HAMLET ACT I ACTIVITIES

characters, words, tone, and devices present in Act I of Hamlet. ASSIGNMENT Choose two of the three activities to complete in order show your understanding of the characters, words, tone, and devices present in Act I of Hamlet.

CHARACTER CONNECTIONS Create either a mind map or a one-page “Dramatis Personae” (persons of the drama) that you can use to aid in your comprehension as we read the play. (30 pts.) Print out this fill-in-the-blank Dramatis Personae Complete each blank to connect the ten major players in terms of titles, relationships, and locations. On the left hand side of each of the characters listed, draw a picture to represent that character; on the right hand side, list either a character trait, quote, or tone word to identify the character. On your paper, draw a ghost and label it. Somewhere else on the paper, draw a stick person and label it, "Hamlet," write a character description below. Just as for Hamlet, draw a stick person for Gertrude, write her description, and draw a line to Hamlet to indicate she is his mother. Continue to do this until your map contains all ten of the major “players”; whenever a connection is described between characters (son of ... wife of ... friend of ... etc.), you should draw some form of line to indicate that on your map. Add at least two of the following to each character to fill out your map. key quotes, pictures, character traits, tone words, or

WORDS OF WISDOM Reread through the advice Polonius gives to Laertes in Act 1, Scene 3. Complete the following tasks (you may do this one in pairs, if you choose): Make a list of Polonius’ values concerning money, love, appearances, friendship, and entertainment. (10 pts) Design a survey – a series of at least five multiple-choice questions – to determine what other people think about these values. (Ex. Is clothing an important indicator of personality? Always, often, sometimes, rarely, never. Or ”On a scale from 1-5, how likely would you be to share your ideas with friends”) Survey at least 10 classmates/peers and tabulate results (summarize findings). (10 pts) Finally, write a brief analysis of the results. What did the survey tell you about how people think and feel? Do most people you know have the same values as Polonius? Which of the five values of Polonius seem to still resonate? Which were furthest from those of your classmates? (10 pts)

PROMTED POETRY Use one of the famous lines from Act 1 as the first line of a serious OR humorous poem. The poems must have a consistent style and tone. Here are some examples of lines you can use to begin your poem (you can also choose another line from Act 1): Something is rotten in the State of Denmark. Frailty, thy name is woman! The time is out of joint. To thine own self be true. Poems must be a minimum of 10 lines; they ma be rhymed or unrhymed and you may use any form of poetry that you choose (sonnet, villanelle, ABC Darian, etc)