| | Kellie Sullivan | 16 | 3/30/2011 4:53 PM | is hamlet a tragedy or not? So in class we keep talking about one main question about the novel. If it is indeed a tragedy or not. Mr. Chiz said it can’t be a tragedy if there is no noble character failing at something in the story, and in class today we were trying to decide if there were any noble characters or not. The only character we said we could sympathize with was Ophelia and maybe Polonius, but that doesn’t mean that they are noble characters. So what do you think, tragedy or not? |
| | Shannah7 | 3 | 3/27/2011 11:19 AM | Hamlets lack of care towards ophilla I find it quite interesting how hamlet in search of who killed his father and how upset and insane he goes doing it he doesn't care at all about killing his girlfriends brother and dad! He kills Polonius and has no remorse what so ever. And he kills laureates and doesn't care about that. I feel like hamlet only truly cared about himself and didn't care about anyone else. |
| | Callie Lama | 2 | 3/27/2011 11:17 AM | Hamlet killing Polonius I think Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius because he either thought that Polonius was Claudius, or maybe was on edge from almost killing Claudius, and did it instinctively. Either way, i do not think this was on purpose. He was so jumpy from talking to his mother and also coming so close to killing Claudius. |
| | Shannah7 | 3 | 3/27/2011 11:13 AM | Ironic Ok I think its very ironic how must all of the deaths in hamlet are meant to kill hamlet and end up killing themselves. The queen tries to poison her son and ends up drinking it herself. Laurtes dies by the sword he poisoned to kill hamlet. Claudius dies by his poisoned sword. And Ophilla kills herself because everyone else was dying. I feel like everyone was very naive and there wasn't one character besides the gravedigger or horacio that weren't insane. All the characters go crazy looking for answers and reasons to things and in the end there is no true resolution they all just die. |
| | Dani | 11 | 3/26/2011 5:46 PM | Leaving it to interpretation Someone asked today if Shakespeare wrote "Hamlet" purposely to give it 1 million+ ways to interpret it. Did Hamlet only want revenge? Is he crazy or just pretending to be? ...Is he really only in love with his mom? Shakespeare is famous for his absence of stage direction - "Romeo and Juliet" shows the same lack of any dictated motivation. Personally I think Shakespeare does this on purpose, leaving the psychological battles of his characters up to the discretion of actors and directors to come. |
| | Mandi Piet | 2 | 3/24/2011 5:54 PM | Forgiveness acceptable? In class we were talking about after all the crimes and murders that Hamlet has just committed, if there is any room for forgiveness. I believe that there should be some room for forgiveness because he was driven to kill everyone because his father was killed and it was unexplainable. Only he could see his father's ghost, and only he could feel that he was being cheated out of the throne by his uncle. He wasn't crazy when his father was alive, but the death of his father, remarriage of his mother to his uncle, and his uncle inheriting the throne, made him revengful and angry which drives him to becoming manic. Though everyone he wants dead ends up dying in the end, the way he gives up his crown to Fortinbras over himself becoming king seems to make him less manic, and therefore there's room for forgiveness. |
| | Ashley Govan | 4 | 3/20/2011 10:00 PM | Urhamlet Alright, so I'm not going to lie I'm pretty upset that Shakespeare didn't even come up with any original ideas for all his plays. He clearly had quite the knack for making famous stories even more interesting, but the fact that he couldn't make up his own is mildly frustrating. I guess this could kind of go back to the whole, "what is the original" discussion we always have. Anywho, do you think Shakespeare is an original writer, or just a plot adder? Here's a website about where he got Hamlet from: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sources/hamletsources.html |
| | Trainer Allie | 1 | 3/20/2011 4:24 PM | Which one? So we both know that Hamlet and Fortinbras both pretty much went through the same thing, but with different reactions.. however, I think in both situations neither ended up so well, so was there really a difference? and which character had the better reaction? |
