MADNESS IN SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET

Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare's most honoured works and is a piece of literature, which has been studied in depth by many a scholar. The storyline of Hamlet follows a vein of madness that begins with Claudius' murdering King Hamlet and ending with the tragic killing of almost every main character. Hamlet's display of mental illness allows him to prove to himself that Claudius did, in fact, murder his father.

“To be, or not to be” is the opening phrase of a soliloquy spoken by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene". "To be or not to be" is one of the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English, and the soliloquy has been referenced in innumerable works of theatre, literature and music.

Pupils listen to and read the soliloquy Kenneth Branagh - Hamlet's soliloquy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuZq-8PUw0) Mel Gibson - Hamlet's soliloquy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei0fnP9s0KA)

« To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep… No more, and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life, For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. »

MARIELLA GALLO – IIS SAN MARCO ARGENTANO

MADNESS IN SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET - DO YOU REMEMBER THE LINES?

Divide the soliloquy in 3 parts. Split the class into three groups and give each group strips of paper each containing a line of the soliloquy. Each group is given strips referring to one of the three parts of the soliloquy, so each group will have a different part. Pupils must try to put their third in order and then put the three groups in order too. They can now listen again to the soliloquy and read it as they hear the voice of the actor. As the soliloquy is very slow, they will have time to understand the right order and read it correctly.

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, The heartache and the thousand natural shocks « To be, or not to be, that is the question: And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep… Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub, No more, and by a sleep to say we end

To grunt and sweat under a weary life, Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, When he himself might his quietus make When we have shuffled off this mortal coil The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, Must give us pause. There's the respect The insolence of office, and the spurns That makes calamity of so long life,

Than fly to others that we know not of? With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. » Is sickled o'er with the pale cast of thought, No traveller returns, puzzles the will, But that the dread of something after death, And enterprises of great pitch and moment And makes us rather bear those ills we have Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, The undiscovered country from whose bourn And thus the native hue of resolution

MARIELLA GALLO – IIS SAN MARCO ARGENTANO

MADNESS IN SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET - LET'S CREATE "HAMLET'S SONG"

Pupils read the soliloquy, identify, and select the lines that most inspire them and evoke their emotion.

Students form small groups according to the chosen parts (same verses or subsequent verses) and these parts will be the lyrics of the song. As a refrain, the teacher can propose those parts of lines that constitute the central ideas of soliloquy. The soliloquy is now more personal – and thus students are more involved - and it can be acted as if it were a song. Each group plays its own verses, even moving around or making gestures while acting, and at the end of each lyrics, they play the chorus all together. The following is the “Hamlet’s song”, as it was created by the pupils during the workshop:

« To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? Rit. To be, or not to be, that is the question: To die, to sleep… To sleep, perchance to dream - the undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns And thus conscience does make cowards of us all To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil Must give us pause. Rit. To be, or not to be, that is the question: To die, to sleep… To sleep, perchance to dream - the undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns And thus conscience does make cowards of us all For who would bear Th'oppressor's wrong, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, When the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will? Rit. To be, or not to be, that is the question: To die, to sleep… To sleep, perchance to dream - the undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns And thus conscience does make cowards of us all Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. Rit. To be, or not to be, that is the question: To die, to sleep… To sleep, perchance to dream - the undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns And thus conscience does make cowards of us all

MARIELLA GALLO – IIS SAN MARCO ARGENTANO