Blog #24: Hamlet Act 4 Blog

As Horatio

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t" (2.2.195-196). Polonius said this of Hamlet once, my dear friend and possible madman. Hamlet told me shortly after the wedding that he was to play a madman, but his actions hence seem to show that he may have genuinely gone mad. Still, I am at his side, always. Regardless, I wonder which was Ophelia.

Her words and her songs make too much sense too be the word of a mad woman. Yet Hamlet has spoken many a truth while mad. "Where is the beauteous Majesty of Denmark?" (4.5.21) Such biting irony! I would suspect such stinging criticism from my friend, but Ophelia?  "There’s fennel for you, and columbines.—There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me. We may call it “herb of grace” o' Sundays.—Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference.—There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died" (4.5.151-156). Hamlet once stood in front of the king to give criticism, yet I think he was never as direct as this.

Then why has she gone mad at all when she was so quiet before? Again, I think this goes back to Hamlet. "She cannot believe that she could have been so mistaken in Hamlet, nor Hamlet so base in his protestations of love" (Seng, 221). Did Hamlet truly love Ophelia? I may never know. But I like to think that he did, he was harsh and cruel at times, "Get thee to a nunnery" (3.1.123), but the way he spoke of her made me think that he did. Even his jests of nunneries can be seen as a veiled warning to flee Elsinore soon. Before this whole affair began, he seemed nothing but genuine. Why would she doubt his love so? "Yet those critics who would urge that Polonius is merely prudent here will be hard put to defend him a few scenes later when he tells Claudius that he will "loose" his daughter to Hamlet for purposes of entrapment; and how is Polonius to be defended at all for the role of agent provocateur that he suggests Reynaldo take with Laertes' friends about the son's sexual morals?" (Seng, 221) That old fool Polonius and even Laertes' ("His greatness weighed, his will is not his own, For he himself is subject to his birth. He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself, for on his choice depends The safety and health of this whole state" (1.3.17-21).) Thought that Hamlet was not or could not love Ophelia, yet her good soul trusted in love. I think she did go mad, but then only madmen speak honestly in Denmark.

I was at her "funeral" if one can call the rushed affair that. What have we now? Three incomplete funerals: one for the king where the food was still warm for the marriage of his widow, one for Polonius who was hastily stuffed into a coffin and hide, and now one for an innocent girl whose only parting words are a grave-keepers jests and Hamlet's bitter jests. "The incongruity of the song with the task which prompts it - a grave being dug for Ophelia - is a a reflection of the disordered moral universe of the whole play" (Seng, 227).

Blog #23: Hamlet Act 3 Blog

Imagery of negative experience of life:
"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes," (3.1.69-72)

Imagery of the uncertainty of death:
"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;" (3.1.65-68)

"But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?" (3.1.76-80)

Appeals:
Logos- This is Hamlet's primary appeal, this speech is a philosophical and logical analysis of the question of suicide. He looks at the disadvantages of life and death and argues primary that life is chosen over death because we fear the uncertainty of what happens after death.
Ethos- Hamlet's ethos primary comes from his strong logical foundation, what he says makes sense. Considering the larger context of the play, where we know he is very intelligent, if not always sane, means he already has some ethos with us.
Pathos- This speech is notable for not having much pathos. Hamlet is usually very emotional whist here, he calmly reasons out why a person should not kill themselves. There is a strong undercurrent of pathos as from the context of the play we know that Hamlet may kill himself if he can't find reason to live. He could very easily die if he doesn't reason well enough during his speech. But Hamlet himself never appeals to emotion.

Devices:
Paradox- The more we think the less action we do. This ties into Hamlet's frustration with his own delaying of killing Claudius.
Parallelism- Hamlet spends lots of time looking as death as sleep, with the dreaming that follows. Parallelism lets him analyse succinctly and eloquently.
Infinitive- Hamlet is talking about what is the best option- "To be, or not to be" (3.1.55) Which action/state of being is best? The infinitive address verbs and states of being.
Synecdoche- Let's Hamlet talk about things indirectly. Hamlet never talks directly about himself, but synecdoche let's him look at his own situation.
Tone- Hamlet is calm as befits a rational thinker, but also covering up a torrent of emotion as befits his tragic status.
Diction- His particular word choice lets him say more with less- "quietus" is an extremely unusual choice.
Metaphor- The major one is sleep as death, allowing him to make an argument about the afterlife.

Comparisons:
"who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d" (3.1.74-85)

Oppositions:
Sleeping may lead to dreaming, and we don't know what we dream after death. So I should not kill myself.
Hamlet lists out a long list of life's sufferings in response. How is death worse than life?
Hamlet counters again that death is unknowable and this fear of a potentially worse lot than life keeps us alive.

Major Questions:
Why should I kill myself?
Why should I not kill myself?
What is the nature of the afterlife?
What compels man towards action or inaction?

Conclusions:
People should live even though life is horrible because we don't know the nature of the afterlife, it could be worse.
Reflecting again on his inaction, he realizes that thinking too much makes people lose action because they doubt. Or rather Hamlet is so.


