Teaching Hamlet with Emojis

This paper investigates the potential use of emojis as pedagogical tools for high school literature classes by focusing on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Examining the evolution, linguistic, and pragmatic functions of emojis, the study aims to emphasize emojis’ ability to enrich communication by filling the gap of non-verbal expressions in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Emojis' pragmatic functions are analyzed based on Speech Act Theory and Politeness Theory, demonstrating how they might improve relational communication, mitigate face-threatening behaviors, and convey tone. This analysis forms the basis for utilizing these emoji functions as a potential method for teaching Hamlet. Further, it addresses educational technologies in literature and language teaching along with digital tools, which draws a connection to the method of using emojis in comprehending Hamlet as a tool. In light of multimodal pedagogy and culturally responsive approaches, this study proposes an innovative method for integrating emojis into Hamlet instruction by addressing the challenges associated with early modern English and sociocultural differences between students and the texts. The findings aim to offer a novel potential method for integrating emojis in Hamlet instruction in high school literature classes by offering a new attractive tool for students to create a bond between classic texts and contemporary students and suggest possible directions for future research.