INSTRUCTIONS TO WORK ON THE VIDEO :

"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 plot his revenge on the new king and his court of conspirators. 

The play is an odd sort of tragedy, lacking either the abrupt brutality or all-consuming romance that characterize Shakespeare’s other work in the genre. Instead it plumbs the depths of its protagonist’s indecisiveness, and the tragic consequences thereof. The ghost’s revelation draws Hamlet into multiple dilemmas– what should he do, who can he trust, and what role might he play in the course of justice? These questions are complicated by a tangled web of characters, forcing Hamlet to negotiate friends, family, court counselors, and love interests– many of whom possess ulterior motives. 

The prince constantly delays and dithers over how to relate to others, and how he should carry out revenge. This can make Hamlet more than a little exasperating, but it also makes him one of the most human characters Shakespeare ever created. Rather than rushing into things, Hamlet becomes consumed with the awful machinations of thinking itself. And over the course of the play, his endless questions come to echo throughout our own racing minds. 

To accomplish this, Shakespeare employs his most introspective language. From the usurping king’s blazing contemplation of heaven and hell, to the prince’s own cackling meditation on mortality, Shakespeare uses melancholic monologues to breathtaking effect. This is perhaps best exemplified in Hamlet’s most famous declaration of angst: 

"To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them." 

This monologue personifies Hamlet’s existential dilemma: being torn between thought and action, unable to choose between life and death. But his endless questioning raises yet another anxiety: is Hamlet’s madness part of a performance to confuse his enemies, or are we watching a character on the brink of insanity? 

These questions weigh heavily on Hamlet’s interactions with every character. And since he spends much of the play facing inward, he often fails to see the destruction left in his wake. He’s particularly cruel to Ophelia, his doomed love interest who is brought to madness by the prince’s erratic behaviour. Her fate is one example of how tragedy could have been easily avoided, and shows the ripple effect of Hamlet’s toxic mind games. 

Similar warning signs of tragedy are constantly overlooked throughout the play. Sometimes, these oversights occur because of willful blindness– such as when Ophelia’s father dismisses Hamlet’s alarming actions as mere lovesickness. At other points, tragedy stems from deliberate duplicity– as when a case of mistaken identity leads to yet more bloodshed. These moments leave us with the uncomfortable knowledge that tragedy evolves from human error– even if our mistake is to leave things undecided. 

For all these reasons, perhaps the one thing we never doubt is Hamlet’s humanity. But we must constantly grapple with who the “real” Hamlet might be. Is he a noble son avenging his father? Or a mad prince creating courtly chaos? Should he act or observe, doubt or trust? Who is he? Why is he here? And who’s out there– waiting in the dark? 

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

1. The play is based on intrigues and conspiracies.
2. Hamlet changes the course of his live due to the visit of his uncle’s ghost.
3. The play is all about an obsessive a romance.
4. Hamlet’s only goal is to get even for his father death and he doesn’t let anyone or anything get in his way.
5. Most of the characters of the story have second intentions towards Hamlet.
6. During the course of action it is unclear if Hamlet has actually lost his mind.
7. The reader wonders during the whole play what is in Hamlet’s heart and mind.

According to the video, are these statements true or false?

1.  T
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. T
6. T
7. T

Take a look at the following sentence from the text:

The ripple effect of Hamlet’s toxic mind games. 

The noun games is being classified by two adjectives. In English there are rules regarding the order of the adjectives.

When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally in a particular order. Adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes (e.g. amazing) usually come first, before more neutral, factual ones (e.g. red):

She was wearing an amazing red coat.

Not: … red amazing coat

If we don’t want to emphasise any one of the adjectives, the most usual sequence of adjectives is:

- Opinion (unusual, lovely, beautiful)

- Size (big, small, tall)

- Physical quality (thin, rough, untidy)

- Shape (round, square, rectangular)

- Age (young, old, youthful)

- Colour (blue, red, pink)

- Origin (Dutch, Japanese, Turkish)

- Material (metal, wood, plastic)

- Type (general-purpose, four-sided, U-shaped)

- Purpose (cleaning, hammering, cooking)

Exercise:

Try to put this adjectives in the correct order

1. We wanted __________________________________ (grey / a / metal) table.
2. They bought __________________________________ (red / a / new) car.
3. She went home and sat on __________________________________ (comfortable / her / wooden / old) bed.
4. He bought __________________________________ (woollen / a / British / fabulous) suit.
5. They have __________________________________ (Dutch / black) bicycles.

Answer:

1. We wanted a grey metal table.
2. They bought a new red car.
3. She went home and sat on her comfortable old wooden bed.
4. He bought a fabulous British woollen suit.
5. They have black Dutch bicycles.

Traduire les phrases suivantes en anglais, issues du texte, puis retrouver ces phrases dans les deux premiers paragraphes du texte en anglais:

1. "Qui est là ?" Murmurée dans l'obscurité, cette question est le point de depart d'une histoire de complot, de tromperie et d'ambiguité morale.

2. Juste quelque mois apres la mort de son père, Hamlet reviens de son école, un étranger dans sa propre maison, et profondement incertain de ce qui se tapis dans l'ombre.

Essential Grammar in use p 191-192

Unit 92     word order

Right or wrong ? Correct the sentences that are wrong.

1. Did you watch all evening television ?
2. Sue reads a newspaper every day ?
3. I like very much this this picture.
4. Tom started last week his new job.
5. I want to speak English fluently.
6. Jane bought for a friend a present.
7. I drink every day three cups of coffee.
8. Don't eat your dinner too quiclky!
9. I borrowed from my brother fifty pounds.

1. Did you watch television all evening?
2. ok
3. I like this picture very much.
4. Tom started his new job last week.
5. Ok
6. Jane bought a present for her friend or Jane bought her friend a present.
7. I drink three cups of coffee every day.
8. Ok
9. I borrowed fifty pounds from my brother.

(please note that this definitions are according to the context)

Deception (noun) - the act of hiding the truth, especially to get an advantage.

Depicts (verb, 3^rd person singular of to depict) -  to represent in the story.

Haunted (verb, past and past participle of to haunt) - to cause repeated suffering or anxiety.

Mere (adjective) - used to emphasize how small or insignificant someone or something is.

Lurking (verb, -ing form of lurk) - be or remain hidden so as to wait in ambush for someone or something.

Brooding (adjective)- engaged in or showing deep thought about something that makes one sad, angry, or worried.

Takes a turn (expression, to take a turn) - to make or begin a sudden change in direction, course or progress.

Usurped (verb, past and past participle of to usurp) - take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.

Mourning (verb, past and past participle of to mourn) - feel or show sorrow for the death of someone.

Plot (verb) - secretly make plans to carry out (an illegal or harmful action)

Peseshet is a doctor and a teacher. The video describes a typical day of her life.

Now it is you turn. Write a text :

- Present yourself.

- Describe your profession.

- Tell what you did to get this job.

- Describe a typical day of your life : what usually happens when you are at work?

You can book a one to one class with a teacher who will correct your writing exercise.  One to one classes can be online, with a video call, anytime of the day. 

This gives you full flexibility for your timetable.

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