Hey everyone. I just wanted to ask a question to everyone. What reaction do you suspect the king will have when the play is put on about the murder. Do you think he will hide it well or will you be able to recognize guilt in his expression?
Brooks stated that polonius seems to be very cautious and overseeing his daughter and hamlet, but i disagree. I don't think he's being very cautious when he sets up his duaghter to see hamlet lone just to see why hamlets acting so weird.
emily-I think he will definetely try to hide it but i doubt he will be able to because is is directed at him only. No one else has any idea what that means. Hamlet will know as it happens if the king did it.
Class- What do you think about the notion of young Fortinbras traveling through Denmark to attack the Poles? Do you think Fortinbras actually intends to attack the Poles, or would this be a great opportunity for him to bring his army into Denmark and launch a suprise attack on King Claudius?
Emily- i don't think he'll realize just what is going on and that hamlet will be able to read that there is guilt within claudius and know that claudius did kill old hamlet.
What is the purpose of focusing on Fortinbras and the king of Norway? The Norwegians have been a side story since the beginning. What part will they play in the outcome of the story? Will Fortinbras aid Hamlet in some way?
Emily H- I think Cladius will hide it to everyone else but to Hamlet he will give hamlet signs because of what the gost said. But to the other people they won't recognize any signs.
ryan- i think that the fortinbras army is meant for poland. I don't think that young fortinbras would make a promise to his uncle not to attack denmark then go back on his word.
ryan- i think that the fortinbras army is meant for poland. I don't think that young fortinbras would make a promise to his uncle not to attack denmark then go back on his word.
Emily H - I think that that is a great question because Hamlet is depending on the way that the king acts. If he trutly did kill King Hamlet and he shows no reaction at all, then he might have a chance of getting away with murder. It also shows that he has no remorce (spell?), but if he is guilty and breaks down and reacts then his expression will show!
Ryan- I never thought of that but it is a real possibility. That gives him a great opportunity to attack a weak Denmark throne. I don't know exactly how impotant it is Fortinbras to attack Denmark Though.
Weems- I agree with you. On that same note it seems like a lot of people are sending people to figure out Hamlet and his strange behavior. I think its really sad that everything is so secretive and everyone seems like they are out to get Hamlet.
emily h- i think claudius will not understand what is going on at first and i think it will take him awhile to realize that the story actually is about him. I also think that when her realizes, he was know that hamlet is aware of what he did and will go after him.
Emily- I think it will be very obvioius that the King is uncomfortable when the play is going on. He will probably squirm, sweat and not make any eye contact with anyone. I think after the play shows, it will be obvious to Claudius that Hamlet can see right threw him. I feel that after the play is shown, there will be a huge confrentation between hamlet and Cluadius
Ryan- I think that the conflict between young Fortinbras and Denmark has passed for now. He was paid off by his uncle, similar to Claudius' reaction to Hamlet, and he has temporarily stopped any hostility he feels towards Denmark
Emily- I think that Claudius will have a big reaction to the play and Hamlet will for sure know that he killed his father and from that Hamlet will decide what his next move is
Class- If Claudius does react to the play do you think that still is enough to back up the murder of Cladius? because he still tested this murder based on what a ghost told him
sean- i think shakespeare intended the story of the norwegians to be kind of a parallel to that of denmark. The controlling uncle that takes over the throne from young fortinbras is very similar to the situation between young hamlet and claudius.
charlie- i don't think that it'll make a difference whether or not claudius' reaction will prove anything to anyone but hamlet. If hamlet thinks that claudius is guilty, he'll kill him whether or not anyone else thinks claudius is guilty.
Class - After watching both movies, we got to see the different ways that Ophelia acted when Hamlet approached her. From the plays text, how do you feel her reaction was when Hamlet cam to her in complete disarray? Also, what do you think of Hamlet's "madness?"
class- going along with the whole play thing, do you think that ghost Hamlet is really telling the truth of how he died or is he just trying to get back on Claudius for something he did to him that we don't know about?
Sean- I believe that Fortinbras and Norway will play a major role in what is to come. The whole side story has to be there for some reason, Shakespear wouldn't include this part of the story and not have it take place in anything.
emily h.- I definately think claudius is going to show an emotion that will really reveal that he is the one who killed Old Hamlet.Maybe someting that he might get up and leave r someting like that. I don't see how he can hide his reaction towards the play because that is just not possible to do especially if your the murderer and you get to see a play that mimics the murder that you have done.
Charlie- With the action of revealing Claudius and what he has done, Hamlet has put a crack in Claudius' armor and may be able to push him into confessing everything. Hamlet is banking purely on the human psyche and is hoping that guilt will cause Claudius to break.
Those of you that are saying that the reaction of Claudius will depend on if he is guilty or not, does anyone honestly think that Claudius didnt't kill the king? If so what other possibilites are there?
do you think that hamlet will break claudius down until he feels bad and confesses his wrong-doings? otherwise, no matter how claudius reacts, that is not physical evidence that he is guilty
Charlie- I think if Claudius reacts to the play this will provide enough evidence to Hamlet to accuse him of being the murderer of King Hamlet. It may not be enough evidence for the people of Denmark, but it will be enough for Hamlet to continue his plot to accuse Claudius.
Karm- The only way will we know that is by how he reacts. It needs to be very conclusive to Hamlet though or he should not believe what the ghost said. The ghost should logically be mad at Cladius for marrying his wife and taking his throne after his death. So if the ghost can see that he will not be happy with what has happened in Denmark.
Charlie - I would have to say that after seeing the ghost, and with anger between Hamlet and Claudius, I believe that the king's reaction is all Hamlet believes he needs. At this time, I think that Hamlet is just looking for an excuse to get back, even kill, Claudius.
matt- Like I said before there has to be a reason for Shakespeare to continue to mention Fortinbras. He will not simply pass through Denmark and attack Poland. Fortinbras will become a part of the big picture eventually.
