Act III, Scene IV begins with Polonious telling Gertrude to threaten Hamlet, and then hiding behind a curtain. As Hamlet enters the scene, Gertrude tells him "Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended". This greatly angers Hamlet for various reasons, and he responds back with "Mother, you have my father much offended.". As they continue, Hamlet does something to greatly frighten his mother and she says "What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me?". As Polonious hears this, he cries for help. Hamlet breaks his tradition and impulsively stabs at the curtain, slaying Polonious.
QUEEN: "what hast thou done?"
HAMLET: "Nay, I know not: Is it the king?"
I found these lines out of place. Hamlet asked if he has stabbed the King, but he just left him in his prayers minutes ago. He must know that the King could not be behind that curtain. Could Hamlet possibly be trying to let his mother know of his plans in an indirect way?
After Hamlet discovers he has slain Polonious, he say little about it and continues his psychological assault on his mother. Gertrude pathetically tries to defend her actions, but is immediately and repeatedly shot down by Hamlet's arguments. A very effective part of this scene is when Hamlet makes the comparison between Old Hamlet and Claudius. Gertrude seems to come to terms with her faults and finally side with Hamlet.
The ghost appears for the final time when Hamlet is wringing out his mother, and reminds Hamlet to leave his mother alone, in favour of revenge against Claudius. Hamlet loses all credibility with his mother at this point as he is the only one able to see the ghost. Gertrude insists the ghost is simply the "very coinage of your brain" born from a state of madness. Hamlet tells his mother to refrain from any more sexual activity with his uncle - which I believe is a fair request. Then for the first time admits of his acted antic disposition:
"ravel all this matter out,
That I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft"
It's interesting that he chooses to trust his mother with this information - not that it's as imperative to keep it a secret as before - but I believe it shows he places some trust in her still. The scene ends again with some humour between Hamlet and the deceased Polonious.
"This man shall set me packing:
I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room"
"Come, sir, to draw toward an end with you"
Again, these lines are my favourite in the scene because of the humour. The fact that Hamlet keeps his puns about him with Polonious even with his corpse is hilarious. This humour is well placed in the scenes by shakespeare to lighten the drama from the audience.
- Tyler Scott
Monday
Hamlet - Act III, Scene III
Act III, Scene III begins with Rozencrantz and Guildenstern reporting back to the King with no success on Hamlet. The King instructs the two to escort Hamlet to England as official business of the state, and in their traditional fashion of sucking up to royalty, they happily accept. The pair exit and Polonious enters to tell the King that he will hide in Gertrude's chamber to spy again on Hamlet.
After this, Claudius is alone in his prayers. He is trying hopelessly to pray to God to forgive his sins and help him get through Hamlet's retaliation. Hamlet sneaks up on Claudius with the mindset to kill him on the spot. Just as he approaches the King he backs down, again. He rationalizes that if he kills the King now, after confession, the king will go to heaven and his father's revenge has failed. He decides to wait to kill the King while his is committing an act of sin. It is interesting how this scene concludes with Claudius saying "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go. In other words, Claudius' prayers were not heard, and consequently was not free of sin. If Hamlet had killed Claudius at this point, he would go to hell.
It is interesting how this recurring issue of religion comes up. I believe Hamlet is still struggling to force himself to take action. He only uses this as another excuse not to take any action against Claudius.
- Tyler Scott
After this, Claudius is alone in his prayers. He is trying hopelessly to pray to God to forgive his sins and help him get through Hamlet's retaliation. Hamlet sneaks up on Claudius with the mindset to kill him on the spot. Just as he approaches the King he backs down, again. He rationalizes that if he kills the King now, after confession, the king will go to heaven and his father's revenge has failed. He decides to wait to kill the King while his is committing an act of sin. It is interesting how this scene concludes with Claudius saying "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go. In other words, Claudius' prayers were not heard, and consequently was not free of sin. If Hamlet had killed Claudius at this point, he would go to hell.
