"I could be bounded in a nutshell . . ."
Hey everybody. I found the above little comic on google. Thought it was funny. Click on the image to read it without killing your eyes.
This post is simply a journal of thoughts designed to act as a companion to what we've been doing these past five weeks. The following is from me, based on my reading of the text, my research beyond the text, and my teaching of the text. It is meant to encapsulate what I think of the play as a whole.
Although this is an "in a nutshell" post, it is long. You should print it and read it carefully before responding by Tuesday night.
Hamlet is not simply a prince trying to decide upon revenge. He is an archetypical artist, growing in his intellect right before our eyes. This is what makes him so frustrating to some. He wants to act, but is never sure that he has it in him. Truthfully, he really only finds himself in Act V, upon returning to Denmark.
What sucks for Hamlet is that he is painfully aware of this THE ENTIRE TIME!!! He knows what he needs to do. He simply cannot do it in the cut and dried way of his father. Not because he is afraid, but because he is a new kind of man. One whose education has usurped his blind faith in God, in duty, in the grand divine order of things. Hamlet has found a new belief that one can find Paradise in oneself, one's thoughts, one's potential. He realizes "what a piece of work" man is, and cannot reconcile his own, humanist impulse with what he MUST do.
Furthermore, he realize that although man is capable of greatness, perhaps a God-given greatness, man fails more time than he succeeds. How can man be great when the world is so corrupt? Thus, while Hamlet struggles with his faith in God, he cannot quite place his faith in man.
At times, his humanism reigns over his faith. He concludes that man, "in apprehension how like a God," fights off death because of the "undiscovered country." Why, Hamlet seems to ask, would man dive into an unknown he cannot control when there is so much on earth that is left to be done? One who is guided by faith in God would not ask this question. One would simply hand oneself over to God's grace.
On the other hand, it is Hamlet's faith in God that seems to keep Hamlet from killing Claudius when he should. All of a sudden, the unknown becomes the known. All of a sudden, there is a Heaven for Claudius. All of a sudden, Hamlet worries about Heaven and Hell. It is here, where the Hamlet who will not kill himself because "God fix'd his canon against self-slaughter" comes back. It is worth noting, however, that Hamlet feels that he, a human, has a hand in controlling this outcome.
What all of this means is that Hamlet seeks to find the answer in his art. He feels that he can create a world where he knows all the outcomes. Hamlet can turn his life into a play and as such he can write the ending. Hamlet's vision is one where he can take the world into his hands, "hold a mirror up to nature," and write his life so that each character fulfills his or her role. If the human is as great as Hamlet believes, the play is surely "the thing." If God exists and is to be obeyed, Hamlet's actions will be justified.
Unfortunately, nothing is easy, and Hamlet must constantly wrestle with his ideas. In a sense, Hamlet the artist must constantly rewrite and polish. The fact that he must do so brings out the man of faith and duty in him. The man of faith and duty scorns the artist for his delay. You can see how this causes nothing but a vicious catch-22. A circle of self-loathing that inhibits every single impulse toward success that Hamlet has. It is only when Hamlet "forgets" himself that he is able to do his job.
Hamlet's murder of Polonius is a vicious act for which Hamlet shows no remorse. However it provides insight into what Hamlet must do in order to fulfill his promise to the Ghost. Hamlet simply lets go. It is violent and destructive, but later, Hamlet only succeeds by giving himself over to another play.
Although he knows that he could indeed die in the swordfight, Hamlet chooses not to fight against the trap. There is no impulse to control, for "if it be not now, than 'tis to come." Nor, however, is there an impulse to force the issue and kill blindly. Act five is almost romantic in the notion that Hamlet has given up any worry. He has no more pain, no more bitterness. He will let the answers come to him, and when he finally does this, the answers surely come. "The readiness is all." Hamlet is ready, and finally acts.
Ok guys. I warned you. Print up this post. Read it. Make notes. Post your well-thought comment by Tuesday night.
posted by Ian Anthony Godburn at 7:23 PM
34 Comments:
I'm posting early because I don't want to forget this thought. Concerning act V, Mr. Godburn pointed out that Hamlet lets go and acts as a player instead of a director. I think this ties to Hamlet as an artist because the artsit is constantly reshaping his art, wheather it is a ball of clay, a script,or clever mulnipulation. When Hamlet finally does what he must do and act with out thought he leaves behind his artsit impulse. He no longer needs to see the world as a ball of clay that needs to be remolded to suit his ideas and give solace to his soul.Hamlet just does what he must do. Hamlet must die becasue all his life he is an artist, and in act V he chooses to be an artsit no longer.
Jillian Porter
Period 4
1. The reason Hamlet doesn’t kill Claudius early on in the play is because he is an artist. He does want to kill him, and I agree with the fact that he cannot do it as easily as his father could have.
2. It is funny that Hamlet knows that he is complicating things the entire time, but does nothing to try to change the way he approaches Claudius’s murder.
3. I don’t believe that Hamlet thinks man is great. Where he lives and what the people around him do, he feels like man just makes mistake after mistake. In Elsinore, the people are so caught up in their own lives, that Hamlet cannot see how great the rest of the world can be.
4. When he is ready to kill Claudius and has the chance to, he chickens out because he suddenly believes in Heaven and Hell. He did not believe in it before, but at the worst time it could possibly happen, he does. Before the scene in confession, Hamlet did not care who would die, and how it was done. When Claudius is in confession, Hamlet only wants to kill Claudius if Claudius will end up in hell. After that, he returns to the inartistic Hamlet that only cares for himself and doesn’t care who dies and how they die.
5. Hamlet does make his whole life into a big play by trying to control everything that goes on in it. It doesn’t work because he gets killed, but he tries to make his play artful. In the end, rage takes over, and Hamlet kills Claudius in a spur of the moment decision.
6. Hamlet IS in a Catch-22 as Mr. Godburn pointed out. He is the artist AND the critic. When he wants something done one way, gets ready for it and obsesses over it. Once ready, he critiques it again, and must change the plans. He never accomplishes anything because of his artful nature. The only way Hamlet accomplishes his goals is when he does not overlook the challenge.
7. After all his planning, Act V comes around. During the swordfight, Hamlet becomes so enraged that he loses his composure and goes on a killing rampage. In his madness, he finally accomplishes his goal of killing Claudius.
8. I believe that the play would have gone a lot smoother and there would have been fewer deaths if Hamlet did not overanalyze each and every situation. If Hamlet acted purely on his gut, like he did in Act V Scene II, Claudius would have been killed sooner, and Gertrude, Rosencranz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, and Hamlet might not have died.
9. I like how this story relates to some of the short stories we read in class earlier. I cannot say who he compares to the best because they are all so different, yet they have many similar qualities. It will be fun to compare and contrast to see who is most similar to him.
Sorry if it is too long :)
Shane Z. Period 4
To me, Hamlet is a rather mysterious character. He mystifies the other characters, and no one really knows what he is really thinking. Especially Claudious, who sends Polonius, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern to spy on him. Hamlet is a very intelligent character as well. He is extremely philosophical and ponders many difficult questions, including the uncertainty of death. I think Hamlet's intelligence is what puts him in the danger zone. Because he is smart, he thouroughly thinks things out, which leads him to his obsession with killing his uncle. Hamlet's obsession ultimatly leads to his downfall.
carly lepp period 6
Here is what I think of Hamlet and his view of the unknown, death, and his mission. I think that Hamlet at the beginning of the play realizes his mission but cannot make himself carry it out. He thinks that the unknown is a scary place and he wants to live as long as humanly possible. He also realizes that death is inevitable so he must act quickly before someone else acts quickly on him. As Hamlet progresses through the play he changes his view on the unknown and death. This view comes about after Polonius is brutally murdered at the hands of Hamlet. This is the first death in the play, but certainly not the last. After this act of murder, Hamlet realizes that he can bring himself to kill Claudius because he killed a person that was in the wrong place at the wrong time but knew what he was doing. He then has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed so that he can fulfill his act of revenge for his father instead of being killed. They take the place of Hamlet in execution. Hamlet realizes even more that death is becoming inevitable. Then Ophelia dies because of Hamlet tainting her and making her go mad. He feels sorry for her because he didn't really want her to die. Finally at the end of the play the climax of the murder part of the play is done. Four people die including Hamlet. Hamlet accepts his fate right before he dies because he has fulfilled his duty and realizes that he cannot live any longer. He did not kill himself and was killed in warlike conditions which I believe is okay to kill someone in. Meaning if you are forced to fight a war, then in the eyes of God, you are allowed to kill to either save your own life, or protect others life. What Hamlet did was a spin off of that. He killed for revenge for someone else, his father. That is what I think of Hamlet in terms of the unknown, death, and his mission.
-Russell Tuchman
-Per. 4
I like this nuthsell summary - it very clearly identifies an important theme that is the underweave of Hamlet the play. I followed the theme of Intellect vs. Faith – and plucked out and expanded on some of your points that hit this theme right on the head. In the beginning, Hamlet truly does believe the world is totally corrupt, useless, and utter junk; his intellect wants him to do something that his faith doesn't want him to do – start creating his OWN play, go AGAINST fate (or God's) play, and kill himself. His faith tells him that God has fixed his cannon 'gainst self slaughter, and you WILL go to hell. Fortunately, faith wins this battle. However, a little later, Hamlet's intellect (which wants to control everything, and create its own play) flip flops and decides that death must be avoided - for who knows what comes after death? Humans should not accept fate, should carve their own path, control events all around them, and in essence become their own God. Furthermore, this leads Hamlet to a lengthy, drawn-out attempt to create this play. He puts on an antic disposition, he (ironically) creates a play to see Claudius' reaction, he (pardon my pun) plays everyone around him to CONTROL. Hamlet's faith lost the battle against the intellect for this entire part of the play – until Act IV, scene iv. Hamlet is so frustrated by his delays and so inspired by Fortinbras that Hamlet proclaims “My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” This is a total rejection of his entire desire to control things; it instead tells him to ignore all thoughts but thoughts to kill Claudius! Hamlet then disappears from the play (meanwhile killing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,) and comes back as the new and awesome Hamlet. He is presented to us in Act V as a person at ease and ready. However, this is not the faithful and dutiful Hamlet that we expected. This is a melding of intellect and faith forming a new and improved Hamlet. He feels fully prepared to follow fate's play, not his. Yet we know this is not simply faith that has beaten intellect, but instead a compromise. This is because Hamlet's intellect cautions him not to, as you stated it, “force the issue and kill blindly”. Hamlet at this point finally succeeds, and a solution to the Claudius problem is finally found.
Alex Ringe
Period 6
I agree with the idea of Hamlet being "an archetypical artist, growing in his intellect right before our eyes." At first when he was only blinded by desire to avenge the murder of his father by killing claudius he was like a teenager with hormones and adrenaline coursing through his veins and the cloud of anger before his eyes blocking all else. He starts maturing when he realizes that two wrongs won't make a right and that an eye for an eye leaves the world blind, but above all, as we discussed today in class, he loved his mother deeply (as illustrated in his first soliloquy in which he spent much of the time lamenting her hasty marriage to her one time brother-in-law, instead of verbalizing his desire for revenge).As Mr. Godburn mentioned, "Hamlet struggles with his faith in God, he cannot quite place his faith in man." It is so because while he tries to figure out how could God allow Old Hamlet to die and allow Gertrude to fall in love with Claudius, he has also lost faith in man, He was shocked by Ophelia's betrayal of him, and since I DO believe that she did indeed mean a lot to him in the unplatonic sense, I think he betrayal coupled with that of his alleged friends from school rosencrantz and guildenstern and topped with his mother's falling in love and getting married to the murderer of her first husband and his brother completely destroyed his faith in man."Why, Hamlet seems to ask, would man dive into an unknown he cannot control when there is so much on earth that is left to be done?" is most definitely the only reason why he didnt go for the "to die to sleep" idea in the beginning of the play.I find it interesting that while "It is here, where the Hamlet who will not kill himself because "God fix'd his canon against self-slaughter" comes back. It is worth noting, however, that Hamlet feels that he, a human, has a hand in controlling this outcome" Hamlet bemoans the shallwoness of the human race yet here he exhibits double standards by saying that he cannot kill himself yet god's cannon aimed against self-slaughter can be disregarded when it comes to one's stepfather/uncle and the heart's blood of your own mother who for whatever reason truly and deeply loves your uncle.Hamlet's remorseless murder of Polonius is what Old Hamlet would have wanted Hamlet to do to Claudius but Hamlet cannot for all the reasons of not breaking his mother's heart and of not being able to kill kin.About the swordfight, I think that Hamlet thinks that everything happens for a reason and that if he is meant to die, his assassins will find a means of murdering him, so he might as well die in the process of helping laertes avenge what he perceives as loss of the family honor.In the end, i think hamlet is an amazing deep play
-masha telishevsky period 6
I agree with the fact that Hamlet really shows who he is in Act V. By that time he isn't thinking or planning anything but is only going to act. He is "action Hamlet", and is now ready to put on his boxing gloves and enter the ring. One reason why he kills Polonius is to show that he can take action into his own hands and that he is almost like a god. What he does shows that he believes he has ultimate power over the rest of the people. He is like a puppetteer and everyone else are his puppets. Another reason to why he kills Polonius is that he is trying to prove to the ghost that he can take action and he wants to sort of prove himself. I believe Hamlet is sometimes too smart for himself.
