/UCWE/ - backstage Shakespeare today releases their first educational title, “Horatio’s Tale: Hamlet Truly Delivered.” The one-of-a-kind DVD offers seven interactive lessons organized by theme and plot for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Students who use the DVD will gain a better understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s most popular play.
“This is a unique title,” says Terry Pollard, DVD designer and English professor. “While most DVDs on the market today are linear, with a single beginning and a single destination, ‘Horatio’s Tale’ offers multiple points of entry. The educational implications are profound.”
The lessons (or “games”) are guided by Horatio, Hamlet’s friend and witness to the tragedy within Elsinore Castle. Throughout the DVD, Horatio guides the user through dozens of key passages from Hamlet, prompting the user to provide words and interpretations to the play from a list of choices.
Horatio is played by Ryan Pierini, theatre professor and project director. “With this DVD, we hope to create another medium that is both interactive and challenging,” says Pierini. “The DVD’s characteristics encourage both competition and discussion in the classroom.”
Pollard worked on tying the worksheet lesson plans to the DVD games. “There are seven games on the DVD, each of which can be played during one class session. But we have gone even further to ensure that the DVD provides a broad solution to teaching the play. A three-page lesson plan accompanies each DVD lesson—including discussion questions, reading response questions, and a crossword puzzle—so teachers can focus on plot, theme, and language prior to playing the DVD.”
Play consists of two modes: two-team mode and single-player mode. During each lesson, a passage from the play is provided on screen and users must fill in the missing word or paraphrase a passage. An audio hint is provided by Horatio to guide the user. Answering correctly earns the team a coin, and play then alternates to the opposing team. The DVD also contains “lightning rounds,” where users face a ticking clock and must answer before time expires.
A question-answer session with the Ghost of Ophelia is also included. Students may ask her about the authenticity of Shakespeare’s work, in addition to questions surrounding her life, family, and love for Hamlet.
The lesson plans (and corresponding DVD games) are categorized as follows:
Hamlet’s difficult decision: kill the King?
• Lesson Plan One: At Home in Elsinore
• Lesson Plan Two: Seeing Fortinbras’s Army
Hamlet and Ophelia
• Lesson Plan Three: Hamlet and Ophelia’s “Love”
• Lesson Plan Four: Ophelia’s Declining Health
King Claudius
• Lesson Plan Five: Consoling Hamlet on his Father’s Death
• Lesson Plan Six: The King’s Internal Conflict
• Lesson Plan Seven: The King’s Fateful Decision
The full-length DVD is available from Amazon as well as its subsidiary CustomFlix. The regular DVD title is available for $100. The DVD Lesson Plan Edition—which contains over twenty worksheets and answer keys in PDF format—is available for $150. Special volume pricing is available; visit
www.backstageshakespeare.com for more information.
