Hamlet - Summary and Analysis

Hamlet

Summary:

~Author - Shakespeare
~Setting - Denmark
~Plot - So basically there is this guy named Hamlet. His father, Old Hamlet, was killed by his brother, Claudius. Now Claudius rules alongside Gertrude, who was married to Old Hamlet and is currently married to Claudius. Yes... Gertrude married her husband's brother. Hamlet didn't like this too much....
So then there's this ghost that tells Hamlet the truth about Claudius... and Hamlet doesn't like it too much. He does test the ghost's truthfulness, though, by putting on a play about... well... Claudius. When he reacts, Hamlet will know the truth.
Side note... all the while young Fortinbras is mad because Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras... so now Young Fortinbras wants to attack Denmark. But when his uncle puts a stop to it... Fortinbras plans to just "pass through" on his way to Poland to attack.
Back to Hamlet... he decides to play crazy and the whole play is about him deciding whether or not to kill Claudius. People die *echem Rozencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Ophelia...* and Hamlet is still in this whole "to be or not to be" funk.
Finally, Claudius has had enough. After one murder plan failed (Hamlet getting killed in Europe), he gets Laertes in on the job. A fencing match, he says; oh Hamlet you'll win, he says; drink when you get a hit, he says. But really, he just wants Hamlet to die.
Oh and when Hamlet refuses to drink from the cup, Gertrude does. And Claudius lets her. SHOCKER
So finally Laertes cuts Hamlet and then Hamlet does the same... so now they're both doomed. On his way to  death, he tells Horatio not to kill himself because life is too precious. Aw... good Hamlet. And then he dies and saves the kingdom from the Chaos that is his family.
Oh and Fortinbras walks in and is like...cool... I win! And he is now the ruler. He does, however, let Hamlet have a proper kings' burial.


Significant Characters:

~ Hamlet: The prince of Denmark
~ Claudius: Brother to Old Hamlet, Married to Gertrude, uncle/dad to Hamlet
~ Horatio: Hamlet's best friend, the only man Hamlet really trusts/cares about;
 ~ Ophelia: Lover to Hamlet, daughter to Polonius and sister to Laertes
~Polonius: Suck-up to Claudius, dad to Ophelia and Laertes
~Laertes: Son of Polonius
~Fortinbras: Prince of Norway
~ Rozencrantz and Guilenstern: Old friends of Hamlet, help the kind

Narrative Voice and Author's style:

~View: No narrator, nobody knows all
~ Tone: Dark, ironic, contemplative
~Imagery:
     * the palace with many places to hide and deceive parallel with the ways in which the people are able to disguise themselves
     * Images of death all throughout the play - skull, ghost, dark
~ Symbolism:
     * Ghost - the spiritual consequences of death
     * Yourick's skull - the physical consequences of death
 

Quotes
~ Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

 Marcellus says this as he and Horatio debate whether or not to follow Hamlet and the ghost into the dark night. The line refers both to the idea that the ghost is an ominous omen for Denmark and to the larger theme of the connection between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the state as a whole. The ghost is a visible symptom of the rottenness of Denmark created by Claudius’s crime.

~ To be, or not to be: that is the question

This is the beginning to Hamlet's long soliloquy basically questioning life itself. It's all about morality and suicide and weighs the consequences of living or dying. He goes on to say that not knowing what waits in the afterlife is what stops people from committing suicide. This quote plays with the themes and motifs about life and death. 

Theme: Revenge is never rewarded in life

The name of the whole work is The Tragedy of Hamlet, which, had he chosen to revenge his father, would not be fitting. Nobody would have felt bad for Hamlet had he killed Claudius and ruled, in fact we might just hate him even more. This shows that he was rewarded for his death and not seeking revenge, the people are able to feel for him and he gets a king's burial. Also take into consideration Fortinbras. He listened to his uncle, didn't seek revenge, and was rewarded with a new kingdom. Those who sought revenge, like Laertes, were faced with death and got nothing out of the deal. All of these things show that revenge not being rewarded is a key theme in Hamlet. 

Prompt Revisions - Jan. 20

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Lennie, from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, is a character that exists in a society that renders him incapable to thrive. In this fictional society, Lennie and his mental disability are not thought of as he stumbles through life unable to stay in one place. Through the narrow-minded standards of society, Lennie is set up for failure in this life, which shows that the world can be a hard place and that not everybody has it easy. 