It is interesting how this recurring issue of religion comes up. I believe Hamlet is still struggling to force himself to take action. He only uses this as another excuse not to take any action against Claudius.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act III, Scene II
Act III, scene II begins with Hamlet consulting the actors, telling them to "hold, as 'twere,
The climax of this scene is when the players essentially enact the death of Old Hamlet and Claudius responds. Both the King and Queen become uneasy, and Cladius wants to know if there's "any offense in this". Hamlet basically says yes, and continues on to say the play is entitled "Mouse-trap" - which is a clever name revealing the intentions of this play in a round-about way. Shortly thereafter, the King is overcome with guilt and exits with "Give me some light: away!". The play is halted and everybody exits with the King.
Hamlet is overjoyed in a warped sense. He asks Horatio for confirmation of the King's guilty response. When Horatio "very well did note" Claudius' guilt, Hamlet begins to celebrate by reciting poetry. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern re-enter the scene to tell Hamlet he has done wrong and made the King angry, and they both press in effort to uncover the root cause of Hamlet's actions. Hamlet then puts the pair in their place in the lines:
"Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass: and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ; yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?"
Here Hamlet has finally stood up for himself and expressed what he truly felt. I believe that these lines are a long time overdue in the play. Hamlet is showing signs of confidence, and for the lack of a better phrase, getting a spine.
Polonious is sent to give orders to see his mother in her chambers - and Hamlet says to himself "I will speak daggers to her, but use none". To me, this almost suggests he is also on the verge of killing his mother. I love this scene in Hamlet because of the amount of humour, wit, interaction, and complete chaos. I find it one of the most eventful scenes in the play.
- Tyler Scott
The climax of this scene is when the players essentially enact the death of Old Hamlet and Claudius responds. Both the King and Queen become uneasy, and Cladius wants to know if there's "any offense in this". Hamlet basically says yes, and continues on to say the play is entitled "Mouse-trap" - which is a clever name revealing the intentions of this play in a round-about way. Shortly thereafter, the King is overcome with guilt and exits with "Give me some light: away!". The play is halted and everybody exits with the King.
Hamlet is overjoyed in a warped sense. He asks Horatio for confirmation of the King's guilty response. When Horatio "very well did note" Claudius' guilt, Hamlet begins to celebrate by reciting poetry. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern re-enter the scene to tell Hamlet he has done wrong and made the King angry, and they both press in effort to uncover the root cause of Hamlet's actions. Hamlet then puts the pair in their place in the lines:
"Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass: and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ; yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?"
Here Hamlet has finally stood up for himself and expressed what he truly felt. I believe that these lines are a long time overdue in the play. Hamlet is showing signs of confidence, and for the lack of a better phrase, getting a spine.
Polonious is sent to give orders to see his mother in her chambers - and Hamlet says to himself "I will speak daggers to her, but use none". To me, this almost suggests he is also on the verge of killing his mother. I love this scene in Hamlet because of the amount of humour, wit, interaction, and complete chaos. I find it one of the most eventful scenes in the play.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act III, Scene I
Act III, scene I begins with Rozencrantz and Guildenstern reporting back to the King and Queen in the presence of Ophelia and Polonious. They do not make any mention to being uncovered as spies, nor do they report back anything of substance. I find it funny how they're portrayed as two stupid characters that never leave eachother's side. Unsatisfied with the results, Claudius dismisses the two and turns to Ophelia. Claudius decides to employ his plan to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. He asks Gertrude to leave and sends for Hamlet. As Gertrude leaves, she places immense burden on the shoulders of Ophelia in the lines:
"And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honors."
I find this downright unfair of Gertrude. She has pretty much placed the burden of resolving Hamlet's madness - induced by her hasty marriage - completely on Ophelia. It is also ironic how Ophelia was forbidden to see Hamlet because they believe she is too weak and will allow Hamlet to break her, but now they pit her with this responsibility as if she is strong enough to pull Hamlet out of his madness. These opinions sit on opposite sides of the spectrum from eachother. It seems like characters in this play are unable to accept faults, or take responsibility to pull their own weight where it is due.
The King hides and Hamlet enters the scene - and Hamlet's third soliloquy begins. Hamlet is feeling hopeless because he cannot trust anybody around him, he ponders his own suicide with the famous opening lines, "To be, or not to be. That is the question". He continues to rationalize that he would rather prolong the "calamity" of life, rather than to face the unknown that comes with death. I believe he may be taking into account the ghosts explanation of "fasting in the fires" during the day and doomed to walk the night for a certain term. Hamlet seems to be back where he was with his thoughts in his first soliloquy. He also seems more overwhelmed than anything - he doesn't reflect on anything very specific.
When Hamlet greets Ophelia, she tries to give him back "remembrances". Hamlet is offended by this, and it continues in mostly bickering about love and disappointment in each other. Then the conversation takes an interesting twist: Hamlet seems to become wise to his being spied on and asks "Where is your father?". Ophelia lies and insists he is at home. Hamlet dismisses Ophelia by telling her to go to a whorehouse ("nunnery"). Then he chooses to exit with an interesting threat:
"I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are."
Assuming the "one" is Claudius, this is a blatant death threat to the King. Hamlet suspects the Claudius' presence in the room. Hamlet exits, and Polonious and the King come out of hiding. Ophelia's opinion of Hamlet completely reverse. Claudius then comes up with another set-up in which Polonious hides and listens in:
"Let his queen mother all alone entreat him. To show his grief"
As the scene concludes, I can't help but feel very sorry for Hamlet. He has everything taken away from him and replaced with lies and false personalities. Everybody is listening in on him, and planning against him. Again, the first line in Hamlet seems to echo as the underlying theme in the story of Hamlet.
"Who's there?"
- Tyler Scott
"And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honors."
I find this downright unfair of Gertrude. She has pretty much placed the burden of resolving Hamlet's madness - induced by her hasty marriage - completely on Ophelia. It is also ironic how Ophelia was forbidden to see Hamlet because they believe she is too weak and will allow Hamlet to break her, but now they pit her with this responsibility as if she is strong enough to pull Hamlet out of his madness. These opinions sit on opposite sides of the spectrum from eachother. It seems like characters in this play are unable to accept faults, or take responsibility to pull their own weight where it is due.
The King hides and Hamlet enters the scene - and Hamlet's third soliloquy begins. Hamlet is feeling hopeless because he cannot trust anybody around him, he ponders his own suicide with the famous opening lines, "To be, or not to be. That is the question". He continues to rationalize that he would rather prolong the "calamity" of life, rather than to face the unknown that comes with death. I believe he may be taking into account the ghosts explanation of "fasting in the fires" during the day and doomed to walk the night for a certain term. Hamlet seems to be back where he was with his thoughts in his first soliloquy. He also seems more overwhelmed than anything - he doesn't reflect on anything very specific.
When Hamlet greets Ophelia, she tries to give him back "remembrances". Hamlet is offended by this, and it continues in mostly bickering about love and disappointment in each other. Then the conversation takes an interesting twist: Hamlet seems to become wise to his being spied on and asks "Where is your father?". Ophelia lies and insists he is at home. Hamlet dismisses Ophelia by telling her to go to a whorehouse ("nunnery"). Then he chooses to exit with an interesting threat:
"I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are."
Assuming the "one" is Claudius, this is a blatant death threat to the King. Hamlet suspects the Claudius' presence in the room. Hamlet exits, and Polonious and the King come out of hiding. Ophelia's opinion of Hamlet completely reverse. Claudius then comes up with another set-up in which Polonious hides and listens in:
"Let his queen mother all alone entreat him. To show his grief"
As the scene concludes, I can't help but feel very sorry for Hamlet. He has everything taken away from him and replaced with lies and false personalities. Everybody is listening in on him, and planning against him. Again, the first line in Hamlet seems to echo as the underlying theme in the story of Hamlet.
"Who's there?"
