Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, explore literary devices, and improve critical thinking skills with this close reading inference worksheet covering the soliloquy in Act 2, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Consider using this resource as an in-class group activity; it may facilitate deeper conversations about characters, plot developments, and literary craft.

By engaging with this close reading analysis activity, students will:

• Read for literal comprehension
• Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
• Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
• Discern tone in context
• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
• Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision