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

Session 3: Madness: real or performed?

Part 3. Is Hamlet mad, or does he only act mad?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To discuss whether Hamlet is mad or only pretends, and report what the characters say, we need the words of appearance (mask, pretend, madness, method, appearance, reality) and reported speech (Polonius said that there was method in Hamlet's madness).

Warm-up

Show a mask. Is a person who wears a mask lying? Students give examples of people who hide their feelings.

Documents

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't."
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, scene 2, Polonius
Document: two madnesses. Hamlet says he will 'put an antic disposition on': he will pretend to be strange. Ophelia, whose father Polonius is killed by Hamlet, really loses her mind: she sings, gives flowers and drowns.
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio"
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act V, scene 1, Hamlet

Vocabulary

WordMeaning
maska cover for the face
pretendact as if something were true
madnessloss of reason
drownsdies in water
flowersplants Ophelia gives away
methodlogic, a plan
appearancewhat seems to be
realitywhat really is

Grammar lesson: reported speech: said that, told, asked if

To discuss whether Hamlet is mad or only pretends, and report what the characters say, we need reported speech: said that, told, asked if
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Read Polonius's line. Ask: what did Polonius say? Write the student answer, then the correct reported version.
  2. Build the table of tense changes on the board: is to was, will to would, can to could, present perfect to past perfect. Add said / told / asked. Students copy.
  3. Show the change of pronouns and time words (now to then, here to there).
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then the comparison of Hamlet and Ophelia.
On the board, to copy

Rule

To report what someone said, use said (that) or told + person, and move the tenses one step back into the past. Change the pronouns and time words. For questions, use asked if / whether or a question word, with normal word order.

Form

  • is / are to was / were; present simple to past simple
  • will to would; can to could
  • past simple or present perfect to past perfect
  • questions: asked if + subject + verb: She asked if he was mad.

Use

  • To tell the story of a scene in a summary.
  • To compare what characters say with what they do.
  • In an essay, to quote without quotation marks.

Examples from the lesson

  • Polonius said that there was method in Hamlet's madness.
  • Hamlet said that he would put an antic disposition on.
  • Hamlet told Horatio that he had known Yorick.
  • Ophelia asked if Hamlet loved her.

Common mistakes

  • Not Polonius said me that Hamlet was mad., but Polonius told me that Hamlet was mad.
  • Not Hamlet said that he will act strangely., but Hamlet said that he would act strangely.
  • Not She asked if was he mad., but She asked if he was mad.
  • Not He told that he was sad., but He said that he was sad.

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Report.

  1. Polonius: “Hamlet is mad.”
  2. Hamlet: “I will act strangely.”
  3. Gertrude: “Are you mad?” (to Hamlet)
Show the answers

1. Polonius said that Hamlet was mad. 2. Hamlet said that he would act strangely. 3. Gertrude asked Hamlet if he was mad.

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Find the original words.

  1. Polonius said that there was method in Hamlet's madness.
  2. Hamlet said that he would put an antic disposition on.
  3. Hamlet told Horatio that he had known Yorick.
  4. Ophelia said that she was afraid.
  5. Claudius asked what Hamlet wanted.
  6. Horatio said that he could not believe it.
Show the answers

1. “There is method in it.” 2. “I will put an antic disposition on.” 3. “I knew him, Horatio.” 4. “I am afraid.” 5. “What do you want?” 6. “I cannot believe it.”

CoreTransformation. Put into reported speech with the verb given.

  1. Hamlet: “I am not mad.” (said)
  2. Polonius to Claudius: “I have found the cause of his madness.” (told)
  3. Claudius: “Hamlet is dangerous.” (said)
  4. Ophelia to Hamlet: “Do you love me?” (asked)
  5. Hamlet: “I will catch the king.” (said)
  6. Gertrude: “Ophelia drowned.” (said)
  7. Horatio to Hamlet: “Can you trust the ghost?” (asked)
  8. Laertes: “I want revenge.” (said)
Show the answers

1. Hamlet said that he was not mad. 2. Polonius told Claudius that he had found the cause of Hamlet's madness. 3. Claudius said that Hamlet was dangerous. 4. Ophelia asked Hamlet if he loved her. 5. Hamlet said that he would catch the king. 6. Gertrude said that Ophelia had drowned. 7. Horatio asked Hamlet if he could trust the ghost. 8. Laertes said that he wanted revenge.

StretchProduction. Write a short report (six sentences) of a meeting at court about Hamlet's strange behaviour: who said what, who asked what.

Show the answers

For example: Claudius asked Polonius what was wrong with Hamlet. Polonius said that the prince was mad with love. Gertrude said that she was worried. Claudius told Polonius to watch Hamlet. Polonius said that there was method in his madness. Finally, the king said that he would send Hamlet to England.

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced. Use reporting verbs instead of say. Rewrite with the verb given.

