full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Iseult Gillespie: Why should you read "Hamlet"?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


"Who’s there?" Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception and moral amiigtuby. And in a play where everyone has something to hide, its answer is far from simple.

Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, "Hamlet" depicts its ttaulir character haunted by the past, but immobilized by the future. Mere mhnots after the sudden death of his father, hmealt returns from school a stranger to his own home, and deeply ursune of what might be lurking in the shadows. But his brooding takes a turn when he’s visited by a ghost that bears his father’s face. The phantom claims to be the victim of a “murder most foul,” and convinces Hamlet that his ulnce Claudius usurped the tohrne and stole queen Gertrude’s heart. The prince’s mirunong turns to rage, and he begins to ptlos his rnevege on the new king and his court of conspirators.

Open Cloze


"Who’s there?" Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception and moral _________. And in a play where everyone has something to hide, its answer is far from simple.

Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, "Hamlet" depicts its _______ character haunted by the past, but immobilized by the future. Mere ______ after the sudden death of his father, ______ returns from school a stranger to his own home, and deeply ______ of what might be lurking in the shadows. But his brooding takes a turn when he’s visited by a ghost that bears his father’s face. The phantom claims to be the victim of a “murder most foul,” and convinces Hamlet that his _____ Claudius usurped the ______ and stole queen Gertrude’s heart. The prince’s ________ turns to rage, and he begins to _____ his _______ on the new king and his court of conspirators.

Solution


  1. hamlet
  2. ambiguity
  3. throne
  4. titular
  5. revenge
  6. months
  7. mourning
  8. unsure
  9. uncle
  10. plots

Original Text


"Who’s there?" Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception and moral ambiguity. And in a play where everyone has something to hide, its answer is far from simple.

Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, "Hamlet" depicts its titular character haunted by the past, but immobilized by the future. Mere months after the sudden death of his father, Hamlet returns from school a stranger to his own home, and deeply unsure of what might be lurking in the shadows. But his brooding takes a turn when he’s visited by a ghost that bears his father’s face. The phantom claims to be the victim of a “murder most foul,” and convinces Hamlet that his uncle Claudius usurped the throne and stole queen Gertrude’s heart. The prince’s mourning turns to rage, and he begins to plots his revenge on the new king and his court of conspirators.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. ambiguity
  2. answer
  3. bears
  4. begins
  5. brooding
  6. character
  7. claims
  8. claudius
  9. conspiracy
  10. conspirators
  11. convinces
  12. court
  13. dark
  14. death
  15. deception
  16. deeply
  17. depicts
  18. face
  19. father
  20. foul
  21. future
  22. ghost
  23. hamlet
  24. haunted
  25. heart
  26. hide
  27. home
  28. immobilized
  29. king
  30. lurking
  31. mere
  32. months
  33. moral
  34. mourning
  35. phantom
  36. play
  37. plots
  38. queen
  39. question
  40. rage
  41. returns
  42. revenge
  43. school
  44. shadows
  45. shakespeare
  46. simple
  47. stole
  48. stranger
  49. sudden
  50. takes
  51. tale
  52. throne
  53. titular
  54. turn
  55. turns
  56. uncle
  57. unsure
  58. usurped
  59. victim
  60. visited
  61. whispered
  62. william
  63. written