Hamlet
William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of Shakespeare’s best and most popular tragedies, praised for its power and unending relevance. In this play, Prince Hamlet navigates the shifting power alliances after and mysterious circumstances of King Hamlet’s death.

Major thematic elements: mortality, truth & deception, madness, revenge, action and inaction.

IB Literature and IB Language and Literature Connections

Place of publication: England
Language: Early Modern English
Era: Exact date unknown. Best guess: between 1599 and 1601
Genre: Drama
Author: Male

Readers, writers and texts | Time and space | Intertextuality: Connecting texts

Identity | Culture | Creativity | Communication
Perspective | Transformation | Representation

Full text, basic summaries, and overviews

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | Full text
We’re offering three different formats for the full text—the first is the plain, full text from MIT’s Shakespeare page. The second is a downloadable format from The Folger Shakespeare Library. The third is Project Gutenberg, which we like because it provides hyperlinked footnotes. Students can click on the footnote link to see an explanation of that line or word, and the footnote will hyperlink them back to where they left off on the text.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | Audiobook
Like the full text, there are many options for audiobooks. We’re linking a multi-reader, theatrical version (music and sound effects) on YouTube by Vibe Audio (full playlist is on the right side of the page), Librivox’s list of options, and Lit2Go, which might be our favorite option in terms of accessibility for students.

Hamlet Study Guide | Course Hero
Course Hero’s guide includes an overview and infographic, plot and scene summaries, character list, quotes, symbols, and discussion questions. Their entire study guide is also available via YouTube.
Read more | Watch here

Hamlet Study Guide | Spark Notes
This study guide includes plot and scene summaries, characters, literary devices, frequently asked questions (and answers!), quizzes and essay topics. Spark Notes also offers a video summary, which we’re linking with this note: the pace is slow, and probably better for clarifying the plot than for introducing it to students.
Read more | Watch summary video

Ghosts, Murder, and More Murder - Hamlet Part 1: Crash Course Literature 203 | YouTube | 12:23
”In which John Green teaches you about Hamlet, William Shakespeare’s longest and most-performed play.”
Read more

Why should you read “Hamlet”? - Iseult Gillespie | YouTube | TED-Ed | 5:08
”Explore William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, “Hamlet,” a play about conspiracy, deception and the tragic consequences of indecision.
Watch here

Hamlet | Summaries | Various Sources
Hamlet by William Shakespeare | YouTube | Animated Books | 4:22
A Synopsis of Hamlet | Hartford Stage | Scott Bartelson | 1 page, printed

About the author

William Shakespeare Biography | Shakespeare.org
This biography features hyperlinks to people, places, and events referred to in the article, making it easy for readers to find out more when they have questions.
Read more

Shakespeare Documented | Folger Shakespeare Library
This multi-institutional resource provides primary source documents related to the life and works of William Shakespeare.
Read more

William Shakespeare | Poetry Foundation
This classic-style biography includes details about Shakespeare’s early years, family life, and career.
Read more

There is No Escaping Shakespeare | The New York Times | YouTube | 3:51
This video examines Shakespeare’s influence on language and culture.
Watch here

Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon - Shakespeare’s Early Days: Crash Course Theater #14 | YouTube | 11:26
”This is the story of how a young Englishman named William Shakespeare stormed London’s theater scene in the late 16th century, and wrote a bunch of plays and poems that have had pretty good staying power. We’ll learn about Shakespeare’s beginnings, his family, and how he broke into theater.”
Watch here



Shakespeare’s Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15 | YouTube | 12:03
”Shakespeare’s tragedies…were tragic. But they had some jokes. They also changed the way tragedies were written. Characters like Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear had tragic outcomes, but they were sympathetic characters in a lot of ways. This was a big change from the way Seneca and the Greeks wrote tragedies, and it caught on.”
Watch here

Articles, essays, and videos about Hamlet

We make an effort to not duplicate material on Shakespeare/Shakespearean language/historical context, etc., so for additional resources, check out our pages on Macbeth and Othello. We also have two playlists on YouTube: Hamlet (video clips of the play) and About Hamlet (videos about the play, its production, etc.). As always, preview videos before showing them in class to ensure that they’re a good fit for your students.

Ophelia, Gertrude, and Regicide - Hamlet Part 2: Crash Course Literature 204 | YouTube | 11:01
”John talks about gender roles in Hamlet, and what kind of power and agency Ophelia and Gertrude had, if they had any at all…You’ll also learn about regicide, Ophelia’s flowers, and Hamlet’s potential motivations."
Watch here

Hamlet | Shakespeare-Online.com
This website is packed with information about Hamlet. Links to each act and scene are at the top of the page. Scroll down to the “More to Explore” section for links to analyses, historical and cultural context, literary device analysis, and more.
Read more

British Library | Assorted Articles
British Library has 16 articles related to Hamlet, including “An introduction to Shakespearean tragedy,” “Ghosts in Shakespeare,” “Shakespeare and madness,” “Ophelia, gender and madness,” and “Hamlet: the play within the play.”
Read more

