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**Hamlet Blog No. 4: The END** February 20, 2012

We finally finished Hamlet this week, reading about the tragic ending in Act 5, Scenes 1 and 2. Everything truly turns on its head as the characters turn their focus from secrecy and conspiracy to full-fledged conflict. Hamlet returns from England and comes out against Laertes, telling him he loved Ophelia more. The king's treachery is exposed at the end of the play, and Hamlet ensures that he meets his maker just after committing a sin. This section of the play was marked by action, and I was surprised at how quickly everything resolved itself once the main characters stopped questioning themselves started doing stuff. At the end of the play we see the convergence of betrayal, revenge, love, and greed, and the result (death to all but Horatio) indicates that the royal family was cursed from the start of this dreadful affair.
 * Personal Response**

media type="youtube" key="W_GqWC_uIfs" height="315" width="560" Hamlet and Horatio talk to the gravediggers before confronting Laertes over Ophelia's death.

My period's essential question is: What is insanity and how do we know if it's real? Who has the right to judge madness?
 * Essential Question Analysis**

By now most of the characters have shown some indications of insanity. Hamlet has claimed to have seen his father's ghost in his mother's presence, despite the fact that she says she cannot see it. Ophelia has gone around muttering odd phrases and has drowned under suspicious circumstances. Laertes shows excessive fits of rage after Ophelia's death and swears revenge on Hamlet, despite the fact that his father may have contributed more to her demise than anyone else. Gertrude acts blissfully unaware of the proceedings against her son, despite condoning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on him earlier. And Claudius enacts a scheme to kill Hamlet while somehow attempting to salvage himself in the eyes of God. In Act 5 Scene 2, it appears that no one really holds the right to judge madness, as every character has shown crazy inclinations. When everyone ends up dying, it is only Horatio who is able to speak, and even then I bet he is as rocked by the final conflict as anyone else. He justly calls it a tragedy and leaves, as nothing more can really describe the situation.


 * Passage Analysis**



Hamlet: " Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy:" (5.1)

I found this passage interesting because Hamlet develops a strange obsession for the skull of Yorick, the jester for his father's court. He talks to Yorick as if he were still alive, saying "Now get you to my lady's chamber". What's also interesting to note is Hamlet's use of the present tense in this section. Hamlet transitions from remembering being carried on Yorick's back to telling him to talk with his mother. While Hamlet believes he can control his insanity, this section really leads me to question that logic.

See you next week!

Hamlet Blog No. 3: Going Batty
February 12, 2012

This week we read a lot of the play, flying through Acts 2-4. Revenge and forgiveness have been the main themes of our readings. Hamlet's soliloquies and monologues indicate that he is still sorrowful over his father's murder and that he must avenge his death at all cost. He is disgusted with himself for not taking action against Claudius, and finally resolves to attack him when he is in the act of sinning (3.3). Meanwhile, Claudius admits to murdering his brother and weighs up confessing his sins with retaining the crown. He knows he would give up everything if he confessed but to pray anyway. At this point I feel that Claudius knows he is doomed and prays just for the heck of it. Another prominent example of revenge occurs when Laertes returns from France to discover that his father, and subsequently his sister, have died. This sends him into a rage and he vows to kill Hamlet, even if through underhand means (poison). At this point in the play, everyone is starting to lose it, and true colors are being exposed.
 * Personal Response**

Hamlet duels Laertes, who fights with poison on his sword.

My period's essential question is: What is insanity and how do we know if it's real? Who has the right to judge madness?
 * Essential Question Analysis**

Ophelia's turn to madness in Act 4, Scene 5 is a tragic point in the play. She has been manipulated by her father, who uses her to investigate Hamlet. She has been toyed with by Hamlet, who claims to have loved her once and not at all in the same conversation. Ophelia's insanity is a terrible byproduct of the feud between the king/queen and the prince. Looking to the essential question, everyone considers her to be insane, judging by her actions and her strange words. What is debatable is whether she ultimately committed suicide. I believe she did so out of grief, and tempted death by putter herself into a dangerous situation.

media type="youtube" key="TfcsP-eKJF8" height="315" width="560" Scenes of Ophelia's madness from the 1990 version of //Hamlet//.

Hamlet: "To be or not to be, that is the question:" (3.1)
 * Passage Analysis**

This passage is likely the most famous excerpt from the play. In it, Hamlet contemplates suicide as the only way out of his wretched situation. Hamlet ultimately resolves to live because he would rather deal with known "ills" than "those we know not of". Life sucks, and he often wonders whether death ("perchance to dream") might be a better option than the "grunt and sweat [of] a weary life." But his conscience and uncertainty win out and he takes no action.

Some interesting literary devices to note:
 * Metaphor: Death is compared to sleep and dreaming many times early in his soliloquy.
 * Repetition: The dream/sleep metaphor is mentioned often and Hamlet uses anaphora to describe the toils of life ("The, the ," etc.)
 * Symbolism: Hamlet uses weapons to symbolize his sufferings in life ("arrows", "whips", etc.)

See you next week!