In Of Mice and Men, people are highly regarded when they work hard without much controversy. Those who work hard, say little and follow the rules of the boss are set for life. For Lennie, this is hard. Since he is mentally unable to understand societal norms and mannerisms, he is often a target for trouble and can't understand what rules are and, if he breaks them, what he did wrong. The only thing society cares about is his strength, which is the only reason he is able to work and have any sort of life at all. These standards in society make it so that certain people thrive, but not everyone gets to have opportunities - even if it is out of their control. 

Lennie, a strong and hard worker, is hired for his strength... and nothing else. This would seem to be a grace on first glance, but when he is always jumping from town to town, readers see that he is unable to find a place to stay. Lennie tends to cause trouble, but not out of evil intent. For instance, in one place of work he grabbed a girl's skirt because it was soft; he just wanted to feel something soft and didn't understand that grabbing a woman's skirt is wrong in society. Instead, he is a simple minded man that doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong. Even though that is true, other people are unable to see that. This makes Lennie a target for misfortune and affects his everyday life. Instead of staying in one place and having a home like he wants, he is forced to the confines of his troubled world, which shows that the world is an unforgiving place and not everyone can have a good life. 

Even though Lennie does not get everything he wants and cannot seem to please anyone, that doesn't stop him. Lennie's mind is unable to see the problems. Instead, he responds with hopes and dreams to one day reach his goal to have a house and animals. These societal standards are barely shown in the way that he responds, which is part of his problem. His lack of recognition makes it even harder for others to sympathize, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Lennie never had it easy, and never will, which is shows the world isn't set up for everyone to thrive and that reality is not always good. 

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is unable to have a good life. Even though it is not his fault, society does not recognize his mental disability. Even more, Lennie does not understand that he is causing trouble, which makes society even harsher towards him. This shows that the world is a bad place and doesn't always recognize the misfortune of others. 

Response to Course Material - Jan. 14

Since our last course material post, we have really been focusing mainly on Hamlet. Hamlet the play and different versions of Hamlet acted out. 

In the first movie, the BBC version, there was a lot more left to the viewers. The director allowed for more ambiguity and such so that it wasn't just his interpretation of the play. While I hated this version when I first watched it, now I can say it wasn't too horrible. There are a lot of different ways to go about making this play into a movie, and I kind of liked the way it stayed close to the play. The scenes and props were terrible, Hamlet overacted way too much and was a bit too angry... but I can appreciate it more after watching the other versions. 

In the next Hamlet movie, Branaugh's (?) version, I was more visually stimulated but decided less things on my own. The director really based a lot of this on his interpretation of the play, especially when he had Fortinbras invade Denmark. Overall I felt it easier to watch this version and concentrate, but there wasn't much left up to interpretation. 

In the last movie, it was a much more modern version of the play, visually at least. There are cameras, modern clothes, ect. Again, I was able to pay more attention to everything because it was visually set up very well and felt I could relate more due to the modern take. I especially like how they did the ghost, but the director made everything his interpretation. There was an emphasis on the beginning when Horatio says Hamlet is mad when he follows the ghost... and from that point on... he seems very mad. In this version, Hamlet goes crazy from the beginning, which is arguable compared to the play. 

In class we have also started mood and atmosphere practice.... which apparently I missed the best day to do this. But basically, we look at a picture and a piece of poetry or prose and write about the mood of the picture. 

Close Reading - Dec. 16

http://www.freep.com/article/20121214/OPINION05/121214069/Guest-commentary-After-Connecticut-shooting-an-attempt-at-healing-through-children-s-poetry?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Guest commentary: After Connecticut shooting, healing through children's poetry

To begin, this article is not light. Maybe I overreact, maybe I don't. But I couldn't help but wince as I was reading about hands... and all that they can do. It's enlightening, really. I don't think I've ever really paid that much attention to what is behind everything: our hands. Guns don't kill people; the hands that pull the trigger do. This article, written after the school shooting in Connecticut, uses syntax, imagery and details to portray the idea of hands; hands can love, hands can hurt, hands can hold and hands can kill. Through it all though, there is some hope and healing to be done. 

Syntax is a powerful thing in this article. The beginning is written in short, choppy writing to add emphasis on particular ideas and make things more dramatic. Take the beginning for example: 

~"But hands, too, can take away. Hands that hit. Hands that slap. Hands that curl into fists. Hands that pull a trigger.

Children are dead. In a school. This is not the first time. Will it be the last?

I work with children in schools. A school is not a place where children go to die."

~"The students I teach know about guns. They’ve seen guns. They’ve heard guns. Some have even held a gun in their hands.

