorded on March 31, 2022 at 8PM.
Sneak Peek! Lessons from the Forthcoming Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet.
Sneak Peek! Lessons from the Forthcoming Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet.
Get a taste of The Folger Guide to Teaching Hamlet., You don’t want to miss this! This teacher workshop was previously recorded on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 8pm ET.
Juicy Lesson! Pre-reading: A 20-minute Hamlet
Juicy Lesson! Pre-reading: A 20-minute Hamlet
Don’t miss this juicy lesson on how to introduce students to the plot, setting, and characters of a play in a straightforward way so that quickly get inside the language of the play.
Free resource
Master Class: Teaching Hamlet
Master Class: Teaching Hamlet
What does it mean to teach Hamlet the Folger way? Do you have to teach the whole play? What do scholars, teachers, and artists have to say about Hamlet?