Hamlet has become such a controversial play in which many mysterious and unanswerable questions arise. First, how old is Hamlet? Some may say that this detail is irrelevant, but I'm not really convinced it is. I kind of feel like it is a key point overlooked. Apparently Hamlet can be anywhere from 16 to 30. Being 16 and putting myself in Hamlets position... I think my head would spin like the girl from the exorcist. Honestly, maybe it was different in Elizabethan times, but someone my age being put in that position is unlikely to behave that way Hamlet did. Considering my age group tends to be a bit impulsive (unlike Hamlet) and less analytical of the situations we are being presented with it is unlikely (to me) that he is so young. Hamlet looks at every detail with an immense meticulosity that it becomes his biggest fault. With this in mind, how likely is it that an older (lets say mid 20's) Hamlet craves his mother's attention? I mean, most of us are planning cross country college education's to get away from our parents. Hamlet went to college in England! (i think..) a completely diffent country (i think...). Personally, I feel his intense emotions towards his mommy is not the Oedipus complex, but rather his anger from being denied the throne. Gertrudes marriage to Claudius is the only thing in the way of becoming king. I think Hamlet's more like 'wtf i wanna be king you @#$%&*' rather than '@#$%& i want your attention'. He's mad at Gertrude for taking the crown from him. He see's the situation as Gertrude choosing sex over his destiny (the throne) which I think ignites his harsh behavior and cutting choice of words. Not only that, but she's putting sex with her husbands brother before his destiny. I think this also contributes to his actions. He cuts her with words and kills Claudius for the common decency of man. Still, he hesitates. Why? Well, wouldn't YOU? I mean, taking a life is bad no matter how you justify it. Yes, he can kill Polonius (whom he thought was Claudius!) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but why not Claudius? I think that no one would have noticed and it wouldnt have been as big a deal. I mean didn;t Polonius get burried without anyone knowing? But if Hamlet killed Claudius it would have been in US weekly the next day. I don't think Claudius is on the same level as Hamlet, but i do think that Hamlet psychs himself out into thinking he is. Claudius i dont think is as smart as Hamlet, he's just less inclined to get wrapped into Hamlet's mind games. I think people mistake this for intelect. He just got up in the middle of the play when it started to resemble how he killed Old Hamlet. I think if he were on the same level as Hamlet, he would have played it cool and pretended nothing was wrong. Still, Hamlet knows he killed his father and can't bring himself to avenge his father. I think his it was the pressure of having to satisfy his father that made him hesitate. The only time he ever acted on impulse (that I can remember) was when he killed Polonius thining it was Claudius, and then he throws gertrude on the bed and then all of the sudden Old Hamlet shows up like 'no no' and Hamlets like 'uh hello'. He finally felt like he could kill Claudius and then his dad shows up again. I think this makes him retreat back to hesitation. Hamlet just has to feel confident that what he's doing is right. He hates to be wrong...Hmm... maybe he IS 16. =)
-sam canez p.4
**Philip Lucas's Hamlet Review**
At the start of Hamlet I thought that this would probably a boring story with crazy old English in it. And at the start I was right. As the story continued I started to get used to some of the Old English, and with Godburn's AMAZINGLY PROFESSIONAL lectures of Hamlet I got into it. I found this play to be the best I have ever experienced....yes Hamlet really is an experience.
Hamlet is defiantly a character that you see age in front of your eyes. Hamlet is a very intellectual being who goes through a series of emotional states due to the "rankness" of this kingdom. This all starts with the Death of King Hamlet. Hamlet knows in the bottom of his heart that something is corrupt in the kingdom after he (the prince) did not claim the throne. Hamlet was also discussed at the incest his mom was engaged in with Claudius, of all people. I do not think that Hamlet liked Claudius before he was king, and now that Claudius took the throne and his mother I think that hamlet has a hard time looking at him. At the height of all of this, Hamlet was told by his fathers ghost of the evil that Claudius is wrapped up in. This is where we see Hamlet begin to change. His emotions are completely mixed up now. Hamlet is having conflicts with the deed his father had left him. They are as follows
1) Hamlet is a man of god
2) Hamlet is not the type to kill
3) If he is to kill he would have to do it in a way to please his father, and in a way to satisfy the artist in him; this ultimately makes him hesitate.
By act 5 Hamlet has killed Polonius, and his two school friends (a good warm up). Hamlet has also "grown up" he seems to have become a wiser man. Upon his return he freaks out about Ophelia's death. And this rises the question does Hamlet love Ophelia? Well in my opinion no. I think Hamlet was hit with a wall of reality when he saw a person of his generation die. Ophelia’s death is why Hamlet has a readiness for death when he says good bye to his best friend. At the end of the play everyone dies, but more importantly Hamlet killed Claudius. As Hamlet was on his death bed he urged Horatio to stay alive and to tell the story of "Hamlet" to the people. As for the purpose of Fortinbross coming in....well it makes sense to me. Hamlet had chosen the successor to the kingdom to be Fortinbross because he admired his ability to take action for his cause.
-On a side note here is my view of a song that Hamlet should come to an end with.
Artist: NickleBack
Song: If Everyone Cared
Philip Lucas
Per.4
I thought this would be a pretty bad ass hamlet trailer ( I found this on you tube under a Hamlet search)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzFqMungfXI
Philip Lucas
Per.4
Hamlet...this play is by far the best Shakespeare play I've read to date.
Hamlet was given a task to kill his father's murder and in all that is his main purpose in the play. But there are times when Hamlet questions this task. He speaks of life --why is it so important to us-- and death --why do we fear it so much--what is either worth. In the beginning of the play, you see Hamlet wanting to kill himself, claiming his life to be worth nothing with father gone, mother and uncle joined, and war-like atmosphere in the kingdom. Then something happens, the ghost of his deceased father appears giving Hamlet a mission. And there! A purpose...a solution to his problems. Well, his father is still dead, but he has seen him one last time and was able to profess his ultimate love to him. Promising him one act to show his love. Killing Claudius. This would solve the problem of him and Gertrude being together. And his "war-like" state would be under his control, the rightful king. But Hamlet hesitates multiple times. //This is what makes him so frustrating to some\\. Hamlet conteplates his actions through faith, logic, and sheer emotion. He stops before killing Claudius because of his belief in Heaven, he planned out the "mousetrap" to taunt Claudius, and he attacks Ophelia verberally when he finds out that she lied about Polonius spying on him. Hamlet knows the people around him. He knows how they can be played in his favor. It just takes him a while to learn that he has the will to do his promise. //Hamlet simply lets go\\. He is okay with it all. He just lets the trap happen to him and takes death into his hands. Laertes', Gertrude's, Claudius', and his own.
Ariyani Wray
Per 6.
When there is something wrong in any of our lives our behavior appears to be out of sorts or uncharacteristic of whom others expect us to be. This change in mood, although often unexplainable, seems to be an innate personal protection, designed to keep us from making hasty decisions. Sometimes that “antic disposition” is our own mechanism to prevent us from going where fools might rush in.
Unconsciously, Hamlet’s disquiet from all of the events since his father’s death is the thing which ultimately gives reason to the story’s tragic outcome. Hamlet personifies this abstract demeanor. From the sudden death of his father to the rushed remarriage of his mother—within one month of the king’s funeral—Hamlet is never quite himself. Hamlet paces the floor; his sleeping and eating habits have become irregular; his regard for is own mother has grown distant; and his affections for Ophelia have become inconsistent, moody and almost morose. He does not know why, but something is truly “rotten in Denmark.”
Think of the change we feel when bad news has come into our lives, such as, the death of a loved one, a close friend moving away, or being forced to settle for a lesser lifestyle than the dream we had planned. This is akin to Hamlet’s distemper.
Claudius is bothered by Hamlet’s dramatic mood swing because he did not account for the unexplained perception that Hamlet would experience. Why can’t the young man just get over it? Why must he drop out of school and thereby draw even more attention to his aloofness? Why can’t the nephew, now the son, just accept the actions as if God had intended it? It is clear from Hamlet’s inability to know for himself, the answers to these questions, that his own reluctance to act (like our own might be), is what undoes the plot of the true murder, and reveals an honorable Prince of Denmark.
When Hamlet’s intuitive fear for what has happened, is suddenly verified by the visit of his father’s ghost, his sense of justice reels. He demands his friends to swear on a sword, to take a blood oath to keep this silent between them, and yet, he doesn’t truly know the depth of his own request. Soon, his inner conflict grows, ironically, even more complex. Not only was his odd behavior justified, but his new charge—to take the life of another human—is also against the young man’s apparent ethics. He will not be a killer like his Uncle, and yet, should not a murderer be brought to justice? But what if the only justice is that which comes from a ghost in the form of revenge? Will Hamlet’s actions be justified. It’s no wonder this dude was messed up. But at the same time, it’s good that he was. Likewise, it seems important that all of us have that sense of ill-will when something is not right.
The coolest thing of all is watching Hamlet move through the story not knowing what he is going to do next. And still, he is bold. He knows that his suspicions are justified so he is fearless. He fearless tries to catch the King by using the play to expose him. He plays upon Rosencrans and Gildenstern with confidence, not knowing their charge, (at first), but knowing their sudden arrival and over-friendly salutations, are too untimely. Truly, to have murder on his mind, but with a morality against taking revenge in cold blood, Hamlet is conflicted.
We watch, holding our breath, not knowing when or if he is going to carry out the deed. But once he learns of his school friends’ intent to kill him upon arrival in England, Hamlet is resolved. He becomes a man. He is no longer afraid or deterred in what he must do. The death of Rosencrans and Gildenstern are well deserved in Hamlet’s mind. It begins the jaded, unfeeling attitude with which he must proceed.
Killing Polonius is, of course, unexpected, but it’s too late for Hamlet to turn back. The silly old man was no better than Hamlet, if the prince of Denmark now fails to act. He cannot show remorse, and yet, the death of Ophelia does enrage him. It propels Hamlet to act with even more conviction.
Thank goodness for Hamlet’s distemper, for his uneasiness, for his confusion in the beginning. It is from that quality which comes a man of conviction, resolve, and complete courage to face what ever he must. Even death is of no consequence if it must be.
Hamlet is awesome!
Landon Ball
(L-ball) Period 4
Throughout Hamlet, I've just taken everythig in for what it was and analyzed according to my thoughts and others. Now, i am actually starting to empathize with Hamlet in every aspect because the feelings and emotions hit me so close to home. Its like when im trying to sing a really difficult and high note, I start focus too much on it, making it impossible to hit. But then, without thinking, it comes out perfectly and on pitch. Its almost as if Hamlet focuses too hard on his revenge and murder of Clauidus that it makes it impossible to let go and grasp the situation. He becomes so confused and unsure of his actions that he cannot follow through. Hamlet is overall my favorite play and it helped me to really get into Shakespeare and his antics.
Tara Miller
Period 6
The way you put it makes it seem like there is more than one Hamlet. The first Hamlet is a thinker and the second Hamlet a doer.
I think the end of Hamlet is a situation that many of us come across and that we have to go through. No, I don't mean sword fighting with a fellow peer. There is always fear of not knowing, like doing a back flip. You're scared of the possible outcome, breaking your neck. You're never going to do it if all you do is think about the outcome, you have to not think and just do. You can compare it to calling or talking with someone that you like. You become nervous because you don't know what to say or how he or she will react and I think this is what Hamlet finally realizes. He has to stop thinking about it and just do it; like Nike says.
As to a personal experience, I have or had a large fear of heights. I was at a water park and I got to the top of the stairs. I was scared to go down this colossus of a slide but I looked over at this small girl beside me who without even thinking just jumped in. I understand how Hamlet must have felt hearing about Fortinbras. At that moment I felt just like Hamlet so I went down that slide...and it felt awesome.
Norbert Per 6
I think Hamlet's essential flaw is his desire to control everything and everyone. Complicating it more is the fact that Hamlet is too discriminating--he puts things at different levels. I mean that he values certain people and issues much more than he does others. His charge to kill Claudius is the internal conflict with which he wrestles through the entire play. He's making excuses, psyching himself up, having lengthy internal debate about killing one guy, but he's "whiplashingly" cavalier in his willingness to kill Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildernstern, and indirectly cause the death of Ophelia. One death is something over which to deliberate for 5 acts of a play, but the slaughter of others deemed "less important" is no big deal, really. Hamlet's playing GOD!!
