If so many people find the language of Shakespeare so challenging, why do we still read and examine a play like Hamlet more than 400 years after it was written  The short answer: it's an awesome story and (in my opinion) Shakespeare's best.  It has ghosts, romance, murder, comedy, tragedy, inner turmoil, deep philosophy, sword fights, and all of it is wrapped in a beautiful and strict poetic form.  

Shakespeare's plays were always meant to be for everyone, not just the select few who could understand them. In this class my goal is to give my students the skills to make the play not only understandable, but edge-of-your-seat, wipe-a-tear-from-your-eye entertaining.  

Class Time Structure:
The beginning of each class will be devoted to taking up guided questions based on the reading done the class before.  During the rest of the class we will closely read an abridged version of the text together to ensure that the events and the language makes sense to students. The wealth of insights into human nature in the play will also lead to teacher-led discussions where students will feel free to share their thoughts, criticisms and questions.
These plays are meant to be seen in performance, so our reading of the play will also be augmented with audio and video recordings of performances and discussions of the interpretations made by the actors and filmmakers.   

Below is a rough breakdown of what we will cover over the course of the class:

Week 1: 
Background information on Shakespeare, the history surrounding the play, and the structure of "Tragedy" / Act 1

-- The history of Shakespeare and Elizabethan times
-- "Tragedy" and the "Tragic Hero"
-- Complete Act I and answer guided questions / discussion 

Week 2: 
The theme of "Custom", "Performance" and "Thought vs. Action" / Finish Act 2 and begin Act 3

-- Read Act 2 & 3 and answer guided question 
-- Definition and significance of "soliloquy"
-- Complete Act 2, begin Act 3
-- Options for final project

Week 3: 
The theme of "Madness" and "Poor treatment of women" / Finish Act 3 and begin Act 4 

-- Read Act 3 & 4 and answer guided questions 
-- Connect Shakespeare's use of structure of iambic pentameter to the theme of "Madness"
-- Complete Act 3, begin Act 4

Week 4: 
Theme of "Divine justice" and "Equality of all people" / Finish Act 4 and 5

-- Consolidate all themes / Finish Act 5
-- Finish Acts 4 & 5 and answer guided questions
-- Final projects complete