Whether or not they have considered it in these specific terms, high school students will be familiar with the idea of a “layered” personality. Students of this age are burdened with the responsibility of determining and coming to terms with their own identities. This often involves a process of self-questioning and self-doubt in adolescents, which can give way to feelings of existential dread and despair, as any high school teacher can verify. Working with a range of students spanning sixth grade to juniors in high school, I can attest to this arising, at least in part, from students’ difficulties reconciling seemingly contradictory facets of their own personalities. Adolescent students are often self-aware enough to recognize the frequent, dramatic fluctuation of their own feelings and attitudes, but lack the perspicacity to understand this instability and unpredictability as a natural part of human development. Furthermore, students may understand that different roles may be assumed under different circumstances, but differentiating between roles that are played for a specific purpose and one’s true nature can be difficult. What better character to explore to give clarity to these concerns than Shakespeare’s Hamlet!
The issue underlying this confusing nature of identity involves distinguishing between what constitutes a true self and what behaviors are simply due to roles played in specific situations. For high school students, considering this distinction and how it applies to a character’s personality will provide a provocative window through which to evaluate literature, and will encourage students to ask similar questions of themselves. It is easy to classify Hamlet as conflicted or acting in contradictory ways, but how can readers determine who he truly is, and what aspects of his personality are just role playing? Similarly, how does one determine what thoughts and actions contribute to the construction of one’s identity, and what thoughts and actions are part of more ephemeral aspects of one’s personality?
It will be helpful for students to begin this unit with a series of activities that clarify the differences between the changing moods of an individual, the roles that the individual might play to a specific end, and the individual’s somewhat more permanent identity. As we open the unit, students will reflect on temporary roles they play in different situations, and how those roles are separate from the students’ conceptions of self. This will allow the class to proceed with its investigation with a common language in mind and will provide a frame of reference for students when we begin discussing Hamlet’s various roles and his true nature. Additionally, these introductory reflective activities will expand upon previously learned concepts of characterization (specifically, how character traits differ from temporary states of emotion). By exploring these concepts in much greater depth than they have previously done, students will develop a more thorough understanding of what constitutes a multidimensional character, how to explain seemingly contradictory behaviors, and how to explain the motivation behind specific roles that are played.
Hamlet is a fascinating character, and this is partially due to the diverse and occasionally baffling ways in which he presents himself. He is alternately vicious and compassionate toward others, courageous and hesitant when contemplating his revenge, and impulsive and calculating as he strikes out at his enemies. If students are encouraged to imagine Hamlet as a real person who embodies all of these seemingly contradictory qualities, as well as how he changes over the course of the play, they might be led to understand the benefits of regarding personality as multifaceted. The extent to which an individual may dictate his or her own personality is debatable; however, one of the goals of this unit is to encourage students to consider personality as fluid and evolving. Therefore, classifying the separate sides that Hamlet displays during the play as either deliberately chosen behavior to achieve a desired purpose or reflective of a more permanent, authentic self will be important to show students how to use literature to reflect upon self-development.
Common reactions that I have observed in high school students to one’s own instability include emotional and social withdrawal and cynicism. Through a focused, meticulous investigation of a multifaceted protagonist who is neither strictly a hero nor a villain
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, could it be possible to inspire in students a sense of wonder and fascination at the fluidity of identity, rather than scorn and frustration? That inspiration could be particularly effective when pointing out to students that, although Hamlet is a complex, shrewd, and witty character, the prince “insists on regarding himself as a failure”
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. Students will recognize traces of themselves or others they know who, despite enormous capability and potential, are inclined toward self-depreciation.
Additionally, students will use
Hamlet
as a means of reflecting upon the different roles that each of us is required to play, which may not determine our personality, though they do shape it and the ways we identify ourselves. A student may occupy a vast number of roles at any particular time, each of which involves different responsibilities and emphasizes varied personality traits. It is not uncommon for a young person to concurrently be a student, a child, a sibling, a friend, a musician, an athlete, a community member, a member of a club, and a member of a church. Each of these affiliations allows an individual to identify him or herself in a distinct way, and to often behave differently depending on the circumstances. However, these separate roles can also potentially exact pressure on that individual, forcing him or her to wonder, “I play all of these roles, but who
am
I?” By providing validation for students who feel conflicted about their own identities and even suggesting that we might celebrate such inner tumult, this unit will encourage students to understand that inconsistencies are not the same as flaws.
The socioemotional concerns addressed by this unit will complement the academic focus, which will center on extensive character evaluation and incorporate skills of comparative analysis. These analytical skills will build upon the foundations of close reading that students have been developing in middle school. In this unit, students will investigate the various ways in which Hamlet is revealed as a multidimensional character, and then apply a comparative analysis study to him using another character from an independent reading book of their choice.
Harold Bloom notes that
Hamlet
is, somewhat paradoxically, “the most original literary work in Western literature,” and also “so familiar that we seem to have read it before, even when we encounter it for the first time”
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. I believe that this familiarity lies not just in the plot of
Hamlet
, which may be at least partially well-known to many students due to its various adaptations, but also in the character of Hamlet himself, who demonstrates many traits with which high school students may identify: resentment toward some members of his family, loyalty to a true friend, nostalgia for earlier, simpler times, uncertain attitudes toward sexuality, and contemplation of life and death. It is my hope that upon students’ first reading of
Hamlet
, this familiarity will help make the play be accessible to them, and that it will allow them to explore and identify with a character for whom traditional classifications are too restrictive. Using literature as a means of exploring oneself, in my experience, can be a helpful means of clarifying academic skills and concepts for students who might otherwise be reluctant or resistant to such pursuits.
