ADAPTED VERSION · B1 · dyslexia friendly

Session 4: The tragic end

Question: Why does everybody die, and what remains?
Step 1

Goals

Step 2
Today's language goal

To explain the ending and write a critical paragraph on the tragic, we need the words of tragedy (fate, weakness, pity, fear, wounded, poisoned) and linking words of cause, consequence, contrast and concession.

Warm-up

Students list endings of films they know: happy, sad, tragic. What is the difference between sad and tragic?

Step 3

Read

Document: what is the tragic? In a tragedy, a noble hero faces a fate he cannot escape. He often has a weakness (Aristotle called it hamartia). The audience feels pity and fear. The end is death, but the hero gains a kind of lucidity before it.
Document: the last scene. A fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes is a trap. The sword is poisoned, the wine too. Gertrude drinks, Laertes and Hamlet are wounded, Hamlet kills Claudius. Dying, he asks Horatio to tell his story.
"The rest is silence."
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act V, scene 2, Hamlet

Vocabulary

WordMeaning
fencingfighting with swords as a sport
poisonedkilled with a toxic substance
winealcoholic drink from grapes
woundedhurt by a weapon
fatedestiny
pitysadness for someone's suffering
fearfeeling of danger
silenceno sound, no words
Step 4

Grammar lesson: linking words for a critical paragraph

To explain the ending and write a critical paragraph on the tragic, we need linking words for a critical paragraph
On the board, to copy

Rule

because = cause. so = result. but / however = opposition.

Form

  • because + subject + verb; because of + noun: because of his hesitation
  • therefore / as a result, at the start of a sentence, with a comma
  • although + subject + verb; despite + noun / -ing: despite his courage
  • whereas joins two contrasting clauses: Hamlet hesitates, whereas Laertes acts.

Examples from the lesson

  • Hamlet dies because of a poisoned sword.
  • Hamlet hesitates for a long time; as a result, many innocent people die.
  • Although he dies, Hamlet gains a kind of lucidity.

Common mistakes

  • Not Because of he hesitates, he dies., but Because he hesitates, he dies.
  • Not Despite he is brave, he dies., but Although he is brave, he dies. / Despite his courage, he dies.

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Choose the right linking word.

  1. Hamlet dies (because / because of) a poisoned sword.
  2. (Although / Despite) his courage, he cannot escape his fate.
  3. Hamlet hesitates, (whereas / therefore) Laertes acts at once.
  4. The wine is poisoned; (as a result / although), Gertrude dies.
Show the answers

1. because of. 2. Despite. 3. whereas. 4. as a result.

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Cause (C), consequence (R), contrast (O) or concession (N)?

  1. Hamlet dies because of his hesitation.
  2. Therefore, the audience feels pity.
  3. Although he is noble, he has a weakness.
  4. Claudius wants the crown, whereas Hamlet wants the truth.
  5. Despite his intelligence, he cannot escape his fate.
  6. As a result, Horatio is the only survivor.
Show the answers

1. C. 2. R. 3. N. 4. O. 5. N. 6. R.

CoreJoin the two sentences with the word given.

  1. Hamlet is noble. He has a weakness. (although)
  2. Hamlet hesitates. Many people die. (as a result)
  3. The sword is poisoned. Laertes dies too. (because)
  4. Hamlet is intelligent. He makes fatal mistakes. (despite)
  5. Hamlet thinks. Laertes acts. (whereas)
  6. The hero dies. The audience feels pity and fear. (therefore)
  7. Hamlet wants proof. He organises a play. (since)
Show the answers

1. Although Hamlet is noble, he has a weakness. 2. Hamlet hesitates; as a result, many people die. 3. Laertes dies too because the sword is poisoned. 4. Despite his intelligence, Hamlet makes fatal mistakes. 5. Hamlet thinks, whereas Laertes acts. 6. The hero dies; therefore, the audience feels pity and fear. 7. Since Hamlet wants proof, he organises a play.

