The Bard’s Beats

Worksheet Description

The worksheet invites students to read a famous excerpt from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” particularly the well-known soliloquy that begins with “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” The task at hand is to identify and underline the ends of lines that demonstrate enjambment, where the sentence continues beyond the line break without a pause. This exercise encourages students to pay close attention to the flow of Shakespeare’s language and the structure of his poetry. By focusing on enjambment, students engage with the text in a way that highlights the rhythm and emphasis created by this technique.

The worksheet is designed to teach students about the use of enjambment in poetry, using a classic example from Shakespearean literature. It helps them to understand how enjambment can affect the pacing of a poem and the reader’s interpretation. Students learn to notice the continuity of thoughts and the emotional momentum carried over from one line to the next. Furthermore, by asking what the effect of the enjambment is, the worksheet prompts students to think critically about the purpose and impact of poetic techniques in literature.