I don't blame him. The whole situation is really, really bad, and it happens to fall squarely on the shoulders of possibly the least emotionally stable dude in Elsinore. This whole thing makes me want a spinoff series for Horatio. That guy is so cool, and he gets no respect. I have the feeling that, if this all had been thrust on my man 'Ratio, things would've gone down differently. He undoubtedly would be more emotionally stable, and would have had the resolve to do what he needed do--and maybe even found a way around murder. Maybe Horatio wouldnt see a ghost in the first place--he wouldn't need one.
Hamlet is by far my favorite thing I've read in high school. I'd be lying if I said I didn't almost start to get a little choked up at the end. It definitely deserves the title of "The Secular Bible". Everyone I talk to who's been in GBurn's class for Hamlet loves it, and I don't think that's a coincidence.
D Burris p4
Okay, to start off, I just want to say that I don't really get this whole "artist" thing. I mean, I can see where Hamlet is an artist, but when you really think about it, who isn't an artist? Of course the small characters are not, like Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, but maybe that's because we haven't looked at them closely.
Also, back to Hamlet, I think he has some pretty serious control issues. Since he did not have control of his father's murder and all these things happened so suddenly when he came back to the kingdom, he was taken by surprise. So he wants to know what will happen in the future (his soliloquy about the unknown).
Another thing about him is that he is not a child anymore. In the beginning of the play he is sulking in the corner the entire time. I think this is a childish attempt to gain attention. I do think that the royal court moved on too quickly from Old Hamlet's death, though. I guess that goes back to the whole Oedipus Complex.
But about his art- I really don't think you can actually call it an art form. If he tries to control everything, he is obviously going to fail. It's like having really high expectations- you always end up being disappointed.
He is also disappointed by the human in general. He compares human to a god, but that makes me think of the phrase he's only human. Hamlet wants to set boundaries on everything and he wants for everything to be perfect. That is what makes him human.
So when he finally agrees to the fight, that does fit into his plans. His main goal is to kill Claudius, and he accomplished that. Although he did die, it was actually not part of his plan to stay alive. He has Horatio to tell his story, and that is also part of what he wants. Part of the reason he agrees to it is the unknown. Before, he was very cautious in his actions when he was not quite sure of the outcome. He decides for the first time to take a chance, knowing full well that it is probably going to turn out badly.
Okay, so about the soundtrack thing I think my theme for Hamlet would have to be Childhood's End by Pink Floyd. Listen to it. It's one of my favorite songs.
keep it clever...
Layla Church period 6
Eric Singer
Period 6
I thought Mr. Godburn's ananlysis and oppinions on the play were very insightful and interesting. There are a few things that i disagree with, and a few things that i though were absolutely brilliant.
Mr. G wrote that "Hamlet has found a new belief that one can find Paradise in oneself, one's thoughts, one's potential." I believe Hamlet is gaining respect for human potential, but i dont hink he believes Paradise can be found in oneself. Throughout the play Hamlet seems to know what other people are thinking, but he doesn't seem to grasp why they are thinking it. He doesn't even understand himself very well. So, i think Hamlet is curiouse about "oneself, one's thoughts, [and] one's potential," but i think he is far from reaching paradise within his own mind, or even comprehending that one can reach paradise through oneself.
By the middle of the play I believed Hamlet to be a scholar, rather than a religious man. I Hadn't realized the hypocracy that existed with Hamlet's religous views before Mr. Godburn pointed it out. When it's time to step up to the plate and kill Claudius, all of a sudden (as Mr. G put it) "the unknown becomes the known." Hamlet's views on death change drastically, and suddenly there is a heaven and hell.
After reading thie blog over and over again, this is what I have to offer...
I totally agree with you Mr. G-burn when you point out that Hamlet is an archetypical artist. Hamlet is given an order that he must do, at a time in Hamlet's life where is not mature enough to handle it. Throughout the play, Hamlet amazes the readers by maturing into such a dramatic man. We see Hamlet learn and deal with situations with Hamlet.
Much like Horatio does not belong in Elsinore, I feel that Hamlet does not belong as well. Hamlet is extremely melancholy and unhappy about what has been happening in Denmark and even in his own family: His uncle killed his father to become king and marry his mother. All around Hamlet is corruption, and he is disgusted by it.
One main theme I saw during this play, is how uncertain everything and everyone is. Starting with the appearance of the Ghost. Is there a Ghost or is it all made up. One will never know. And is Hamlet truly mad or is he just a really damn good actor? We never know anyone's true intentions and thoughts. This also corresponds with the theme of how the unknown following death. How everyone is weary of what is beyond living.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading Hamlet, and watching Hamlet go through his character development.
Jenny La Van
Period 6
Feliz Navidad
Brad Goran- Period 6
Hamlet is the greatest Shakespeare play i've ever read, period. Now you might think that this is because i've just finished it, but the reason that I say this is that Hamlet is truly the most human character i've read of. Romeo and Juliet were entransed in a fit of love, Macbeth's evil persona made it hard to sympathize and A Midsummer Night's Dream was to surreal for my taste. I have thought for a while that the reason that he is so easily able to manipulate all of the characters in the play, is that all of the characters have somehow appeared in all of the other characters. Claudius' lack of compassion surfaced in Hamlet when he tried to stab the king only to end up killing Polonius. Like Laertes he is a victim of Claudius vicious acts. Even Ophelia and Hamlet share the extreme sorrow they faced when their fathers died. Most importantly though, Hamlet represents each of us as human beings. The things we hope to achieve, the goals we know we can't, and the inevitable journey to the unknown country we must face. It comes down to the extent to which the reader can relate to the main character. I personally felt like I could not only relate to Hamlet, but that I was him. Not in a literal sense of course, but the themes that the story touched on and the impossible questions which Shakespeare answered made me rethink my self, and when a story can do that no matter how big or small it is, it is bound to be withstand the tests of time.
