Hamlet
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is assigned in US schools at grades 11–12. It appears across 3 curriculum references, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Hamlet is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 11–12
- Age range
- Ages 16–18
- Pages
- 384
- Reading time
- about 7 hours (est.)
- First published
- 1603
- Genre
- Tragedy
- ISBN-13
- 9780743477123
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is visited by the ghost of his murdered father and charged with avenging his death on his uncle Claudius, the new king. Shakespeare's longest and most philosophically complex play — a cornerstone of 11th-12th grade English and AP Literature curricula.
Why widely assigned
This Tragedy title, typically at grades 11–12. Written in the 1600s; pairs with curriculum units on revenge and madness; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.
Content notes
murder · suicide · violence · mental illness
Common Sense Media recommends age 14+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature
Similar grade-level books
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 890L
See all books like Hamlet→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Hamlet?
- Hamlet is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 11–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Hamlet?
- It takes about 7 hours to read Hamlet (384 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 420 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Hamlet?
- Hamlet appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA), IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Hamlet banned in schools?
- Hamlet does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Hamlet explore?
- Central themes in Hamlet include revenge, madness, mortality, deception, indecision. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 11–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.