Or do you believe that he is still sane, only continuing his act in front of everyone, keeping up his trick?
Or perhaps that all he says is indeed true and he is merely speaking what he feels?
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1) The scene where Hamlet is shown jumping into Ophelia's grave can be considered a shocking turn of events, taking the audience by surprise. Does his entire act with Ophelia's body and his proclamation of his love show the idea that Hamlet is truly going insane? That he has fallen so into his own ruse that he has begun to believe it himself?
Or do you believe that he is still sane, only continuing his act in front of everyone, keeping up his trick? Or perhaps that all he says is indeed true and he is merely speaking what he feels?
Kano
3/27/2014 06:46:03 am
Both sides of this can be easily argued depending on the interpreter's view on Hamlet as an individual. Picking a side, Hamlet is sane. I'm not entirely sure as to why but its hard for me to be convinced that Hamlet is truly insane. He has this sort of presence about him in what he does, the method in which he speaks, and interacts with other characters that simply doesn't give me the impression of insanity. Taking this into consideration, Hamlet does this act of jumping into the grave and fighting with Laertes simply to increase the tension of everything, to promote the chaos. He may not be insane but needless to say that doesn't mean he isn't a sick minded individual.
Kate
3/30/2014 05:18:19 am
I agree with you on this one. I can't readily agree that Hamlet is insane, due to all the things you mentioned in this post. He is extremely methodical, he has a clear way of speaking, he is witty, etc. I viewed this scene as something from a nature film, where two chimps are banging their chests and making a whole lot of noise over a whole lot of nothing. Hamlet is trying get tensions high so that he can kill the King and possibly get away with it. He obviously likes drama, and by jumping into the pit, he is getting exactly what he wants. He loves chaos, and in a way this might be payback. Subconsciously, Hamlet is creating a situation that is most likely very similar to what was going on in his head after his father died, after he spoke with his fathers ghost, and almost every moment beyond that. He is giving them insight into what is like to be Hamlet during this time. If this is truly his reasoning behind jumping into the grave, then it only serves to prove that Hamlet is incredibly intelligent and knows exactly how to get under others skin. I doubt he is truly insane.
Kano
3/30/2014 09:42:19 am
I like the representation of Laertes and Hamlet using the two chimps. It is actually rather amusing how blatantly similar the two scenarios are. I'm curious though as to what the opposing argument is. If, under the impression of sanity, Hamlet is merely aiming to stir the chaos and further his plans to get revenge, then what would his intentions be if he was delving into the conflict with Laertes under an impression of "insanity?"
Emma
4/7/2014 03:44:16 pm
I agree with both Kate's and Kano's assertions. I do have a question though, perhaps it is more food for thought, but Kate says she felt the two men were acting like monkeys banging their chest to prove who has more power. My question is: when humans are reduced to their most primitive form, does that not prove them to be completely insane? When we are reduced to this state, I feel we have become so frustrated and angered, that we loose all ability and capability for higher thought and action. Just a thought.
HR1997
3/27/2014 08:51:21 am
I think all that Hamlet says is indeed true and he is merely speaking what he feels because one only uses passionate words when he is suffering tremendous pain. One only let their words flow out when they cannot bear it anymore and want someone to share their sorrows. Similarly, Hamlet is letting his feelings out because he is deeply saddened by Ophelia's death. For example, "What is he whose grief/ Bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow/... This is I,/ Hamlet the Dane. (V.i.251-256). This quote reflects Hamlet's feelings towards Ophelia and how he actually meant every bit of his words. Even though Hamlet never accepted Ophelia but he never thought that one day she is going to suicide or things will get extremely far and out of control. I think that Hamlet couldn't accept Ophelia because a "son's duty" is much more superior than his love. However when Hamlet saw his love, dead, he was completely grief-shaken and wanted to tell Ophelia how much he loved her. The following quote reflects the above statement, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ could not, with all their quantity of love,/ Make up my sum...."(V.i.270-272). Hamlet wanted Ophelia back but his destiny had some other plans for him.
