Students can create and show a storyboard that captures the concept of the Five Act Structure by making a storyboard, like the example. For each cell, have students create a scene that follows the acts in order: Prologue, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement.
The setting is Elsinore Castle, in Denmark. The former king of Demark has died, and a group of soldiers tell his son, Prince Hamlet, that they believe they saw his ghost. Hamlet later sees the ghost and it is indeed his father. Hamlet learns the king was poisoned by Hamlet's uncle (the king's brother), who has since married the queen and is now the new king.
Hamlet feels that he must seek revenge on his father’s behalf. However, he struggles with the authenticity of the “ghost” and is indecisive about his course of action.
Claudius hires two of Hamlet’s old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on the prince. Polonius, the chief counselor to Claudius, also spies on Hamlet. Polonius’s daughter, Ophelia, had been courted by Hamlet, but he now seems to reject her, perhaps in an effort to convince Claudius he is mad. Throughout the rising action, Hamlet tries to figure out if Claudius truly killed his father. When he hears a group of actors is coming, he requests that they act out a play that depicts a king being poisoned in the ear. This mimics the way the ghost claims he was killed. Hamlet thinks if Claudius reacts, it will prove his guilt.
Claudius leaves the play and goes to pray forgiveness for killing Hamlet's father. Hamlet overhears this and wants to kill him. However, he thinks if he kills him while he is praying, Claudius will go to heaven.
Hamlet speaks to his mother about how disgusted he is that she is married to Claudius. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius and is banished to England. Claudius includes a letter to the King of England that orders Hamlet’s execution. Hamlet escapes and comes back to Denmark. Ophelia, crushed by Hamlet’s apparent disdain and the death of the father, has drowned herself. Hamlet is challenged to a fencing match by Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, who blames Hamlet for the deaths of his sister (Ophelia) and his father (Polonius).
At the match, Laertes poisons the tip of his sword. Claudius poisons a cup and tries to get Hamlet to drink from it. Hamlet refuses and Queen Gertrude drinks from it instead. Laertes stabs Hamlet. They grapple, and Laertes is stabbed by his own sword and also poisoned. Hamlet makes Claudius drink from the poison cup and then stabs him with the poisoned sword. In the end, only Horatio is left to tell the story. Fortinbras, King of Norway, arrives to find the royal family dead and claims Denmark.
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Student Instructions
Create a visual plot diagram of Hamlet.
Teachers can begin by giving simple and easy definitions of the five act structure. They can introduce the literary context and the significance of this structure in Shakespeare’s work. They can choose a specific play such as Hamlet and use it as an example for analysis.
Group the students into smaller groups, and give each group a certain act from the selected play. Each group should read the allotted act and then discuss its content, concentrating on the character development, new tensions, and significant occurrences.
Bring everyone back together in the classroom and ask them to deliver their group's critique of the assigned act. Encourage your students to talk about how each act advances the plot overall and helps the play's themes take shape.
Talk about the idea of turning points inside each act—seconds that change the course of the narrative or the choices made by the characters. Ask students to highlight pivotal scenes in the play and explain their relevance.
Recap the main points of the conversation to close the discussion. Underline how crucial it is to comprehend structure in order to read and appreciate Shakespeare's plays.
Shakespeare commonly employed a dramatic framework called the "Five Act Structure" to organize his plays. It splits a play into five different acts, each serving a distinctive narrative purpose and fostering tension throughout the course of the drama.
Yes, the five act structure is used in many of Shakespeare's plays, including comedies, tragedies, and histories. This framework is a flexible tool for examining the narrative development of his works.
Shakespeare used the five-act structure because it was successful in generating a coherent narrative flow, escalating the tension through time, and producing dramatic climaxes. He was able to create intricate storylines and fascinate viewers because of it.
Understanding the format helps us better understand how each act relates to the themes and character arcs of the play. It helps in identifying the narrative's climax, resolution, and major turning points. Readers can also understand the play in a better way and form a deeper connection if they are already aware of the five act structure.