Level - intermediate and above

This lesson looks at a very well-known Shakespeare text, Hamlet's soliloquy, which begins 'To be or not to be'. Its main objectives are for learners to enjoy working with a Shakespearean text (which can be very motivating) and improve their confidence with language which is at first glance beyond them. It does this by identifying common and relevant themes, and inviting learners to comment on what is going on in the mind of the character, Hamlet.

Plan components

Lesson Plan: - guide for teacher on procedure including answers to tasks.

Download lesson plan pdf 84k

Worksheets: - exercises which can be printed out for use in class. The worksheet contains:

• A matching exercise from the
• Some discussion exercise
• A summary to complete
• A copy of the soliloquy

Download worksheets pdf 65k

For more information about this topic you can visit these British Council and BBC sites:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/shakespeare
• http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/links/shakespeare.html
• http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/words/activities/shakespeare_quotes01.html

Paul Kaye, British Council, Syria

The plans and worksheets are downloadable and in pdf format. If you have difficulty downloading the materials see the download section of the About page.

Copyright - please read
All the materials on these pages are free for you to download and copy for educational use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place these materials on any other web site without written permission from the BBC and British Council. If you have any questions about the use of these materials please email us at: teachingenglish@britishcouncil.org