Hamlet has what can be seen as an epiphany when he is holding Yorick’s skull and thinks of Alexander the Great, and proclaims, “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth into dust” (V.i. 201). Is this a powerful and climactic conclusion to the thought process Hamlet has been having throughout the play or an anticlimactic conclusion? Why or why not? Furthermore, is Hamlet a philosophical man trying to understand fate or a cowardly man running away from his fate?
During Hamlet’s conversation with the first Clown we learn that at that point Hamlet is thirty years old. Some critics claim that at the beginning of the play he is a young prince only in his late teens or early twenties. No matter his actual age, we see a shift in his maturity at this point in the play. Do you believe this coincides with just a shift in conscious or a passage of actual time? Does this change the overall interpretation of the play? Would this idea play into the “disjoint in time?"
King Claudius finally shows his true colors in Scene 5 of Act IV with his conversation with Laertes. He manipulates the emotions and thoughts of the young man with his words concerning Hamlet, and the death of Polonius. What does this reveal about the King's true character? Is he a true master of deceit and evil, or is it an act of desperation knowing Hamlet is plotting to kill him?
In Act IV, Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, betrays Hamlet by telling the king about Hamlet's plot. She describes Hamlet as "...mad as the sea and wind when both contend" (IV.i.7). Do you believe Hamlet knew that his mother would do this? Was this all a ploy to maintain his instability, or did Hamlet honestly trust his mother?
Post your poems from your "Bouquet of Words" assignment here. Feel free to comment on one another's poems. (Be kind in your comments, please.)
When Ophelia tells Hamlet, "My Lord, I have remembrances of yours/ That I have longed long to redeliver," Hamlet denies ever giving her such affections and mocks her throughout the rest of their conversation (III. i. 101-102). Soon after, they attend the play at which he continually teases her with the use of double entendres. Do you believe Hamlet actually delivered the love letters and tokens she speaks of, or do you believe she made up these affections as a ploy to convince others he is insane due to his love for her? What leads you to this conclusion?
Why would Hamlet seek such a reaction from Claudius rather than accuse him or tell someone directly? What reasons does Hamlet have for calling Claudius out publicly with the play?
When readers hear the names Arthur Rimbaud and Meghan O'Rourke, it is not often that an immediate connection is made between the two writers. O'Rourke is a New York-based poet and critic still writing today while Rimbaud was a French poet who died in 1891. (Click on the links below to learn more about both poets.) Yet, one Shakespearean character creates a connection between the vastly different writers. That character is Ophelia.
Rimbaud's "Ophelia" and O'Rourke's "Ophelia in the Court" both invent a voice for Ophelia that may or may not be expressed in the play. How do the authors portray Ophelia? Which poet seems to sympathize for (or empathize with) Ophelia's character on a more personal level? Who is Ophelia according to these poets? Meghan O'Rourke's Biography Arthur Rimbaud's Biography Everyone knows about Hamlet's famous soliloquy in the remarkable play Hamlet. (Act III Scene i) Do you think that without this speech, the story within the play would lose its essence or the intensity of Hamlet's character would be lost somewhere in a bunch of other words?
In Act One the reader is introduced to the mysterious and scandalous life in which Hamlet is surrounded. Unlike many of the characters, the reader is able to accompany Hamlet and the ghost of his late father. Before their discussion, the reader learns that the previous King of Denmark has died, which led to the hasty marriage of his widow and his brother.
However, while Hamlet talks with the ghost of his father, the reader learns the King was murdered. After his discussion Hamlet realizes his gut feelings of unease and trouble were correct. After seeing the ghost of his father, Hamlet becomes troubled. It is evident that Hamlet's sanity has dwindled since the sight and discussion with his father. In Act Two, Hamlet's insanity becomes more obvious to the characters around him. As Ophelia talks to her father, she describes his insanity. The actions Hamlet takes when he enters her sewing room a wreck only intensified his insanity. When Polonius and Hamlet speak, Hamlet seems crazier than ever. He questions if Polonius is a fishmonger. He goes on to give strange advice and asks odd questions, but in the end Hamlet says, "These tedious old fools!" (II. i. 230). This statement hints to the fact that Hamlet may be leading Polonius and the others on. Based on what you know so far of Hamlet, do you believe he is genuinely losing his sanity or is it an act to help him seek his revenge? |
AuthorMrs. Lopez (AP Literature and Composition Instructor) Archives
September 2014
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