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Hamlet
Throughout Shakespeare's plays, the maintenance of identity is a very common conflict, as it was shown in Macbeth and now in Hamlet. In this play Shakespeare has portrayed young Hamlet to convey the two sides to him; one side shows his insane behaviour towards his family, the other side determines his thoughts of either doing right or wrong according to what he has seen. The play trembles with conflicts: one being identity, which shows all the characters in different disputes of their own. We also see the problems of lack of self-confidence, misjudgement, and betrayal.--Submitted by imran.
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First performance at the end of 15th century, ~ timeline, death of Elizabeth I and accession of James VI and I. First printing 1603. One of the more accessible Renaissance/early modern period texts. One constant theme of the English renaissance is the development of personal character and fame. Hamlet is portrayed as being uncertain as to whether he is the prince of the title, or student. Throughout the play Hamlet is presented with choices, of belief, of action, of love, of justice and of conscience. The play is famous for its soliloquies, where Hamlet presents the audience privately with his perceived choices. The results of his limited choices culminate in the tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.--Submitted by Anonymous
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Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Hi everyone In Hamlet, Marcellus says "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" Do you believe that this is an accurate assessment of his society as corruption is shown to be widespread and infects everyone Quotes will be helpful that back up the above statement. What corruption is shown in the play, like corruption in Denmark, acts of corruption by characters both in own actions and actions towards Hamlet? Thanks everyone
Posted By ron666 at Sun 15 Jul 2012, 9:58 AM in Hamlet || 3 Replies
"There's special providence in the fall of a sparrow"
Why does Hamlet change? When he makes this remark, he is fresh off successfully out-scheming Claudius and saving his own skin with an elaborate ruse. It's true he's also been overthinking things to the point of inaction, but why go so far in the other direction? Now he's disregarding his own heartsickness and Horatio's advice to skip the duel with Laertes. I actually liked the Polonius-stabbing, Ophelia-destroying, excuse-making Hamlet better than this drip who equates clear signs of danger with mere "augury" and contemplates little birdies. Oh well, is that our enigmatic Hamlet again? Can't settle on a reasonable medium, has to seesaw between extremes?
Posted By Miss Plum at Sun 8 Jul 2012, 12:38 PM in Hamlet || 8 Replies
'Mad in craft'
In Act III, scene iv, Hamlet tells his mother... "That I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft." I have always interpreted this quote as him telling his mother that he is not crazy, but instead that part of his plan (craft) was for him to fake being mad. Yesterday, as I was reading this scene, I had a thought. Could it be possible to interpret "craft" as his creation or birth? In other words, he is blaming his madness on his mother's (who he is calling mad) creation of him? Or being born into a corrupt world in general? I could be way off base here...but it was just a thought I had. Feel free to shoot it down :)
Posted By halfmoon25 at Wed 23 May 2012, 11:06 AM in Hamlet || 3 Replies
I need help with my high school debate
So I have to do a debate on why I think Hamlet is a coward and my sub-topic is: "How do you think Hamlet is a coward when it comes to killing his uncle Claudius"? I need 4 key arguments and proofs and I don't know where to start. The only point I can come up with is he is a coward for procrastinating towards the murder of his uncle.
Posted By Motomike48 at Thu 10 May 2012, 1:21 PM in Hamlet || 4 Replies
How does Hamlet's "fishmonger" scene with Polonius advance the plot?
Act II, scene 2, lines 163-208 You know, that scene full of babbling lunacy -- the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, words words words, a crab going backwards, etc. This is what I can see: It confirms Polonius in his ideas about the cause of Hamlet's madness; he immediately goes off to arrange the meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia It may make Hamlet more suspicious in general, and provoke "Where's your father?" at that meeting with Ophelia It also provides some exposition, showing us just how loony he is and what's got the court so puzzled. In terms of plot, I don't see this as a crucial scene. And yet it's never cut, no matter how much else is edited out of a production. Laurence Olivier cut out the Fortinbras plot AND the Rosen and Guild plot, but left this scene in.
Posted By Miss Plum at Tue 3 Apr 2012, 11:32 PM in Hamlet || 8 Replies
Why does the ghost want secrecy?
The ghost says "SWEAR" -- to Marcellus and Horatio, insisting they keep its existence secret. Never to speak of this that you have seen. ... Never to speak of this that you have heard. ... (paraphrasing) not to give away Hamlet's game I'm not sure why the ghost shakes the ground to get that promise from the others. (Incidentally, did you ever notice: they never actually swear?) One more thing, I can't see proof in the text that the others hear the ghost. Horatio exclaims, "O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!" but he could be referring to Hamlet's "wild and whirling words."