| | Shannah7 | 2 | 3/20/2011 1:02 PM | Why didn't hamlet kill Claudius right away While reading I was beginning to become upset with hamlet for not killing Claudius when he had ample amount of opportunities to do so! But while talking in class we came to the conclusion that hamlet was actually smart to not kill him right away. Hamlet wanted to be able to have Claudius announce his treason before he killed them to clear his name and his fathers death. I found that interesting to finally find out that was why it made better sense. |
| | bhard33 | 7 | 3/20/2011 12:35 PM | Interpratation When reading a play such as this one, interpretation of the text is left solely to the reader. However, when the play is acted out and an audience is present, the actors project their own interpretations of the text upon the audience. In each instance it is the reader, who through the weight of his or her own experiences, determines what is important and meaningful in the text. The exercise that we conducted in class on Friday helped me better understand the correlation between reader, text and author. Though I don't believe I've unlocked a definite answer to this literary struggle, I believe, at least in this situation, that theme is derived from the reader. |
| | Trainer Allie | 1 | 3/20/2011 12:25 PM | Major Theme? I originally thought that the major theme was revenge and how nothing good will come from it, but Hamlet thinks a lot about what he does.. It's not like he was quick to just go kill people because of what happened. So, I'm not sure if there is a deeper meaning to it: a hidden theme persay. |
| | enxhi | 6 | 3/20/2011 12:03 PM | Ghost: Conscience (Internal) or Father (External)? We were discussing this in class today...what do you guys suspect that the ghost portrays....literally the ghost of the father since the guards see him in the beginning and all...or a figure of Hamlets own subconscience since he misses his father and remembers all his father's qualities... |
| | Ashley Govan | 7 | 3/20/2011 11:16 AM | Hamlet- Crazy or Sane? Between having a ghost of his father talk to him, and murdering Polonius the guy clearly has some issues. Yet, in Act 3 Scene 4 he seems pretty normal. Aware of the plan for him to be assassinated, he formulated a plan of his own. Reminding his mother he is not insane after all. He is clearly intelligent and quite secretive if he can devise such a plan. But comeon, the guy KILLED someone, AND was basically talking to himself! Hmm, so my question stands; Crazy or Sane? |
| | chollo | 0 | 3/20/2011 10:47 AM | The Death of Polonius So i've been thinking about this idea a lot. We've decided that Hamlet feels no remorse over killing Polonius, also I'm writting this under Hamlet having the motivation of Mommy issues. Polonius and the Queen are talking in her room correct? Perhaps Hamlet thought that the Queen was "entertaining" yet another man in her room. He stabs Polonius, who is hidding behind the curtain, because he possibly thinks his mother has a relationship with him. Just a thought. |
| | Mandi Piet | 0 | 3/20/2011 10:30 AM | Remorse? Hamlet doesn't feel any remorse after killing Polonius while he is hiding behind a curtain. He is so driven with anger and fury that even though he thought it was the king that he was killing, he found it wasn't and didn't seem to have any remorse or regret when looking at his dead body. When we were talking about this in class, we agreed that this was the breaking point for Hamlet, this was when he was truly going insane. Feeling so angry towards his mother, who should really be mourning with him, considering her husband the father of her son just died about a month ago, Hamlet acts out and kills Polonius. There isn't any evidence that Hamlet feels remorsful or in any way regrets what he did. This was also another reason Ophelia committed suicide, and Hamlet doesn't feel any remorse for that as well. Instead of comfortinghis girlfriend about her dead father, who he killed, he would rather tell her degrating things and call her a slut. Hamlet's rage overrules all other feelings because he is so driven by anger. |
