EXTEND – The sparrow’s fall

Complete the text with the expressions given. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.
Is it a new Hamlet we see in this extract or are we observing another side of his ________? What is certain is that Hamlet In 'The sparrow's fall' is different. The sea voyage to England (Refer to the plot and explain why Hamlet is sent to England.) provide an escape from the court environment and probably allow Hamlet to gain a ________ on his experiences.
The most significant change in Hamlet is evident in his altered ________. He no longer struggles with the ________ that tormented him earlier. (Refer to the soliloquy 'To be or not to be' to provide examples of this.) After confronting the reality of death repeatedly through his father's ghost and the loss of Ophelia, his acknowledgement of a ________ suggests a newfound inner peace. This acceptance is evident in his ________ (Compare the tone of this passage to the one of 'To be or not to be'.) and his recognition that 'the readiness is all.' By putting aside his premonitions and consenting to the duel, he shows he has understood the inevitability of death and embraced ________.

Read the passage and choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

1 Hamlet is preparing for a duel with ________.
2 To describe his inner state and emotions in this passage, Hamlet speaks of ________.
3 Horatio asks Hamlet to ________.
4 Hamlet uses the analogy of a sparrow to talk about his views on ________.
5 Hamlet's statement 'the readiness is all' underlines his ________ of a higher power at work.

Imagine you are Horatio and are writing a journal of the day's events. Complete the journal entry on the conversation you had with Hamlet with the words given.

I spoke with Hamlet this morning. He seemed ________ in his fencing skills, preparing for this match with Laertes. Yet, beneath it all, I sense a deep ________. He spoke of a 'gain-giving', a premonition, ________ him.
I urged him to postpone the match, but he ________. He spoke about the inevitability of death, that 'the readiness is all.' He even mentioned a 'special providence' in the fall of a sparrow, suggesting some divine ________ of fate. It was a strange conversation, filled with a newfound sense of ________. For the first time in a long while, he seemed almost ________.

Read the sentences and decide which passage they belong to: 'To be or not to be' or 'The sparrow's fall'.

1 The fear of what lies beyond death. ________
2 A belief in a higher power that guides all events. ________
3 Readiness for death in terms of acceptance. ________
4 The pros and cons of life and death. ________
5 The futile worrying over the timing of death. ________
6 The sufferings of life. ________