Hamlet

The following materials bring books to life and support both individual and group literature study. Use these resources to draw real-world connections, plan interdisciplinary lessons, inspire unique research projects, create enrichment activities, and support differentiated instruction.

• Amleth, Prince of Denmark

This 12th-century Scandinavian legend was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

• Medieval Scandinavia

Medievalists.net’s series of articles details medieval Denmark’s politics and relations with its neighbors, offering context for the world of Hamlet.

• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Tom Stoppard’s 1966 play is an existentialist reworking of Shakespeare’s story from the viewpoint of two minor characters: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

• Hamlet: A Love Story

Joshua Rothman’s New Yorker article discusses some of the major academic criticisms of Hamlet—most notably, the Freudian reading—while reviewing Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster’s 2013 contribution: Stay, Illusion!.

• The Problem with Bardolatry

This inaugural episode of the Breaking Bard podcast discusses how to approach Shakespeare’s plays from a contemporary perspective.

• Experiencing Shakespeare: How to Fight with Rapier and Dagger

This video showcases the kinds of weaponry and swordplay that would have featured in an Elizabethan production of Hamlet.

• Language in Key Scenes from Hamlet

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Shakespeare Analysis Zone” features guided worksheets, questions to consider, and several videos exploring how actors analyze language to determine characters’ emotional states, relationships to one another, etc.