One of the most quoted lines of Shakespeare comes from Hamlet: "To be or not to be, that is the question!" Inspire and engage your students with captivating storyboards as you teach The Tragedy of Hamlet, a dark tale of a prince consumed by revenge.
The drag and drop feature makes it super easy to get characters into your storyboards, but what do you do next? I have made many a storyboard in my time. Let me share some of the tricks I have picked up!
Shakespeare Hamlet Comic Strip - Five Act Structure
Storyboard Text
EXPOSITION
CONFLICT
RISING ACTION
In Denmark, the former king has died and a group of soldiers tell his son, Prince Hamlet, that they saw his ghost. Hamlet learns his father was poisoned by his uncle, who has usurped the throne.
CLIMAX
Hamlet feels he must avenge his father’s death. However, he struggles with the authenticity of the “ghost”, and indecision about his actions.
FALLING ACTION
Throughout the rising action, Hamlet uses tactics to prove Claudius killed his father. He requests that a theater troupe act out a play that depicts a king being poisoned in the ear. Claudius' reaction will prove his guilt or innocence.
DENOUEMENT
Claudius leaves the play and goes to pray for forgiveness for killing Hamlet's father. Hamlet overhears this and wants to kill him. However, Hamlet thinks if he kills Claudius while he is praying, he will go to heaven.
Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, Claudius wants Hamlet to be hanged, Hamlet escapes back to Denmark, and Ophelia drowns. Hamlet is challenged to a fencing match by Laertes who blames Hamlet for his sister's (Ophelia) and father's (Polonius) deaths.
At the match, Laertes poisons the tip of his sword. Claudius poisons a cup, and Gertrude dies. In the end, only Horatio is left standing to tell the story.