Sign up today and learn why Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's finest plays. "To be or not to be" is the question, but the answer to this most complex of plays is beguilingly elusive. Join Professor Pearce and fellow students to go deep into Hamlet and find all of the answers.

Instructor Access (Optional grading support) is available for this course. Please note: this is ONLY recommended if you wish to write the optional paper. All quizzes are internally graded in this course. Optional papers will be completed via this page (click here) for an Instructor Access fee of $75.

How to get the most out of Hamlet by William Shakespeare with Joseph Pearce

• First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

• Then have a notebook ready and available to take notes during the class.

• Do the reading assignments and take the quizzes.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: The ability and desire to read Shakespeare.

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit: ½ semester Shakespearian Literature

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Course Description: Hamlet is perhaps Shakespeare's finest play and is certainly one of the most popular. It is also one of the least understood. "To be or not to be" is the question, but the answer to this most complex of plays is beguilingly elusive. What does it mean "to be"? And is everything as it seems to be? These are some of the questions that are asked and answered in this course by Joseph Pearce, editor of the Ignatius Critical Edition of Hamlet and author of The Quest for Shakespeare and Through Shakespeare's Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays.

Course Outline:

Class 1: Introduction to Shakespeare and Hamlet

Class 2: Act One

Class 3: Act Two

Class 4: Act Three

Class 5: Act Four

Class 6: Act 5 and concluding comments

Course materials: Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Ignatius Critical Edition, edited by Joseph Pearce), ISBN # 1586172611 (https://loc.ignatius.com/ignatiuscriticaleditions/shakespeare-hamlet.htm)

Homework: Assigned reading for each week from the course material. Professor Pearce will specify the week’s assigned reading at the conclusion of each class session. There is no assigned reading for the first class session. Students will also need to consult their notes and possibly re-watch the recording in order to review for the weekly quiz. Students should endeavour to take each online quiz prior to the following class, while the class discussion is fresh in their minds.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2023 Homeschool Connections and Joseph Pearce.

All rights reserved.

This course is designed by Joseph Pearce.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.