Hamlet Team Project Objectives:

  • Select a portion of a scene from Hamlet which is relevant to the course question, "What is the nature of human kind?"
  • Translate the portion of the scene into modern English.
  • Act out the scene for the rest of the class on Monday, November 24.
Team Members Scenes from which to select a portion
Amy
Bridget
Dan
Carrie
 Act 1
  • Scene 1. Elsinore. A platform before the castle.
  • Scene 2. A room of state in the castle.
  • Scene 3. A room in Polonius' house.
  • Scene 4. The platform.
  • Scene 5. Another part of the platform
Kelly
Allison
Lawanmi
Lisa
Act 2
  • Scene 1. A room in POLONIUS' house.
  • Scene 2. A room in the castle.
Act 3
  • Scene 1. A room in the castle.
  • Scene 2. A hall in the castle.
  • Scene 3. A room in the castle.
Sara
Corrina
Jennifer
Robbie
  • Scene 4. The Queen's closet.
Act 4
  • Scene 1. A room in the castle.
  • Scene 2. Another room in the castle.
  • Scene 3. Another room in the castle.
  • Scene 4. A plain in Denmark.
  • Scene 5. Elsinore. A room in the castle.
Hilary
Micheal
Kristin
Tracy
Tracy
  • Scene 6. Another room in the castle.
  •  Scene 7. Another room in the castle.
Act 5
  • Scene 1. A churchyard.
  • Scene 2. A hall in the castle.

Instructions

  1. Select a portion of a scene from Hamlet which is relevant to the course question, "What is the nature of human kind?"
    Choose a portion of a scene that helps you answer the question.  Write out the main thing that the scene teaches you about the nature of human kind.  There are many, many right answers to this question.  You just need one that your team can agree upon and use for the remainder of the assignment.  You will turn in your statement of relevance with the translation.
  1. Translate the portion of the scene into modern English.
    Maintain the characters and dialogue structure but translate each speach into modern English.  Please place your translation on the R: drive Assignments/Hamlet folder.  Feel free to translate the portion in such a way as to  make clear how it helps you answer the question.  Rhyming and iambic pentameter are optional.
  1. Act out the scene for the rest of the class as scheduled.
    Each team will perform its translation for the class.  You may bring a few props and arrange the classroom furniture as you like.  Each team may have up to 10 minutes for performance, but no more.  The teams will perform in the order of the play.  Actors should have their lines memorized and dramatize their parts according to Hamlet's own instructions to the players in Act 3.
 

Grading Criteria
Relevance Statement:
  1. Statement is general and could be true of any scene from the play.
  2. Statement shows understanding of the play but lacks clear connection to the course.
  3. Statement accurately shows a connection between the specific scene and a specific aspect of human nature.
  4. Statement clearly demonstrates a specific understanding of the nature of human kind from this scene that is unusual and informative.
Translation:
  1. The translation has many mistakes and doesn't really represent Shakespeare's ideas well.
  2. The translation is poorly prepared and resembles the original with only a few words changed.
  3. The translation is accurate and complete.
  4. The translation shows a clear appreciation for the ideas in the original and translates them into modern vernacular while maintaining the meaning.
Performance:
  1. The translation is read aloud by one or more team members.
  2. The translation is memorized and performed without notes.
  3. The translation is performed with accuracy and shows teamwork.
  4. The translation is well acted by the entire team.

Additional Considerations

  1. How long should the portion be?  It should take at least 5 minutes to perform.
  2. Who should play what roles?  Anyone can play any role.  There aren't enough women's parts for the class so we'll have to have anyone play any part.  You could translate Hamlet from the 16th century into a 20th century woman.
  3. How many people should be in the roles?  There should be a part for each person on your team.  Some of the best portions of this play are soliloqueys.  You may select one, but then have different team members perform different portions.  You may even have different team members play different parts of the same character.  (E.g., Hamlet seems to vascillate between different moods.  Different people could play the different moods.)
  4. What if you are weak in memorization?  Volunteer to translate the parts you will perform. It's easier to memorize your own work than someone elses.  If you know that you aren't good at memory work, don't volunteer for very long speeches. Many short speeches are easier than one long one.
  5. How much should be rehearse?  You should rehearse until you are really good at your parts. Don't stop the first time you get it right.
  6. Is this supposed to be fun?  Yes! and educational too.  I've already had one request to videotape it.  We'll forebear unless you want to record it for posterity.