Charlie and Emily- I think that Hamlet could misinterperet Claudius' actions and accuse Claudius for the murder even if he hides it well. Hamlet is so sure that what the ghost told Hamlet is true, that he will accuse Claudius no matter what his actions because Hamlet is going crazy.
Class- As I read Act 2 and as I watched the different renditions of the play, I noticed something from Hamlet. Do you think that, as Hamlet emerses himself in this role that he is playing, he will lose who he is? Do you think that he will lose the control that he has on the situation?
karm and steven- i think that, after watching the films, ophelia probably reacted more like she did in the mel gibson version. She was in love with hamlet, and when he just kinda snuck into her room like the way he did, she was pleased that he would disobey her father and actually go to see her. But she got a little creeped out when hamlet acted so weird. And i do think that hamlet's ghost is telling the truth when he told the story of his demise.
Charlie- Obviously you need to have pure facts and evidence when convicting someone of a crime, especially as serious of the murder of a king, BUT i feel like if Claudius's reaction is guilty it will be a personal satisfaction to Hamlet. I feel that Hamlet does believe the ghost was actually his father and considering how angry Hamlet is about this whole situation, he will start plotting revenge.
karm- maybe the ghost is mad because he knewabout the affair and after his death, it was easy for him to convince his son that claudius killed him due to the fact that hamlet already despises his uncle for marrying his mother. so maybe the ghost is lying
ashley- I think once he watches his reaction to the play he will go strait to Cladius and try everything to get him to confess to it. This will stay on Cladius's conscience and affect his leadership of Denmark. So Claudius will not be able to live with that on his mind.
Steven- i really am confused on the way Opheilia reacted. especiall watching the movies didnn't help. and i think Hamlet is so caught up in so many things that he really doens't know why he is mad he just thinks he does.
Karm- I think that the ghost is telling the truth about his death and he wants to inform Hamlet of that and leave it up to him what he does with that information. But because he is still mourning I think the ghost knows that Hamlet will have a strong reaction.
Emily- No I do believe that Claudius is responsible for the murder but it won't be easy to break him, and even if he is guilty and Hamlet accuses him, It is going to be hard to make Claudius admit it or have his people turn on him and believe Hamlet
Mrs. Smith- I agree with you about the control that the parents want in the relationships with their children. You see this alot in modern day. I can see how Laertes feels betrayed because he hasn't gotten the chance to prove himself.
kyle- Hamlet, I think, has already lost who he is. We don't know much about him before the story started but he has a single mindset, revenge. This is going to be his only objective until he feels better about the situation. He just keeps becoming more crazy as the story progresses.
charlie- i disagree. I don't think that there is any guilt in the mind of claudius. Considering the way that he talked about hamlet needing to stop mourning for his brother, i don't think that is very much guilt in his mind. i think that he can very easily live with the fact that he killed his brother. I think that, in the end, hamlet just has to kill claudius because he won't confess.
Class - Do you think that Hamlet's plan is working? By the end of scene 2 he has conviced Polonious, in my opinion, because Polonious chastises himself for making a "wrong judgment", or what appears to be, about Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia.
Ashley- I agree with you. In my mind Hamlet is going to press Claudius continually until he finally confesses. In my mind Hamlet will take this issue to the people of Denmark and begin to campaign against Claudius. Claudius reminds me alot of Oedipus in the sense that there was a huge event in their life, and the actions brought consequences that ended their reign as kings.
kyle b.- I absolutely dont't think that about hamlet. I actually think that he is going to gain what he lost. Because once he finds out that claudius is the murderer of his father then he will revenge. And it will make him feel better. And also Gertrude his mom might even be on hamlets side after she finds out that claudius murdered Old Hamlet.
Class- Do you think that the play will extract an emotion from Claudius? If he is truly guilty and was so emotionless that he murdered his own brother, do you think that a play will affect him at all?
Steven- Yes I do believe the plan for Claudius is working. I don't, however, believe that his plan of acting crazy is working because it is driving Ophelia away and if he accuses Claudius, people won't belive Hamlet if he is crazy
steven- i think hamlet is doing a great job he seems to have everything planned out and also he is acting crazy, i dnt think that polonius would ever expect hamlet to pretend to act crazy
Ashley- After reading previous works of Shakespeare and seeing how the villain acts, I don't think that Hamlet will be able to break Claudius. I think that he will lose control while he passively waits for Claudius to break. I also don't think that Claudius will break-he seems to be a brilliant man with a way with words and he may find himself weaseling out of any situation that he wants to. His actions against old Hamlet in the garden were probably well orchestrated and well thought out; not the actions of a man who doesn't have a grasp of reality.
karm- I think the Mel Gibson version shows this scene the best. She was frightened to a certain extent but she is more concerned then scared because of her love.
karm- I think the Mel Gibson version shows this scene the best. She was frightened to a certain extent but she is more concerned then scared because of her love.
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
steven- Hamlets plan is working very well now. He wanted to convince Ophelia he was crazy and in turn Polonius and Cladius would think he was too. Now that Polonius has a complete wrong idea about the situation Hamlet can follow through with the revenge.
ryan- i think that claudius was just that emotionless when he killed his brother. I think he has no regrets for what he did and he'll only react to the play because he'll wonder how in the world this play so closely resembles what happened when he killed old hamlet.
ryan- i think that claudius was just that emotionless when he killed his brother. I think he has no regrets for what he did and he'll only react to the play because he'll wonder how in the world this play so closely resembles what happened when he killed old hamlet.
Kyle, Charlie- I don't necessarly believe hamlet has lost who he is, but that he is trying to discover the truth about his father, plus he knows he can't trust anyone, so i know he probably feels lonely but I don't believe he has actually gone crazy.
ryan- ya i agree. i think that Claudius is so evil that if he even recognizes what the play is portraying he won't melt. partly because he doesn't even give a rip or he doesn't wan to blow it for himself and lose what he gained by what he did.
shaina- i think that hamlets speech serves as kind of a reminder that hamlet is still somewhat sane and that he does have an emotional and logical connection to what is occuring around him. This speech also serves to show how he is setting up the play to test not only claudius but the ghost's words as well.
Ryan B.- I do think we will see some sort of emotional reaction from Claudius. I am not sure if it will happen directly after the play or later on but eventually I think his guilt will take over and he will have some sort of break down.
Milenda- I would have to disagree about Gertrude. I don't think that she will ever be on his side! We have already seen that even when Hamlet needed her most she just swept his feelings away and tried to convince him that the death of his father was nothing to grieve over. If she has been acting this way during a time like this, how good of a mother is she? (As stated by the inner circle)
Matt- I agree with you when you mentioned that Claudius is living without guilt of killing his brother. However, I disagree with the idea that Claudius won't confess. I feel Hamlet has the ablility to open the eyes of all of the citizens and will find a away to expose Claudius of his wrong doing.
Milenda- I disagree that Hamlet will find happiness in the murder. Past Shakespearean heroes rarely find success and happiness after revenge and they often can't stop themselves from continuing to kill. There can be no happy ending for Hamlet because he has chosen a dark path that will lead him to a dark future.
emily- I agree that all the relationships seem to have trust issues. I think it is due to the fact of all that is taking place in Denmark. Gertrude has lost her husband and now married again causing Hamlet to not feel as confortable with her. Ophelia has senn Hamlet act crazt and just doesn't know what to think.
Shaina- Reading and seeing Hamlet's soliloquy, I got the impression that Hamlet is acctually going crazy. He is playing the game of seeming crazy but after the emotion and thought in his speech I noticed that he seemed to be seriously becoming mental.
ryan b.- I think the play will affect claudius because maybe when he murdered his brother he didn't realize the emotions he just realized the love that he will get from gertrude. And I think that when he sees the play it will open his eyes and hopefully he will feel ashamed and horrible for what he have done.
melinda- i dont believe that gertrude will ever believe claudius, because claudius is pretending to be crazy, people will believe he is crazy. so why why people believe the accusations of a crazy person??
Ryan- Yes i feel that the play will make Claudius to be somewhat emotional. Whenever someone covers up a lie; more lies are covered up on top of that lie and so on. Finally the situation snow balls into tremendous chaos and finally someone just explodes with emotions! I feel like the outcome of the lie that Claudius could be covering up will end up like this. As much as a heartless person he is, I know that he can't be calm about this situation forever.
class- from reading thus far in the play what do you think the point of this play is. There are so many different stories all in one, and what do you think the outcome will be?
Class- Brooks said that Ophelia is in a "tug of war" between her father and her "love", Hamlet. Do you think Ophelia is truly in love with Hamlet or does she feel that their relationship may not last? Also, Hamlet is obviously deeply in love with her, do you think she really feels the same way?
Emily H- I don't necessarly think it's fear in the relationships but maybe mistrust in one another. I think the only relationship that may have fear is between Hamlet and Ophelia because e is acting so crazy.
Class- If Hamlet finds out that Claudius is guilty and that there is no way to prove it, would it be acceptable for Hamlet to take the law into his own hands and murder Claudius? Would this be justified?
Weems- I think that Hamlet will fight his uncle by some physical means however I am not sure if he will kill him. I do know there will be some sort of dramatic confrontation.
Matt- If this keeps going on, I do believe Hamlet will kill Claudius because of the emotions and the fact that it is a Shakespear story where murder seems to be an important motif. Also if Hamlet kills Claudius, that would be a great example of a tragic hero quality.
Emily- I agree their is not trust between many characters. I don't think Hamlet even trusts his mother because of her marrying so soon, and If anything I would think that their relationship could contain trust. I think also that the romantic relationship could just possibly be about feeling loved and perhaps physical
matt- I think he will kill Cladius but I don't think it will be quick and easy. He will have many obstacles and I think the ghost might come back and have a different attitude. It all depends on the events that happen in the next scenes.
joe-i do think that ophelia is that in love with hamlet. she just freaked out when he acted the way that he did. I think that she knows they can't be together but she can't help but to hope that they will work out some how.
Well said Emily. An unstable family life must be the most important theme in this book because it comes up so many times. In the end Shakespeare will show us the outcome of this mistrust and the resulting chaos in these families.
jake- I feel like Ophelia probably really does love hamlet but maybe she knws that some people are against him so it would be better for Ophelia to stay on her fathers good side rather than hamlets, because in the long run polonius maybe able to do better for her
Weems- I think Hamlet will eventually kill Cladius, no one seems to believe Hamlet and the whole reason Hamlet is acting crazy is so that when he kills Cladius people just think it's because he's "crazy".
steven- Gertrude might be like that for now because she lost love and all she wants is love. She might not be a good mother right now but when she finds out that claudius is the murder she might be against him?..or not, I guess we'll just see what happens.
Joe- I dont think we have really seen enough evidence of their relationship to really know if both people are equally in love. I don't know if I just missed it or have we seen their relationship often?
Charlie- It seems that, up until this point, Hamlet has been very level headed in his actions. He did an excellent job of acting crazy and portraying this image of a young, love-struck young man. But at the end of Act 2, he is even further infuriated about the proceedings. He has harbored even greater hostility towards Polonius and may even wish to kill him so as to end that conflict. His anger may overtake his conscience and the actors' play and its outcome may fail to hold sway over Hamlet's emotion.s
Class - Most of our talk has been about scene 1, but I had a couple of questions about scene 2.
How do you think the betrayal of Hamlet's friends will affect him in the future and how could you not come to your friend in their time of need?
In the movie, Mel Gibson version, Polonious is almost sucking up to Hamlet, but still oblivious, when the actors appear. Do you feel the same way? Why do you think this is?