| | Mandi Piet | 0 | 3/20/2011 10:25 AM | Irony in Laertes When Laertes is killed, Shakespeare shows some irony. When sword fighting Hamlet, Laertes dips his sword in poison. While they are fighting, they both lose their swords and Hamlet picks up Laertes' sword and stabs him with it. Ironically, Laertes kind of killed himself, because he would have just gotten a wound rather than be poisoned. Shakespeare also shows irony in Laertes when he and Hamlet are fighting over Ophelia's casket at her funeral. Laertes believes that it's Hamlet's fault his sister committed suicide, which it is, and starts to fight ontop of her dead body. This shows the disrespect that both Laertes and Hamlet have for Ophelia, if they had any respect they wouldn't be fighting on top of her, and it shows that Laertes would rather put effort into hurting Hamlet rather than putting effort into his sister's death and mourning for her sake. |
| | Mandi Piet | 0 | 3/20/2011 10:18 AM | Fortinbras Fortinbras is Hamlet's choice for King of Denmark after everybody brutally dies and he kills himself. The reason Hamlet chooses Fortinbras is because he is a good ruler and he needs someone to look after the country after so much controversy between who should get the throne. Giving up the throne to Fortinbras makes Hamlet noble even though he's a crazed murderer, because he is showing that he still wants the country to be taken over by someone that can be trusted. Another reason he gave up the throne to Fortinbras is because Fortinbras was ruling Norway in a power-hungry way, like invading other countries and conquering them, just to get the pieces of land. giving the throne to Fortinbras put more responsibility in his hands and would give him a reason to stop invading smaller countries for the land. |
| | Mandi Piet | 0 | 3/20/2011 10:13 AM | Ophelia noble? In class we were talking about whether at the end if Ophelia is noble or not. With Hamlet driving her to suicide by calling her a whore, and her family isn't accepting of Hamlet from the beginning. Her suicide was out of her hands, because she was vulnerable and weak and passive about Hamlet's remarks to her. In my opinion I think that Ophelia isn't noble, because she killed herself because she wasn't brave enough to handle situations that were harder than others, and she didn't listen to her father Polonius or her brother Laertes about leaving Hamlet and being better off. She is a weak and naive woman that evidently doesn't understand the feelings that possess people when they act crazier than usual and she takes everything personally. |
| | Shannah7 | 0 | 3/20/2011 8:42 AM | Hamlet still want the crown?! In the beinning hamlet was annoying me and not killing Claudius but I later found out it was because hamlet still wanted the crown. Although I have no idea why he thought after all his crazy antics he'd getthe crown hamlet wanted Claudius to clear his name. Hamlet thought by doing that he could take his rightful place as king because Claudius stole it. But again hamlet is insane and doesn't realize that's crazy to think no one wants some crazy person running their town. |
| | Shannah7 | 0 | 3/20/2011 8:31 AM | Claudius Fault claudius is at fault for the death of the queen. The queen dies because she drinks the poisoned cup meant for hamlet. She wouldn't have died if Claudius wouldn't have forced her to poison her son. And Claudius ends up being the reason alot of people die and his wife is the main one. |
| | Captain Marley | 3 | 3/19/2011 9:13 PM | Death It's quite apparent that everything Shakespeare writes is over dramatic - after all it is a play...but I found it somewhat odd, as well as funny, that during the scene where Hamlet kills Polonius from behind the curtain, Polonius exclaims "Oh, I am slain!" well obviously...the only reason I can think Shakespeare would add this is to help the audience understand the situation. Otherwise, it's just silly. And seeing that the play Hamlet is a tragedy, it could use just a little comic relief. |
| | Antoine Dodson | 4 | 3/19/2011 9:04 PM | Typograph error in Hamlet? I found an article about this guy named Fredericka Beardsley Gilchrist, who in the late 1880's said that there is a typographical error in Hamlet, Act 1 Scene v , that changes the whole meaning of the play. Are we Reading Hamlet Wrong? |
| | Jenny | 2 | 3/19/2011 6:36 PM | Misogyny After Hamlet's mother remarried so soon after her late husband's death, Hamlet cynical toward women in general, creating his own connection between female sexuality and moral corruption. Her swift remarriage causes him to exclaim “Frailty, thy name is woman” (I.ii.146) and thereby pushes the situation on all of womankind. |
