147k views
3 votes
You are teaching a lesson about Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" to a group of people who haven't experienced Shakespeare before. Which is the best way to deliver your speech?

A) Tell plenty of jokes and speak very loudly, so no one falls asleep.
B) Speak in a scholarly way that assumes knowledge of secondary sources.
C) Apologize for having to bore your listeners, and beg their indulgence.
D) Speak competently about the text, but explain the reasoning behind your analysis.

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The best way to discuss Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' with newcomers is to competently explain the text and reasoning, engage the audience with topics that resonate with their interests, read texts aloud, and use tools like annotation and pattern tracking for deeper understanding. Dissecting key scenes can also help learners grasp the content without getting overwhelmed.

Step-by-step explanation:

When introducing Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" to a group of newcomers, the best way to deliver your speech is to speak competently about the text and explain the reasoning behind your analysis (Option D). It's important to make the material accessible and exciting by linking it to the listeners' experiences and interests. One might relate to the role sports play within the narrative, like fencing, or engage with the text through the botany described, such as the flowers Ophelia carries. Using lively discussion, reading aloud, and performing the text can make the experience more immersive and help to convey the subtleties of the language.

Strategies such as reading the text multiple times, highlighting, annotating, and tracking patterns can significantly enhance students' understanding. These methods encourage deep engagement with the text, allowing students to make their own discoveries and connections.

It is also recommended to dissect and understand key scenes rather than the entire play to avoid overwhelming the students, especially if they are experiencing Shakespeare's language for the first time. Through a combination of intellectual rigor and imaginative inquiry, one can demonstrate that Shakespeare's works are not only historically significant but also resonantly dynamic and perennially relevant.

User Stephen James
by
7.7k points