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act II, Scene II
Act II, scene II largely involves the king dealing with the numerous matters at hand, and the traitorous actions of Hamlet's two good friends, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. The king has sent for Hamlet's friends, and says to them:
"Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of"
Claudius says that Hamlet has taken a turn for the worse. He instructs them to find out what the stem of the issue is because he "cannot dream of" his father's death doing so much damage to his mind. Hamlet's mother Gertrude goes on to tell the pair of how fond Hamlet is of them, and makes suggestions to some sort of reward to make it very worth-while. I believe Claudius suspects Hamlet may know something about his father's murder, and wants to know what Hamlet knows. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern seem all too happy to accept this task for being close friends of Hamlet. Again, the question of "Who's there?" is voiced behind the scenes of Hamlet. Hamlet is continually being betrayed by his love, family and friends. I find Rozencrantz and Guildenstern's betrayal disturbing because they agreed to it without any hesitation or uneasiness.
After the two friends are dismissed, Polonious runs in claiming to know the cause of Hamlet's madness. When the King and Queen ask to hear it, he insists he must go get the ambassadors as they also have news to share about their excursion to Norway. Polonious likes to hear himself talk, and in his nature he insists to withhold his news as the 'dessert' to what the ambassadors have to say. Norway accepts the treaty with Denmark in exchange for their armies to have rite of passage across the state to attack Poland - in the end this gives Fortinbras the perfect oppurtunity to organize attack on castle Elsinore. I beleive that Norway's deception was to be expected, and Claudius makes a fault at this point for being too naive to recognize that.
Polonious uses a lot of words to tell the King and Queen that Hamlet has gone mad out of losing his love, Ophelia - and in the tradition of the story, the king decides to eavesdrough on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia to deem the truth behind Polonious' theory. With the conclusion of the King's business, the King and Queen exit the scene, while Hamlet enters. Polonious asks Hamlet dumb questions, and Hamlet responds with a number of clever insults - all which seem to go over Polonious' head. This is one of my favourite parts in Hamlet simply because it is so entertaining - especially in the movie. Polonious attributes all of his outbursts to his madness, but begins to catch on:"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't".
The scene switches to Hamlet meeting Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is initially overjoyed to see his old friends, but their awkward answers raise red flags. Without much trouble, Hamlet discovers that his friend's are merely spies for the King - which disturbs him moreso. Hamlet makes sure to not tell them anything the King does not know, and instead draws most of his attention to the actors arriving at the castle. Hamlet requests a speech from the narrator that deals with a woman grieving for her dead husband. After a lot of banter between Hamlet and Polonious over Polonious' excessive critisizm, the speech ends and Hamlet makes a second request: he asks that they put on a play called "The Murder of Gonzago", and that they read an additional speech which Hamlet has prepared. Hamlet's addition runs parallel to the account of the ghost on the murder of Old Hamlet.
As all players exit, Hamlet is alone and the second soliloquy begins. Hamlet is disgusted in himself "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!". Hamlet's self disgust was set-off by the fact that the narrator genuinely wept for the widow and death of the husband in his own speech recounting a fictitious story. Hamlet is mad at himself for his inability to take action for his father's murder.
"..can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made.."
Through his self disgust, and anger he creates a drive to take some sort of action - but he seems to shy away from it at the end of his soliloquy. He convinces himself he must determine the validity of the ghost as it "may be the devil.".
I find it interesting how Hamlet's character has a major fault in his personality - the lack of a spine. He seems to make excuses every time he has drive and reason for action. Hamlet is very rational, but he is also afraid. I believe he does not want to take on this responsibility of revenge for his father.
- Tyler Scott
"Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of"
Claudius says that Hamlet has taken a turn for the worse. He instructs them to find out what the stem of the issue is because he "cannot dream of" his father's death doing so much damage to his mind. Hamlet's mother Gertrude goes on to tell the pair of how fond Hamlet is of them, and makes suggestions to some sort of reward to make it very worth-while. I believe Claudius suspects Hamlet may know something about his father's murder, and wants to know what Hamlet knows. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern seem all too happy to accept this task for being close friends of Hamlet. Again, the question of "Who's there?" is voiced behind the scenes of Hamlet. Hamlet is continually being betrayed by his love, family and friends. I find Rozencrantz and Guildenstern's betrayal disturbing because they agreed to it without any hesitation or uneasiness.