| | Shannah7 | 13 | 3/19/2011 6:34 PM | Hamlet-power hungry ?!? It seems to me that Hamlet is alittle bit power hungry. He's willing to drop everything he has ever learned and known to avenge his father! (act 1 sn 5 line 99-112ish) He wants what rightfully belongs to him. His dad died-the king- therefore the prince-hamlet-should normally take the throne. But because of his evil uncle he's unable to get what he wants and that upsets him. So much so that when he's told by a ghost to kill Claudius he drops everything he's ever worked towards to do it! |
| | Carolyn | 12 | 3/19/2011 6:32 PM | Hamlet kills Polonius In act III scene 4 I found it really surprising that Hamlet "accidentally" stabbed Polonius. Hamlet was obviously mad, but it seems that he would have it least looked behind the curtain to see who if it was really Claudius. But then again maybe he didn't feel phased at all because Polonius helped Claudius quite a bit... |
| | enxhi | 7 | 3/19/2011 6:26 PM | Death of Father...Enough reason to trigger insanity? why do you think Hamlet's ghost appears everytime he goes so out of line when talking to his mother or others...? Do you believe that losing a parent is enough reasoning behind the madness and insanity Hamlet is reportedly driven to? |
| | AnnaBanana | 15 | 3/17/2011 9:08 PM | Hamlet wants his mother? So in my class, during the presentations Friday one of the groups brought up the fact that there is a Freudian connection to Hamlet and Gertrude. What I got from that is that they argued that Hamlet is so upset about his uncle getting the throne because that means Hamlet can't be with his mother..in more than one way. Personally, I didn't see that or even begin to think that, did anyone else think of that? |
| | Shannah7 | 11 | 3/15/2011 10:44 PM | Hamlets true motivations So I've been noticing that hamlet is alittle bit of a freak! He has an interesting relationship with his mother. His mom married his dads brother (aka his uncle) and he wasn't to happy about how quick it happened!!! (within a month!) Hamlet tells his mom to not "have sex with my uncle!" and he goes on to describe his mothers freaky side in the bedroom. The tone of this scene leads me to the conclusion that Hamlet wants him some of his momma! Although disturbing it does make sense. He wants to assume the role of his father- bringing along the crown the throne and his mother. Gross. Just an observation! |
| | Captain Marley | 1 | 3/15/2011 3:29 PM | Alas! Poor Yoric... During the beginning of Act 5.1, the grave digging scene ends up with Hamlet holding a skull. It's his childhood friends skull - the King's jester Yoric...after reading this part, I wondered why Yoric was dead as well as why he might be a member of a mass grave. I'm guessing that he's in such a grave because he isn't that important, probably no better than a peasant. I think that he is dead at this point (and now a skeleton) most likely because he died when Hamlet was very young. It was common for the Jesters of Medieval kingdoms to become what they were because of physical or mental problems, and therefore died at a younger age than the healthy citizen. Any other thoughts on this guy? |
| | Sarah | 23 | 3/13/2011 8:49 PM | acting in class At first I thought we were just acting out the scenes to make it more interesting than just reading it, but now after seeing a few groups present I see the value that it has. Directors have a lot of power of interpretation. When Chisnell had Ben read his scene a second time in a different way it completely changed the meaning of the words. |
| | Boxxy | 9 | 3/13/2011 5:09 PM | Driven by Revenge After Act 1 Scene 5, when Hamlet discovers that it was his uncle who killed father, Hamlet is driven by revenge the rest of the play. As the play goes on, he goes out of his way to find ways to expose his uncle (like requesting the play that is put on by the actors that visit the castle), but does it suttlly so that he is not too obivious. This kind of make me wonder how far Hamlet will go to expose his uncle's guilt. |