Posted By Miss Plum at Mon 26 Mar 2012, 1:24 AM in Hamlet || 6 Replies
Hamlet's letter to Claudius
I've never really seen it explicated, but it contains a few mysteries for me. High and mighty, You shall know I am set naked on your kingdom. Tomorrow shall I beg leave to see your kingly eyes, when I shall, first asking your pardon thereunto, recount the occasion of my sudden and more strange return. Hamlet. "High and mighty" sounds sarcastic, but Hamlet does seem to be making a point that he's coming alone and unarmed, unlike, say Laertes who comes with a mob at his back. However, "your kingly eyes" can't be anything but mockery. It's the sort of thing Osric would say with a straight face. The language is slyly pompous. "When I shall, first asking your pardon thereunto . . ." And then the purpose: I wish to tell you just how the hell I got back here. Should be interesting for you. I see this as Hamlet's getting ahead of events in his inimitable fashion. He's not going to sneak back into Denmark and hide somewhere only to be found out by spies or informants -- no, he's going to attack first by announcing his return right to Claudius himself. Moreover, he does so with his eternally sly, biting, and mocking humor. And to what reception? Why, Claudius and Laertes just can't make it out! At least they have the sense to see that if this guy's going to be stopped, it better be soon and it better be certain. But here's my big question: I would love to know just what Hamlet would have said if he had shown up in court on his own, without Claudius's invitation to the duel.
Posted By Miss Plum at Wed 22 Feb 2012, 1:54 PM in Hamlet || 1 Reply
Hamlet Z - A Revision of Hamlet (Hard as that is to Believe)
I recently found something on Amazon that I'm fascinated by, a revision of Hamlet called "Hamlet Z". The writer has amplified the supernatural element already present in Hamlet, setting up a situation where the murder of the king and incestuous marriage has disrupted the natural order and so all over the world the dead are rising and descending on Denmark, for what reason no one can say. But the amazing thing about it is (other than the fact that the writer had the steely nerve to attempt such a thing), the writer has written this in the same blank verse that Shakespeare used, and the new material blends really seamlessly with the original. Here's an excerpt as an example: "Aye, 'twas conjunct with the passing of the King That first the dead arose to feast. As if Heaven and Hell, in joint revolt At marriage and wake so brazen conjoined, The dead did vomit up, and violate the Logos That did separate the Light from Dark, ordain The ebb and surge of tides, and decree The circumscriptions of the spheres themselves— The disordering of the divine prescription, The broken clockwork of God's device. If such calamity adhered to my father's demise And the taboo coupling of siblings by vow, This rise of the lifeless, the unsouled, the damned, Why then, what response to the fruit of their union— My dear changeling sister, or brother—oh fie! But the Earth sudden cease its fretful spin, And cast us all off to the stars—the stars!" The whole thing reads like some kind of mirror universe version of Hamlet that fell through some quantum crack. The revisions weave in and out of the original plotline in a very intriguing way (I particularly liked the gravedigger scene, completely rewritten and very funny), and I like how some of the motivations that are mysterious in the original are clarified in this version (an example I was talking about in a previous post is Hamlet attending the climactic duel, in this version hoping to have a chance to stab the King, knowing that he's delayed his revenge too long and will never get another chance to be armed in the King's presence again...it makes sense). It's available on Amazon, and you can read the first two scenes free in the preview: http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Z-ebook/dp/B006ZBGBR4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329503437&sr=8-2 . Definitely worth a look to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare.
Posted By Arcadian at Fri 17 Feb 2012, 12:31 PM in Hamlet || 3 Replies
Rapidly unfolding events prevent Hamlet from developing his ideas
So I was reading Samuel Johnson's notes on Hamlet last night and saw something that never occurred to me. (Of course it doesn't have to be right, but it got me thinking.) He says that Hamlet might have been about to actually apply the ideas he developed in his "To be or not to be" soliloquy to his own situation when . . . he was interrupted in his thoughts by the appearance of Ophelia. I'm taking another look at the scene immediately after the play-within-a-play, where Hamlet is jumping for joy and declaring giddily that the ghost is honest. One second more and he might have asked himself, "So now that I know the ghost is honest, what exactly do I do?" But R&G come dashing in at that point and he immediately sets to cutting them up with his wit, wasting his anger on them, and then along comes Polonius who does the same thing. What a shock it must be to him, and what a change of mood in the play, that when he's all full of himself and speaking daggers to Gertrude, the ghost appears to reprimand him for losing sight of his mission, and even throws in some disapproval of Hamlet's behavior at that very moment. "For heaven's sake, quit your quaking and look at your mother there! Speak to her."
Posted By Miss Plum at Fri 3 Feb 2012, 12:51 PM in Hamlet || 3 Replies
Hoist with his own petard: another speech we needn't take at face value?
Act 3 scene iv, lines 207 ff Hamlet kills Polonius in Gertrude's room and reminds her that he has to go to England. He willingly heads for the ship with a pair of friends whom he considers no better than rattlesnakes, on the orders of a king whom he now knows to be a murderer. Oh, no prob, he says. "I'm just going for the sport of outsmarting them and blowing up their plans." Pretty high opinion of his own abilities. THIS from a guy who has just ignored his target, accidentally killed the wrong guy, hidden the body for no good reason, and then revealed it upon a few minutes of questioning. This from a guy who was just told by the ghost to get on with killing Claudius. Is that hoist on his own petard speech another of Hamlet's avoidance techniques? He does wind up eliminating two threats to his life while at sea (R&G), but that's only thanks to a lucky pirate attack. ********** ********** WOOPS, wait, I got the timing wrong. The pirate attack occurs after Hamlet foils the R&G plot. But still, it was sort of an accident that he went stumbling around while everyone else was sleeping and happened on the death warrant.
Posted By Miss Plum at Thu 26 Jan 2012, 12:37 PM in Hamlet || 0 Replies