After the two friends are dismissed, Polonious runs in claiming to know the cause of Hamlet's madness. When the King and Queen ask to hear it, he insists he must go get the ambassadors as they also have news to share about their excursion to Norway. Polonious likes to hear himself talk, and in his nature he insists to withhold his news as the 'dessert' to what the ambassadors have to say. Norway accepts the treaty with Denmark in exchange for their armies to have rite of passage across the state to attack Poland - in the end this gives Fortinbras the perfect oppurtunity to organize attack on castle Elsinore. I beleive that Norway's deception was to be expected, and Claudius makes a fault at this point for being too naive to recognize that.
Polonious uses a lot of words to tell the King and Queen that Hamlet has gone mad out of losing his love, Ophelia - and in the tradition of the story, the king decides to eavesdrough on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia to deem the truth behind Polonious' theory. With the conclusion of the King's business, the King and Queen exit the scene, while Hamlet enters. Polonious asks Hamlet dumb questions, and Hamlet responds with a number of clever insults - all which seem to go over Polonious' head. This is one of my favourite parts in Hamlet simply because it is so entertaining - especially in the movie. Polonious attributes all of his outbursts to his madness, but begins to catch on:"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't".
The scene switches to Hamlet meeting Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is initially overjoyed to see his old friends, but their awkward answers raise red flags. Without much trouble, Hamlet discovers that his friend's are merely spies for the King - which disturbs him moreso. Hamlet makes sure to not tell them anything the King does not know, and instead draws most of his attention to the actors arriving at the castle. Hamlet requests a speech from the narrator that deals with a woman grieving for her dead husband. After a lot of banter between Hamlet and Polonious over Polonious' excessive critisizm, the speech ends and Hamlet makes a second request: he asks that they put on a play called "The Murder of Gonzago", and that they read an additional speech which Hamlet has prepared. Hamlet's addition runs parallel to the account of the ghost on the murder of Old Hamlet.
As all players exit, Hamlet is alone and the second soliloquy begins. Hamlet is disgusted in himself "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!". Hamlet's self disgust was set-off by the fact that the narrator genuinely wept for the widow and death of the husband in his own speech recounting a fictitious story. Hamlet is mad at himself for his inability to take action for his father's murder.
"..can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made.."
Through his self disgust, and anger he creates a drive to take some sort of action - but he seems to shy away from it at the end of his soliloquy. He convinces himself he must determine the validity of the ghost as it "may be the devil.".
I find it interesting how Hamlet's character has a major fault in his personality - the lack of a spine. He seems to make excuses every time he has drive and reason for action. Hamlet is very rational, but he is also afraid. I believe he does not want to take on this responsibility of revenge for his father.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act II, Scene I
Act II, scene II starts off with the first results of Hamlet's 'antic disposition; Ophelia rushes in on her father, Polonious - with a frightened account of a late visit from Hamlet. In Ophelia's summary, Hamlet had rushed into her study, grabbed her wrist and looked into her eyes. He then sighed with despair and promptly exited. Hamlet's actions were discussed in detail in class. I find it interesting how his actions may be interpretted in two ways:
1. Hamlet knows that Ophelia is an obedient daughter - and in convincing her of his antic disposition, she will recount this to her father, who will then relay this to the king. A quick, and effective way of letting everybody know of his guise of madness.
2. Hamlet's rush in on Ophelia was a sincere one: Hamlet loves Ophelia, but is unsure if he can trust her with his secrets. When Hamlet grabbed Ophelia by the wrist and looked into her eyes, he concsciously felt that he could not trust her - and with that sigh of despair he withdrew.
