Description
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Two night-watchmen at the castle at Elsinore have seen a ghost they believe to be the former king of Denmark, the father of Prince Hamlet. The soldiers entreat Horatio, Hamlet's confidant, to wait with them for the ghost's appearance during the night watch. Horatio is horrified by its resemblance to the dead king. The men ask Hamlet to join the watch, and when the ghost appears, it reveals to Hamlet that he is, indeed, the spirit of his father. Then his father's ghost informs Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, the current king of Denmark.
Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and brother of the former king, has not only usurped the throne of Denmark through foul murder, but has also taken Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, as his wife. Hamlet vows to avenge the death of his father and says he will put on an "antic disposition" to distract others from his genuine purpose.
Hamlet's indecision and his madness—feigned or real—will result in tragedy for himself and all those around him.
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Progeny Press Hamlet English/Language Arts curriculum will provide your High School grade student with:
English/Language Arts credit: This is a one-quarter credit high school level Literature curriculum.
Author Biography: Learn more about William Shakespeare.
Background Information: Learn about the Anglo-Saxons, the Christian roots of the Viking chieftain Canute, and Denmark’s control of Northern Europe in the early 1000’s. Find out about Kronborg Castle and the inspiration behind the story.
Before-You-Read Activities: Learn about European geography, informative report and research on depression, ghosts, travel videos, Shakespeare biography.
Vocabulary: Understand words used throughout the novel, utilizing a variety of activities to stimulate retention and growth.
Literary Techniques: In context, character study, couplet, aside, soliloquy, foreshadowing, summarizing, synonyms, paradox, dialogue analysis, dumb show, end-rhymes, chorus, compare & contrast, comic relief, main & minor characters, conflict, complications, protagonist/antagonist, tragic flaw, hamartia, theme, tragic play structure, revenge tragedies.
Moral Lessons and Character Values: Weakness and sin, revenge vs. justice, man’s place in the world, fear & indecision, death, prayer, guilt, insanity, reason & honor, spiritual fate, suicide, friendship.
Activities and Writing Assignments: Biblical ghosts & witches, Purgatory research, harbingers & moral decay, symbolic meanings of plants/flowers research, well-known lines & phrases, drama performance, time line, multiple essay ideas, multiple creative writing ideas.
Suggestions for Further Reading: We include an in-depth reading list of more plays by the same author(s) and other books that tie in with, or are similar to, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Movie suggestions included.
All of Progeny Press' Language Arts unit lessons are written from a Christian worldview!
Features and Benefits of a Progeny Press ELA study guide
Printed Workbook Format
- Large 8.5x11 format is convenient to read and easy on tired teenage high school student's eyes
- Every question in our novel unit study has plenty of whitespace for high school level student’s answers
- Encourages neat and clean handwriting practice
- Easily transports without the need for a laptop or other expensive equipment
- Provides a permanent record of the student’s work
- Complete, removable answer key included for the teacher to make grading simple!
CD Format
- Provides the study guide in universally compatible PDF format (works on Mac AND Windows)
- No costly software purchases necessary
- Our PDF Study Guide should be opened with the FREE Adobe Reader program. With the interactive feature, students have the capability of entering their answers directly on the computer and saving their work in progress.
Note: Mobile Devices/Tablets may require alternative app that supports and saves fillable form fields. - Or choose to conveniently print what you need, when you need it:
- Print the whole ELA PDF guide at once
- Print single literature lessons or pages as the student completes them
- Print multiple copies of the entire curriculum study guide for classroom sets
- PDF format makes it easy to use with multiple students
- Complete answer key PDF file included for the teacher!
Formatted with your High School grade student in mind, Progeny Press language arts study guides divide the book into writing assignments and lessons that strengthen their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and refines their critical analysis and writing skills. Each Progeny Press novel study accomplishes all of this without busy work that can drain the fun out of reading and literature! Kids have loved using Progeny Press ELA curriculum in homeschool, co-ops, and private schools around the world for over 30 years!
