TERMINALE LV1 · UPPER SECONDARY · B2 to C1 · C1/C2 extension track in every session

Session 1: The ghost on the walls

Part 1. Why is a ghost the perfect start for a tragedy?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To present the play and its characters and describe a supernatural scene, we need the words of the plot (ghost, revenge, crown, poison, court, castle) and the modals of deduction (The ghost must be his father).

Warm-up

Lights off. Students hear the word ghost and list everything it suggests: fear, the past, unfinished business. Why do ghosts come back in stories?

Documents

Document: the play. Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, written around 1600. Prince Hamlet of Denmark comes home after his father's death. His uncle Claudius is now king and has married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. A ghost appears on the walls of the castle of Elsinore: it is Hamlet's father, who says Claudius poisoned him. Hamlet must decide whether to believe the ghost and take revenge. At the end, almost all the main characters die: Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius and Hamlet himself. Only his friend Horatio survives to tell the story.

Character chart

CharacterWho?WantsFate
HamletPrince of Denmarktruth and revengedies, poisoned
Claudiushis uncle, new kingto keep the crownkilled by Hamlet
Gertrudehis mother, queenpeace at courtdrinks poison
The Ghostthe dead kingrevengereturns to the night
Poloniusadviser to the kingto spykilled behind a curtain
Opheliadaughter of Poloniuslovedrowns
Laertesson of Poloniusto avenge his fatherdies by his own poisoned sword
HoratioHamlet's friendto helpsurvives and tells
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, scene 4, Marcellus
"I am thy father's spirit, Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night"
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, scene 5, the Ghost
"Adieu, adieu, adieu! remember me."
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, scene 5, the Ghost

Vocabulary

WordMeaning
ghostthe spirit of a dead person
revengepunishing someone for a wrong they did
uncleyour father's or mother's brother
poisonedkilled with a toxic substance
castlea large fortified royal building
thronethe king's seat, royal power
spiritsoul without a body
midnighttwelve o'clock at night

Grammar lesson: modals of deduction: must, might, can't (present and past)

To present the play and its characters and describe a supernatural scene, we need modals of deduction: must, might, can't (present and past)
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Read “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. Ask: what does Marcellus suspect? Collect guesses.
  2. Draw the certainty line: can't (no), might / could (maybe), must (yes). Students copy.
  3. Add the past: must have + past participle. “Claudius must have poisoned the king.” Ask what the clue is.
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then the character chart and the role play.
On the board, to copy

Rule

To make a guess from clues, use a modal + base verb for now, and a modal + have + past participle for the past. must = almost sure; might / could = possible; can't = almost sure it is not true.

Form

  • now: modal + base verb: The ghost must be Hamlet's father.
  • past: modal + have + past participle: Claudius must have poisoned him.
  • the negative of must (deduction) is can't: It can't be a dream.
  • questions: Could the ghost be lying?

Use

  • To talk about the ghost: real or imagined, honest or lying?
  • To guess what happened before the play starts.
  • Always add the clue: because, since, so.

Examples from the lesson

  • The ghost must be Hamlet's father: it wears his armour.
  • Claudius must have poisoned the king, if the ghost says the truth.
  • The ghost might be a devil who wants to trick Hamlet.
  • It can't be a dream: the guards saw it too.

Common mistakes

  • Not The ghost must to be his father., but The ghost must be his father.
  • Not It mustn't be a dream., but It can't be a dream.
  • Not Claudius must poisoned the king., but Claudius must have poisoned the king.
  • Not Can the ghost lie? (deduction), but Could the ghost be lying?

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Must, might or can't?

  1. The guards saw it too: it ______ be a dream.
  2. The ghost wears the king's armour: it ______ be the king.
  3. We have no proof: the ghost ______ be lying.
  4. Claudius ______ have killed his brother: the ghost says so.
Show the answers

1. can't. 2. must. 3. might. 4. must (or might, if we doubt the ghost).

Exercises

EntryRecognition. How sure is the speaker: yes (Y), maybe (M), no (N)? Now or past?

  1. Something must be wrong in Denmark.
  2. The ghost might be a devil.
  3. Claudius must have poisoned the king.
  4. Hamlet can't be happy about the wedding.
  5. Gertrude might not have known about the murder.
  6. It can't have been an accident.
Show the answers

1. Y, now. 2. M, now. 3. Y, past. 4. N, now. 5. M, past. 6. N, past.

CoreTransformation. Rewrite with must, might or can't (present or past).

  1. I'm sure the ghost is the old king.
  2. Perhaps Horatio is afraid.
  3. I'm sure Hamlet isn't happy at court.
  4. I'm sure Claudius killed his brother.
  5. Perhaps Gertrude didn't know.
  6. I'm sure it wasn't a natural death.
  7. Maybe the ghost is telling the truth.
Show the answers

1. The ghost must be the old king. 2. Horatio might be afraid. 3. Hamlet can't be happy at court. 4. Claudius must have killed his brother. 5. Gertrude might not have known. 6. It can't have been a natural death. 7. The ghost might be telling the truth.

StretchProduction. You are a guard on the walls. Write five deductions about the ghost and the king's death, each with a clue.

Show the answers

For example: The ghost wears the king's armour, so it must be the dead king. It only appears at night: it might be a spirit from purgatory. It can't be a dream, because three of us saw it. The king died suddenly; someone must have poisoned him. Claudius married the queen very fast: he might have planned everything.

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced. Use the continuous and passive forms of deduction. Rewrite.

