Hamlet, role-play and narrative empathy: Studying Shakespeare through social and emotional learning at a South African higher education institution

While the study of English literature in South Africa inevitably carries some colonial residue, it can also serve as a site for decolonial education. This article considers the potential for English literary studies to produce a culturally responsive experience of texts like Hamlet through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). It presents the findings of a study that sought to establish how role-play and narrative empathy engaged SEL when participants studied Hamlet in a second-year English Literature class. A qualitative approach was used to examine students' experiences as meaning-making subjects. As part of a larger Action Research project, this article focuses on how the social awareness SEL competency was developed through the study of Hamlet. Each cycle produced data from observation and field notes, research diaries, writing tasks and autophotography. Participants demonstrated empathy for Hamlet and other characters, considered the perspectives of other participants and examined their own understanding of social awareness in relation to Hamlet. From this SEL-specific exploration of the play, participants reflected that they learned useful social tools and how to identify danger. The article contributes to a decolonial system of knowledge that provides opportunities to build intrapersonal and interpersonal skills for South African students.