While Hamlet will be a useful means for students to reflect on their own layered identities, he is far more complex and perplexing than the average high school student; he is “a performer, prince, son, scholar, madman, lover, friend, swordsman, and, ultimately, a murderer”
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. Therefore, he provides unusually pressing opportunities for investigation and debate regarding his many roles and how they intersect and contradict one another. Bloom understands Hamlet’s identity as a multifaceted one almost too expansive for one body to contain. According to Bloom, Hamlet comprehends more about humanity than any real person, and we “cannot reduce [him] to any consistency”
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. This is precisely why Hamlet is the ideal figure to consider when examining how a single individual may encompass myriad values and identities that may occasionally be at odds with each other. Hamlet is a more vast character than any of us, so his conflicts and contradictions may be more apparent. By parsing the seemingly disjointed versions of Hamlet that are present in the play, we can see how he is constructed as a three-dimensional human, which leads us to consider how we may occupy separate roles, exposing different sides of ourselves under different circumstances.
After establishing these divisions between the different roles that Hamlet plays, we may begin to determine under what circumstances Hamlet is revealing his true nature. Because he uses deception frequently in the text, it will be helpful to focus on specific situations in which what
appears
is different from what actually
is
. As the prince himself states, “I have that within which passes show” (I.ii.85), reminding us that individuals seldom reveal all of themselves. As we read the play, students will be prompted to evaluate the reasons that Hamlet chooses his words and behavior differently when he is alone with Horatio, as opposed to his encounters with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, or with Claudius, or with Ophelia. How can we recognize that these other encounters are in some way less authentic than Hamlet’s actions and speech toward Horatio? Is it helpful to say, as Bloom does, that Horatio is “Hamlet’s perpetual audience, which is why Horatio is in the play”
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? How does Horatio behave toward Hamlet that allows Hamlet to be more honest and forthright with him than with other characters in the play? How does the behavior of other characters in the play not allow Hamlet this same freedom? Providing students opportunities to assess the potential hidden meaning behind specific interactions between characters, specific lines, and specific actions will encourage students to be skeptical as they read, and will push them to think critically outside the confines of the text.
A recurring practice in this unit will be to examine closely a specific line or set of lines from a character, and then determine what could possibly be revealed by the speaker in those lines. In many cases, this will involve extensive discussion between students to explore what possible meanings could be extracted from these sections of text. The goal of this series of discussions, with respect to the overall themes of the unit, is to explore how multiple (occasionally contrasting) elements of an individual’s identity may be revealed in a single line or a few lines of speech.
The first line that will be subject to this examination is Hamlet’s statement of intent that concludes his soliloquy in Act II, Scene 2: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (II.2.543). As we examine this line, students will be prompted to think carefully and discuss its meaning. How is this line connected to a role that Hamlet has assumed? Beyond this, does this line express Hamlet’s true intention? What does he really wish to do? It could be argued that Hamlet’s deeper concern, and the one which more extensively affects who he is, is not the conscience of the
king
, but of the
queen
. If that is the case, Hamlet is speaking deceptively to himself. How does this act - telling oneself one thing but thinking otherwise - reveal aspects of Hamlet’s identity?
We will also consider Hamlet’s speech to Horatio in Act III, Scene 2. In his declaration of affection for Horatio, Hamlet pays his friend many compliments, though voiced at first in the third person: “Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him / In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart, / As I do thee” (III.2.70). What values does Hamlet demonstrate here? He makes complimentary statements to various people throughout the play, but they are often cloaked in sarcasm and irony. Students will contrast the fondness expressed in these lines with statements Hamlet makes to Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. How do we know that Hamlet’s affinity for Horatio is sincere, and what does this say about the prince’s true nature?
Additional dialogue that could be subject to this close examination might include Hamlet’s remark to Horatio, “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, / Rough-hew them how we will” (V.ii.10). When Hamlet says this, what does he reveal about his own faith? Students will first consider this question, and then discuss whether religious belief is indeed part of one’s identity, and if so, to what extent. We may then assess whether this statement is consistent with Hamlet’s personality, or if he is simply speaking in religious platitudes. In the latter case, does this nevertheless reveal something about his identity?
It will also be helpful to look closely at scenes and lines that specifically involve role-playing in order to illustrate the difference between how Hamlet’s identity is constructed and how he plays parts distinct from that. For example, in their first encounter in the play, Hamlet feigns ignorance in order to deceive Polonius. As a class, we might discuss this scene and speculate why Hamlet might take such an approach. Why does Hamlet seem to intentionally misunderstand Polonius, and how does Polonius respond? What is hidden in Hamlet’s speech in this scene? These questions could lead into a discussion of Hamlet’s “antic disposition” and clarify for students why the prince has chosen this course of action, which will provide some clarity as we continue to read the play. The subsequent conversation between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern could be examined using similar guiding questions. Looking closely at these exchanges will be helpful to illustrate situations in which a role, separate and distinct from a character’s true nature, is played to a specific end - or simply for the purpose of “self-expression” or “staying in practice,” thus revealing aspects of that character’s identity.
Approaching
Hamlet
with this specific focus in mind will be beneficial when students begin reading the play. Since this unit is designed for a freshman English class, it is likely that the majority of students will be reading Shakespeare for the first time. Because decoding the language of the play can be a daunting task for students, it will be helpful to apply such a specific focus when reading and discussing the text.
