Hamlet Readers Theater Script | Classical Dramas | Shakespeare

This Hamlet: To Be or Not Readers’ Theater Script, is a compelling retelling of Shakespeare's 1600 tragedy for high school students. In Denmark’s Elsinore Castle, Prince Hamlet grapples with his father’s murder by King Claudius, wrestling existential doubt and vengeance through a haunting quest.

Students will perform iconic moments: Hamlet’s “To be or not to be,” Claudius’ “My conscience damns me,” Ophelia’s “My soul sings of lost love,” and the Chorus’ “Vengeance breeds catastrophe.”

Adapted for grades 9–12, this script delivers accessible, poetic dialogue, with tiered roles (high-complexity Hamlet, low-complexity Guards) to engage mixed-ability classrooms.

Perfect For
End-of-Year Performance
Companion to Shakespeare’s Original
Emergency Substitute Plans
Collaborative Classroom Drama

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides, if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to word/pdf/ppt/etc)

What’s Included
14-scene script (~2000 words, 9 pages, 20 characters, Google Doc)
Teacher guide with CCSS alignment, answer keys, rubric, lexical breakdown, themes (12 pages, Google Doc)
Student worksheet with vocabulary, questions, discussion (25 Google Slides)
20-question multiple-choice exit quiz (Self-Graded Google Forms)

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Skills Addressed
Reading fluency and comprehension
Literary analysis (themes, symbolism, dramatic irony)
Collaborative performance and discussion
Critical thinking and real-world application
Vocabulary development and textual evidence

Worksheet Components
Vocabulary: 10 terms (e.g., “melancholy,” “vengeance”) with script quotes.
Short-Answer: Basics like “What does the Ghost reveal?”
Discussion Questions: Themes like existentialism, conscience.
Challenge Questions: Analysis like “How does vengeance develop tragedy?”
Application Questions: Scenarios like “How can Hamlet’s doubt guide choices?”
Exit Quiz (Google Forms Self-Graded): Tests plot recall and analysis (e.g., irony).

Teaching Tips
Use the casting breakdown to assign roles by reading level (e.g., Hamlet for advanced, Player for struggling). Rehearse in groups, using the rubric to assess fluency/expression. Discuss conscience and vengeance to connect to SEL, like resolving conflicts. Administer the quiz post-performance to evaluate comprehension and analysis.

Script Summary
Scene 1: The Ghost reveals Claudius’ murder; Hamlet vows vengeance.
Scene 2: Hamlet feigns madness, suspecting Claudius’ guilt.
Scene 3: Ophelia loves Hamlet; he rejects her, feigning madness.
Scene 4: Hamlet’s play exposes Claudius’ guilt.
Scene 5: Claudius confesses; Hamlet hesitates to kill him.
Scene 6: Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius.
Scene 7: Chorus reflects on Hamlet’s doubt, Denmark’s decay.
Scene 8: Ophelia descends into madness and drowns.
Scene 9: Laertes seeks vengeance; Claudius plots Hamlet’s death.
Scene 10: Hamlet reflects on mortality, accepts duel.
Scene 11: Hamlet duels Laertes; Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes die.
Scene 12: Hamlet dies, entrusting Denmark to Horatio.
Scene 13: Chorus reflects on vengeance, Denmark’s lesson.
Scene 14: Fortinbras claims Denmark, honoring Hamlet.

Still on the fence?

Download this similar but 100% Free Romeo and Juliet Script to make sure this will meet your needs.