Hamlet Close Reading Worksheets Bundle

Challenge high school students to push beyond basic reading comprehension and exercise close reading analysis skills while engaging with Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Given the objective nature of the multiple choice questions, each close reading activity is rigorous enough for students to find deeper meaning in the text, yet convenient enough for teachers to quickly and efficiently gather data on their students’ textual analysis skills. Included are twenty close reading worksheets, each addressing an individual scene, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By the end of the play, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
• Discern the tone of given passages
• Determine the functions of given scenes
• Analyze plot from a historical perspective
• Consider the greater significance of given details
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
• Compare and contrast characters
• Examine the effect of Shakespeare’s narrative techniques with emphasis on the incorporation of figurative language
• Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, simile, euphemism, personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, situational irony, dramatic irony, and more
• Conduct brief research to answer a question connecting the drama to aspects of Greek mythology
• Consider autobiographical parallel, drawing an informed inference about Shakespeare’s philosophy on the purpose of dramatic performances based on details provided in a given scene
• Explore themes with emphasis on humanity’s relationship with the universe
• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
• Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision