Kendall+Allison

__**Funny Video Post Period 3 Blog #4**__ media type="youtube" key="N9oxmRT2YWw" height="480" width="640" Kendall Allison Period 3 Blog #4

I found it really ironic that, while Hamlet did not intend on killing Laertes, they both ended up killing each other. I also found the use of satire interesting because in the end, the King killed Queen Gertrude on accident, while trying to kill Hamlet. The story concludes with everyone dying. It was also intriguing that before they both died, Hamlet and Laertes exchanged forgiveness to each other. I was kind of confused as to why Laertes agreed to help kill Hamlet if he was just going to apologize and ask for forgiveness in the end... Kendall Allison Period 3 Blog #3 “To Be Or Not To Be"

So recently we have been going over the “To Be Or Not To Be” soliloquy. When I first heard this soliloquy I was actually pretty confused. I wasn’t really sure if Hamlet was referring to death, or committing suicide, or if he was merely fantasizing about it. I found it kind of difficult to understand... And then I found this So the chicken part is pretty random and basically irrelevant, but other than that the voice bubbles just about sum it up. Hamlet was contemplating the pros and cons of death (the unknown) vs. life (which he is familiar with, but does not particularly enjoy). But can you blame him?? Hamlet’s uncle kills his father, then marries his mother directly after, and Hamlet’s dad is showing up as a ghost. Should he continue living and seeking revenge against his uncle, or should he be done with everything and commit suicide...?

This soliloquy also introduced us to Hamlet’s idea of revenge. He is thoroughly convinced that his uncle is responsible for the death of his own brother- so Hamlet is kind of torn. Clearly Hamlet’s kind of in a tough situation and therefore has every reason to be thinking that life sucks. I don’t think anyone wants to see their mom marry their uncle. That’s awkward!

Kendall Allison Period 3 BLOG #2

At this point in the play, it is fairly obvious that a key theme in the story is the premise of madness. The play is opened with a scene of 4 men questioning whether they have actually seen a ghost or not, so right away, we (as an audience) are questioning the genuine sanity of the characters. Further along in the story, we also find ourselves contemplating Hamlet’s and Gertrude’s sanity (or absence of sanity). Hamlet is driven mad in his incessant attempt to avenge his dead father, which results in Ophelia going mad also. I was pretty confused at the end of the play, but nonetheless I found the play to be very interesting and intriguing.

Kendall Allison Period 3 BLOG #1

Similar to many of his other pieces, the story of “Hamlet,” written by William Shakespeare, revolves around the themes of revenge, family, madness, tragedy, and mystery. This story also involves the presence of royalty, lovers, ghosts, and poison- which all appear in many of Shakespeare’s other works. So far, in Act I Scene I, we find out that both guards (Barnardo and Marcellus) who keep watch over Elsinore Castle, have witnessed a ghost two times. They invite their scholar friend, Horatio to join them to be a witness of the ghost they insist they saw, and to confirm that the ghost is not just a figure of the guard’s imaginations. Although we have only read one scene, we can relate what we know so far to our essential question: “Where do we draw the line between sanity and insanity? To what extent do we trust the insane?” Even in the opening scene, we get a sense of the question of insanity.. Are the guards actually seeing what they think they are seeing? Or is the ghost just a figment or fabrication of their imaginations? We can make the conclusion that, at first, Horatio was most likely concerned about the sanity (or lack of sanity) of Barnardo and Marcellus. He was probably under the impression that the guards had definitely lost their minds, until he witnessed the ghost himself.

The questioning of one’s insanity seems to be a very evident theme in the story of Hamlet. This early in the story, I’m still not too sure where to draw the line between the sane and the insane, nor the extent to which we should trust them. But hopefully the further into Hamlet I read, the easier it will be for me to distinguish between the sane and the insane as well as how much dependence or reliance to put into each type of character.