Emily+Holm

[]

**20 February 2012**
I enjoyed Hamlet more than I expected I would. At times I found the characters to be frustrating, namely Hamlet and Ophelia, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the play. I didn't realize beforehand though, how many different ways the play could be interpreted. These parts change the whole meaning of the play when interpreted differently. Someone who believes that the ghost exists draws a whole other meaning from the play than someone who doubts its existence.

Ophelia's death is one of these moments in the play. It is unclear as to if she drowned or committed suicide. which is connected to my classes' essential question. Queen Gertrude gives a long, detailed account of how exactly Ophelia died, even though to get that much detail she would have had to have been close enough to help Ophelia. Her version of events became everyone's perception of reality. Her story affected how Ophelia was buried and allowed her to be buried in the churchyard. Even though people questioned Ophelia's death, no one did anything about it and so Gertrude's version of what happened became reality. Her account of events is what goes down in the permanent records and the fact that Ophelia wasn't given a Christian funeral will become unimportant for most and a mild curiosity for a few.



Priest: Her obesquies have been as far enlarg'd As we have warrantise: her death was doubtful And, but that great commandd o'erways the order, She should in ground unsanctified have lodg'd Til the last trumpet: for charitable prayers, Shards, flints and pebbles, should be thrown on her, Yet here she is allowed the virgin rites, Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home Of bell and burial.

This conversation between the Priest and Laertes is what Hamlet hears when the funeral procession initially enters the graveyard. It is also the only point when Hamlet hears anything concerning the details of Ophelia's death. I think it's interesting that Hamlet didn't try to learn more of how she died. If he loved her more than "forty thousand brothers" than he should be questioning why the Priest thinks people should throw rocks in her grave. Instead he gets into an argument with Laertes over who loved her more and jumps into her grave. This throws into question if Hamlet really did love her as much as he claimed to.

12 February 2012
In the scenes we read this week some new characters were introduced, specifically Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I found it interesting how enthusiastically Hamlet initially greets them enthusiastically, but turns cold and accusatory when he begins to question them on why they came. After they admit that they are spying for the King and Queen though, Hamlet becomes congenial again when they mention the players. Later on though, before Hamlet kills Polonius, he acts very bitterly towards them and accuses them of playing him like a recorder. The scenes from this week definitely show how Hamlet falls deeper into madness.Whereas Hamlet goes fairly slowly into insanity, Ophelia's mind snaps once her father is killed and Hamlet is sent to England, which is a bit of an interesting parallel.



Hamlet's famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy relates to the question of how does our perception of reality change reality? Hamlet's recent experiences has led him to strongly believe that death is preferable to life. In his reality everyone else feels this way as well and it is only the fear of the unknown that keeps people from committing suicide left and right. This highly pessimistic and depressing view probably helps push his mind further towards insanity. It also affects the way he interacts with people and the choices, he makes since he believes everyone else secretly shares his morbid outlook on life.

To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others we know not of?

Here Hamlet is getting to the point of his soliloquy. He's saying that life is hard and difficult, but that the fear of what awaits us after death makes us continue on in an unsatisfactory life. When I first read through the soliloquy I though he sounded almost contemptuous of people who wouldn't end there own life to escape life's suffering. That he ends up deciding not to kill himself points to some amount of self hate.

**5 February 2012- A Little Bit Of Bad Advice Goes A Long Ways**
This week we got through several important points in the play, like the first time Hamlet talks to his father's ghost and the conversation Ophelia and Polonius have. The latter in particular has a big impact on the plot of the play. The advice that he gave her is what made her break off her relationship with Hamlet. This may or may not have been what pushed him over the edge to insanity, but it definitely impacted Ophelia negatively. It could be that she felt responsible for Hamlet's insanity, which caused her father's death, and so it a convoluted way she may have felt at least partially responsible for Polonius' death. This could explain why her mind broke so dramatically. This does relate to the question of 'how does our perception of reality change reality?' somewhat obliquely. In Polonius' reality when he confronted Ophelia, he believed that Hamlet was only having a short fling with her and wished to protect his daughter's virtue for the man she'd eventually marry. It could be argued that this action/perception is what led to his murder. (He tells Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet -> Hamlet goes crazy, because of his father's death and Ophelia ignoring him -> Hamlet's insanity causes him to kill Polonius)

Op**h**elia: He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders Of his affections of me Polonius: Affection! pooh! you speak like a green Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders as you call them?

I thought this scene was pretty interesting in terms of the relationship between Ophelia and Polonius. Ophelia seems to believe that Hamlet does love her, but holds back from saying that to her father and downplays it to 'affections'. Polonius seems to find even this too much though and practically mocks her for her naivety. In this passage it is like he's trying to embarrass her or make her feel so ignorant and stupid that she'll end things with Hamlet.

= **29 January 2012** =

The essential question in fourth period is 'how does our perception of reality change reality?' This is significant when analyzing Hamlet's actions. He believes that he saw the ghost of his father who told him to kill his uncle for the fratricide he committed. This perception of reality sets a whole slew of events into being, so in this way Hamlet does change reality.

The reliability of Hamlet is not that great however. As the play progresses he begins to act in increasingly insane ways, which makes it hard to tell if there actually ever was a ghost. The scene with his mother directly after Polonius' death in particular throws into doubt the existence of the ghost. As Hamlet speaks to his father, his mother is completely unaware of the apparition of her late husband hovering next to her. It could be that Gertrude is pretending not to see, she certainly has motives for that, but it is equally if not more likely that she doesn't see the ghost, either because it isn't there or it won't reveal itself to her.

The only other people who see the ghost are Horatio, Bernardo and Marcellus. That they saw the ghost at night initially does put their account into doubt. It's hard to judge if Bernardo and Marcellus are reliable or not since they barely show up again after the first scene. Horatio though, as Hamlet's friend, is seen several times throughout the play. What makes me doubt his reliability though is that he doesn't really question Hamlet even when he is at his most insane. The scene where Hamlet confronts Rosenkranz and Guildenstern is one of these times and Horatio joins in on mocking the Hamlet's old friends and Polonius. These kind of reactions are what throws his sanity and reliability into doubt.

 BERNARDO How now, Horatio! you tremble and look pale: Is not this something more than fantasy? What think you on't?

HORATIO Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes.

MARCELLUS Is it not like the king?

HORATIO As thou art to thyself: Such was the very armour he had on When he the ambitious Norway combated; So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle, He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice. 'Tis strange,

I chose this passage because it takes place directly after the first encounter with ghost in the play. It also shows how scathing Horatio must have been over the idea of the existence of ghosts given how Bernardo mocks him. Horatio's specific description of the ghost dressed how he was when he went into battle against Fortinbras also give it points in favor of its existence. Horatio's reactions here also make him seem like a more reliable character than his actions later in the play.