Joe- I completely agree with you. To me at least it doesn't seem that Ophelia is really IN LOVE with Hamelt. Even if she is truely in love with him I think she knows that their realtionship is not possible due to certain circumstances. I don't think that her love for Hamlet is going to change what she does about their relationship becuase of her loyalty to her father.
charlie- i don't think you missed it. All we really have is assumptions about how their relationship was going. If you believe the hollywood versions, then we can assume that they were very much in love, but it's kinda hard to tell from just the text itself.
Class- What role do you think Polonius will hold in the next Act or even the rest of the play? How significant is his participation in the ongoing events?
Ryan- I don't know if it would be justified but i think that Hamlet could very well murder claudius if he did find out that he really did murder his dad. I think that it could be justified in Hamlets mind because he must be loyal to his dad, and that's what the ghost of his dad wanted him to do.
Joe- I think that Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, but she is obliged to listen to and obey her father. Although she reacts somewhat shocked by Hamlet's somewhat unorthodox presence in her room, deep down she has feelings for Hamlet.
Joe- I think that Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, but she is obliged to listen to and obey her father. Although she reacts somewhat shocked by Hamlet's somewhat unorthodox presence in her room, deep down she has feelings for Hamlet.
karm- so far we have ran into very selfish characters in this story so it wouldnt be too suprising if she choose her father, only caring to benifit herself
class - To add on to one of my previous questions, how do you think that Polonious feels when Hamlet begins to mock in in the Kenneth Brahna movie version?
steven- I think that the betrayal by his friends just furthur adds to his almost suicidal mindset. He even tells Polonius that he can take nothing but his life. He has lost his friends, father, and a little of his mother so he is not living to great right now. Which means that if he kills Cladius there is nothing that can punish him that he fears.
I agree with what Allie just said. Hamelt is making himself crazy. The thought of the ghost not existing truely is a very interesting thought and would be an awesome twist on the story. However, I do not think that is the case. I do think that Hamlet needs to catch himself before he starts to loose it.
kyle- i think that polonius will play a somewhat major role in the rest of the play. i think that he somehow get caught up in hamlets revenge plot and gets killed. Then hamlet loses his love, ohpelia, because he killed her father. Let alone, i think this is when hamlet moves in to kill claudius and ends up losing his own life. Cause shakespeare normally has a twist at the end of his plays, like Oedipus gouging his eyes out.
Kyle- I think that we will see alot more of Polonius. I feel like Polonius is threatened by Hamlet for his daughter. Polonius will try to take Hamlet down and work against Hamlet's actions or thoughts.
Kyle- i don't think that polonius's character contributes a lot to the play. His character is only necessary when it comes to Ophelia and Hamlets "love" but other wise i really think the play does not need him.
steven- i dont think he really knows how to reat to hamlet anymore. first he acts crazy then he becomes a jockster and is just getting mixed feelings. And i think Hamlet is purposely doing it to make him confused
kyle b.- I guess that's true. Maybe happiness wasn't the word but I think Young Hamlet will atleast feel a sense of relief than confusion about this whole situation. And the play will finally get him out of his shell and just finally release his anger rather than keeping it to himself all the time.
Steven- I am not sure why Hamlets friends wouldn't come to support their friend in a time of need. I do think the only reason they came was because the king and queen have requested that they come and in some way it seems like they were forced to come. But I was unsure if the king and queen were giving them something for coming such as money
Steven- I think that Polonius' perception of everyone else's reaction to him has been corrupted by his extreme desire to please. He has had this personality for some time and therefore, I don't think that he was very phased by any amount of mocking from Hamlet. I also think that his perception of Hamlet has clouded his interpretation of anything that he may say.
joe- i think that Ophelia will try to choose to be with hamlet but be unable to do so. I think hamlet's plan won't allow for ophelia to love him and he can't let her interfere with his plans.
Joe- I do not think that Ophelia and Hamlet will end up together. I don't think Hamlet will have enough sanity to hold a relationship with the circumstances. Also I do not think Ophelia will go against her father.
sam - even though you are not blogging i am going to address you...
You mentioned that you think we are finally beginning to see the caos stage of Hamlet's tragic hero persona. I completely disagree, i think that we say the caos stage in he beginning when is Hamlet's father died, wen his mother abandoned him, and when his life first began to fall apart.
Steven- It didn't really seem like Polonius cared when he was being mocked. He just seemed to not let it bother him and didn't really think twice of what remkarks Hamlet was saying about him. The only comment that made him think was when Hamlet made the comment about how his daughter could be convieving.
Steven- I feel that Hamlet has absolutely no respect for Polonius based off of his actions in the movie. If I were Polonius I would be insulted by a teenager talking to me like that. I feel that Hamlet was rude eventhough he had a just reason to be. I think that if Hamlet wants to be the bigger man he will have to come up with better ways to deal with his problems.
steven- Hamlet does a good job of making Polonius believe that he is insane... until the actors come to town. Hamlet has a great love of theater. When the actors arrived Hamlet is so happy that he forgot that he was supposed to be mad. Polonius becomes less enthusiastic towards Hamlet because he becomes suspicious.
matt- I agree that Ophelia will try to be with Hamlet but Polonius will stand in his way. Depending on how Hamlets and Ophelias realtionship progresses that will detemine which side Ophelia picks. Hamlet might have to eliminate Cladius and Polonius to truly feel happy with himself. He needs Ophelia to be with him because he has no one else in his life.
joe- i don't think that Hamlet and Ophelia will be together in the end. I think that Hamlet will get so caught up with the ghost and trying to find out the true story that he will not want or just forget about Opheilia. and if her father won't let them be together now why will the fture matter anymore.
