Victoria+Gillin

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 * THE HAMLET BLOG**


 * FINAL HAMLET BLOG #4**




 * Oh how sad and depressing, like most of Shakespeare's works, everyone dies. Somehow I am not surprised by this outcome- although how stupid can you really be? I mean come on Laertes and King Claudius, you KNEW the sword and drink was poisoned and yet the king let his wife drink poison anyway and Laertes managed to get himself stabbed and killed. Both film versions did a fairly accurate job in making the scene dramatic yet for Kenneth Branagh version was really something else when it comes to dramatic endings. i liked it though.**


 * I thought it was particularly interesting that after Laertes was screwed and realized his plan had back fired completely, he really felt guilty for the things he had done to Hamlet. In addition to this, I thought it was peculiar that prior to everyone dying Hamlet is in a graveyard contemplating death. Can anyone say: foreshadowing****?**


 * Also, I basically decided that Hamlet is the only character I DO like. Who's idea was it not to tell Hamlet that Ophelia was dead? Sooo not cool.**

**Hamlet:** **That might your nature, honor and exception** **Roughly awake, I here proclaim my madness.** **...** **His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.**

**I like these lines of the play because Hamlet finally admits he's crazy. But the weird thing about it is that by the end of the play, I feel like everyone else in the play is crazy BUT Hamlet. I mean, come on. The queen probably had something to do with Ophelia's suicide, and Ophelia is clearly a nut job despite what the queen may or may not have done. Laertes is a little coo-coo after his sister dies and plots with the king who by the way KILLED the original queen at the beginning of the play. And then in the end, they all kill each other. And what does hamlet do? nothing. See my point?**

**Essential question:** **So who has the right to declare insanity? I think that we can see that that question is basically unanswerable. The characters of Hamlet tried to declare hamlet insane, but their actions were just as crazy if not more than his. When it comes down to it, Hamlet may have admitted his insanity, but that was because he was the only one able to admit where he might be going wrong. So maybe insanity is a fatal flaw, but aren't the people who are able to admit their crazy really the sane ones? guess we'll never know.**


 * Post #3**


 * This week's teachings of Hamlet were a little overwhelming. We saw a lot of scenes from the play and read a few and there was definitely a lot of information to take in. In these scenes, many important parts of the play take place. We start to see a deterioration of Hamlet's sanity to an all time low. Polonius is killed and because of this, Claudius begins to devise a plan to ship Hamlet back to England with the intent to have him killed when he gets there. Hamlet gets rid of Polonius's body tempting Claudius with its location. One of the most dramatic scenes in the play then takes place when the queen and Horatio find the body of Ophelia in a brook near the castle. It is important to note that Ophelia was suppose to be under the care and watch of Ophelia when she either drown's or commits suicide.**


 * The most recent scenes we have read have shed much light on Hamlet's growing resistance and hatred for the King. We can see this particularly in Act 4 Scene 3 when Hamlet takes stabs at Claudius saying that if he Polonius is in heaven, his messenger's will need to find Polonius's body but if he is in hell, Claudius should go seek the body himself.**


 * In addition to this, whatever 'special' and incestuous relationship that once existed between Gertrude and Hamlet seem's no longer especially after their conversation (prior to the murder of Polonius) in Act 3 scene 4. We can see that Hamlet is not only just angry at Claudius anymore but at his mother as well. Initially, it seemed as if, despite the fact that Gertrude DID marry the brother of Hamlet's father, he felt that his mother needed saving from her new found relationship rather than punishment from a sinful act. After this scene though, it is clear that Hamlet feels like Gertrude is just as much at fault for her wrong doing's in her new marriage as Claudius is.**




 * The essential question: Because our essential question is about insanity, I have been thinking that it is important to consider who is truly the insane one: Hamlet or Ophelia? There is no question that Hamlet's 'pretend' insanity has him a little turned around now as he is very likely starting to believe that his insanity has legitimacy. But looking back, it seems as if Ophelia may have been the unstable character throughout the whole story of Hamlet. We start to see her personality unravel particularly when Ophelia learns of her fathers death. Later, when Ophelia drown's herself or drown's on accident, we must again question her sanity. Either way, the way in which Gertrude chooses to explain Ophelia's death in detail makes her actions seems particularly peculiar.**


 * It seems as if it is getting harder and harder to trust Hamlet now as a character. He is beginning to become tricky and hard to read from an outside perspective. Despite this and the king and queen's sureness that Hamlet is crazy, I still don't know if I believe that insanity has overcome Hamlet's original character.**


 * Hamlet:**


 * In heaven; send hither to see: if your messenger**
 * find him not there, seek him i' the other place**
 * yourself**.


