Hamlet: Characters - Hamlet
English
Year 9
8 questions
~16 mins
1 views0 downloads
About This Worksheet
A worksheet analysing the character of Hamlet through analysis and annotation of a key passage from Shakespeare's play.
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Hamlet: Characters - Hamlet
Subject: EnglishGrade: Year 9
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Untitled Worksheet
Grade Year 9
A
Section 1: Reading and Analysis of Hamlet's Soliloquy
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will;
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
1.
Identify two literary devices used in this extract and explain their effect on the reader.
[3 marks]2.
What does Hamlet consider as the 'question' at the start of the soliloquy?
[2 marks]3.
Analyse the tone of Hamlet's speech in this passage. How does it reflect his state of mind?
[5 marks]4.
Identify and explain the significance of the volta (turn) in this speech.
[3 marks]5.
How does Shakespeare use imagery in this extract to convey Hamlet's emotional state?
[3 marks]6.
In your own words, summarise Hamlet's main thoughts in this soliloquy.
[2 marks]7.
Explain the purpose of Hamlet's reference to dreams in this speech.
[2 marks]8.
Discuss how Hamlet's use of rhetorical questions influences the reader's understanding of his character.
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Details
- Created
- 12/31/2025
- Updated
- 12/31/2025
- Type
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