  1. Perhaps the ghost is waiting for Hamlet. (continuous)
  2. I'm sure someone poured poison into his ear. (passive past)
  3. I'm sure Hamlet has not been sleeping. (can't + continuous perfect)
Show the answers

1. The ghost might be waiting for Hamlet. 2. Poison must have been poured into his ear. 3. Hamlet can't have been sleeping. Continuous and passive forms let a critic make precise guesses about action and responsibility.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: ghost, revenge, crown, poison.

  1. a substance that kills
  2. the spirit of a dead person
  3. punishing someone for a wrong
  4. the symbol of a king's power
Show the answers

1. poison. 2. ghost. 3. revenge. 4. crown.

CoreComplete the plot with the character chart: Claudius is Hamlet's ______. Gertrude is his ______. Polonius is the ______ to the king. Horatio is Hamlet's ______.

Show the answers

uncle, mother, adviser, friend.

StretchDescribe the ghost scene in three sentences with: walls, night, spirit, remember.

Show the answers

For example: At night, on the walls of Elsinore, a ghost appears. It is the spirit of Hamlet's dead father. Before leaving, it asks Hamlet to remember him.

Activities

  1. Character map: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, the Ghost, Horatio, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes. Draw the links.
  2. Read the three quotations. Who speaks? What does the ghost want?
  3. Language: deduction. The ghost must be the old king. It might be a devil. It can't be a dream: three men saw it.
  4. Acting troupes: in groups of four, stage the ghost scene in one minute, with a narrator, Hamlet, Horatio and the Ghost.

More activities

Exercises
  1. Complete with must, might or can't: Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo all saw the ghost, so it ______ be a dream.
  2. The ghost looks like the old king, so it ______ be his spirit.
  3. Hamlet is not sure: the ghost ______ be a devil trying to trick him.
  4. Find in the quotations a word meaning 'goodbye'.
  5. What is 'rotten' in Denmark, according to you?
Corrigé of the exercises
  1. can't
  2. must
  3. might
  4. adieu
  5. The crown: a murderer is on the throne, so the whole state is sick.

Sentence starters

Role play

Student A is Horatio, Student B is Hamlet. Horatio tells Hamlet what he saw on the walls last night. Hamlet asks questions.

Figures of speech in the documents

Metaphor: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Act I, scene 4, Marcellus)

A country cannot rot like fruit or meat: Marcellus compares Denmark to a body or a food that is going bad. This is a metaphor. It suggests a hidden corruption at the top of the state (the murder, the hasty marriage) which will spread to everything.

EntryWhat can be rotten in real life?

Show the answers

Food, fruit, meat, wood.

CoreWhat is rotten in Denmark, in fact?

Show the answers

The power: the king was murdered by his brother, who now sits on the throne and has married the queen.

StretchUse the same metaphor to describe a modern situation, then explain it.

Show the answers

For example: Something is rotten in this club: the best players never play. The metaphor suggests a hidden problem that spoils the whole group.

Gap-fill worksheet

QR code to this worksheet
Word bank: ghost, revenge, uncle, poisoned, castle, throne, spirit, midnight
  1. Hamlet's father appears as a ______.
  2. Claudius is Hamlet's ______.
  3. The ghost says he was ______.
  4. The scene takes place in a ______ called Elsinore.
  5. Claudius now sits on the ______.
  6. The ghost asks Hamlet for ______.
  7. He calls himself 'thy father's ______'.
  8. Ghosts usually appear at ______.
Answer key
  1. ghost
  2. uncle
  3. poisoned
  4. castle
  5. throne
  6. revenge
  7. spirit
  8. midnight

Expression task

Now say it

Role play: two guards on the walls of Elsinore at midnight see the ghost.

EntryEach guard says two sentences, one with must, might or can't.

CoreTwo minutes: describe the ghost, make three deductions, decide to tell Hamlet.

StretchUse a past deduction (must have) and the metaphor “something is rotten”.

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

A: Look, over there! It must be the old king: it wears his armour. B: It can't be a dream; Horatio saw it too. A: It might be a devil who wants to trick us. B: Or the king must have something to say. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. A: We must tell Prince Hamlet tonight.

Assessment grid

CriteriaLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4
Plot understandingRarelySometimesMostlyAlways and precisely
ModalsHard to followSome errorsClearRich and accurate
Use of the textNo quotationOne quotationTwo quotations, explainedQuotations analysed

Terminale LV1 · C1/C2 extension track

For strong or anglophone students. Here the ghost is read as a problem of knowledge: can Hamlet trust what he sees?

Extended extract

The spirit that I have seen
May be a devil, and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds
More relative than this.
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 (public domain)

Critical analysis

  1. How does Hamlet turn a ghost story into a question of evidence?
  2. What does 'out of my weakness and my melancholy' reveal about his self awareness?
  3. Is his doubt prudence or an excuse for delay? Justify with the text.

Nuanced vocabulary

Word or phraseMeaning and use
epistemic doubtdoubt about what can be known
to assume a shapeto take on an appearance, often deceptively
melancholya deep, lasting sadness, in 1600 also a medical condition of temperament
arguablyto present a view as defensible but open to debate
to hinge onto depend entirely on

Argued writing (C1: 300 words · C2: 400 words)

Essay: 'Hamlet's tragedy begins not with murder but with uncertainty.' Discuss.

Debate

Motion: This house believes Hamlet is justified in doubting the ghost. Two teams, opening speeches of one minute, rebuttals, then an open floor.

Homework

Write the diary of Horatio after the night on the walls (120 words, three modals of deduction).

Links reminder