Hamlet Blog No. 2: Sweet Revenge
February 5, 2012

This week we read Act 1, Scenes 2-5 in class. Hamlet is told there is a ghost prowling around the castle, and he goes to investigate. He sees the ghost resembles his father, and is told by the ghost that his father was murdered by his uncle. Hamlet, horrified, vows to avenge his father's death. What I found interesting about Hamlet's conversation with the ghost is that he was instructed to only take revenge on his uncle, and to leave his mother to feel pain from her own guilt. Their society places the blame on the male who initiates the incestuous relationship, rather than treating both partners as complicit. The conversation gives Hamlet a goal towards which he can focus his grief and anger about his father's demise, and this makes him a dangerous character. Previously, as mentioned in the first blog post, the king and queen regard Hamlet as a moping youth whose behavior is unbecoming of a prince. Following 1.5, Hamlet now poses a direct threat to their existence, something they are unaware of.
 * Personal Response**

media type="youtube" key="MyRZOx1PICk" height="315" width="420" Hamlet encounters his father's ghost at the top of the castle.

My period's essential question is: What is insanity and how do we know if it's real? Who has the right to judge madness?
 * Essential Question Analysis**

Insanity hasn't yet become a major element of the play, but Hamlet's encounter with the ghost sets up a critical moment in the play that involves insanity. King Hamlet's ghost informs his son that he lay sleeping in his orchard and that his uncle poured poison into his ear, thereby murdering him. Later on in the play, Hamlet sets up a play in which a character is killed when poison is treacherously poured down his ear, prompting King Claudius to lose it and stagger out of the stage room, decrying conspiracy. In the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet, his unprovoked reaction sparks surprise among the inhabitants of the castle, and Hamlet gives a maniacal cry that his trick his worked. At this point, Queen Gertrude begins to doubt the sanity of her husband and her son, and she temporarily holds the right to judge madness.


 * Passage Analysis**

Laertes pleads with Ophelia to ignore Hamlet's advances.

Think it no more; For nature, crescent, does not grow alone In thews and bulk, but, as this temple waxes, The inward service of the mind and soul Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch The virtue of his will: but you must fear, His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own; For he himself is subject to his birth: He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself; for on his choice depends The safety and health of this whole state; And therefore must his choice be circumscribed Unto the voice and yielding of that body Whereof he is the head. Then if he says he loves you, It fits your wisdom so far to believe it As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed; which is no further Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmaster'd importunity. Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister, And keep you in the rear of your affection, Out of the shot and danger of desire. The chariest maid is prodigal enough, If she unmask her beauty to the moon: Virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes: The canker galls the infants of the spring, Too oft before their buttons be disclosed, And in the morn and liquid dew of youth Contagious blastments are most imminent. Be wary then; best safety lies in fear: Youth to itself rebels, though none else near. (1.3)
 * Laertes **

I chose this passage because I found it interesting to note the absolute hate and fear Laertes has for Hamlet marrying his sister. He shows a pathological obsession with his sister, which is yet another example of the incestuous relationships that manifest themselves in this play. Laertes is obviously jealous of Hamlet, and this jealousy drives him to underhandedly kill Hamlet in their duel at the end of the play.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Hamlet Blog No. 1: Bedchambers of Secrets
January 29, 2012

Though we have not yet seen much of //Hamlet//, it appears to be a play full of intrigue, secrecy, and revenge. What is interesting to note is that the family feud between Hamlet and Gertrude/Claudius is kept within the castle so the public doesn't know much about it. The Danish kingdom is preparing for war with young Fortinbras of Norway, and the cautious exchange between Barnardo and Francisco at the opening of the play suggests that the kingdom is on edge. It appears that the main characters would rather not disturb Denmark with their fight. Queen Gertrude implores Hamlet to "let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark" (1.1), as he is well liked and his happiness would likely raise the country's morale after their king's funeral. Hamlet suspects foul play is at hand, but rather than accusing his uncle/mother of murder and conspiracy outright, opts to spy on them in secrecy. The division of duty to one's family and one's country drives the play's narrative and promotes secrecy.
 * Personal Response**

Hamlet spies on Polonious, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude.

My period's essential question is: What is insanity and how do we know if it's real? Who has the right to judge madness?
 * Essential Question Analysis**

Looking at the entirety of the play, this question is most applicable to Hamlet's mad actions throughout the play and whether he is pretending to be insane or whether he truly is insane. However, it is also applicable to the opening of the story, as the guards claim they have seen a ghost that resembles the shape of the deceased king. The sighting is doubted by Horatio, who believes their imagination is at play until he sees the ghost himself. The scene reminds me of the central conflict in //The Turn of the Screw//, in which the governess struggles to convince others that there are ghosts at Bly. In the 1990 version of //Hamlet//, the prince claims to see his father's ghost while confronting his mother, but she is unable to see her deceased spouse. Watch the clip below for the full scene:

media type="youtube" key="dQv7vGIdKhU" height="315" width="420"

The ghost scene hints at the insanity motif that presents itself later in the play, and as many characters begin to act strangely, it becomes difficult to determine who is mad and who isn't.

King Claudius: "'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,..." (1.2)
 * Passage Analysis**

In this passage, Claudius tells Hamlet to stop grieving as death is part of the circle of life. He begins by appealing to his vainer side, claiming that it is "commendable" that he mourns the death of his father. He then moves toward a logical argument, saying that death is a part of life and one must accept this as fact. Claudius then proceeds to attack Hamlet's manhood, saying that it is "unmanly" to grieve for so long. He closes by requesting that he stay in Denmark at the castle. Claudius' paternalistic and patronizing attitude irritates Hamlet, who suspects his uncle of foul play. This passage reinforces Hamlet's distrust and disgust for his uncle.

See you next week!