| | Antoine Dodson | 7 | 3/13/2011 5:08 PM | Indifference? Hamlet's father died and his mother married the late King's brother not to long after. The Queen and the new King seem completely indifferent to the fact that he died, even though they were his wife and brother. So, when Hamlet is obviously mourning over his death they can not understand it and urge him to get over it quickly. Then when he goes "mad" after the ghost tells him he was murdered, no one would even guess that his madness was about his father. It all just seems really weird. |
| | Shannah7 | 6 | 3/13/2011 5:02 PM | Hamlets mother- possible suspect?! Okay so in act 1 sc 5 starting in about line 50 the ghost describes hamlets mother to be "seemingly virtuous" this particularly stuck out to me because it made me think of the secrets hamlets mother probably holds. What if hamlets mom secretly wanted Claudius the whole time she was married to the king? Maybe she didn't directly kill him but maybe she contributed to the murder? Idk just a thought!!! |
| | Boxxy | 11 | 3/13/2011 2:54 PM | The ghost in Act 1 Scene 1
The supernatural appearance of the ghost In Scene 1 of Act 1 indicates immediately that something is wrong in Denmark. The ghost serves to enlarge the shadow King Hamlet casts across Denmark, indicating that something about his death has upset the balance of nature. |
| | enxhi | 3 | 3/13/2011 2:46 PM | Hamlet movie...
I say lets watch it in class so that we have a better interpretation of what the characters are trying to accomplish through each solliloquy....etc. |
| | Jenny | 8 | 3/13/2011 12:51 PM | Gertrude Guilty? In class, Mr. Chisnell touched upon the argument that Gertrude, the queen, could have plotted with Claudius to kill her husband. This brings me to question her entire character.
Gertrude and Ambiguity - Hamlet spends a lot of time dwelling on his mother and her incestuous marriage, but her character is also pretty ambiguous. Was she having an affair with Claudius before the death of her husband? Does she know that Claudius killed him? Why does she drink the poisoned wine Claudius has prepared for Hamlet? Does she know it's poisoned? Or, is she just really thirsty?
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| | Alex Tekip | 6 | 3/13/2011 12:48 PM | Overall Impression of Hamlet Although I initially struggled trying to decipher the language in Hamlet, my overall impression so far has been almost completely positive. I like that the play is fast-paced and I love the colorful word choices, even if I do have to look at the adjacent page to figure out what some of the words mean. The plot is interesting, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to se a characters development through dialogue. Reading Hamlet is not as boring or as difficult as I thought, and this may be weird, but its one of my favorite selections we have read all year. |
| | Z Mickus
| 7 | 3/13/2011 11:24 AM | Soliloquy In Act I Scene ii, Hamlet is left alone onstage and the first soliloquy of the play is presented. Hamlet begins to speak hopelessly, displaying the idea of killing himself, due to the unfortunate events that have occurred. His life is spiraling in all directions and he does not know what to feel. From his father passing, to his mother's incestuous remarriage Hamlet is unsure of what to do. He decides that he must man up, and make a move and do what he thinks is right. |
| | LoveMusic4Ever | 8 | 3/13/2011 11:09 AM | Hamlet and his mom Ok, so I thought of this while I was reading, but didn't want to bring it up in the class discussion in case I was really off base, so I felt that I would at least post about it. Did anyone else see a Freudian type desire maybe? in regards to Hamlet's newly single mother?....He was technically the next heir to the throne, until Claudius ran in and married his mother, thus taking the throne and robbing Hamlet of his rightful position of power. So of course, Hamlet has a right to be upset with Claudius, and further right when the Ghost tells him that he was actually murdered by Claudius. Also, he's angry at his mother for insensitively diving into re-marriage so quickly, within the month of his father's murder. But is that all he's upset about? Or, like Freud suggests, was he also angered because he wanted to marry his mom? Creepy as it may be, I think that with the idea of incest between Gertrude & Claudius and Laertes & Ophelia (right characters?), it might not be too far off base.....Thoughts? Did anyone else see this? |