Ashley- Yeah that's true i didn't really think of that. Do you think that Hamlets plan to get to Claudius through Polonius is/ or will be successful? if so why?
sam- being as we can address you even though you can't hear us...i agree with steven. I think the entire story is about hamlets downfall and he never really had the first or second stages of his heroic journey.
i agree with steven, i feel like hamlet was in a chaotic stage when his father died and i feel like hamlet will have a loss of innocence when claudius gives in and tells the trut, i have a feeling that it wont be what hamlet expected it to be
Jake- I agree with that. Polonius may continue to confuse everything and may stir everything up to the point where control is lost. There may be a continuation of the telephone game (a sentence is spoken into the ear of one person and then is passed down the line, losing meaning and structure along the way). Polonius may have already muddied Ophelia's reaction to Hamlet's craziness and may continue to falsify information to pursue his personal objectives.
Joe- i think that Ophelia will run to Hamlet solely because of the untrust worhty relationship between her and polonius, ophelia may feel a sense of comfort and safety with Hamlet that may be enough for her to run to him.
Emily- So far I am enjoying Hamlet's character because it is different and more fun than other Shakepearian characters. he is interesting, complicated, and funny
Class- Do you think that after the play and Claudius reveals his reaction that the ghost will appear and give Hamlet advice on what his next move should be?
kasey- i dnt believe that his plan will be successful because polonius already dislikes and questions hamlet because of his supposed "love" for ophelia, i feel like he will spy on hamlet and push away any questions that he will ask
emily- thank you for an easy question. i think that hamlets going pretty good, the movies are definetly helping understand what is going on and these little class blogs are helping me to get a hold of what is going on. However, i am not really a fan of how shakespeare manages to make everything turn against the main character and, instead of them overcoming these obstacles, they are crushed by them. It's oh so depressing.
Joe I see what you mean... but do you think that he is trying do be the bigger man? Why should he be, everyone else has almost abandoned him? What does he have to gain by being the bigger man? I think he just wants to decieve and confuse as much as possible!
Class- So as to further any drawing of connections between Macbeth and Hamlet, Macbeth started a killing spree and could not be stopped. He was killed in the end after losing himself and losing all happiness in his life. He was totally consumed by desire to fulfill a vision. I think that Hamlet may be as Macbeth was. He will start something evil with a murder and this will escalate until he no longer understands anything as he once had.
Shaina- I do not think that the ghost will reappear to give Hamlet more advice. The ghost was quite clear in telling Hamlet to avenge his death and he has already told Hamlet everything that Hamlet needs to do. The rest is up to Hamlet to deal with.
jake t.- I think that Ophelia might do that as well. I mean yeah we don't really know if their both in love but we do know that they feel love towards each other enough. It's just the fact that I think they are both confuse and there are other things going on.
Kyle- good question. Both Macbeth and Hamlet, had to endure different situations as tragic heros. Hamlet has lived through his father's death and is trying to find a way to attempt revenge. In Macbeth, Macbeth stirves to become king, but his major flaw is the fact he lost self control. He begins to kill many people to become king and I hope Hamlet doesn't lose his self control. There is a great possibilty that this can happen because as Hamlet plans to seek revenge he may lose his self morals and all of his control, just to seek revenge.
class- reveng can be described in a variety of ways. do you think that the ghost wants revenge against claudius with death, or do you think the revenge will be self pity and the town turning against him
Shaina- I think that the Ghost's appearance was a one time deal, and, as I overheard from the inner circle, the ghost may have been a figment of Hamlet's imagination. There was such a strong desire to find meaning in his father's death that the whole conversation that he had with the ghost may not have happened at all. I feel that the ghost filled his role in act 1 and won't appear again.
Steven- I think that he wants to gain justice for his father and maybe by being the bigger man he will be able to do so. I think he will step up and gain as much support as possible so he can appease his father.
matt- it does seem like shakespear always has revenge because it is very interesting to the readers. Revenge always leads to problems and fights and all the things that keep people wanting to read.
matt- i think you are just crazy!!!!! lol no i agree i think that his plays has messages bhind everyhing. i think he tries to teach readers through his plays.
Class-If Hamlet kills Claudius who will take over and become king? What would happen to Gertrude, she has already lost one husband and to lose another would be hard. What will happen to her?
steven- The chaos in the beginning was aimed at Old Hamlet, it was the tragic end for him not young Hamlet. Only recently have we been able to see how these events will eventually lead to Hamlets downfall.
Charlie- I agree. Obviously the king doesn't know that anyone else knows about the murder, so his reaction will be very obvious if the ghost was telling the truth.
Ryan- On the surface it appears that Fortinbras just wants to move through Denmark, but he might have a different agenda than what we see. He very well might want Denmark as well.
Matt- Regardless of whether or not Claudius is guilty, his reaction to the play is not enough evidence to incriminate him. He will still have to tread carefully in order to avoid further conflict.
Steven- I think that Hamlet's perceived insanity is to throw off any attempts by Claudius to move forward with his rule. He must deal with Hamlet first.
165 comments:
Hey everyone. I just wanted to ask a question to everyone. What reaction do you suspect the king will have when the play is put on about the murder. Do you think he will hide it well or will you be able to recognize guilt in his expression?
Brooks stated that polonius seems to be very cautious and overseeing his daughter and hamlet, but i disagree. I don't think he's being very cautious when he sets up his duaghter to see hamlet lone just to see why hamlets acting so weird.
emily-I think he will definetely try to hide it but i doubt he will be able to because is is directed at him only. No one else has any idea what that means. Hamlet will know as it happens if the king did it.
Class- What do you think about the notion of young Fortinbras traveling through Denmark to attack the Poles? Do you think Fortinbras actually intends to attack the Poles, or would this be a great opportunity for him to bring his army into Denmark and launch a suprise attack on King Claudius?
Emily- i don't think he'll realize just what is going on and that hamlet will be able to read that there is guilt within claudius and know that claudius did kill old hamlet.
What is the purpose of focusing on Fortinbras and the king of Norway? The Norwegians have been a side story since the beginning. What part will they play in the outcome of the story? Will Fortinbras aid Hamlet in some way?