Harold Bloom interview on “Hamlet” (2003) | YouTube | Manufacturing Intellect | 24:29
In an interview with Charlie Rose, “Literary critic Harold Bloom provides an in-depth interpretation of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and the characters in the play, as he does in his book: “Hamlet: Poem Unlimited.” Note: we think this video is better listened to (podcast-style) than watched.
Watch here

Hamlet “To Be or Not to Be” Soliloquies | YouTube | Various Sources | about 2-4 minutes each
We’ve rounded up a variety of video clips of the “To Be or Not To Be” soliloquies as performed by Laurence Olivier (1948), Richard Burton (1964), Mel Gibson (1990), Kenneth Branagh (1996), Ethan Hawke (2000), David Tennant (2009), Jude Law (2009), Benedict Cumberbatch (2015), Andrew Scott (2018), Paapa Essiedu (2018) and Allan Clayton (2022). This one, from Shakespeare Live! is also worth checking out—it’s a nice blend of how-to-approach-the-soliloquy and humor.

The Simpsons History Channel - Hamlet | YouTube | Costas Chrysanthakopoulos | 5:01
A very abbreviated version of Hamlet, as told by the Simpsons.
Watch here

A Pulitzer Prize winner’s modern take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet | YouTube | PBS Newshour | 7:26
”A reworking of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” called “Fat Ham” recently won the Pulitzer Prize in drama.” In this production, Hamlet is Black, queer, Southern young man called “Juicy.”
Watch here | FAT HAM trailer on YouTube via Wilma Theater

Hamlet | Set Design
Here’s a selection of pages with photos of the set design for Hamlet: University of South Carolina (2014); Richard Finkelstein for James Madison University; Fun House Theater & Film, Plano, Texas; Meredith B Ries for Yale University (see “previous” and “next” buttons at bottom of page for more articles in the series; Bill Symington for Grand Canyon University; and Matt Kizer for Auburn University (2011).

Lesson plans and other teaching resources

Education Resources for Hamlet, by William Shakespeare | Royal Shakespeare Company
Scroll down on the page to “A Guide for Teaching Hamlet” to find a list of lessons, hyperlinked to their resources.
Read more

Hamlet: A Unit Plan | Teacher’s Pet Publications | Commackschools.org
This unit plan includes a unit outline, study and quiz questions, vocabulary worksheets, lessons, writing assignments, and more.
Read more

“To be or not to be”: Close Reading Hamlet’s Soliloquy | Folger Shakespeare Library | Carol Moran Petrallia
”Students will analyze Hamlet’s soliloquy in 3.1 by completing a close reading which will focus on word meaning and etymology,” track actor choices in two film versions using a two-column note-taking system, and will write an argument analysis.
Read more

Enter Players: Pre-Reading Hamlet | Folger Shakespeare Library | Christina Porter
In this lesson, students will “create a visual character map examining connections between characters and developing inferences about character motivation.”
Read more

A Guilty Gertrude: Performing Spoken and Silent Moments in Hamlet | Folger Shakespeare Library | Caroline Lee
”In this lesson, students will examine Gertrude’s behavior, lines and thoughts in a scene that is normally analyzed for what it reveals about Ophelia’s madness. Students will synthesize what they know about Gertrude to perform her character in a scene where she has some enigmatic lines and long silences. Students will evaluate where Gertrude’s loyalties lie within the scene.”
Read more

Paparazzi Shakespeare: Ophelia’s Madness Revealed! | Folger Shakespeare Library | Kevin J. Costa
”Students will examine Hamlet 4.5 through a variety of lenses: performance, social media, and writing. Students will analyze how social media uses urgency and emotional appeals to develop a story.” This lesson is adaptable for Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Titus Andronicus, and Julius Caesar.
Read more

How to teach Hamlet | James Madison University | Rachel A. Wolfe | Spring 2015 | Senior Project
This unit for Hamlet includes a critical analysis of Hamlet through three lenses: feminist, psychoanalytic, and formalist, and provides eight-days’ worth of lesson plans for teaching the play.
Read more

Unit: Hamlet | LouisianaBelieves.com | Grade 12
This detailed unit plan includes hyperlinks to related texts, 16 lessons, and clear notes regarding what the instructional focus of each lesson is.
Read more

Shopping List

Texts and other resources you may find helpful.

As an Amazon Associate we earn on qualifying purchases.

 
Hamlet (Folger Library Shakespeare)
Paperback on Amazon.com
Hamlet (Norton Critical Editions)
Paperback on Amazon.com
Hamlet: Poem Unlimited (Harold Bloom)
Paperback on Amazon.com
Hamlet (Film)
1996 starring Kenneth Branagh
2009 BBC staring David Tennant
2000 staring Ethan Hawke
Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare)
Paperback on Amazon.com
Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare's Hamlet Paperback on Amazon.com
Hamlet: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
Audio CD on Amazon.com