Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 62659
Shakespearean Soliloquy Fluency: A Close Reading and
Analysis of "To be or not to be"
In this lesson, students will perform multiple close readings of the well-known "To be or not to be" soliloquy from William Shakespeare's Tragedy of
Hamlet. The lesson is appropriate for 11th or 12th grade students who have some familiarity with reading Shakespeare but would benefit from
fluency practice with the difficult text, as well as vocabulary building and argumentative writing about literature. The closure and extension activities
provide suggestions for taking this study further using other Hamlet (or other Shakespearean) soliloquies.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet
Connection, Speakers/Headphones, Computer Media
Player
Instructional Time: 7 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Hamlet, soliloquy, close reading, text marking, argument writing, literature, Shakespeare, syntax,
figurative language, imagery, metaphor, personification
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
To be or not to be Text Marking.docx
To be or not to be Text Marking Key.docx
Vocabulary Chart Hamlet To be or not to be.docx
Possible Answer Key Hamlet To Be Vocabulary Chart.docx
Figurative Language Chart Hamlet To be or not to be.docx
Hamlet To Be Figurative Language Chart Some Possible Answers without Explanations.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to:
1. apply an understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading.
2. demonstrate fluent reading of a Shakespearean soliloquy, specifically "To be or not to be" from Hamlet, after multiple readings.
3. use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
4. verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
5. determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.
6. use text marking and writing to demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
7. write an argument to support claims that analyze figurative language in a Shakespearean soliloquy, using valid reasoning and sufficient, relevant evidence to
support these claims.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
page 1 of 5 Students will need to be familiar with definitions and applications of the following literary devices: soliloquy, syntax, figurative language, simile, metaphor,
personification, imagery, and tone.
Students will also need prior practice with writing an argument after reading and analyzing a piece of literature, including practice with embedding quoted textual
evidence into a written response.
This close reading lesson is intended to be used in conjunction with a complete study of the play Hamlet.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
The teacher should circulate around the room as students are working and provide the following questions (on the board and/or verbally) for students as they work
through the second and third text marking tasks and independent practice, prior to the final written response. These questions will guide students as they think about
the specific choices Shakespeare made to communicate Hamlet's emotions in the soliloquy.
1. What do the words in this soliloquy have in common? How would you describe their connotations?
2. What context clues help us to understand unfamiliar words in this text?
3. Paraphrase lines of the text that are confusing to you, paying attention to Shakespeare's frequent use of inverted syntax.
4. What is Hamlet's tone in this soliloquy, and which words and phrases communicate that tone? (This question is primarily to initiate student thinking about the
connotations of Hamlet's words.)
5. How does Shakespeare's syntax affect meaning in the soliloquy? Consider how the complex sentences and use of questions show Hamlet's emotions.
6. What kinds of emotions is Hamlet experiencing and how do you know?
7. What would you argue is Hamlet's most significant emotion at this point in the play?
8. How does Shakespeare's diction contribute to the tone of the soliloquy?
9. What effects does figurative language have on the meaning of this text?
10. What types of comparisons does Shakespeare use in this soliloquy?
Questions 1-3 work best as students work through the first and second reading tasks. Questions 4-10 work best for the third reading task, the independent practice,
and as a guide for students through Shakespeare's syntax and figurative language so they may consider the emotions Hamlet is feeling as they prepare for the final
writing prompt.
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
(c. 1 hour)
Materials: Folger Shakespeare Library's Copy of Act 3, Scene 1 Soliloquy
Engagement: Occupation Hamlet is adapted from a Folger Shakespeare lesson. This close reading lesson will take place as students continue their reading of the
play in its entirety, so they will already have some familiarity with the "To be or not to be" soliloquy.
1. To begin, the teacher should print and make copies of the first 10 lines of the "To be or not to be" speech for each student, ending at "perchance to dream."
2. Next, on slips of paper, the teacher should print one of each of the following occupations/roles: WWE Wrestler, Kindergarten Teacher, Disgruntled Wife, Ninja
Assassin, Elderly Grandmother, Smurf (or other cartoon character), ESPN Announcer, and any other occupation or role with which students may be familiar or
interested. Fold these slips of paper and place them in a hat.
