Hamlet Part 3: the Language

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet contains some of the most famous words, images, and characters in all of literature. In this course, you’ll learn Hamlet’s story, explore its lead character’s mind, and hear its key speeches performed and analyzed by world-class Shakespearean actors and literary scholars.

In Part 3, Professor Kewes and Professor Palfrey offer detailed close-readings of some of the play’s most significant speeches, including Hamlet’s famous soliloquies. You’ll watch critical interpretation in action as our featured scholars offer contrasting readings of a single speech; you’ll uncover the images and metaphors behind Hamlet’s words that reveal the unique bent of his imagination; and you’ll learn the precise linguistic techniques Shakespeare uses to convey a living mind in the act of thinking.