| | Princess of Barbies and Jewelry |
| | Princess of Barbies and Jewelry | 9 | 3/13/2011 10:28 AM | Incest In Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet remarks upon the "incestuous sheets" of his mother and uncle. I noticed another hint at incest in the following scene during Laertes' and Ophelia's conversation about Hamlet. In lines 92-93, Ophelia says "'Tis in my memory locked,/And you yourself shall keep the key of it." The symbolism of lock and key seems to call back to line 35 of the same scene, where Laertes warns Ophelia not to let Hamlet open her "chaste treasure." |
| | BleeckerH | 6 | 3/13/2011 10:25 AM | Possible connection to Romeo and Juliet? As I read the part where Hamlet is with the two guards, Horatio and Marcellus talk about when they were on guard when they seen the ghost. This scene reminded me of Romeo and Juliet where there were the two guards that were questioned about the supposed affair between two of the characters. Did anyone else see this? I'm not sure if I recall that scene in Romeo and Juliet correctly, so this could be a connection, but then again I could be mistaken. Any thoughts? |
| | Boxxy | 1 | 3/13/2011 10:14 AM | Devil in disguise.
In the end of Act 2 Scene 2, Hamlet says "The spirit that I have seen / May be the devil, and the devil hath power / T' assume a pleasing shape. Yea, and perhaps / Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, / Abuses me to damn me."
This is when Hamlet realizes that the spirit could be the devil in a pleasing and familiar form that has convinced him to commit a sin. If this is true then Hamlet could be going down a dark path that will detroy him. The possibility of this being true is great and would create irony. |
| | Kikix | 10 | 3/13/2011 10:13 AM | the reading im finding this piece hard to read - going back and fourth on the page trying to translate the language and keeping up on who is talking and who they are.. i find myself overwhelmed. any suggestions? |
| | Antoine Dodson | 12 | 3/13/2011 10:07 AM | Inheritence? I just realized that it is odd that the late king's brother inherited the throne and not Hamlet, as Hamlet would be next in line for the throne and then after him would be his father's brother. Why did the king's brother take the throne and not Hamlet? |
| | Carolyn | 7 | 3/13/2011 8:28 AM | Truly a tragedy So in the end everyone dies except for Fortinbras and some of Hamlet's friends. I guess Hamlet got his revenge when he killed Claudius, but doesn't live to tell the tale. Why does Shakespeare write such depressing endings?? Other than the fact that he's known for tragedies. |
| | enxhi | 0 | 3/13/2011 5:00 AM | this is interesting... they did projects kind of like our ap 2.0 assignment but on youtube there's a bunch about hamlet rapss..
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| | Shannah7 | 10 | 3/13/2011 3:58 AM | Social strucure I know this is based in the old times but it was interesting to me how easily people are swayed to go against things they feel or want to do. Like with Ophelia and Hamlet, Ophelias brother and dad tell her not to love Hamlet and she instantly agrees and obeys. Idk of it's cause I wouldnt care what my brother or dad thought but if you love someone I would think you might think or not want to listen but she just agrees and it was strange to me. People today have so much more freedom or choice and I feel like it was strange of Ophelia to give up on Hamlet so fast. In that particular scene. |
| | Shannah7 | 6 | 3/10/2011 9:53 PM | The ghost So we talked about the ghost today in class and Mr. Chisnell brought up that not all ghosts are what they are appearing to be. Which made me think that maybe there is some hidden vendetta going on that no one seems to acknowledge. Like what if the ghost was maybe another person trying to have Hamlet kill his uncle in order to benefit and take the light of killing the king off of themselves.....? Becaus the ghost says to kill hamlets uncle but hamlet doesn't do it right away. Also the ghost is very upset about the relationship hamelts uncle and mom share and says that hamlets mother Is "seemingly virtuous" making me think that hamlets mother has some secrets of her own... |
