Shakespeare's great play about the young Dane Hamlet bent on avenging his father's murder by his uncle but plagued by doubt and uncertainty is one of Shakespeare's finest tragedies.
A series of questions focus systematically on the text, usually chapter by chapter or scene by scene. The aim is to have the student come into a close examination of what is being said and how it is said.
Critical essays
In about 2000 words the text is critically assessed from a specific viewpoint – structure, character, theme.
Characters
The text relies on characters to develop its plot and story line. Carefully composed questions lead students to understand the developing and complex motivations of key characters.
Key scenes
Each text has a number of significant scenes which if closely explored reveal important information about plot, character and their development.
Issues
By focusing on a number of issues and asking penetrating questions the student is lead to a deeper understanding of the concerns of the text.
Themes
The theme of a text is the basic idea or series of ideas which the author develops through the actions, words and interactions of his characters.