This is Detroit. This is America. This is not some kind of bad dream."

Both of these are short, dramatic ideas that slap the reader across the face. They're not fluffy sentences that morning families are going to lightly cry about. No, they're straight, to the point and not sugar coated. But that wasn't the point, the idea was to show the harsh reality of the world and that not everything should be taken for granted, like hands. In this case, for definately follows function. Towards the end, though, sentences were lengthened and had better flow as the tone shifted to more hopeful. Through examples of poetry, the author was able to relieve the morbid topic a little. The innocence of little kids and forever-hope was paralleled with the longer and flow-y sentences. This shows that through all of the madness, there are still good things in the world. 

Imagery is another tool the author uses to dramatize the event. In the beginning, the author writes about hands and gives images to things we don't normally pay attention to. 

~A mother crosses the street with her child and lets the child go.

A father places his hand on his child’s shoulder and says, “Have a good day.”

Had you read those sentences on their own, the emphasis would not be on hands. In fact, hands would not even come to mind; it is barely mentioned. With the context though, the images playing through the minds of readers are now focused on these innocent, over-looked movement of hands. This creates the effect that people are now paying attention to things that aren't usually paid attention to. This could be both a good and bad thing, but leaves a heavy feeling on the reader as they realize the significance of everything. 

Lastly, the author uses details to pull the reader in towards a half morbid, half hopeful tone. Adding poems from well-known authors and little children adds a heavy, then innocent feeling for the reader. Whitman's idea that we are all connected was very serious and I was thinking something along the line if "true facts..." which was also very depressing. We are all connected. Shooting in one states affects all the states. One child dying is any child dying, none the less 20. But then the shift to actual elementary students was both devastating and gorgeous at the same time. I really liked reading their work. I don't know why, but it made me happy. And I don't think the author was trying to make me feel all that bad, either. The poetry is a way to cope, a way to heal. It's sad and true, but it's nice. Though it all, there is still something to be taken from all the bad. Still things to learn, still things to do, and still things to appreciate. 

Open Prompt - Dec. 9

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Lennie, from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, is a character that exists in a society that renders him incapable to thrive. In this fictional society, Lennie and his mental disability are not thought of as he stumbles through life unable to stay in one place. This novel shows that the world can be a hard place and that not everybody has it easy. 

In Of Mice and Men, people are highly regarded that can work hard without much controversy. For Lennie, this is hard. Since he is mentally unable to understand societal norms and mannerisms, he is often a target for trouble. The only thing society cares about is his strength, which is the only reason he is able to work and have any sort of life at all. These standards in society make it so that certain people thrive, but not everyone gets to have opportunities - even if it is out of their control. 

Lennie, a strong and hard worker, is hired for his strength... and nothing else. This would seem to be a grace on first glance, but when he is always jumping from town to town, readers see that he is unable to find a place to stay. Lennie tends to cause trouble, but not out of evil intent. Instead, he is a simple minded man that doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong. Even though that is true, other people are unable to see that. This makes Lennie a target for misfortune and affects his everyday life. Instead of staying in one place and having a home like he wants, he is forced to the confines of his troubled world. 

Even though Lennie does not get everything he wants and cannot seem to please anyone, that doesn't stop him. Lennie's mind is unable to see the problems. Instead, he responds with hopes and dreams to one day reach his goal to have a house and animals. These societal standards are barely shown in the way that he responds, which is part of his problem. His lack of recognition makes it even harder for others to sympathize, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Lennie never had it easy, and never will, which is why the world can seem to be a harsh place. 

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is unable to have a good life. Even though it is not his fault, society does not recognize his mental disability. This shows that the world is a harsh place and doesn't always recognize the misfortune of others. 

Summary and Analysis of DOS

Death of a Salesman

Summary:

~Author - Arthur Miller
~Setting - Late 1940s Brooklyn
~Plot - Willy Loman is a tragic character that spent his life searching for wealth, recognition, and likability. He did the job he thought he was supposed to do, he provided for his family and he tried to do much more beyond that. In his constant struggle to win the American Dream, Willy begins to slowly lose his mind a little. He starts having flashbacks (let's call them "trips" just for the heck of it) about his life and where he made his decisions. Without having a father, Willy admits to not fully knowing himself. He searches for guidance and help from his dead brother, Ben. Finally, we learn that Willy's ultimate downfall is after Biff learns that Willy was having an affair. While it was business related, Willy has lost all respect from his to-be-glorious son. Not only does that damage Willy, but it also sends Biff on a downward spiral reaching for something he cannot grasp. The difference is that Biff might actually change that instead of following down the same path as his father, like it is clear Happy Loman will do. Linda is the ever-loving mother that cares for Willy more than anything. Sadly, she is in just as much denial as Willy. She makes excuses for Willy so that she, too, doesn't have to face the truth. In Willy's last attempt to make his family right, he kills himself. To him, this gives the kids support they need.