| | Callie Lama | 3 | 3/10/2011 6:49 PM | Chart I'm kind of excited to start filling in my chart on Hamlet (even though it took us a half hour to comprehend). It seems like it was one of those skills we used in middle school to understand stories, and kind of left behind in middle school. But after thinking about it, i realized that it is going to be very beneficial to this story. Firstly, it is something different from what we have been doing this year. Second, there are a ton of characters we need to keep track of and this is the most organized way to do it. And third, it will give EVERYONE an excuse to talk in class. Obviously we will not all have the same things written down about each character, so we can get every person's perspectives during discussion time! |
| | Alex Tekip | 2 | 3/10/2011 1:53 AM | a cool little connection! if you look at the Hamlet page on the site, the guy who plays Hamlet played Barty Crouch, jr. in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; I'm not expecting credit for this post but I'm nerdy and got really excited when I saw this, haha. |
| | Antoine Dodson | 2 | 3/6/2011 7:33 PM | Hamlet v. Fortinbras There is a definite contrast between Hamlet and Fortinbras, Hamlet and Fortinbras are both princes whoes father has recently been killed and whoes uncle has (for whatever reason) become king. However, Fortinbras seems to be going down the road of revenge with a passion, while Hamlet wants to take that road but can't really bring him self to do so and has become almost depressed instead. |
| | Z Mickus
| 5 | 3/6/2011 6:26 PM | Laertes I was reading into Hamlet, and I noticed that there was some tension between Hamlet and Ophelia. She looks like she has some feeling for Hamlet. Her brother Laertes is lecturing her not to "indulge herself" Hamlet and she responds right back that he himself indulges himself with many things in his life. My first impression on Laertes is that he is somewhat of a hypocrite. Ophelia doesn't necessarily respect what Laertes is telling her, but her father Polonius comes in with a similar perspective as Laertes. She agrees with him, because he speaks wisely with much reason. |
| | Shannon Chesney | 5 | 3/6/2011 4:04 PM | I'm scarred I'm scarred to even open this book! For some reason, there is this preconcieved notion in my head about Shakespear. That it's hard and mind bobbling. And it probably isn't whatsoever. But some at some point in my education I developed a fear of this literature. I'm hoping I have a decent experience and am no longer afraid. Because it's embarrassing. |
| | kmad | 16 | 3/6/2011 3:39 PM | Why are we reading Shakespeare? I feel like this questions pops up EVERY time when we read his work. So, here I go...why are we reading the work of his that is 410 years old? Is it that big of a classic? What do we get out of Hamlet that we can't get out of any modern novel or for that matter, play? This thread wasn't created to doubt Hamlet or Shakespeare's academic significance...I just think, after reading Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, it's time to answer the question that I have heard proposed often. As of now, the only answer I have heard is practically that he's the best writer. Ever. Doubts? Thoughts? |
| | Kikix | 1 | 3/6/2011 1:33 PM | power power seems to become a key component of this novel. power through authority and revenge, love always being replaced. priorities in the lives are unfolding to be mistakes |
| | Z Mickus
| 6 | 3/6/2011 1:30 PM | The Ghost Hamlet is easily attracted by the ghost of his father. Of course he wants answers to why this apparition is appearing to him. He friends, however, are a lot more hesitant on this matter and want Hamlet to tread carefully because it might be a trap. He converses with the ghost and learns that his father's murderer to be quite surprising. Blood murders blood. Desire for power has a huge impact on his uncle, now the king and I feel as though he will become more dangerous as the play unfolds. |
| | Boxxy | 3 | 3/6/2011 11:46 AM | Laertes' hypocrisy
In Act 1 Scene 2, Laertes says to Ophelia "or your chaste treasure open, To his unmastered importunity... keep you in the rear of your affection, Out of the shot and danger of desire." (basically telling her to not give in to the tempation that Hamlet Presents) Ophelia responds to this saying "Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, And recks not his own rede." (basically telling him to take his own advice).