  1. Hamlet: “I'll pretend to be mad.” (announce)
  2. Claudius: “Go to England.” (order + to)
  3. Polonius: “I didn't know Hamlet was dangerous.” (admit + -ing)
  4. Laertes: “I'll kill Hamlet.” (threaten + to)
Show the answers

1. Hamlet announced that he would pretend to be mad. 2. Claudius ordered Hamlet to go to England. 3. Polonius admitted not knowing that Hamlet was dangerous. 4. Laertes threatened to kill Hamlet. Reporting verbs show the speaker's intention, not only the words, which is essential in literary analysis.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: pretend, madness, method, appearance.

  1. what seems to be
  2. logic, a plan
  3. loss of reason
  4. act as if something were true
Show the answers

1. appearance. 2. method. 3. madness. 4. pretend.

CoreSort into two columns, appearance or reality: a mask, the truth, to pretend, a feeling hidden inside, a role, what really happened.

Show the answers

Appearance: a mask, to pretend, a role. Reality: the truth, a feeling hidden inside, what really happened.

StretchExplain “an antic disposition” in your own words.

Show the answers

A strange, crazy way of behaving that Hamlet chooses to show, like a mask, to hide his plans.

Activities

  1. Table: signs that Hamlet pretends / signs that he really suffers.
  2. Compare Hamlet and Ophelia: who chooses, who is a victim?
  3. Reported speech: Polonius said that there was method in Hamlet's madness.
  4. Extension C1: is madness in the play a weapon, a refuge or a punishment? Write a paragraph.

More activities

Exercises
  1. Report: Polonius: 'Hamlet is mad.'
  2. Report: Hamlet: 'I will act strangely.'
  3. Who drowns in the play?
  4. What does 'method' mean in Polonius's line?
  5. Find an opposite of 'appearance'.
Corrigé of the exercises
  1. Polonius said that Hamlet was mad.
  2. Hamlet said he would act strangely.
  3. Ophelia
  4. A logic, a plan behind the strange behaviour.
  5. Reality

Sentence starters

Role play

Student A is Polonius, Student B is King Claudius. Polonius explains why Hamlet is mad. Claudius is suspicious.

Figures of speech in the documents

Paradox: “method in madness”

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.” (Act II, scene 2, Polonius)

Madness means loss of reason; method means logic. Saying that madness has a method seems absurd but hides a truth: Hamlet's strange words follow a plan. This is a paradox, built on an antithesis (madness / method). The phrase “method in madness” is still used in English today.

EntryWhich two words are opposites in Polonius's line?

Show the answers

madness and method.

CoreWhat does Polonius understand about Hamlet with this paradox?

Show the answers

That Hamlet's madness may be a mask: his strange words follow a plan.

StretchUse “there is method in his madness” about a modern person, and explain.

Show the answers

For example: My brother's room looks chaotic, but there is method in his madness: he knows where everything is.

Gap-fill worksheet

QR code to this worksheet
Word bank: mask, pretend, madness, drowns, flowers, method, appearance, reality
  1. Hamlet decides to ______ to be mad.
  2. Polonius sees ______ in his madness.
  3. Ophelia gives ______ to the court.
  4. She ______ in a river.
  5. A ______ hides the face.
  6. There is a gap between ______ and reality.
  7. The audience knows the ______.
  8. Real ______ is Ophelia's fate.
Answer key
  1. pretend
  2. method
  3. flowers
  4. drowns
  5. mask
  6. appearance
  7. reality
  8. madness

Expression task

Now say it

Write a paragraph: is Hamlet mad, or does he only act mad? Compare him with Ophelia.

EntryThree sentences: your answer, one reported sentence, one reason.

CoreTen lines: your answer, two arguments with reported speech, a comparison with Ophelia.

StretchUse two reporting verbs, the paradox “method in madness” and a nuance.

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

In my opinion, Hamlet only pretends to be mad. In Act I he announced that he would put an antic disposition on, so his madness is a mask. Even Polonius said that there was method in his madness. However, the mask becomes dangerous: Hamlet kills Polonius and loses control. Whereas Hamlet chooses his madness, Ophelia really loses her mind: she is a victim, not an actor.

Assessment grid

CriteriaLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4
Analysis of characterRarelySometimesMostlyAlways and precisely
Reported speechHard 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. Madness becomes a mask, a weapon and a language.

Extended extract

I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory. What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, scene 2 (public domain)

Critical analysis

  1. Why does Hamlet speak in prose here, not verse? What effect does it create?
  2. Analyse the shift from praise of man to 'quintessence of dust'.
  3. Is this speech performed madness or sincere despair? Argue both readings.

Nuanced vocabulary

Word or phraseMeaning and use
antic dispositiona strange, clownish manner put on deliberately
quintessencethe purest essence of something
disillusionmentthe loss of an ideal or belief
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: 'In Hamlet, madness is the only place where truth can be spoken.' Discuss.

Debate

Fishbowl debate: inner circle argues 'Hamlet is mad', outer circle takes notes and swaps in to answer.

Homework

Write Ophelia's last letter to her brother Laertes (120 words).

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