Aim What motivates Hamlet to finally act Do

Aim: What motivates Hamlet to finally act? Do Now: Refer to the beginning of Act 5 Scene 2. How does Hamlet seal the fates of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? What does this show about him?

“They are not near my conscience…” Why doesn’t Hamlet feel bad for sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern off to their deaths? Did they deserve what they got?

Laertes as Mirror Image “But I am very sorry, good Horatio, / That to Laertes I forgot myself; / For by the image of my cause I see / The portraiture of his. ” What does Hamlet realize about Laertes? Is this a sign of Hamlet’s maturity?

“The readiness is all. ” Notice how Hamlet speaks of himself in third person when addressing Laertes. How does Hamlet’s rhetorical style mimic his content? OR How does his way of speaking mimic what he’s actually talking about? “I’ll be your foil, Laertes” Indeed! Again with the word play!

Fortinbras as King Why does Hamlet request that Fortinbras take over the throne? What does Fortinbras offer the throne? Legitimacy Decisiveness Strength

“The rest is silence. ”

The Body Count How do the following die? Gertrude Laertes Hamlet Claudius Let’s not forget Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Ophelia and Polonius.

Tell my story Hamlet famously asks his dear friend, Horatio, to tell his story. Therein lies a recurring motif of Shakespeare’s – that when contemplating life, death and meaning, the to be or not to be, the realization is that ultimately what is written is what will last.

You tell the story… Pick a scene from Hamlet. Retell it! You can pick a famous scene or a minor scene. In your retelling… Choose your format – would it be a staged scene, filmed scene, musical piece, paraphrased by chickens, etc? How would it be different from the original? Choose a cast – Who would you cast as the characters? Create a vision – Describe in detail how the scene would proceed. Would you use the original language, change the language, modernize it? This will be collected.