Hamlet - Soliloquies
English
Year 9
8 questions
~16 mins
1 views0 downloads
About This Worksheet
A worksheet covering Hamlet's soliloquies with a focus on literary techniques and thematic interpretation, contextualised around mythology.
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Hamlet - Soliloquies
Subject: EnglishGrade: Year 9
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Untitled Worksheet
Grade Year 9
A
Read the Extract from Hamlet's 'To be, or not to be' 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.
1.
Identify two literary devices used in this extract and explain their effect.
[3 marks]2.
What is the significance of the phrase 'to sleep—perchance to dream' in the context of the extract?
[2 marks]3.
Explain the thematic connection between Hamlet’s soliloquy and the concept of mythology’s 'Hero's Dilemma'.
4.
Which metre predominantly characterises this soliloquy? How does it enhance the tone?
[2 marks]5.
Identify a caesura in the extract and discuss its effect.
[2 marks]6.
Compare Hamlet’s dilemma in this soliloquy to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. How are themes of uncertainty and safe return reflected?
7.
Discuss how the imagery of sleep functions as a metaphor for death in this extract.
8.
Create a brief modern adaptation of the 'To be, or not to be' soliloquy, maintaining its themes and tone.
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Details
- Created
- 12/31/2025
- Updated
- 12/31/2025
- Type
- worksheet