PS To see the Claudius shishkabob over and over again go here:
http://hamlettechno.ytmnd.com/
Hamlet first finds himself when he finds his reason for killing Claudius and for being who he is and going through what he’s going through. Hamlet has been taught by attending school to believe in himself and in fact and not in a higher power. So he cannot act without proof like his father could. Hamlet also has a hard time believing in God or a higher power because he sees all the evil around him and a loving God would not let this happen so he doesn’t know what to believe in anymore. He is against suicide and killing while praying because he believes in heaven and hell and what defines who will go where. But then the thinking and logical Hamlet comes in and he has trouble with suicide because he has a fear of losing control of what happens no him after death. And because of that Hamlet can’t kill himself because its wrong and he’d go to hell and because he’s terrified of what would happen to him and losing control of the situation. He can’t kill Claudius while he’s praying because he would go to heaven and because he feels deep down that killing him without complete proof would be wrong. Hamlet is trying to be in total control of every situation and keep everyone on strings and have him be the puppet master, but he can’t because no one falls into place like he wants. He wants everything to fall into place just like it did when he wrote the play for the players to perform. Hamlet can finally kill Claudius because he is so distraught over the pain of his mother’s murder and the fact that Claudius planned to kill Hamlet that he is able to finally kill Claudius out of anger and hate. He is able to blind himself to right and wrong because of the loss of his father and now him mother because of Claudius’s actions that Hamlet can kill so passionately and without remorse for his actions.
-Heather Gossler
Pd. 4
Hamlets problem throughout the entire play is that his thought contradict one another making it impossable for him to act ona single one. Hamlet, being a semi "genius" some would say in his ability to make accurate perceptions of everything and everyone around him,is painfully aware of this flaw.
As for killing Claudius, Hamlet simply cannot kill him until the perfect time. I think because The ghost tells him to kill him it is more of an obligation at first, making killing a very difficult act seeing as we all decided Hamlet is semi sane. He knows he must do it but he is not quite ready and can't quite figure it out. This is where the contradicting thoughts come into play. He tells himself he cannot die because of "what dreams may come", this is simply because he knows that he cannot control what happens when he dies, being the manipulator that he is, he can't handle that mystery. But then all of a sudden when he has the chance to kill claudius in the confession booth he cannot act because he knows Claudius will go to heaven. Meanwhile, as his play is unfolding other characters are getting in the way and as Hamlets rage builds up inside of him and is obligation becomes something he trully believes in. He cannot act upon impulse in killing Claudius but he can with the others because they are simply pawns.
Finally, Hamlet kills Claudius in a dramatic and tragic ending of a kingdom. He goes into the sword fight with the knowledge that he may come upon his fate yet he has almost accepted that this is what he must do. He knows the time to kill Claudius is about to come because of is "6th sense". Yes i do believe Hamlet has a sort of sixth sense in his elevated abaility to percieve his surroundings unliek any other inividual. In this acception of a possible fate he knows that no matter if he lives or dies he must carry out the ghosts wishes. This brings me apon the theme of fate and destiny in this play. Hamlet must kill Claudius no matter what before he dies because it is his fate, that is what he was born to do which yet again makes this play a tragedy. Hamlet is dead essentially, or dying, when he finally feeds claudius the poison. It is the ultimate burn, to littaraly have a taste of your own poison. His play is complete and all the players participating have ended with the play. The whole trajedy in the kingdom is Hamlets masterpeice completed. The end of a kingdom, the end of a play.
I sincerly enjoyed this play and am sad to see it end.
Emily Gold period 4
I'm still confused on what we are supposed to write about so I'll go with the flow...
I feel that faith plays a major part in Hamlet's life. Everything Hamlet thinks about, emotionally and physically, always combines with his belief in faith. He is in touch with his religion and I think he does not want to ruin what he has so, he tries not to make any sins.
Besides the topic of faith, Hamlet definitley creates his own world by making a play of his own. As I've been reading the play, I have noticed that it seems as though Hamlet is thinking that he life is a movie, yet he's creating new material for the life he wanted. Any unhappy person always has some sort of 'perfect' story that they wish they could have and live in.
On a different topic, I think that Hamlet didn't have a lot of remorse not only for killing Polonius, but for the deaths' of the many characters. The only characters that showed that Hamlet did care was for his father and his mother. Hamlet may have said that he loved Ophelia and that he's so unhappy she's dead, but he never spoke about her unless it was to prove something. Hamlet just wanted revenge on his uncle, but it turned into so much more.
Dani Schwartz
Periodo seis
I really really like the way you place Hamlet as an artist. I feel that his art is to play around with the life he's been dealt. It seems that before we were introduced to Hamlet, he lived an ideal life. He had both parents together, his parents were the king and queen of the country, he lived in a castle, was heir to the thrown, and had very little responsibilities. All of a sudden though, all of that changed. Hamlet lost one parent, the other married into incest, he was no longer heir to the thrown, and now has the huge responsibility of avenging his fathers death. Everything came so suddenly so Hamlet, and the most important thing was that absolutely none of it was in his control. In order to get everything where he wanted it, he became an artist of his own life and treated it as a puppet show, or as much as a human could turn life into a puppet show. Hamlet played around with people's minds and, as you said, he attempts to create a world where he knows all the outcomes. Little by little, after a lot of what you called rewriting and polishing, the artist in Hamlet gets everyone just where he wants them, has everyone vulnerable and confused. Unfortunately, not enough rewriting and polishing could have prepared the natural human in Hamlet, for the insecurities he felt about killing Claudius, meaning his art was finished. Polonius's death was somewhat easy, because Hamlet could have easily justified it in his mind as part of his plan. Killing Claudius though was the final plan, and actually getting to that final step and completing the task is hard for many people. I think that for Hamlet it was so hard for him to kill Claudius because that put an end to all of his artistic planning and writing of life. Ultimately the artist in Haamlet allowed him to plan all the way through, but the final product of the art, and the effect it had on his mind to know he was finished, is was prolonged the act.
- Elita Hemmati, p.4
In my opinion, Hamlet's incapability of killing Claudius goes deeper than his "faith in G-d". I feel this way because if that was the case than how could he so easily murder Polonius? Rather, I believe that Hamlet has an inferiority complex toward Claudius. The reason for this dates back to the day Hamlet finds out that Claudius murdered his father. Hamlet grows up viewing his father as the most powerful man in his life (being a very war oriented king) but all of a sudden he finds out that his almighty father was murdered by his uncle. This event drastically alters Hamlets perception very quickly. Now all of a sudden Hamlet begins to view Claudius as a man even stronger than his father. Hamlet now not only fears Claudius but feels inferior to him.
Regarding Hamlets play, I agree that it has much more to do with than just getting proof of Claudius's actions. I believe that this play gives Hamlet a sense of control over the whole situation and in a way gives him a preview of what is to come. Also I feel that this play comforts Hamlet by allowing him to rule out all of the possible outcomes that could occur to his disadvantage. This would in turn improve his strategy that much more.
Michael Ashoori
Period 4
After reading most all of the post I see that almost everyone , including me, agrees that Hamlet is an artist. An artist that is willing that wants his "artwork" to be exactly as he wants/visions it. Throughout the play Hamlet displays his "mad" disposition, in My opinion this was all part of his art. He does not kill claudius at any other open oppurtunity but the one that he visions.The artist has a vision and obviously Hamlet does aswell. As Mariam said Hamlet finally kills Claudius in what is to him a Masterpiece. Overall, Hamlet was a "roller coaster" of a play and it put up a fight between Sleep and Myself.
-Jason Cordova
per. 4
Shanley Wang
Period 6
So this is the end?
I think that it is beautiful the way Shakespeare made a story that was so real, so relevant throughout all ages, and so much a parallel world that people can speculate about everything within the kingdom as if Elsinoore was in the middle of the post-9/11 world.
The characters cover the entire spectrum of emotions and personality traits. There is the darkness of Hamlet, the sadness of Ophelia, the playful banter of the common folk, and the austerity of Horatio.
Hamlet is everything. You can see everything in Hamlet. You can see Shakespeare's outlook on life, you can see the immortality of humanity's flaws and the folly of lust, desire, emotion, and madness. You can see the action, drama, and humor. You have problems on the scope of everyday lives up to the questions of humanity within one play.
I believe that Hamlet is just like the world. It is what one thinks of it. There are the ignorant, leeching Polonii, with their concern for image and the surface things in the world. There is the jolting reality of the common people and the intellectual Hamlets.
I see joy, sadness, anger, embarrassment, confusion, passion, humor, lust, desire, insanity, amiguity, chillaxity, the questions of mothers, husbands, fathers, father-uncles and aunt-mothers, incest, the acceptance of death, the focus on the kingdom and then...
Shakespeare zooming out the lens at the end of the play with Fortinbras.
"Furthermore, he realize that although man is capable of greatness, perhaps a God-given greatness, man fails more time than he succeeds. How can man be great when the world is so corrupt?"
This part of the blog is what i find most intresting. Hamlet knows how great man is and what man can do. He is educated enough to know the wonders the human brain can do. It distrouts him to come home and see how Holden Caulfield would say "phony" the kingdom is. It kills Hamlet to see such great potential just being thrown away. To be great, the people around are you must also be great. For example, someone can be the greatest player on a college basketball team, but if the team flat out sucks, that amazing player will not get the slightest recognition.
Reading this made me thing of something you brought up in class that relates to this
"Hamlet's murder of Polonius is a vicious act for which Hamlet shows no remorse. However it provides insight into what Hamlet must do in order to fulfill his promise to the Ghost. Hamlet simply lets go. It is violent and destructive, but later, Hamlet only succeeds by giving himself over to another play."
This made me remember about the discussion we had about Hamlet going to Claudius's level. In trying to kill Claudius he stoops down to Claudius's level of behavior.If Hamlet was really so much against Claudius he might consider his actions such as killing polonius and maybe show some remorse so he does not seem just like the man who killed his own father.
Also...
I wanted to bring up the point that you made about Hamlet and his readiness for death. My personal belief is that besides him feeling that eventually he would have to kick the bucket anyway, he had recently come to the idea that he had also been screwing over people around him and he was hurting too many. I think besides trying to get his own death kind of over with, he also wanted to end all the chaos going on around him and possibly bring the kingdom to some sort of order.
But thats just what I think
Michael Tarlow Per.3
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
Hamlet's character is so complex and so brilliant. His undesignated age brings on issues of maturity, as well. He knows he must seek revenge but finds it difficult not only because of his education but because of the similarities he draws between him and Claudius. Avenging his father plays some intense mind games with Hamlet. He questions his love for his father and is plagued with an immense anger towards his mother. He must put on an act that destroys friendships and relationships. Hamlet finally realizes that happiness can be found within. He learns to accept failure and accept death. They are both very real things that need to be accepted as a part of life. Although he has accepted death, he is torn between the after lifes. His initial belief of the unknown after death is contradictory to his later belief that there is a heaven or hell. But regardless, he comes to terms with death. This notion lets Hamlet let loose and forget himself making it easy to fight Laertes and making it easier to kill.
I think Hamlet feels a responsibility regarding the kingdom and his family. That being said, I think that is why he wanted Fortinbras to be king and why he didnt want Horatio to kill himself. Fortinbras was everything Hamlet was and everything that Hamlet wished he could be. Thus, he will fulfill his responsibility to the kingdom by almost living vicariously through Fortinbras. Hamlet wants to ensure that his family name isnt tarnished by all of the corruption in the kingdom. He doesnt want Horatio to commit suicide because he wants him to make sure that he keeps a good reputation. I think this shows Hamlets caring element and the maturing that Hamlet has done throughout the entire play.
I think the ending of the play was very appropriate. Fortinbras and Horatio, two people that Hamlet greatly respected and, in a sense, idolized, were the only two to live. I think that this shows that although Hamlet has died, his spirit will live on within the kingdom. Both people obtain similiar qualities as Hamlet and both people obtain qualities that Hamlet wished he had obtained. I think it was perfect that Hamlets two main foils were the two to live.
Honestly, this is my favorite piece of Shakespeare yet. Even though I drive myself insane thinking through all the possibilities in every scenario, thats what makes me love the play. It leaves some unanswered questions and leaves tons of room for interpretation. This play definitely made me think.
Tori Cusick, period 4
Now that we’ve read the whole play I think that Hamlets dwelling on killing Claudius was because he was confused, his father whom obviously was his role-model (even if they weren’t close) was a warrior, a killing machine, like a programmed robot. During the entire play this is what Hamlet is coming to realize that he can never be.
Children usually grow up to act just as their parents, do the things they did, act the way they acted, no matter how hard they try to be themselves. If a parent dies however, the grown child will often not object to becoming like that parent because they would like to carry on his or her memory.
For Hamlet it is the fact that he knows no better, he knows no other way to kill than cold murder as demonstrated by his father and uncle. That’s his struggle, his struggle to find his own way to “kill” Claudius. Claudius is a proud man of power and honor; the way Hamlet speaks to Claudius is truly demeaning towards Claudius and I’m sure that the fact that Claudius can’t comprehend what Hamlet’s saying, but still knows that he’s making a fool of him is embarrassing for Claudius as well.
Ultimately the whole play is about Hamlet finding his own way to kill, and he’s going off a blank slate here, he has to find these ways all by himself because he’s the first innovative mind in this kingdom, he is the first of his kind per say.
