Hamlet Assignment Ideas
In our English class this year we will be studying William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. There are
going to be in class assignments, reading assignments, questions, possible essays, and a final
assignment of your choosing. You are given this outline of assignments now because these
assignments are designed to take you quite some time to complete. You will be given limited
class time to complete these assignments, and I will gladly assist you with them before school, at
lunch, or after school. You will also be required to present your completed assignment to the
class in a short five minute presentation.
Deadlines:
1. Project selection:
2. Research and rough notes:
3. Final project due:
4. Class time: You will be given 2-3 class periods to work on this assignment. The first
period will allow you to do some research for your project and the following two periods
will allow you to work on your project in class.
Evaluation:
Your project will be graded out of 50 marks. A marking rubric will be available to view in class,
or print off from the website. All of the assignments must be handed in to me in a format that I
can open on my computer (assuming they are electronic in some way).
Project Ideas:
You can choose one of the following project ideas or come up with an idea of your own. If you
do come up with an idea of your own please clear the idea with me prior to starting so I know
that you are not embarking on a larger project than you have time for. These projects will require
research and time spent working at home and I am requiring you to hand in any rough work that
you accumulate throughout the project. The rough work will allow me to see your thought
patterns and the amount of work you put into your projects. You have free reign on creativity for
these projects and if you think there is something that would work great with what you are doing,
do it! I will let you know how it turns out and what worked and what didn’t after all is said and
done.
1. A 2000 Word Essay
The essay will need to contain a thesis that you will either prove or disprove. I expect an
outside source or two for the essay and for the essay to be properly formatted (following
MLA standards) and properly cited (again following MLA standards). Some ideas for topics
for your essay are:
a. Write an essay on the function of the soliloquies in Hamlet.
b. Discuss Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real?
c. Discuss the role of parents in the play.
d. Discuss Hamlet’s inability to act when he is presented with perfect scenarios.
These are only a few ideas. Feel free to come up with your own essay ideas and present them
to me sometime before the due dates.
2. A Video Production of Hamlet
For this project you can work in groups of 3-4 and you must pick a few scenes and script,
shoot, and edit the film. You must include one of the major soliloquys from the play. Some
things to consider when doing this project are:
a. Costumes—make sure the costumes are better than your street clothes. Ask your
parents to help you throw something together to make the scenes look as if you were
on Shakespeare’s stage!
b. Camera work—if you have someone in your group who really dislikes being on
camera let them play a smaller role in the acting and a larger role in the filming,
sound, and editing process. This does not mean make them do all the work besides
acting!
c. Story boards—these are important! Create a storyboard to know what you are going
to film and how you are going to film it. I would like you to hand in a story board for
at least one scene that you film for this project. (if you do not know what story
boards are please come see me so I can explain what I am looking for)
d. Sound and music—this plays an extremely important role to any film making project!
Try to match the music for scenes to suit the mood. If your acting isn’t the greatest,
well then maybe the music can make it seem better.
I am expecting a fairly well edited, researched, and well put together film for this project.
Please do not film it the night before and hand in raw footage.
3. Radio Play
Create a radio play for an Act out of Hamlet. Record your radio play using either Audacity
(for windows or Mac) or Garage band (Mac only) and insert the required sound effects and
music to make the radio play more engaging for the listener. This is a group project, so work
in groups of 2-3. If there are more characters than group members then change your voices
depending upon which character you are. Some things to consider for this project:
a. Rehearsal—the rehearsal for this project is incredibly important! You want to be able
to have as smooth of a run through on your recording time as possible. This allows
you to do a lot less editing.
b. Script—I recommend using the actual play for the script.
c. I want you to hand in a short write up (no more than a page) on the process that you
and your group went through to rehears and edit your radio play.
4. Diorama
Create a diorama of a scene from Hamlet, or alternatively you could create a diorama of a
scene set in the Globe Theater (make this one look like what the Globe Theater would have
looked like in Shakespeare’s time). Some things to consider for this project:
a. Really think about which scene you would like to do for this diorama. Maybe you
want to do the scene with Claudius at the confessionary with Hamlet standing by
listening.
b. Make the diorama easy enough to move to the school! Do not make it too large to
move, and remember that only so many projects can fit nicely in the classroom.
c. You must hand in a one page report on the scene you chose. In the report please put
the significance of the scene to the play as a whole, and also how you went about
creating your diorama.
5. Comic Book
Create a comic book adaptation of Hamlet. Things to consider:
a. Complete one full act for this project.
b. You can create the comic book in any way that you see fit, but try not to edit to
the text too much. Do not lose the meaning of the play!
c. Try to include an important soliloquy in this comic book adaptation.
d. It can be colour or black and white. Just make sure it is followable.
6. Create a Scrapbook
Create a scrapbook of all the characters and locations in the play. Things to consider:
a. Every character must be represented!
b. For every character there must be a well written and edited paragraph on the
character (place the paragraph somewhere that makes sense. Either beside the
photo or in a glossary in the back). The paragraph should include why the
character is important to the play.
c. You can represent the characters through drawings, paintings, or cutouts from
magazines. Use your imagination for this project.
7. Perform a Scene From the Play In Front of the Class
Perform a scene from Hamlet in front of the class. The scene can have 2-3 people
performing, or perform a monologue by yourself, and should be well rehearsed (no books
with you during the performance). You should be in appropriate costume. Be prepared to
have this scene filmed (this is so I can have a copy to mark from)
8. Prepare a presentation for the class that runs roughly 10-15 minutes
Essentially this will be an essay, but you will present your argument in the form of a
presentation. Some things to consider:
a. Your presentation should include some sort of visual aids. PowerPoint is a useful
presentation tool to use to help you with your presentation.
b. Try to have room for a question period or discussion in your presentation. Try to
get your classmates active in your presentation in some way.
c. Again rehearsal is important. Try to be confident in your presentation and have
fun doing it!