I find Branagh's version the best. The scene should be quiet but with undercurrent of incredible intensity. The camera angles reinforce this, it only looks at Hamlet's reflection over his shoulder, Hamlet is thinking about his situation. It also zones in slowly to reinforce the intensity and personal nature of the soliloquy. There is a single editing cut to Claudius flinching when Hamlet pulls out his knife. This helps give the greater context for the scene- Hamlet must chose whether to kill himself or Claudius. Hamlet wears a simple black suit, which is consistent with the rest of his play. Like he is at a funeral the whole time. The major prop is the mirror and the knife. We spend most of the scene looking at Hamlet's refection to reinforce how personal this question is to Hamlet. The knife adds to the undercurrent of emotional intensity. He never points it at himself but at his reflection. It also lowers the question of suicide from a philosophical debate to a very real event. Lighting is simple but good enough for the rest of the other mis-en-scene choices to be relevant. The choice to introduce the eerie music helps add to the undercurrent of intensity.

I find Hawke's version a bit preferable to Olivier's. Olivier's choice of music, the orchestral backing, and setting, a cliff over waves, seemed to be too loud and dramatic for what I felt should be a very quiet scene. Olivier's acting was quite solid, but the mis-en-scene surrounding that was too loud for my taste. I quite liked Hawke's version since it is a quiet and personal scene. The mis-en-scene of placing it in a blockbuster was quite funny considering how serious it often is. The action movie references were also helped reinforce the theme of Hamlet's inaction. I find his acting the weakest part though, it feels more like "Just got outta bed" rather than "Debating about suicide." Both though, lack an element that I was surprised by. Claudius, Polonius, and arguably Ophelia hear Hamlet's soliloquy, but they never really comment about it. Branagh's version has a scene to remind us of this while Olivier's and Hawke's are largely alone.

Blog #22: Hamlet Act 2 Blog

"M: You don’t trust anyone anymore, do you Bond?
Bond: No.
M: Then you’ve learned your lesson.”

Casino Royale was the first Bond Film from Daniel Craig, it looks how the real world of spying is a cruel and disgusting business underneath the flash and wealth. In the end, Bond succeeds in his mission but ends up killing the one woman he ever loved. In that sense, it mirrors Hamlet's superficially pleasant court but deeper problems. Spying is a symbol for amorality.

Note: I say M is a good person in the writing, she is actually amoral.

As Polonious, who would like a popular action, spy thriller:

Sometimes, I feel like M from Casino Royale. Heaven knows this isn't the first time that the royal court has been host to spywork and scandal, but there seems to be far more of it of late. I feel like I'm running a great game, the only one around here who actually knows whats going on. The good king seems unsure of Hamlet, "What it should be, // More than his father’s death, that thus hath put him // So much from th' understanding of himself, // I cannot dream of" (2.2.10), but I certainly know what's going on. I've sent Reynaldo out to make sure my son behaves while he's in France, and now it seems I'll need to send Ophelia out too. I'm the great chess-master moving pieces for the good of Denmark.

Also like M, I may have misstepped, in the same place too it seems. Love, like how it turned out poorly for Bond and Vesper, may have ruined Hamlet. If I had been a little cleverer, I may have been able to salvage the situation. "But beshrew my jealousy" (2.1.113-114)! M is a good person, but she miscalculated in the end, I shall not fail so.

But what to do about it all? "This is the very ecstasy of love, // Whose violent property fordoes itself // And leads the will to desperate undertakings // As oft as any passion under heaven // That does afflict our natures" (2.1.102-106). I have a plan, "And I believe it is a fetch of wit" (2.1.39), I'll send my daughter to him, and from his reaction the King and Queen will know that he is love and my reputation will grow with it.


I am quite proud of thinking out it. #Clever
I don't understand why Hamlet's all weird except for maybe his Dad dying. #Mydaddiedtookid
On top of all the spying, let him do what he actually set out to do. #Laertesbegood
Love make him cra-cra. #chillout
Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided if I were a little more humble. #Oldpeopleproblems

Blog #21: Hamlet Act 1 Blog

Written as Hamlet, thinking about his family.

I am sick, nauseated, revolted. Disgust is too mild a word for my family. I was in Wittenberg with my friends when I learned of my father’s death. And with a heavy heart, I came home. Claudius seemed sad during the funeral for his brother. “the funeral bak’d meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (1.2.180-181). Damn him! Can he not even let me grieve for my father before he marries his widow! My magnificent father, “So excellent a king; that was, to this Hyperion to a satyr…” (1.2.139-140). But my uncle, or I suppose now my, step-father, “my cousin Hamlet, and my son, -- A little more than kin, and less than kind!” (1.2.64-65) indeed! Is he even human? How can he turn from mourning to joy so quickly? That man is many things, but he is not my father.

And mother, “within a month” (1.2.153)! Did you even love Hamlet? How can you turn about and marry another man so quickly! Did you trade your black veil for a white one whilst walking there? “within a month” (1.2.153)! I don’t understand: are you weak or cruel? Did you never care for my father at all or were you too weak to resist Claudius? “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.146).

And why am I the only one to notice how wrong this whole affair is? The forced smiles in court were even more forced than usual. But still, no matter how hard Claudius tries to hide it, he can’t hide it. If one slathers paint on a corpse, one can still smell the rot. Truly, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (1.4.90).

When the funeral for is still warm for the wedding, something is wrong. #Cold

My father was ten, no a hundred, times the man Claudius is. #Parents

How can you may someone so quickly after my father dies? #LoveisDead

Mother, you are so weak to give in to Claudius. #Frailty

There is something so, so wrong about this entire affair. #Rot