(Recorded Course) Hamlet by William Shakespeare with Joseph Pearce

Sign up today and learn why Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's finest plays. "To be or not to be" is the question, but the answer to this most complex of plays is beguilingly elusive. Join Professor Pearce and fellow students to go deep into Hamlet and find all of the answers.

How to get the most out of Hamlet by William Shakespeare with Joseph Pearce

  • First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

  • Then have a notebook ready and available to take notes during the class.

  • Do the reading assignments and take the quizzes.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: The ability and desire to read Shakespeare.

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit: ½ semester Shakespearian Literature

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Instructor Email: joseph.pearce@augustineinstitute.org

Course Description: Hamlet is perhaps Shakespeare's finest play and is certainly one of the most popular. It is also one of the least understood. "To be or not to be" is the question, but the answer to this most complex of plays is beguilingly elusive. What does it mean "to be"? And is everything as it seems to be? These are some of the questions that are asked and answered in this course by Joseph Pearce, editor of the Ignatius Critical Edition of Hamlet and author of The Quest for Shakespeare and Through Shakespeare's Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays.

Course Outline:

Class 1: Introduction to Shakespeare and Hamlet

Class 2: Act One

Class 3: Act Two

Class 4: Act Three

Class 5: Act Four

Class 6: Act 5 and concluding comments

Course materials: Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Ignatius Critical Edition, edited by Joseph Pearce), ISBN # 1586172611 (https://loc.ignatius.com/ignatiuscriticaleditions/shakespeare-hamlet.htm)

Homework: Assigned reading for each week from the course material. Professor Pearce will specify the week’s assigned reading at the conclusion of each class session. There is no assigned reading for the first class session. Students will also need to consult their notes and possibly watch the recording in order to review for the weekly quiz. Students should endeavour to take each online quiz prior to the following class, while the class discussion is fresh in their minds.