theme for multi-aged students. Hamlet, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, can be
a shared family experience that reaches beyond literature to encompasse many
subjects across the board. Below are some ideas for turning Hamlet into a unit study for all family members.
Geography-
Hamlet takes place in Denmark. If your family uses a hanging world map, you can
have your children plot a marker on the country of Denmark. For geography studies,
you can learn about the country of Denmark.
- Explore http://www.denmarkfacts.com/
to learn about the country.
- Read fairy tales, like “The Little Mermaid,”
written by Hans Christian Anderson, a Denmark author, to younger children
- Have younger ones play with Legos, building
blocks which were invented in Denmark
- Learn a few Danish words
- Create Danish meals to share as a family
For older children - Have children locate the coordinates of Denmark
- Have children create weather reports for Denmark
History/Cultural Studies
- Explore http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/26-countriesplaces/309-denmark.html to learn more about Danish history and culture. Many students, for example,
wonder why Claudius became king instead of Hamlet. Learning about the history
of Denmark’s monarchy will yield that answer!
- Have younger ones create a flag of Denmark or color pictures of native birds like the Atlantic Puffin.
Character Studies
Shakespeare’s plays offer a wealth of character studies both positive and negative. Hamlet, as well, is chock full of character traits to examine as a family.
Hesitation
The central question in the play is: What will Hamlet do? The short answer is: he will hesitate.
“Hesitation” is a quality you can explore as a family. When is it okay to hesitate? When is it dangerous to hesitate? Create a family brainstorm session comparing positive and negative forms of hesitation.
Madness
In Hamlet, we are witness to many forms of madness. Older students can closely examine the psychological “madness” of Ophelia. Hamlet’s “madness” at contemplating suicide ( or did he?)
Psychology
Literature is brimming with characters exemplifying psychological concepts. Understanding these ideas through cold psychology textbooks alone is difficult, but literature provides excellent patients for study, and Hamlet is no exception.
- Older students can explore the Oedipus complex as they read Hamlet. Could Hamlet’s hesitation be linked to the Oedipus complex?
- Read through Ernest Jones’s look at the Oedipus complex in Hamlet: http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com/jones/
- Examine Hamlet’s depression. What kinds of treatment methods does Claudius
suggest? For budding medical students, this could turn into an extensive study!
- Apply Jungian psychology to characters in the play
Weaving psychology into literature can be intense. For younger children, these concepts can be simplified and made into practical discussions.
When working with a piece of literature, such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ideas and possibilities are endless! Often, subjects need not be divided as many of these activities
are multi-subject. Below are even more multi-model, multi-age, and multi-subject activities your family can do while reading Hamlet.
More Hamlet activities:
· Construct a mini-castle to scale. Try to be true to the period by researching castles during the 1500s. Learn new “castle vocabulary” such as turrets, moat, parapet, etc.
· Create actor puppets and use them to display
scenes
· Perform a readers’ theatre. Assign roles to different family members and stage a scene. Discuss how to set up the scene, or use http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/stage/a%20scene/scene2.html for more ideas.
· Watch different film versions of Hamlet to compare/contrast
· Film your own staging of a scene and compare/contrast it to professional versions
· “Pick” out the names of flowers and herbs in this play and do a mini-botanical-study on each. Discuss the role of flowers in this play. **Check your local area for a “Shakespeare Garden,” which contains only plants, flowers, herbs, and trees mentioned in his work.
· Watch Disney’s The Lion King and compare/contrast it to the play.
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