1. Hamlet Background
At this point in the play, Hamlet feels that he is in a crisis. His father died not quite two months earlier under mysterious circumstances. Hamlet discovers that his father was murdered—by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. Making things even worse, Claudius then married Hamlet's mother. Hamlet’s father’s ghost has asked for revenge, but Hamlet doesn't know what to do with this knowledge. He wonders if he can trust the ghost, or anyone, and he begins to contemplate whether life is worth living.

2. Hamlet – Key Vocabulary Jot these down in your Value of Life Packet (Note: Some of these words are in the soliloquy while others are used to describe a state of mind)
fortune – noun: Fate; destiny or luck
opposition – noun: resistance; hostility
oppression – noun repression; domination
mortality – noun: subject to death
dread – verb: terror; fear
resolution – noun: decision or promise
antithesis – noun: exact opposite or contrast
pessimism – noun: cynicism or negative outlook
optimism – noun: hopefulness or positive outlook

3. Close Reading – with a highlighter
Partners: Carefully Reread Hamlet’s soliloquy. Pay special attention to reading it sentence-by-sentence, not line by line (look for end punctuation to help you).
Highlight the places in the text where Hamlet describes what it means to be alive.
Example: In lines 2-3, he describes life as "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," so you could highlight that phrase as an example of what Hamlet thinks it means "to be."

4. Paraphrase 3 Sections of Text
Example:
Quote: “Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (ll. 2-3)
Paraphrase: Hamlet questions whether it is honorable (noble) to stay alive only to suffer from the pain and misfortune (“slings and arrows”) that life throws at us.
Your turn! Choose 3 quotations. Copy the quote then paraphrase in your own words.
1. Quote:
Paraphrase:
2. Quote:
3. Quote:

5. Hamlet Response Paragraph
Write a response paragraph to describe Hamlet’s state of mind. What is troubling him? What are his greatest fears? Why? Be specific and include textual references.
I’ll help you start:
In Hamlet’s soliloquy, it is evident that he is deeply depressed and is in fact contemplating suicide; his only reason to stay alive is his fear of death. One way Hamlet expresses his distress is when he declares “ “ (ll. x-y). This reveals… Add 2nd CD to discuss his fear of death. Add CM to explain. Wrap up big ideas with CS.