Quick Facts

Medium Of Instructions	Mode Of Learning	Mode Of Delivery
English	Self Study	Video and Text Based

Courses and Certificate Fees

Fees Informations	Certificate Availability	Certificate Providing Authority
USD 149	yes	Harvard University, Cambridge

Examine how Shakespeare sets the stage for Hamlet through the Ghost's dramatic appearance in the opening of the play
Situate the Ghost in the play's broader themes, motifs, and patterns of language
Discuss how Shakespeare builds on source materials, the work of other playwrights, and his own earlier plays in creating Hamlet
Assess different interpretations of what the Ghost "is," as well as how these interpretations are borne out in performance

Interpret Hamlet in the context of the English Reformation, evaluating its complicated legacy on institutional practices and individual beliefs
Examine the religious controversy of Purgatory during Shakespeare’s time as well as its significance for the Ghost and Hamlet
Discuss the relationship between rituals such as prayer, last rites, communion, and the purchase of indulgences with the theater
Apply historical and anthropological methods to Hamlet, considering what it says about death in its own time and throughout time

Use primary source documents to understand ideas of death and mourning in the early modern period
Discuss how Shakespeare built upon the theatricality of mourning rituals to make Hamlet meaningful for its first audiences
Weigh the emphasis on revenge in the play with that on remembrance, which resonates with religious belief and practice
Assess different viewpoints on how Hamlet is universal and particular, depending on the context

Use primary documents to understand the mechanics of early modern print and manuscript culture
Analyze how different early texts of Hamlet shape how we understand and interpret the play
Connect Hamlet 's meditations on death and remembrance to the "life" of the play itself
Consider Hamlet 's impact on other texts through the examples of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Dogg's Hamlet