Name: _______________________________

Anticipation Guide For: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Part A. As you read the following statements, indicate whether you agree or disagree. Your
initial answers will be marked in the left side column, as we are completing this activity before
engaging with the text. Be prepared to defend and support your opinions with examples. After
reading the text you will compare your opinions on these statements with the author’s implied
and/or stated messages.
Before Reading Statement After Reading
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
Families generally have a member’s
best interests in mind.

Having a clear goal, and the

ambition to achieve it, is honorable.

Power eventually corrupts the people

who have it.

Revenge is the only way to gain true

justice.

A person’s immoral choices can

come back to haunt him/her.

One must take a stand against

injustice, even if the personal cost is
great.

A person has to confront death in

order to understand life’s meaning.

Moral courage is more difficult to

accomplish than physical courage.

Evil often spirals out of control.

Part B. With a partner, share your results and discuss. Did you agree or disagree with every
statement? Identify positions that differs from your partner and discuss why you hold the stance
you are defending. Document your partners’ statement stance below and why they have taken
the stance they hold.
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Part C. Each of the statements in Part A hones in on an important theme in our play. Please
select the statement and position you feel most strongly about, and construct an argument
defending your position. Feel more than welcome to include any personal experiences you may
have regarding the statement you choose. Remember that a good argument is supported by
numerous examples.
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Part D. Now that we have finished reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revisit the statements we
looked at before our reading. Signify whether you continue to agree with your initial stance or if
you have changed your mind. If you changed your mind on a statement or multiple, explain your
reasoning. Pull evidence from the play to support your stance. If you didn’t change your mind on
any statement, revisit the statement you explored from Part C and include evidence from the
play to support your stance.
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W.11-12.1a: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,

using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (a) Introduce precise,
knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s)
from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.