StretchProduction. Write a critical paragraph of eight to ten lines: Is Hamlet guilty, a victim, or both? Use five different linking words and one quotation.

Show the answers

For example: Hamlet is both guilty and a victim. On the one hand, he is a victim of fate, because his uncle murdered his father and the Ghost imposed revenge. On the other hand, his weakness, his hesitation, causes many deaths; as a result, Polonius, Ophelia and Gertrude die. Although he finally kills Claudius, it is too late. His last words, “The rest is silence”, show that he accepts his end. Therefore, he is a true tragic hero: we feel pity and fear for him.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: fate, pity, wounded, fencing.

  1. fighting with swords as a sport
  2. hurt by a weapon
  3. sadness for someone's suffering
  4. destiny
Show the answers

1. fencing. 2. wounded. 3. pity. 4. fate.

Tasks

Task a. Who dies and how? Make a list.
Task b. Is Hamlet guilty, a victim, or both?
Task c. Link the end to the definition of the tragic: fate, weakness, pity and fear.
Task d. Extension C1/C2: compare with a modern tragic story (film, novel) in a 200 word paragraph.
Step 5

More tasks

Exercises
  1. Who survives?
  2. What two objects are poisoned?
  3. Give Hamlet's tragic weakness in one word.
  4. What does 'The rest is silence' suggest?
  5. Name two emotions of the audience in a tragedy.
Corrigé of the exercises
  1. Horatio
  2. The sword and the wine
  3. Hesitation
  4. Death ends his words and his doubts.
  5. Pity and fear
Step 6

Sentence starters

  • In the end...
  • The tragic comes from...
  • Hamlet's weakness is...
  • The audience feels...
Step 7

Role play

Student A is Horatio, Student B is Fortinbras, the new ruler arriving at the end. Horatio tells the story in two minutes.

Step 8

Figures of speech in the documents

Euphemism and pun: “The rest is silence”

“The rest is silence.” (Act V, scene 2, Hamlet)

Hamlet does not say “I am dying”. He says silence. This is a gentle word for death: a euphemism.

EntryWhich word replaces “death” in Hamlet's last line?

Show the answers

silence.

Gap-fill worksheet

QR code to this worksheet
Word bank: fencing · poisoned · wine · wounded · fate · pity · fear · silence
  1. The final scene is a match.
  2. Laertes's sword is .
  3. Gertrude drinks the .
  4. Hamlet is .
  5. A tragic hero cannot escape his .
  6. The audience feels for him.
  7. They also feel .
  8. 'The rest is .'
Answer key
  1. fencing
  2. poisoned
  3. wine
  4. wounded
  5. fate
  6. pity
  7. fear
  8. silence
Step 9

Expression task

Now say it

Write a short critical paragraph: Why does everybody die, and what remains?

EntryFour sentences with because, so and but, and one quotation.

Tools to use:

  • fate, weakness, pity, fear, poisoned, wounded
  • because of, as a result, although, despite, whereas
  • point, evidence, explanation, link

Sentence starters:

  • Everybody dies because ...
  • As a result, ...
  • Although ..., ...
  • What remains is ...
Show a model answer

Everybody dies because of a trap: the sword and the wine are poisoned. As a result, the guilty and the innocent fall together, Gertrude and Laertes as well as Claudius. Although Hamlet finally kills the king, his hesitation, his hamartia, has made the catastrophe inevitable. What remains is Horatio, who will tell the story, and Hamlet's last words: “The rest is silence”. The audience feels pity and fear, which is the definition of the tragic.

Assessment grid

CriteriaLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4
Understanding of the tragicRarelySometimesMostlyAlways and precisely
Written accuracyHard to followSome errorsClearRich and accurate
Use of the textNo quotationOne quotationTwo quotations, explainedQuotations analysed

Homework

Prepare the final task.

Step 10

Links reminder