Hamlet realizes that he can’t carry on his fathers legacy, and that point in time when Hamlet suddenly becomes completely ready to take his throne “This is I, Hamlet, the Dane!” is where he truly finds himself, where he understands his own thoughts, finally accepts the unknown, comes to realization with the reality and proximity of death, ends his constant battle with himself, and his battle between whom he’s been taught to be and who he is, and realizes consciously or unconsciously that he knows how to kill Claudius and that he has been “killing” him all along.
Hamlet is figuratively slowly weakening and “killing” Claudius, he’s killing Claudius’ pride, credibility, stability, intellect, plans, and his confidence. Making Claudius lose control over the castle, the country and himself, driving him insane. So that Claudius in the end winds up practically killing himself, taking his own medicine, quite literally. I don’t know if Hamlet figured it out himself, but that was his method, that was Hamlets intellectual and innovative way of murder. To manipulate to the point that the object of the murder ends up killing himself, and this was the perfect way to do it. Hamlet new there was an evil plan, and he new that Claudius wanted him dead, and somewhere in his mind he knew that Claudius’ plan was going to come back and bite him in the ass, because Hamlet had Claudius right where he wanted him; at his intellects mercy.
This is just my explanation of what is sort of between the lines of Mr. God’s nutshell.
Hannah Kaufman Per. 6 :D
You pointed out some points about God and the beliefs that Hamlet holds. What I noticed is that God only holds Hamlet back. At a time when Hamlet felt that there was nothing he could do and was contemplating taking his own life, he remembers that God forbids suicide. Not only does God keep Hamlet from taking his own life, but he is what pushes Hamlet throughout the play. Through his faith in God, Hamlet has faith in humanity, and that is one of his driving forces (that, and the fact that Claudius killed his friggin' dad).
One thing I did notice about Hamlet and his faith is that he forgets his beliefs when he murders Polonius. Hamlet was in a very bad mood at the time, but it seemed as though his beliefs went out the door when he took the life of Polonius. Although Hamlet thought Polonius was really Claudius, he still acted without thinking and it ended up being the main cause for the hatred of Hamlet by Laertes.
In this play, it also seems as though the rest of Denmark has forgotten all about faith, unlike Hamlet. They decide to give Ophelia a mostly Christian funeral when in reality, she committed suicide. The rest of Hamlet's family may have also forgotten about their beliefs in faith as well. Claudius kills his brother out of jealousy and then marries Gertrude. In a world where almost everybody has forgotten God and their own beliefs, it is amazing that Hamlet himself tried to stay faithful in himself and his thought the entire time.
Adam Jacobs
per 6
Hamlet would have had a myspace. That kid was emo.
I am not exactly going to comment totally on Mr. Godburns ideas but put in my own. From the beginning of this play to the end I always thought that this play was before its time. The fact of Gertrude marrying a relative is not that rare back then, it has not been rare up until after World War II. Incest was a common thing, and I thought that if your spouse dies then you marry the next person in line from the family. The part that is ahead of its time is to have a son that does not like his mother because she married his uncle. Also he spoke of them sleeping together which was not talked about. I just feel that a lot of things in this play point to it being ahead of its time and the ideas that come up are known today as being bad but back then and up until 50 years ago was not. While I was reading the blog a thought popped into my mind. And I think Mr. Godburn touched on it; the fact of Hamlet not knowing what will happen. I feel that Hamlet fears what will happen if he goes through with certain things. And I think that in the end the only thing he comes to realize he can predict is if he doesnt have to tell what happened to the dead because he has died too. It is that fact that he put himself in a situation where he could die and that was a way out of this mess. To just die. But to die and have killed the one he wanted to and not face anything (the unknown).
Laura Lascoe
Period 6
As complicated as this play is I live it. Its all the complicated emotions, acts, motives and true emotions that keep the reader at the edge of their seat.
I think that when Hamlet talks about "what a piece of work is a man!" he is talking about man's complexities- ability to function and be self aware- yet how strange it is that something so complex ever came to exist. He could also be talking about how great a potential man could have if he weren't so easily corrupted. "And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me."
I think that Hamlet of all people would wonder about diving into the "unknown world" that cannot be controled because he is such a control freak. He must know and he must be prepared if he is going to stay in this unknown for the rest of etrnity. THis could also cause his undecided take on religion or reason.
The whole deal with Hamlet switching back and fourth between his religious faith and educated reason is anoying but it makes for some great page turners. It kind of remindes me of the "Secter Sharer". For the sake of this example Leggatt is going to represent evil. The captain is therefore good. Good and evil can live together but not perfectly. The crew may have seen the captain walking up on the deck but they would heard leggatt down below. Although a person may be outgoingly (my own word) good e
their inner deamons are not far behind and cannot stay perfectly hidden forever. Same for Hamlet and his two sides. The two are "living" togeher in side of Hamlet but not perfectly. Hamlet constantly has trouble deciding on which one to flat out believe. Although he may feel strongly about one one minuet, seconds later he'll change to the other. And I wonder if he realizes this. Does he even notice his randome switches in faith? Or do they just happen and later it pisses him off?
Finally , I find it a bit ironic that whenever Hamlet stops trying to make things happen his way, they go his way. And then he dies... This play ROCKS!!!
Here are my thoughts on Hamlet:
1. I feel that the reason Hamlet had so much trouble killing Claudius becuase he was an artist, but also because he feared Claudius. Hamlet was raised by his father and was protected by his father for so many years, so it adds a great deal knowing that your mentor, your father was killed by the man you need murder. Unlike Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are relatively unimportant characters.
2. I belive that Hamlet may have a small case of Oedipus complex, but it only goes so far. I wouldn't say that he wants to sleep with his mom, but he needs her attention. He desires to be 'her king" in a sense by taking over the throne.
3. Regaurding act 3 scene 3 where Hamlet stands behind Claudius with a perfect opportunity to kill him and says "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying" is all just an excuse. Hamlet questions afterlife and I truly feel he wasn't ready at the time to killl him.
4. Claudius is an older, more evil version of Hamlet, and I think Hamlet is smart enough to recognize the similiraties between them.(Hamlets smarter though)
5. I like how Laertes and Hamlet exvhange forgiveness as they are dying. I've liked them both since the beginning and even though they kill eachother I'm glad they make ammands and realize it was all Claudies' fault.
6. In the last Act, (5-2), Hamlet says "On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice." This is Hamlet saying that he wants Elsinore to be led by King Fortinbras and shows that Hamlet admired many of his qualities.
I'll have you know I am typing this while watching the Lakers lose to the Bulls
Jordan Rothstein
P.4
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