 * So far, this has been my favorite line/section of lines in the play of Hamlet. I find it particularly interesting because Hamlet makes it clear that he truly believes Claudius belongs in hell. The wittiness of this comment is part of the reason why I don't think Hamlet is crazy. Clearly, he has put thought into his actions whether they have been purposeful or accidental. He is still pursuing the revenge he thinks his father deserves for the 'right' reasons so to speak. His head is still behind the plan making it important to question that if his motives are still clear, is his head as well?**


 * Post #2**
 * //A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER//**


 * So now that we've read scene's 4 and 5 of act 1, I feel like I have a much better grasp on the relationships between characters. First of all, now that Hamlet has encountered his father in ghost form, the reader can more clearly see that Hamlet is loyal as well as loving of his father. After the ghost's monologue pertaining to his murderous death, Hamlet states to both Marcellus and Horatio that his father's ghost is an honest ghost. Despite the fact that Hamlet has no living proof (haha) of the ghosts claims, he clearly believes him based solely on the previous relationship he had with his father.**
 * Next, the relationships between Hamlet, Marcellus and Horatio are more clearly revealed. We as readers see that despite the fact that Hamlet follows the ghost of his father against Marcellus and Horatio's warnings, the two characters still follow him without hesitation suggesting that they care greatly for his wellbeing. In addition to this, they both appear to be extremely loyal to Hamlet. We can infer this by their quickness in swearing to Hamlet that they will not speak of the sighting of the ghost of his father.**

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 * I thought this version of the ghost scene was particularly interesting because it portray's the ghost scene as somewhat scary and intimidating. When I read the scene myself, this is not what I pictured at all!**


 * It is also important to recognize the relationships revealed in Act 1 scene 3 between Ophelia, Laertes and Polonius. It can be assumed based on their conversations that neither Laertes or Polonius trust Hamlet especially when it comes to Ophelia. The way that Laertes speaks of Hamlet makes it seem as if he feels like Hamlet truly doesn't consider the wellbeing of anyone but himself and that Ophelia needs to be extremely careful. Despite this, everything that the two say to Ophelia seems to go in one ear and out the other.**


 * ESSENTIAL QUESTION:**
 * Thus far, Hamlet's insanity still isn't very clear to me. Despite this, Hamlet IS trusting a ghost with a story that he doesn't know is true or not so this could be an indicator that he may really be insane. We have yet to reach any scenes where Hamlet decides to pretend to be insane, so its hard to relate our classes essential question thus far. But, to be entirely honest I'm with Laertes and Polonius- I don't trust Hamlet either!**


 * Hamlet (lines 152-56)**
 * Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,**
 * And much offense, too. Touching this vision here,**
 * It is an honest ghost- that let me tell you.**
 * For your desire to know what it between us,**
 * O'ermaster 't as you may.**


 * This section in particular is significant to me when looking at the sanity of Hamlet. We can see that Hamlet believes his father's ghost is one of honest words despite the fact that he may not have been so sure at first. It is important to note that Hamlet is not willing to share the conversation he has with the ghost with Marcellus and Horatio because he doesn't trust them with the information. Is the fact that Hamlet trusts a ghost over his own comrades a sign that he may actually be insane? I guess we'll find out!**


 * Post #1**
 * Given that this is shakespeare, the play is already difficult to read. Despite this, I do like it. Like most difficult works of literature, I normally like to watch the movies first because then the works are easier for me to understand. I am hoping that this will help me to better grasp the plot and the part of the play we've read thus far.**


 * I would like to preface my first Hamlet blog by saying that before our work with hamlet this past week, I knew absolutely nothing about this Shakespearian play. My first impression of the play thus far is that it clearly relates to the majority of Shakespeare's works. From what I understand about the play based on the video clips, and the first 2 acts as well as other information picked up in class, the main themes seem to be death and revenge. The first thing that i noticed was how clearly it relates to Romeo and Juliet after, in the cartoon synopsis of Hamlet, Ophelia's father says they cannot be in love based on their different upbringings which relates to the idea of forbidden love; an overlapping theme in both. Similarly, this story involves death: a main theme of almost every one of hamlet's works.**


 * My classes essential question was: Where do we draw the line between sanity and insanity? To what extent can we trust the insane?**
 * and after learning more about the play, i think it was a good choice. Based on the short cartoon overview of the play, there is clear emphasis on if Hamlet's insanity. At first, it seems as if Hamlet is only pretending but we can question whether or not he actually becomes insane or if he always was from the beginning.**


 * in lines 155-158, we can start to see Hamlets animosity toward his fathers brother which makes us question if he is soon going to pretend to become insane,.**


 * She married. O, most wicked speed, to post**
 * With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!**
 * It is not nor it cannot come to good:**
 * But break my heart; for I must hold my tongue.**


 * These lines clearly illustrate the harsh feelings Hamlet has and because we already know that Hamlet fakes his mental state in order to help with his plot of revenge, I feel these lines open the reader up to what may eventually happen. These lines do not suggest hamlet is crazy but that he is merely hurt.**