Emily H- I think Cladius will hide it to everyone else but to Hamlet he will give hamlet signs because of what the gost said. But to the other people they won't recognize any signs.
Emily- I feel the king is going to realize the intent of the play and is going to become aware his actions and the consequences of the alleged murder.
ryan- i think that the fortinbras army is meant for poland. I don't think that young fortinbras would make a promise to his uncle not to attack denmark then go back on his word.
ryan- i think that the fortinbras army is meant for poland. I don't think that young fortinbras would make a promise to his uncle not to attack denmark then go back on his word.
Emily H - I think that that is a great question because Hamlet is depending on the way that the king acts. If he trutly did kill King Hamlet and he shows no reaction at all, then he might have a chance of getting away with murder. It also shows that he has no remorce (spell?), but if he is guilty and breaks down and reacts then his expression will show!
Ryan- I never thought of that but it is a real possibility. That gives him a great opportunity to attack a weak Denmark throne. I don't know exactly how impotant it is Fortinbras to attack Denmark Though.
Weems- I agree with you. On that same note it seems like a lot of people are sending people to figure out Hamlet and his strange behavior. I think its really sad that everything is so secretive and everyone seems like they are out to get Hamlet.
emily h- i think claudius will not understand what is going on at first and i think it will take him awhile to realize that the story actually is about him. I also think that when her realizes, he was know that hamlet is aware of what he did and will go after him.
Emily- I think it will be very obvioius that the King is uncomfortable when the play is going on. He will probably squirm, sweat and not make any eye contact with anyone. I think after the play shows, it will be obvious to Claudius that Hamlet can see right threw him. I feel that after the play is shown, there will be a huge confrentation between hamlet and Cluadius
Ryan- I think that the conflict between young Fortinbras and Denmark has passed for now. He was paid off by his uncle, similar to Claudius' reaction to Hamlet, and he has temporarily stopped any hostility he feels towards Denmark
Emily- I think that Claudius will have a big reaction to the play and Hamlet will for sure know that he killed his father and from that Hamlet will decide what his next move is
Emily H- His reaction may not be obvious to others but he will show extreme discomfort and Hamlet will pick up on this signal.
emily- i think that he will hide if it was really true that he killed Hamlet taht way. But i really think it really depends on if it is true
Class- If Claudius does react to the play do you think that still is enough to back up the murder of Cladius? because he still tested this murder based on what a ghost told him
sean- i think shakespeare intended the story of the norwegians to be kind of a parallel to that of denmark. The controlling uncle that takes over the throne from young fortinbras is very similar to the situation between young hamlet and claudius.
charlie- i don't think that it'll make a difference whether or not claudius' reaction will prove anything to anyone but hamlet. If hamlet thinks that claudius is guilty, he'll kill him whether or not anyone else thinks claudius is guilty.
Class - After watching both movies, we got to see the different ways that Ophelia acted when Hamlet approached her. From the plays text, how do you feel her reaction was when Hamlet cam to her in complete disarray? Also, what do you think of Hamlet's "madness?"
class- going along with the whole play thing, do you think that ghost Hamlet is really telling the truth of how he died or is he just trying to get back on Claudius for something he did to him that we don't know about?
Sean- I believe that Fortinbras and Norway will play a major role in what is to come. The whole side story has to be there for some reason, Shakespear wouldn't include this part of the story and not have it take place in anything.
emily h.- I definately think claudius is going to show an emotion that will really reveal that he is the one who killed Old Hamlet.Maybe someting that he might get up and leave r someting like that. I don't see how he can hide his reaction towards the play because that is just not possible to do especially if your the murderer and you get to see a play that mimics the murder that you have done.
Sean- Maybe once Hamlet is sure that Claudius killed his father he could use go to the Fortinbras and ask for help to defeat the king
Charlie- With the action of revealing Claudius and what he has done, Hamlet has put a crack in Claudius' armor and may be able to push him into confessing everything. Hamlet is banking purely on the human psyche and is hoping that guilt will cause Claudius to break.
Those of you that are saying that the reaction of Claudius will depend on if he is guilty or not, does anyone honestly think that Claudius didnt't kill the king? If so what other possibilites are there?
do you think that hamlet will break claudius down until he feels bad and confesses his wrong-doings? otherwise, no matter how claudius reacts, that is not physical evidence that he is guilty
Charlie- I think if Claudius reacts to the play this will provide enough evidence to Hamlet to accuse him of being the murderer of King Hamlet. It may not be enough evidence for the people of Denmark, but it will be enough for Hamlet to continue his plot to accuse Claudius.
Charlie- I think so because cladius has betrayed his brothers trust by marrying Gertrude, He has also broken hamlets relationship with his mother.
Karm- The only way will we know that is by how he reacts. It needs to be very conclusive to Hamlet though or he should not believe what the ghost said. The ghost should logically be mad at Cladius for marrying his wife and taking his throne after his death. So if the ghost can see that he will not be happy with what has happened in Denmark.
Charlie - I would have to say that after seeing the ghost, and with anger between Hamlet and Claudius, I believe that the king's reaction is all Hamlet believes he needs. At this time, I think that Hamlet is just looking for an excuse to get back, even kill, Claudius.
matt- Like I said before there has to be a reason for Shakespeare to continue to mention Fortinbras. He will not simply pass through Denmark and attack Poland. Fortinbras will become a part of the big picture eventually.
Charlie and Emily- I think that Hamlet could misinterperet Claudius' actions and accuse Claudius for the murder even if he hides it well. Hamlet is so sure that what the ghost told Hamlet is true, that he will accuse Claudius no matter what his actions because Hamlet is going crazy.
Class- As I read Act 2 and as I watched the different renditions of the play, I noticed something from Hamlet. Do you think that, as Hamlet emerses himself in this role that he is playing, he will lose who he is? Do you think that he will lose the control that he has on the situation?
karm and steven- i think that, after watching the films, ophelia probably reacted more like she did in the mel gibson version. She was in love with hamlet, and when he just kinda snuck into her room like the way he did, she was pleased that he would disobey her father and actually go to see her. But she got a little creeped out when hamlet acted so weird. And i do think that hamlet's ghost is telling the truth when he told the story of his demise.