erinrae
3/30/2014 07:54:13 am
I agree with Hinal. As we have discussed in previous blog posts, it is possible Hamlet loved Ophelia before the death of his father. Had he loved her then, he would still care about her now. I do not believe her death hit him until the moment he jumped into the grave. As Hinal said, he uses words full of passion when he suffered; this moment in the grave Hamlet was suffering from a love lost. Considering we were not in his mind at the moment because this is a play, he could have been thinking about how much her death had to do with himself and is being overcome with regret and remorse. "Be buried quick with her, and so will I" (V. i. 280). This quote from Hamlet is proof of how he feels about how he has been acting towards Ophelia since his father's death. If he were not letting his feelings speak for him, he would not mention death and volunteer to die for her before getting his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet regrets his previous actions and wishes he could go back to before his father died when he had feelings for Ophelia and did not have the obligations he does now.
Ariana
3/30/2014 06:45:29 pm
I agree with the class on the fact that Hamlet is not fully insane. He is though a very intelligent man (It could in itself be argued that to be a genius you have to be a little bit insane). Yet even the most intelligent people fall victim to their emotions over logic. I believe that Hamlet does love Ophelia, more then he is willing to admit through out the entirety of the play. Hamlet is obviously in conflict with his view on humanity and as well as women as we see in his first soliloquy of the play. He is suspicious of everyone and he puts everyone up to some sort of test to determine their loyalty to him. He tested Ophelia when he approached her acting mad and crazy to see who she would tell and to test her loyalty. He is also probably fully aware of the fact that it was Polonius that was manipulating Ophelia and forcing her to deny his letters. Obviously he is infuriated by this and with his already existing frustration with women due to his mother, his lashes out on Ophelia and then uses her in the same matter he uses Polonius.
HR1997
3/31/2014 10:49:55 am
I agree with Ariana because Hamlet is not fully insane. This is because the way he acts and talks sometimes are more clever than a intelligent person's moves would be. Hamlet has always been clear since the beginning that he is just going to act to bring the real truth of Claudius out. He does rejects Ophelia but beneath his rejection, his love for her is hidden. Every one goes through the mental stage in life where they sometimes let one's anger out on someone else. This goes with Hamlet because what his mother did to him made him think that every woman is the same. Therefore disrupting the love between Hamlet and Ophelia. I think that Hamlet really loved/loves Ophelia.
Emma
4/7/2014 03:18:49 pm
I do not believe that Hamlet ever truly loved Ophelia. There was not solid proof to make me believe his feelings were ever stronger than a simple flirtation tactic. I believe Ophelia thought he was in love with her, but does a childish school boy/girl crush count as true love. I cannot see it as anything other than a crush, as the two never had a truly intimate (not sexual) moment where their feelings were clearly stated and understood. I believe Hamlet jumped into Ophelia's grave as an act of mockery. His sanity did falter as the as the play continued, the main reason for this was due to the fact that he knew he needed the others to believe he was insane, so they would not see is devious plan to kill Claudius. In my honest opinion Hamlet jumped into her grave to mock Laertes and the others. The king, queen, and so many others were shocked that such a sweet and innocent young girl would resolve to kill herself. Yet when she was in her purest form no on paid any great deal of attention to her. It was only when she had truly lost her sanity, that the others began to question whether or not they should pay more attention and help her. To me is seems that they were very naive and childish in the way they reacted to Ophelia's death. Hamlet, the king, queen, Laertes, and all the others used her death as a way to gain importance of their own duress. It was a unexpected drama that allowed them all to show a false and 'two-faced" version of themselves to others. The reason behind them acting like this was to help prove their innocence to the others. It allowed them to show the others they had a sensitive and vulnerable side and Ophelia's death was an outlet for them to show it to the others. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMrs. Lopez (AP Literature and Composition Instructor) Archives
September 2014
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