Significant Characters:

~Willy Loman: Lost father who really never got a chance to discover himself. This leads to his downfall and eventual suicide.
~ Linda Loman: The loving wife who, on the surface, only cares for her husband's well-being. Really, though, she does it to hide the truth too.
~Biff Loman: The perfect son who, when he found out about the affair, lost all respect for his father and began to question who he was.
 ~Hap Loman: The insignificant son that is destined to the same self-destructive path as his father
~Ben: Willy's dead brother that Willy looks to in his time of need
~Charlie: Father of Bernard and foil to Willy
~Bernard: Foil to Biff. Works hard and gets above in the world, even thought he wasn't "well-liked"

Narrative Voice and Author's style:

~View: Not one single person knows all, but it is mostly told from Willy's perspective
~ Tone: The tone changes from very sincere and personal to harsh and hopeless.
~Imagery: All lead the reader to different symbols, themes and ideas
     *Stockings - created to symbolize wealth
     *The garden - it's dead and can't grow - garden of Eden connection
~ Symbolism:
     *Stockings - wealth
     *Directions - different opportunities
     *Ben - The ultimate success of the American Dream

Quotes
~ "Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground."
This shows that Willy realizes that he doesn't have any proof of his life's work. Willy's using the garden as a metaphor for his success and failure shows that he, with the failure of the garden, has failed in his career.
~ "Willy you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?" -Biff
In one of the last scenes, Biff is desperately looking for the one thing he needs from Willy: acceptance that Biff is not going to follow the false dream and be a salesman. With this quote, and Willy's reaction, Biff finally gets the closure he needed. Biff doesn't want to chance his fathers dream and end up just like him, that't not what is best. He understands that his destiny, like his father, was to work with his hands and be outside. Willy should have been a carpenter and by Biff choosing to do what he is destined, he gets away from Willy's false dream.

Theme: Not everyone can live the American Dream.

This is an obvious theme present in Death of a Salesman. He was supposed to have the life; working and selling for a living, being well known and liked, raising a salary for his family. But, try as he might, he still can't get there. Since he didn't get to have the experience of knowing himself, he got lost in it all. Had he been a carpenter he might have had different luck. Had he went with Ben, he might have had different luck. Willy is also caught up in the superficial idea that being well-liked equals success. But for those that think that way, the American Dream isn't always possible, like in Willy's case. The idea behind the American Dream is that as long as someone works hard enough, they will have success. Now, I don't like Willy, but he worked he butt off. Nobody can deny that. He strove to give the boys his best, even though that wasn't always what they needed. He built his house, he worked a job, he worked at lying about his job... he did everything. To the point where he was exhausted. He simply couldn't keep going and eventually that lead to his death.

Response to Course Material - Dec. 2

Recently in class we have been looking closely at Death of a Salesman. We watched the movie twice and read the book. I really like that we did the second watch of the play and compared it to the book, as it showed just how closely the two were aligned. While there were some differences, I liked how mostly everything stayed the same. For DOS, I personally don't like Willy. For the longest time I couldn't even sympathize with him. I can do that now, though. He worked really hard and granted, they weren't all for the right things, but he worked. And regardless of how much he worked and worked he didn't have any respect from his kids of a job to prove he was worthy. It seemed like everything he worked for during his life slipped out of his grasp in one swoop. Sad. So... I guess the lecture I got from my dad was a little needed. I guess I was kind of ignorant to the idea that people can get exhausted working so hard for their families and trying to keep their kids straight (*echem* Dad... do we need to talk about our feelings?). Anyway, Willy Loman really was a character who was in a constant struggle with life. The one thing I still don't get, and maybe it's just a shame-on-me moment, is why did Willy cheat? I understand that it was for business. I understand that it's the ultimate act of betrayal for Linda. And I understand that with it came the loss of respect from his son. But it had to have occurred to him that Biff finding out was possible. And why so guilt-ridden that he goes insane? Shouldn't he have been just as guilty before? Maybe it's me. Maybe it's a girl thing. Maybe I just don't know. Or maybe I answered my own question. Who knows.