3. Have students work either individually or in partners (partners work best in a larger class for sake of time). They will take 8-10 minutes to practice lines 1-10 using
any mannerisms, voices, or props they can come up with to communicate the occupation or role they're playing.
4. When time is called, have students perform the lines as their classmates try to guess their occupation/role.
Direct Instruction: Following the engagement activity, the teacher will bring students back together to discuss the importance of paying attention to syntax, or
sentence structure, in an author's writing, particularly when reading a text aloud. The teacher will ask students to take a look at all punctuation that elicits a pause or
stop, ensuring that students take note that Shakespeare uses commas, dashes, colons, semicolons, question marks, and periods in his writing to show emphasis and
communicate tone. Finally, the teacher will provide a modeled read aloud of the soliloquy. (If teachers prefer, an audio version can be found Lit2Go. "To be or not to
be" begins at 3:05.) Students will follow along silently.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
(c. 3 hours)
Materials:
Soliloquy for Text Marking
Text Marking Answer Key
Vocabulary Chart
Vocabulary Chart Possible Answer Key
After the modeled read aloud, the teacher will divide students into small groups of two to three students to close read the soliloquy. Students will need three different
colored highlighters, one for each task.
Text Marking Task #1 with Read Aloud:
Using one color, small groups should mark all punctuation that elicits a pause or a stop in the soliloquy.
Following task #1, have students work in their small groups to read the entire soliloquy aloud, switching to a new reader each time they hit the pause/stop
punctuation marks. Reading in this way will help build students' fluency with the text. (Teachers may decide to begin other classes with this activity; it works well to
engage students and improve their fluency.)
Text Marking Task #2:
Using a second color, small groups should read the text again and mark any unfamiliar words or phrases in the soliloquy.
After marking the text, small groups should then share their words with the whole group as the teacher records them on the board.
Have students record these words in the Vocabulary Chart, following the order in which they occur in the soliloquy. The class will create a list that they all agree will
assist them with understanding the soliloquy. (As groups share words, the teacher should pronounce each unfamiliar word for students and they should echo the
pronunciation.)
The teacher should then divide the words as evenly as possible among the small groups, asking them to prepare the other columns for the class for their assigned
words (in other words, jigsaw the list). It's important for students to begin by looking at how the word is used prior to looking it up in the dictionary or online.
page 2 of 5 (Emphasize to students that the context in which the words are used is most important, as well as finding a correct definition, which may also mean looking up
archaic meanings online if they cannot be found in a regular dictionary.)
Finally, this assignment should be shared with the whole group, with all groups taking notes and filling in the vocabulary chart as their classmates present other
words from their lists.
Text Marking Task #3:
Using a third color, small groups should read the text again and mark figurative language Shakespeare uses, including imagery, metaphors, and personification.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
(c. 1 hour)
Materials:
Soliloquy for Text Marking (completed by students at this point in the lesson)
Figurative Language Chart
Figurative Language Chart Possible Answer Key (without explanations)
Figurative Language Chart Activity:
Now that students have worked through the text multiple times with their small groups, they should work independently to reread the soliloquy on their own and
record Shakespeare's figurative language on the Figurative Language Chart.
On the chart, have students record the figurative language and specify the comparisons Shakespeare is making, when applicable.
Note: Students should also take note of the emotions they determine that Hamlet is feeling as they move through the Figurative Language Chart. After the students
have completed this chart, the teacher and students should have a whole class discussion to examine the words, phrases, and figurative language they marked. In
the discussion, an emphasis should be placed on what Hamlet is feeling during the various parts of the soliloquy and how the words, phrases, and figurative
language provide evidence of his emotions.
As specified in the Feedback section, the teacher should circulate as students work, providing verbal assistance when necessary. The Guiding Questions will initiate
student thinking as they dig a bit deeper into the figurative language and think about the emotions Hamlet is experiencing in this soliloquy. The teacher should provide
both verbal and written feedback to students for their work on the figurative language chart prior to assigning the summative assessment.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Following the summative assessment, the teacher should assign one of the other soliloquies in Hamlet to each student to work through using the above steps on their
own. This will provide further independent practice that can be ongoing as students continue reading the play. Students may then present a reading of this other
soliloquy to the class and write another written response to the soliloquy, this time as a full essay.