This conversations shows the hypocrisy that Laertes demonstrates. He's telling Ophelia not to commit sin but he commits those sins himself. |
| | Boxxy | 13 | 3/6/2011 11:38 AM | Modern Translation I, personally, have always had trouble understanding the language of Shakespeare. I was at borders earlier and found a book of Hamlet that actually has both the original Shakespearean text and a Modern line-for-line translation. I looked through it and it actually made it easier to understand what Shakespeare was writing. |
| | Jenny | 0 | 3/6/2011 10:44 AM | Denmark as a Diseased Body In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Denmark is described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and Marcellus refers to the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act I, Scene iv, 67) as he and Horatio debate whether or not to follow Hamlet and the ghost into the dark night. The line refers both to the idea that the ghost is an ominous omen for Denmark and to the larger theme of the connection between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the state as a whole. The ghost is a visible symptom of the rottenness of Denmark created by Claudius’s crime. |
| | Boxxy | 4 | 3/6/2011 12:30 AM | Hamlet's Uncle in Scene 2 of Act 1 In line 12-13 of Act 1 Scene 2 (pg 21) the King (Hamlet's Uncle) says "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, In equal scale weighing delight and dole" which I took as meaning that he had cheerful fellings at the funeral and sorrowful emotions at the wedding and how his delight and misery were balanced equally.
I think this quote his guilt in killing his brother. He was happy at the funeral because he had taken the crown from his brother and he was sorrowful at the wedding because he had to marry his brother's wife. |
| | Antoine Dodson | 0 | 3/6/2011 12:04 AM | Slander In Act 2. Sc.1, Polonius why does want to spread rumers about Laertes, his son? He is so addiment that he ruins his son name but only enough to shame him but not really to ruin him. What is his reason? Ironicly on pg.95 Hamlet calles him an honest man, which clearly he is not if he want to spread lies about his own son. |
| | Kikix | 0 | 3/5/2011 7:46 PM | connection a few years ago i read the book Dead Fathers Club, and it seems to paralell Hamlet. The father is killed by his brother so he can have the successful pub and his wife, and the father comes back as a ghost asking his son to get revenge. it will be interesting to see if the endings correlate as the beginnings do |
| | Carolyn | 0 | 3/5/2011 7:34 PM | Hamlet's plan At the end of act 2 I thought Hamlet's plan of finding out if his uncle killed his father was quite clever. The play he had the actor quote somewhat foreshadowed his idea because it involved the killing of another man by a friend, however the king wasn't present. I haven't read into act 3 yet, but it will be interesting to see how the king reacts and if it works. |
| | Shannah7 | 1 | 3/5/2011 1:40 PM | Alittle confised Okay in the scene where Laertes in telling Ophelia to be cautions about her love for Hamlet I'm confused about why late when Laertes is in a rush to the ship why Polonius is delaying him. He tells him to behave himself and basically demands Laertes keep his mouth shut and not tell people his opinion. Why this is confusion because it seems to me that the people in that family seems to tell everyone there advice yet not follow it at all. Like earlier when Laertes told Ophelia his opinion she even questions hell follow his own advice. And while Polonius is telling Laertes his opinion he's telling him to keep his thoughts to himself and by telling him his he's doing the exact opposite of what he's advising. |
| | Jenny | 0 | 3/2/2011 5:58 PM | Who's there? Shakespeare begins the play with the question "Who's there?"
Who's there, indeed...
On the surface, it's a question asking who is present, but if you look on a deeper level, it means so much more in the play. Who is there? Who are we? What is man? Who is Hamlet? What is Hamlet?
Horatio, a scholar, immediately questions the ghost in the first scene. Then he begins to question the ghost in a more literal way by asking the ghost questions. In this scene, we start with the no-nonsense literal world outside of the play, to the world of Horatio and his doubts, and finally to the metaphysical world of Hamlet. |