Charlie- Obviously you need to have pure facts and evidence when convicting someone of a crime, especially as serious of the murder of a king, BUT i feel like if Claudius's reaction is guilty it will be a personal satisfaction to Hamlet. I feel that Hamlet does believe the ghost was actually his father and considering how angry Hamlet is about this whole situation, he will start plotting revenge.
karm- maybe the ghost is mad because he knewabout the affair and after his death, it was easy for him to convince his son that claudius killed him due to the fact that hamlet already despises his uncle for marrying his mother. so maybe the ghost is lying
ashley- I think once he watches his reaction to the play he will go strait to Cladius and try everything to get him to confess to it. This will stay on Cladius's conscience and affect his leadership of Denmark. So Claudius will not be able to live with that on his mind.
Steven- i really am confused on the way Opheilia reacted. especiall watching the movies didnn't help. and i think Hamlet is so caught up in so many things that he really doens't know why he is mad he just thinks he does.
Karm- I think that the ghost is telling the truth about his death and he wants to inform Hamlet of that and leave it up to him what he does with that information. But because he is still mourning I think the ghost knows that Hamlet will have a strong reaction.
Emily- No I do believe that Claudius is responsible for the murder but it won't be easy to break him, and even if he is guilty and Hamlet accuses him, It is going to be hard to make Claudius admit it or have his people turn on him and believe Hamlet
Kyle- When you say Hamlet could be losing himself in the "role he is playing" do you mean the role of acting crazy to everyone? or what do you mean?
Mrs. Smith- I agree with you about the control that the parents want in the relationships with their children. You see this alot in modern day. I can see how Laertes feels betrayed because he hasn't gotten the chance to prove himself.
kyle- Hamlet, I think, has already lost who he is. We don't know much about him before the story started but he has a single mindset, revenge. This is going to be his only objective until he feels better about the situation. He just keeps becoming more crazy as the story progresses.
charlie- i disagree. I don't think that there is any guilt in the mind of claudius. Considering the way that he talked about hamlet needing to stop mourning for his brother, i don't think that is very much guilt in his mind. i think that he can very easily live with the fact that he killed his brother. I think that, in the end, hamlet just has to kill claudius because he won't confess.
Class - Do you think that Hamlet's plan is working? By the end of scene 2 he has conviced Polonious, in my opinion, because Polonious chastises himself for making a "wrong judgment", or what appears to be, about Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia.
Ashley- I agree with you. In my mind Hamlet is going to press Claudius continually until he finally confesses. In my mind Hamlet will take this issue to the people of Denmark and begin to campaign against Claudius. Claudius reminds me alot of Oedipus in the sense that there was a huge event in their life, and the actions brought consequences that ended their reign as kings.
kyle b.- I absolutely dont't think that about hamlet. I actually think that he is going to gain what he lost. Because once he finds out that claudius is the murderer of his father then he will revenge. And it will make him feel better. And also Gertrude his mom might even be on hamlets side after she finds out that claudius murdered Old Hamlet.
Class- Do you think that the play will extract an emotion from Claudius? If he is truly guilty and was so emotionless that he murdered his own brother, do you think that a play will affect him at all?
Steven- Yes I do believe the plan for Claudius is working. I don't, however, believe that his plan of acting crazy is working because it is driving Ophelia away and if he accuses Claudius, people won't belive Hamlet if he is crazy
steven- i think hamlet is doing a great job he seems to have everything planned out and also he is acting crazy, i dnt think that polonius would ever expect hamlet to pretend to act crazy
Ashley- After reading previous works of Shakespeare and seeing how the villain acts, I don't think that Hamlet will be able to break Claudius. I think that he will lose control while he passively waits for Claudius to break. I also don't think that Claudius will break-he seems to be a brilliant man with a way with words and he may find himself weaseling out of any situation that he wants to. His actions against old Hamlet in the garden were probably well orchestrated and well thought out; not the actions of a man who doesn't have a grasp of reality.
karm- I think the Mel Gibson version shows this scene the best. She was frightened to a certain extent but she is more concerned then scared because of her love.
karm- I think the Mel Gibson version shows this scene the best. She was frightened to a certain extent but she is more concerned then scared because of her love.
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Class- here is just a general consensus about the overall theme of the characters in the play. It seems to me that a lot of the relationships, whether its parent child, like Ophelia and her father or Hamlet and his mother, or romantic such as Claudius and Gertrude and Ophelia and Hamlet; there is a lot of mistrust. It always seems like there are a lot of things that are unsiad and hidden. It also seems that there is a lot of fear in the relationships, not wanting to dissappoint. Do you agree or disagree and why?
steven- Hamlets plan is working very well now. He wanted to convince Ophelia he was crazy and in turn Polonius and Cladius would think he was too. Now that Polonius has a complete wrong idea about the situation Hamlet can follow through with the revenge.
ryan- i think that claudius was just that emotionless when he killed his brother. I think he has no regrets for what he did and he'll only react to the play because he'll wonder how in the world this play so closely resembles what happened when he killed old hamlet.
ryan- i think that claudius was just that emotionless when he killed his brother. I think he has no regrets for what he did and he'll only react to the play because he'll wonder how in the world this play so closely resembles what happened when he killed old hamlet.
Class- At the end of the act Hamlet gives his long speech do you think this has anyother significances other than testing Claudius with the play?