In either case, Hamlet knows he is unable to trust the women he loves. Polonious - as Hamlet might have anticipated - attributes this madness to the broken heart of Hamlet, and exits the scene to notify Claudius. It is interesting to note his view of Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia has changed: he now admits Hamlet does truely love his daughter, and apologizes for his incorrect assumption in act I, scene III. "This is the very ecstasy of love"
- Tyler Scott
1. Hamlet knows that Ophelia is an obedient daughter - and in convincing her of his antic disposition, she will recount this to her father, who will then relay this to the king. A quick, and effective way of letting everybody know of his guise of madness.
2. Hamlet's rush in on Ophelia was a sincere one: Hamlet loves Ophelia, but is unsure if he can trust her with his secrets. When Hamlet grabbed Ophelia by the wrist and looked into her eyes, he concsciously felt that he could not trust her - and with that sigh of despair he withdrew.
In either case, Hamlet knows he is unable to trust the women he loves. Polonious - as Hamlet might have anticipated - attributes this madness to the broken heart of Hamlet, and exits the scene to notify Claudius. It is interesting to note his view of Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia has changed: he now admits Hamlet does truely love his daughter, and apologizes for his incorrect assumption in act I, scene III. "This is the very ecstasy of love"
- Tyler Scott
Sunday
Hamlet - Act I, Scene V
Act I, scene V wraps up the first act with Hamlet discovering the truth of his father's death via his father's ghost! This is one of the most surreal events in Hamlet. The ghost raises a lot of new information. The most important being that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle with the use of ear poison.
I notice there is a lot of reference to the Judea-Christian God, and the Catholic religion. The ghost tells Hamlet he is:
"Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg'd away.."
Since Old Hamlet died without receiving the sacrament of confession to forgive him of all his sins, he is serving a term in purgatory for his sins while God decides whether he will go to heaven or hell. I found it interesting that the ghost requests that Hamlet avenges his death by killing Claudius, but requests that Gertrude be left to suffer with her conscience.
"If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her."
I believe that this would torture Hamlet. While Claudius is the main concern of Hamlet, he still remains very angry toward his mother for her actions and failure to appreciate his father's death. I know personally I feel that Gertrude has allowed the rape of Old Hamlet's dignity and legacy, and she should face some form of punishment for it. Although, living with this knowledge in the back of your head may turn out to be the ultimate punishment depending on your personality.
The ghost then disappears and Marcellus and Horatio enter the scene. The scene and act closes with Hamlet deciding on his course of action: he will put on an "antic disposition" in hopes to get others to reveal information he wouldn't have otherwise obtained regarding his father's pre-mature death.
- Tyler Scott
I notice there is a lot of reference to the Judea-Christian God, and the Catholic religion. The ghost tells Hamlet he is:
"Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg'd away.."
Since Old Hamlet died without receiving the sacrament of confession to forgive him of all his sins, he is serving a term in purgatory for his sins while God decides whether he will go to heaven or hell. I found it interesting that the ghost requests that Hamlet avenges his death by killing Claudius, but requests that Gertrude be left to suffer with her conscience.
"If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her."
I believe that this would torture Hamlet. While Claudius is the main concern of Hamlet, he still remains very angry toward his mother for her actions and failure to appreciate his father's death. I know personally I feel that Gertrude has allowed the rape of Old Hamlet's dignity and legacy, and she should face some form of punishment for it. Although, living with this knowledge in the back of your head may turn out to be the ultimate punishment depending on your personality.
The ghost then disappears and Marcellus and Horatio enter the scene. The scene and act closes with Hamlet deciding on his course of action: he will put on an "antic disposition" in hopes to get others to reveal information he wouldn't have otherwise obtained regarding his father's pre-mature death.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act I, Scene IV
Act I, scene IV opens with Hamlet, Marcellus, and Horatio on a stake-out for the ghost. The king is celebrating with the castle in the background. Hamlet is unhappy about Claudius' excessive drinking and partying, worrying that it will give Denmark the reputation of a territory of drunkards:
"This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduced and tax'd of other nations:
They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition; and indeed it takes
From our achievements, though perform'd at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute."
