English Language Arts9-12+
Tragedy and Revenge Guided Notes for Hamlet
By Gina H.
A fill-in-the-blank guided notes worksheet of roughly four pages that accompanies a slideshow introducing Hamlet to senior English students. It builds understanding of tragic conventions such as hamartia, catharsis, and hubris, traces the revenge plot, and asks students to analyze themes and character while making their own predictions about the play.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Pair this worksheet with the accompanying slideshow in a 45-60 minute lesson, pausing after each term so students can fill in blanks as the concept appears on screen.
- Discussion question: Is Hamlet's delay a flaw in his character, a product of his circumstances, or both, and how does that shape your view of him as a tragic hero?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a word bank for the blanks and a brief plot summary of Hamlet's opening acts so students can anchor the abstract terms in concrete events.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare Hamlet's revenge to that of another revenge tragedy, such as The Spanish Tragedy or Titus Andronicus, and to assess how the genre's conventions are handled differently.
- Save the final prediction section for a short exit ticket or a journal entry at the end of the period, which should take about 10 minutes.
English Language Arts9-12+
Tragedy and Revenge Guided Notes for Hamlet
By Gina H.
A fill-in-the-blank guided notes worksheet of roughly four pages that accompanies a slideshow introducing Hamlet to senior English students. It builds understanding of tragic conventions such as hamartia, catharsis, and hubris, traces the revenge plot, and asks students to analyze themes and character while making their own predictions about the play.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Pair this worksheet with the accompanying slideshow in a 45-60 minute lesson, pausing after each term so students can fill in blanks as the concept appears on screen.
- Discussion question: Is Hamlet's delay a flaw in his character, a product of his circumstances, or both, and how does that shape your view of him as a tragic hero?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a word bank for the blanks and a brief plot summary of Hamlet's opening acts so students can anchor the abstract terms in concrete events.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare Hamlet's revenge to that of another revenge tragedy, such as The Spanish Tragedy or Titus Andronicus, and to assess how the genre's conventions are handled differently.
- Save the final prediction section for a short exit ticket or a journal entry at the end of the period, which should take about 10 minutes.