Journal Heading Name 2/5/18 CP 10 Block # Hamlet Intro

Before we get into Hamlet… Let’s do an activity. Do you guys know what Twitter is? -Updates -No more than 140 characters -Hashtags On your paper, you’re going to “tweet” responses to the scenario I lay out for you. Whenever I tell you, write down your tweet on your paper. (This will be #1!)

Twitter activity… You’re away at college. It’s your junior year and life is good. Monday night: 2am. Your mom texts you the following message: “CALL ME WHEN YOU GET THIS.” Half asleep, you call her. Her sobs are so loud, you can barely understand what she’s saying. Finally, she blurts out, “Your father is dead.” What’s your tweet?

Twitter activity… Unfortunately, this semester you’re taking microeconomics and your professor is a robot. When you tell him about what happened, he says you still need to take your final next Friday or retake the course. He forces you to miss your dad’s funeral. What’s your tweet?

Twitter activity… Finals end. You pass, barely. It’s time to go home. It’s been two weeks since your father’s death and you are devastated. You load up the car and drive home. When you get home, you hug your mother for a long time. But you immediately sense some strange vibe from her. She’s not upset. Or not upset enough. Then you notice she’s wearing a wedding ring on her finger. A new wedding ring. What’s your tweet?

Twitter activity… Mom tells you she has some news. She has married your father’s brother, Uncle Claude. You never liked Uncle Claude. He always seemed jealous of your father for taking over the family business. He always complained about his own job. He also always looked at your mom in a way that creeped you out. What’s your tweet?

Twitter activity… A few nights later, your father’s ghost comes to you in a dream. He tells you he was murdered by your Uncle Claude. He wants you to avenge him. Was the dream real? Will you kill your uncle? What’s your tweet?

Hamlet Overview That’s the entire premise of Hamlet! While he was away at college, his father, King Hamlet, dies suddenly, and his mother the queen marries her former brother in law, Claudius, who becomes king. As he’s grieving, Prince Hamlet believes he sees the ghost of his father, who tells him that Claudius murdered him. He asks Hamlet to avenge him, and Hamlet must decide what to do.

Why Shakespeare? 2. What are some things we know about Shakespeare? 3. List at least four common sayings we took from Shakespeare. 4. According to Christopher Gaze, what makes Shakespeare so unique? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsESSyMnwmU

Why Shakespeare? 5. What has been your experience with Shakespeare so far? How do you feel about reading a Shakespeare play? Explain your thinking.

Preparing for Shakespeare During this unit, we’re going to read a mix of Shakespeare’s original text and a more modern version. Before we begin tackling the text, however, it’s important that you get comfortable with Shakespeare’s language. (While 95% of Shakespeare’s language is familiar to us, that 5% can really throw you for a loop) So today, we’re going to practice…

Preparing for Shakespeare Today, you’re going to read one of Shakespeare’s famous “Death Lines,” or the last words spoken by one of Shakespeare’s characters before their death. While you might not understand all of the words in your death line, your job is to try to derive the meaning and translate it into your own words.

Preparing for Shakespeare 6. Once you have a Death Line, translate it into your own words. This may require you to look up words! Don’t be afraid to use your phone (or ask a partner, if you don’t have one). If 7. Once you derive the meaning, make an inference: what were the circumstances surrounding your character’s death? How do you think they died? Were they murdered? If so, by whom? What were they feeling at the time?

Preparing for Shakespeare 8. Write a script for the scene involving your character’s death (at least ½ page). Make sure you include the moments leading up to their death, hint at what happens afterwards, and include things like setting and character actions. If you want some bonus points, you may also perform your scene for the class! 