Claudius' true colours come out a bit more here. These lines suggest he is unfit for the role of king, and show his irresponsibility when Fortinbras' large army looms over the kingdom of Denmark.
After Hamlet continues to philosophize:
"As infinite as man may undergo-
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault: the dram of eale"
This can be interpreted as "a little bit of evil can ultimately spread into complete corruption". This could hint strongly to the secret of Old Hamlet's death which Hamlet will soon learn, leading to the hefty death toll by the end of the play, along with Fortinbras' invasion. The scene compiles itself with the ghost appearing, and Hamlet wandering off to follow it. Marcellus says "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", and Horatio replies with "Heaven will direct it.". Suggesting that God will ultimately sort out any evil that has been done in due time.
- Tyler Scott
"This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduced and tax'd of other nations:
They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition; and indeed it takes
From our achievements, though perform'd at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute."
Claudius' true colours come out a bit more here. These lines suggest he is unfit for the role of king, and show his irresponsibility when Fortinbras' large army looms over the kingdom of Denmark.
After Hamlet continues to philosophize:
"As infinite as man may undergo-
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault: the dram of eale"
This can be interpreted as "a little bit of evil can ultimately spread into complete corruption". This could hint strongly to the secret of Old Hamlet's death which Hamlet will soon learn, leading to the hefty death toll by the end of the play, along with Fortinbras' invasion. The scene compiles itself with the ghost appearing, and Hamlet wandering off to follow it. Marcellus says "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", and Horatio replies with "Heaven will direct it.". Suggesting that God will ultimately sort out any evil that has been done in due time.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act I, Scene III
Act I, scene III is a much kinder scene in the play. Its purpose is to introduce Ophelia as Hamlet's girlfriend. Laertes is ready to depart for school on a boat or train. I don't regard this scene as very important. It largely consists of Polonius and Laertes insisting that Hamlet is only using her, and chasing him will ultimately lead to heart-break. They both seem to have low opinions of Ophelia. That perhaps suggests the overall view of women in Hamlet: naive, delicate, and stupid. Laertes recieves some typical fatherly advice from Polonius and he sets off. An interesting point raised in class work was that this family is close-knit. They seem to share a genuine concern for eachother's well-being. This is a stark contrast to Hamlet's family of superficial personalities, and hate. Ophelia's family is happy and healthy, and Hamlet's is very dysfunctional.
- Tyler Scott
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act 1, Scene II
Act I, scene II introduces the main character in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Hamlet himself. Following the tradition of scene I, scene II begins fast with a rough notion of Hamlet's current state. As the scene opens into some kind of party for the new king (Hamlet's uncle Claudius), we see a stark contrast presented in the form of fashion choice: everybody is dressed in cheery white, while Hamlet continues to mourn, clothed in black.
The new king Claudius opens the scene with a large speech of justification for his marriage to his dead brother's wife, and his spot on the throne. Claudius presents himself well and seems to void his actions as being seen incestuous. He reminds the castle that he is sad over his brother's death, and they should be too, but insists that they think of the king with the "wisest sorrow" - that is, death is an inherent part of life, and the world cannot stop for death, even if it is the king. The king continues to address the issue of Norway's threat with confidence and authority. It is hard to hate Claudius at this point simply because he voices himself so well, and seems to be fit for the role as king. In another light, Claudius seems to be using the situation with Norway to his advantage to justify his actions; the kingdom needs a king as soon as possible as it is on the brink of war with Fortinbras. The relationship between king Claudius and Hamlet really shows as Claudius continues his speech. He seems to commend Hamlet for mourning his father's death, only to insult him for it. According to the king, Hamlet's actions are "uneducated".
Claudius asks the question "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" to tell him to stop mourning his father's death. Hamlet retorts "Not so, my lord, I am too much in the sun..". This pun suggests two things; Hamlet clearly does not like being called 'son', and Hamlet is exposed very much to the truth of everything - he is not clouded by Claudius' rhetoric like everybody else.
