You will select a question from the list below and respond to it for the Act I thread. You will also respond to another classmate's post. (You should have two posts total for Acts II & III).
1. The First Player's speech is often cut in performances of the play. Explain why it is important and why it should not be cut.
2. Hamlet's "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" is the first of his soliloquies. What is he saying, and how does this set of words help to move him to action? What does he decide to do at the end of this speech?
3. What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
4. Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius in III.iii? What does this reveal about Hamlet and the use of religion in the play?
5. What happens in III.iv (the closet scene)? Why is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?
6. Based on what you've seen in III.iv, do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?
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What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
Hamlet is discussing whether it is better to be dead or alive. He is wondering if it is better to face things in life and just deal with them or if it is better to just die and be done with it. He dicusses the idea that dying is just like a long sleep, but who knows what kind of dream would come with being dead. He says these are the things we wonder about during our lives on earth. Then he goes on to discuss the fear of dying, and how everyone is ultimatly afraid of dying. After this he starts to talk with Ophelia and he is very kind to her. Then shortly after he starts to act crazy. This is where he is trying to convince her he is crazy, but I think he is actually becoming crazy at this point.
responds to Kimberley:
ReplyDeleteI don't think that is going crazy yet I think he is still acting. Why? Well, because after reading the Act 3 and watching the movie clip it seems that he knows that he is being watched.
i think he is in love with Ophelia but because he is still grieving and obsesses about what his father told him he has no time for her.
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ReplyDeletein response to Leslie:
ReplyDeleteI still think he is starting to become crazy. Maybe he hasn't reached full insanity yet, but you can only pretend something so long before it comes reality. This is actually one of the proment themes in the play, acting. Hamlet is acting crazy but in my mind eventually becomes crazy, and the play that Hamlet puts on is actually what happend to his father. The acting in this play actually bring out the truth in people.
What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
The subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy is death. He says "To be or not to be" meaning to exist and deal with all the hardship he is dealing with at that point in time, or to just commit suicide. He is not sure that life is worth it, or if he can handle all he has to deal with, but ultimately decides not to kill himself because he is scared of the unknown that death brings. He realizes he may still have to deal with the problems that he had when he was alive after he kills himself, so he decides to live and see his revenge through. After he contemplates all of this he sees Ophelia and acts insane. I believe he is cruel to her unintentionally, he has lost his mind and doesn't know what he is doing. He is dealing with a lot, Ophelia is the first person he sees, and takes it out on her by an accident.
In response to Leslie:
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is crazy. Maybe he knows people are watching him, or maybe he is just paranoid. I would be if I just found out from my father's ghost that my Uncle murdered my father to take his crown. He is scared, shocked, and unsure and I believe his first reaction is disbelief and with that he becomes insane. He doesn't know how to take it all in so he doesn't he shuts down and acts crazy.
Based on what you've seen in III.iv, do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?
ReplyDeleteGertrude must have known. She still speaks unaffectedly with others. A grieving widow would rather weep or stand strong for those who need here. She is doing neither. She goes about humoring her companions by doing as they say while they're in quest of Hamlet's sanity. A person who is guilty in some way is more likely to ignore the situation and go on with things. I mean, she did stuff for show by sure. Other than that....meh
Oh, this is ELizabeth, i don't know how to change my name up there.
3. What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech? Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
ReplyDeleteIn his speech, Hamlet tries to bring a lot of points into consideration. He at first acts normal and shows his love for Ophelia. But then there is a sudden change in his tone and he acts cruel to Ophelia. The subject of Hamlet's speech is to show how he feels and also to change the commonly held image of Hamlet in the mind of those who live near him so that he could achieve his purpose. He starts his speech by saying that he would not care if he was dead or alive which basically shows his mood and the "depression" that is grasping his mind. He tries to show a neglect of worldly materials by talking about beauty and how it does not affect him anymore. This shows that Hamlet has finally seen the harsh realities of the world and has seen that people that exist around him all lust for worldly things such as power and beauty.
By his speech he is trying to convince Ophelia that she should leave all the worldly pleasures. when Ophelia gives Hamlet back what belongs to him, he rejects her because he thinks she is not being loyal to him as he might have though. However, I think the sudden change in Hamlet's mood is seen when he knows that someone is listeneing to their conversation and then he tries to act as a crazy person.
I think he acts that way because it would then be easy for him to kill Claudius and achieve other purposes.
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ReplyDelete5. What happens in III.iv (the closet scene)? Why is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?
ReplyDeleteIn Act 3 Scene 4, Hamlet meets his mother who criticizes his recent conduct. He then proceeds to criticize her hastily decisions as well, and starts to become violent. When she cries out for help, Polonius also cries out from behind the curtain, trying to save The Queen. Hamlet thinking Polonius was The King stabs him through the curtain. While she begs him to stop the ghost appears but is only visible to Hamlet. She starts to see how mad he truly is. The Ghost then reminds Hamlet to kill Claudius.
This Scene is important because it shows how hostile and weak Hamlet currently is. It also shows how Hamlet has action behind his thoughts. It make us (the readers) start to see how true Hamlets feelings are. It also shows us how Hamlet is willing to kill in respect and love of his father.
In Response to Kida (Elizabeth):
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree. I believe that Gertrude does not know. Before the ghost appears, Hamlet is disgusted with his mother's speedy marriage, but that seems to be the extent of her sin. The ghost tells Hamlet to focus his revenge against Claudius and to leave his mother alone.
I think we could all make the decision that she does know about the murder. See, If her goal is to stay Queen, then a swift marriage to a successor makes a lot of sense. So there is a logical way of defending the choice, but I don't think there is any evidence in the play that she knows.
In response to Christie:
ReplyDeleteI would not agree with you because I think Hamlet is not really crazy, he is just acting mad to gain certain advantages and in a way trying to make it easier for himself to avenge the death of his father.
I would agree though that Hamlet's ways certainly do make 'today's' audiences believe that he is crazy. Hamlet tries to committ suicide and makes long speeches with himself which show the immense depression and pain that he is facing and that is breaking him from inside which might have driven him crazy. Also the sudden marriage of his mother to his uncle and Opehlia trying to ignore Hamlet because her father had told her to do so all add up to show that circumstances around him had driven Hamlet crazy.
If we keep in mind the definition of crazy, we would certainly not expect him to plot and plan the murder of Claudius keeping religion and other factors in mind. Also Hamlet makes the readers believe that he is just acting insane. One of the purposes of him acting insane might be to see the 'real faces' of people around him and see who is the one who would really feel sympathy for him e.g. Opehlia, after Hamlet starts acting that way, rejects him and gives him back the things that Hamlet gave her once which is a sign that she does not really care about Hamlet but would do as her father or brother tell her.
If we see Hamlet's character today we might think he actually was crazy as compared to viewing him in the 17th century because acting this way would just be a way to deal with the problems that Hamlet face and he does not actually kill himself so we can not just pretend that he is mad.
Yet the question remians, if a person decides to act crazy and abuse the people around him (even if he loves them) and gives free expression to almost all his thoughts, does he actually begins to get crazy? (Keeping in mind the situations and conditions Hamlet dealt with when everyone is acting opposite to what he would want them to).
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ReplyDeleteTo be or not to be? Hamlet uses these words to compare life with death and how moral it would be to commit suicide, which is considered to be a sin. He goes on to measure the things in life we as humans all suffer from at one time or another. Is it moral to suffer or to fight against a sea of troubles by Making a permanent solution to a temporary problem? "The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay,the insolence of office, and the spurns, that patient merit of the unworthy takes with a bare bodkin" Hamlet then proceeds to ask who would bear these burdens. Hamlet seeks answers from religion but fails with being able to make his revenge on Claudius or kill himself. When Ophelia enters, Hamlet is already in the mood to judging humankind including Ophelia. My theory is, Hamlet acts the way he does to Ophelia in order to through off Claudius and Polonius. Maybe Hamlet hasn't gone mad and is acting the way he is so that he doesn't raise suspicion so that he can carry out his revenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anam. Hamlet is just trying make sure his intentions aren't found out so that he is able to take take his revenge and to complete the task his was asked of by his father. His speeches show his pain and sadness which can mislead the reader into thinking Hamlet really is crazy. On the other hand, Is there really any way we can define the word crazy? I disagree that if he was crazy that he wouldn't plot his revenge. If you think about it, there is always a cause to someone's insanity, why wouldn't he plot against the instigator and wouldn't his views of religion when time to take his revenge go out the window if he really is crazy? Also to the last part of the commit, I believe if your determined enough to do something, you'll do anything to get it. You might seem crazy to others but everyone has a different belief of what is the normal way of going about it. So who can really judge someone's sanity?
ReplyDelete3. What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
Before Hamlet talks to ophelia, he is contemplating whether, basically, to live or to die and goes in talking about its moral aspect and how society views it.
He says that dying would be the end of our pain and suffering but then compares it to sleep because while it suspends consciousness, numbs pain, you never know what to expect, you could have nightmares. Thats why people are always scared of death because they are uncertain of what's on the other side, it could be worse than what they are going through now(“the dread of something after death”).People are conscious of past immoral actions and worry(“conscience does make cowards of us all . . . thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.”) And religion followers condemn it, considering it a sin and an embarrasment. I think that that is one of the reasons why humanity is always thriving for knowledge because they want to know what is the purpose of our existence and what will happen to us in a possible afterlife. There is so many theories, scientific and religious, but in the end we believe what we want to believe in, that could be why we live in such a spiritually ambiguous world.
This soliloquy is so important in the story because it goes in depth with Hamlets thoughts. You get an understanding that he is trying find a way to end his suffering. If he knew that he was being watched he could have been trying to state his feelings and suffering to them.
I think he was acting cruel towards Ophelia because according to him he is supposed to be acting crazy. None of his actions make sense; first he says that he once loved her but there is an intense emotion when speaking to her. It could be that he acted that way because he is just bitter to everyone no matter his previous feelings to them. Or it could be that he knew that Claudius and Polonius were spying on him and was trying to prove to them that that wasn't the reason for his weirdness.
"In response to Leslie:
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is crazy. Maybe he knows people are watching him, or maybe he is just paranoid. I would be if I just found out from my father's ghost that my Uncle murdered my father to take his crown. He is scared, shocked, and unsure and I believe his first reaction is disbelief and with that he becomes insane. He doesn't know how to take it all in so he doesn't he shuts down and acts crazy."
I agree, I believe he is truly crazy. At first he was just acting crazy, he even announced it; he was talking to himself, screaming at people and being anti-social. But then he starts to hurt others like ophelia, if he truly did love her why would he hurt to that limit? I don't think it helped prove a point to claudius and polonius. He seems withdrawn from everybody detached from norms. And also who in their conscious mind would hump their mother? There is point when you stop pretending an gets real.
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ReplyDeleteWhat happens in III.iv (the closet scene)? Why is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?
ReplyDeletePolonius was hiding behind a curtain in the bedroom. Hamlet enters and gets into an arguement with his mother, the queen. She gets scared and yells "Help!" Polonius from behind the curtain yells "Help!" In the sense of fear during the ordeal, Hamlet stabs Polonius to death through the curtain. At first Hamlet believed he had murdered his uncle, the King, but in reality he had just killed an innocent victim. He wanted to murder in revenge not in senselessness. This is important to the play because it allows the reader to see how crazy things have been. With the murder and Hamlet's behavior everyone is on edge. Hamlet's love for his father is portrayed here clearly. Hamlet is look for revenge in the form of murder so we must conclude he will do anything if he feels its right
In response to Chelsea..........
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chelsea when she says Hamlet isn't mad. He is just trying to throw everyone off. The love between Ophelia and Hamlet is unconditional this i obvious because even though her father tells her not to see Hamlet she still sneaks around to see him. Back in this time period to disobey your father is unheard of but Ophelia's love for Hamlet is so strong that she meets with him anyway. As hard as it must be for Hamlet he must make her believe he doesn't care about her so that he can not raise suspicion about his plan for revenge. If everyone believes he is crazy it will be easier for the blame to not fall upon him when his uncle is murdered. It is an amazing plan because no one ever suspects insane people insane in the sense of crazy, so pretending to be crazy to kill the king and not be suspected is a great idea. I believe if he goes through with killing the king he will get away without questions. Ophelia comes into play to make any doubts about his insanity vanish because no one forsakes there loved ones
#4
ReplyDeleteHamlet did not want to take action against Claudius because Claudius was praying. Hamlet feared that Claudius would go to heaven when he should go to hell for killing his father. I think that because Hamlet wants revenge for his father so his beliefs is a little cloudy to him now. All he cares about is killing his uncle for killing his father. So as of this point it seems that he is just throwing his beliefs out the window to do what he thinks is right.
to be or not to be ... hamlet is asking himself weather death or life would be his answer to all his problems. killing himself would just put all his problems aside like his love for ophelia but if he keeps living he would have to like with the problems not only the love he has for ophelia but his mother. at this point hamlet is depress and he has mood swings therefor i think thats why he is being so mean to ophelia because just because his mother was not loyal to his father he thinks that ophelia will also do the same thing!
ReplyDeletedo you think gertrude knew about the murder?
ReplyDeleteyes i think he had to know about it even though we cant prove itbecause she is not acting like a widow and she is acting like nothing happen im not very sure if she is pretendingto be strong of if shes making fun of the murder because obiously she was not in lo e witb hamlets father because she was cheating on hamelts father!
What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
What hamlet is trying to say...is if he should commit suicide or to stay alive, because life is so hard and we have to live with life and difficult problems all our lifes and just stress ourself, whenever we could just end every single one of our problems by killing ourselves...commiting suicide.
After that Ophelia comes to him and im not very sure at this point but it seems to me that shes telling him that she does not love him or something like that??... but he gets really upset and starts screaming at Ophelia.
And he thinks that women put make up to attract men and make them selfs look more beautyful than they already are.
response to Christie.....................
ReplyDeleteI dont agree with you... i dont believe Hamlet is crazy!...ok...think about how hes not the only one that saw his father's spirit...like other 3 people saw his spirit too...does that mean that all 4 of them are crazy?..and "hallusination" the samething?..
and besides hes just wants revenge for his father's death...and since its true that Hamlets uncle killed his brother, then i dont think his hallusinating because the spirit told him the truth...i really dont know if im explaning my self right... but this is the best way i can explain it.
"Based on what you've seen in III.iv, do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?"
ReplyDeleteI believe that Gertrude had to know about it. Otherwise why would she have rushed into a marriage with her deceased husbands brother? I bet she planned it because they were having an affair and she needed to get rid of him.
in response to miranda
ReplyDeletei agree
she was cheating on him so its like so obvious
im pretty sure she had to eliminate him
it would all make sense
3. What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
In Hamlet's soliloquy he is contemplating the substance of live vs. death. In other words he is weighing the pros and cons of commiting suicide. I believe he is simply turning mad, at this time he is not "acting" because it is a soliloquy therefore he isn't performing for anyone else. He is cruel to Ophelia afterwards due to is on physchological instability, he wants to be alone and I believe it is also a reflection of his mother's quick elopment to his uncle.
In response to kida (liz)...
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Gertrude had to have an affair. If Shakespeare wanted the reader to know Gertrude sincerly did care about her husband then not only would she be grieving but due to his style I think he would write a soliloquy to show her innermost thoughts and compassion towards the situation. This far into the novel the reader is able to infer that Shakespeare has a tight grasp on human physcology. Therefore her reaction would be just as a mother would mourn today.Times may change but the nature of human kind doesn't.
4. Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius in III.iii? What does this reveal about Hamlet and the use of religion in the play?
ReplyDeleteClaudius is praying, which sets Hamlet off on not wanting to send him with a clean soul into death. This is to avoid Claudius being forgiven for his sins before he died; Hamlet wants him to go to hell.
Religion isn't really focused on, it seems as though Shakespeare is merely stating the obvious as it must be.
In reponse to Dianalazcano2010:
ReplyDeleteI agree, there's much evidence that the resoning by which Hamlet seems crazy is factual and is present in other people. I see crazy as the best route for him to exact his revenge by far, but I don't see it as a staged crazy. I think his crazy is merely used as an excuse from being stopped in his actions, but is also a true manifestation of his frusteration towards the situation.
Hamlet is crazy, but just as much as anyone else who found out their uncle murdered their father, took the crown and his mother and plans to go into some state of war with another country.
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ReplyDelete