Suggested soliloquies include:
Act I, Scene II ("O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt...")
Act I, Scene V ("O all you host of heaven! O earth!")
Act II, Scene II ("O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!")
Act III, Scene III ("O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven")
Summative Assessment
After multiple readings of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, students will write two paragraphs addressing the following prompt:
Analyze Shakespeare's use of figurative language in the soliloquy. Which of these devices most effectively communicates Hamlet's emotions in this soliloquy?
Address the prompt and argue which type of figurative language most effectively communicates Hamlet's emotions. Be sure to identify Hamlet's emotions in your
writing and support your position with evidence from the text.
The template used for this prompt can be found on page 6, Task 2, of the Literacy Design Collaborative. The rubric used for scoring this prompt can be found on page
7 of the same document.
Formative Assessment
The teacher will need to collect student work daily to provide verbal and written feedback to students as they work through the close reading process. This will ensure
comprehension of the text in its entirety and will provide support for struggling readers. The repeated reading aloud of the soliloquy provides opportunities for the
teacher to support fluency building for all students. See the Possible Answer Keys for text marking and charts (attached) to assist with this process.
Feedback to Students
The teacher will provide verbal feedback for students regarding their reading aloud of the soliloquy.
The teacher will provide written feedback daily on students text marking, vocabulary chart, and figurative language chart assignments.
Verbal and/or written feedback on the figurative language chart (after students complete their independent practice) is necessary prior to student preparation for
the summative assessment. This can occur both during and after students work on the assignment. The teacher may also decide to address the class as a whole
group to review the figurative language to ensure students are confident addressing the writing prompt.
Time permitting, a writing conference is another way the teacher can provide verbal and written feedback which can occur as students either plan their written
responses or work on a second or final draft.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Group students by ability.
Additionally, the teacher may fill in parts of the charts with students to provide modeled examples.
To further differentiate instruction, the teacher could assign words to groups according to difficulty. For example, more advanced students should take on archaic
words or words used in this text differently from how they may have seen them used in the past.
page 3 of 5 Extensions:
An extension of this lesson would be to have students develop a dramatic reading of a soliloquy that they could present to the class using props, costumes, etc. As a
written assessment, students could also complete the summative assessment using the soliloquy they worked on independently.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet Connection, Speakers/Headphones, Computer Media Player
Special Materials Needed:
Copies of the attached student handouts
Highlighters, enough for each student to have two different colors
Document camera for modeling text marking and reading aloud
Computer with speakers and internet connection (optional, for listening to the online reading of the soliloquy)
Further Recommendations:
This lesson can be taught in isolation if there is not time to teach the play in its entirety. In this case, the teacher may decide to provide an overview of how to read
Shakespeare, as well as provide definitions of the literary devices mentioned in the Prior Knowledge section.
The Teaching Guide developed by the Folger Shakespeare Library may be helpful.
It is strongly recommended to begin class with a choral reading of the soliloquy. This builds students' confidence and encourages engagement with the play.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
The ATOS level for this text is 9.8, placing it in the middle of the ninth grade band. However, due to qualitative measures of the text and the writing response that serves
as the summative assessment, this text is appropriate for study in grades 11 or 12. The ATOS book level is 10.5.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: April Fleetwood
Name of Author/Source: April Fleetwood
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Levy
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.1112.L.2.3:
Description
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for
meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
a. Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte’s Artful Sentences) for guidance as needed; apply an
understanding of syntax to the study of complex texts when reading.
LAFS.1112.L.3.4:
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading
and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g.,
conceive, conception, conceivable).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and
digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its
etymology, or its standard usage.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in
context or in a dictionary).
LAFS.1112.L.3.5:
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
LAFS.1112.RL.1.1:
LAFS.1112.RL.2.4:
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons,
and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while
page 4 of 5 LAFS.1112.W.1.1:
LAFS.1112.W.3.9:
pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level,
concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion,
and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)
and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth­, nineteenth­ and
early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics”).
b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal
U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public
advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
page 5 of 5