Hamlet's first soliloquy was discussed extensively in class so I won't reflect too much on it. It was suggested that Hamlet exhibits strong signs of the Freudian Oedipus complex - I think this is absurd. Hamlet is clearly offended by the complete disregard for moral standard - especially his mother, Gertrude. What I like about the character Hamlet is that I can find myself in his shoes, able to sympathize with his situation and actions. I think this is the intended effect of the soliloquy.
The scene closes with Hamlet discovering about the ghost of Old Hamlet harassing the castle guards, which makes the audience anticipate things soon to come.
- Tyler Scott
The new king Claudius opens the scene with a large speech of justification for his marriage to his dead brother's wife, and his spot on the throne. Claudius presents himself well and seems to void his actions as being seen incestuous. He reminds the castle that he is sad over his brother's death, and they should be too, but insists that they think of the king with the "wisest sorrow" - that is, death is an inherent part of life, and the world cannot stop for death, even if it is the king. The king continues to address the issue of Norway's threat with confidence and authority. It is hard to hate Claudius at this point simply because he voices himself so well, and seems to be fit for the role as king. In another light, Claudius seems to be using the situation with Norway to his advantage to justify his actions; the kingdom needs a king as soon as possible as it is on the brink of war with Fortinbras. The relationship between king Claudius and Hamlet really shows as Claudius continues his speech. He seems to commend Hamlet for mourning his father's death, only to insult him for it. According to the king, Hamlet's actions are "uneducated".
Claudius asks the question "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" to tell him to stop mourning his father's death. Hamlet retorts "Not so, my lord, I am too much in the sun..". This pun suggests two things; Hamlet clearly does not like being called 'son', and Hamlet is exposed very much to the truth of everything - he is not clouded by Claudius' rhetoric like everybody else.
Hamlet's first soliloquy was discussed extensively in class so I won't reflect too much on it. It was suggested that Hamlet exhibits strong signs of the Freudian Oedipus complex - I think this is absurd. Hamlet is clearly offended by the complete disregard for moral standard - especially his mother, Gertrude. What I like about the character Hamlet is that I can find myself in his shoes, able to sympathize with his situation and actions. I think this is the intended effect of the soliloquy.
The scene closes with Hamlet discovering about the ghost of Old Hamlet harassing the castle guards, which makes the audience anticipate things soon to come.
- Tyler Scott
Hamlet - Act I, Scene I
Act 1, scene 1 of Hamlet starts off fast and immediately pulls the reader into the unstable state of Denmark and castle Elsinore: Norway is amassing a sizable army, king Old Hamlet has recently died and his brother married the queen to take the throne, and there are suggestions of guards encountering a ghost on duty. The purpose of this scene is to introduce as much backstory as possible, and catch the interest of the audience - and Shakespeare pulls off this combination perfectly. Hamlet instills the uneasy tone of the play using the paranoia of the guards. The guards' anxiety shows in lines like "Who's there?", "..stand and unfold yourself", and "You come most carefully upon your hour". If the brave soldiers who guard the castle are jumpy, then there is something to be worried about. The high point in scene I is undoubtly the point where the ghost of Old Hamlet reveals itself to the guards "..look, where it comes again!", "In the same figure like the king that's dead.". The ghost simply appears and does not respond to attempts of communication from the guards - and then vanishes. This creates a great deal of mystery surrounding deceased Old Hamlet and the castle Elsinore. I personally found the first line the most intriguing "Who's there?". I may be looking too deep into the line - but it could be argued that Shakespeare chose this as the first line to set an underlying theme. I am somewhat familiar with the play, and the question of "Who's there?" seems to become very prevalent for the duration of Hamlet. Hamlet is a story where everybody seems to be unsure about everybody else. Shakespeare's Hamlet is filled with lies, secret rooms, hidden spies, and one-way glass doors.
- Tyler Scott
- Tyler Scott
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