Kyle, Charlie- I don't necessarly believe hamlet has lost who he is, but that he is trying to discover the truth about his father, plus he knows he can't trust anyone, so i know he probably feels lonely but I don't believe he has actually gone crazy.
ryan- ya i agree. i think that Claudius is so evil that if he even recognizes what the play is portraying he won't melt. partly because he doesn't even give a rip or he doesn't wan to blow it for himself and lose what he gained by what he did.
shaina- i think that hamlets speech serves as kind of a reminder that hamlet is still somewhat sane and that he does have an emotional and logical connection to what is occuring around him. This speech also serves to show how he is setting up the play to test not only claudius but the ghost's words as well.
Ryan B.- I do think we will see some sort of emotional reaction from Claudius. I am not sure if it will happen directly after the play or later on but eventually I think his guilt will take over and he will have some sort of break down.
Milenda- I would have to disagree about Gertrude. I don't think that she will ever be on his side! We have already seen that even when Hamlet needed her most she just swept his feelings away and tried to convince him that the death of his father was nothing to grieve over. If she has been acting this way during a time like this, how good of a mother is she? (As stated by the inner circle)
Matt- I agree with you when you mentioned that Claudius is living without guilt of killing his brother. However, I disagree with the idea that Claudius won't confess. I feel Hamlet has the ablility to open the eyes of all of the citizens and will find a away to expose Claudius of his wrong doing.
Milenda- I disagree that Hamlet will find happiness in the murder. Past Shakespearean heroes rarely find success and happiness after revenge and they often can't stop themselves from continuing to kill. There can be no happy ending for Hamlet because he has chosen a dark path that will lead him to a dark future.
emily- I agree that all the relationships seem to have trust issues. I think it is due to the fact of all that is taking place in Denmark. Gertrude has lost her husband and now married again causing Hamlet to not feel as confortable with her. Ophelia has senn Hamlet act crazt and just doesn't know what to think.
Shaina- Reading and seeing Hamlet's soliloquy, I got the impression that Hamlet is acctually going crazy. He is playing the game of seeming crazy but after the emotion and thought in his speech I noticed that he seemed to be seriously becoming mental.
ryan b.- I think the play will affect claudius because maybe when he murdered his brother he didn't realize the emotions he just realized the love that he will get from gertrude. And I think that when he sees the play it will open his eyes and hopefully he will feel ashamed and horrible for what he have done.
Class- do you think that hamlet will kill claudius or do you think that claudius will be brought to justice by some other means?
melinda- i dont believe that gertrude will ever believe claudius, because claudius is pretending to be crazy, people will believe he is crazy. so why why people believe the accusations of a crazy person??
Ryan- Yes i feel that the play will make Claudius to be somewhat emotional. Whenever someone covers up a lie; more lies are covered up on top of that lie and so on. Finally the situation snow balls into tremendous chaos and finally someone just explodes with emotions! I feel like the outcome of the lie that Claudius could be covering up will end up like this. As much as a heartless person he is, I know that he can't be calm about this situation forever.
class- from reading thus far in the play what do you think the point of this play is. There are so many different stories all in one, and what do you think the outcome will be?
Class- Brooks said that Ophelia is in a "tug of war" between her father and her "love", Hamlet. Do you think Ophelia is truly in love with Hamlet or does she feel that their relationship may not last? Also, Hamlet is obviously deeply in love with her, do you think she really feels the same way?
Emily H- I don't necessarly think it's fear in the relationships but maybe mistrust in one another. I think the only relationship that may have fear is between Hamlet and Ophelia because e is acting so crazy.
Class- If Hamlet finds out that Claudius is guilty and that there is no way to prove it, would it be acceptable for Hamlet to take the law into his own hands and murder Claudius? Would this be justified?
Weems- I think that Hamlet will fight his uncle by some physical means however I am not sure if he will kill him. I do know there will be some sort of dramatic confrontation.
Matt- If this keeps going on, I do believe Hamlet will kill Claudius because of the emotions and the fact that it is a Shakespear story where murder seems to be an important motif. Also if Hamlet kills Claudius, that would be a great example of a tragic hero quality.
Emily- I agree their is not trust between many characters. I don't think Hamlet even trusts his mother because of her marrying so soon, and If anything I would think that their relationship could contain trust. I think also that the romantic relationship could just possibly be about feeling loved and perhaps physical
matt- I think he will kill Cladius but I don't think it will be quick and easy. He will have many obstacles and I think the ghost might come back and have a different attitude. It all depends on the events that happen in the next scenes.
joe-i do think that ophelia is that in love with hamlet. she just freaked out when he acted the way that he did. I think that she knows they can't be together but she can't help but to hope that they will work out some how.
Well said Emily. An unstable family life must be the most important theme in this book because it comes up so many times. In the end Shakespeare will show us the outcome of this mistrust and the resulting chaos in these families.
jake- I feel like Ophelia probably really does love hamlet but maybe she knws that some people are against him so it would be better for Ophelia to stay on her fathers good side rather than hamlets, because in the long run polonius maybe able to do better for her
Weems- I think Hamlet will eventually kill Cladius, no one seems to believe Hamlet and the whole reason Hamlet is acting crazy is so that when he kills Cladius people just think it's because he's "crazy".
steven- Gertrude might be like that for now because she lost love and all she wants is love. She might not be a good mother right now but when she finds out that claudius is the murder she might be against him?..or not, I guess we'll just see what happens.
Joe- I dont think we have really seen enough evidence of their relationship to really know if both people are equally in love. I don't know if I just missed it or have we seen their relationship often?
Charlie- It seems that, up until this point, Hamlet has been very level headed in his actions. He did an excellent job of acting crazy and portraying this image of a young, love-struck young man. But at the end of Act 2, he is even further infuriated about the proceedings. He has harbored even greater hostility towards Polonius and may even wish to kill him so as to end that conflict. His anger may overtake his conscience and the actors' play and its outcome may fail to hold sway over Hamlet's emotion.s
Class - Most of our talk has been about scene 1, but I had a couple of questions about scene 2.
How do you think the betrayal of Hamlet's friends will affect him in the future and how could you not come to your friend in their time of need?
In the movie, Mel Gibson version, Polonious is almost sucking up to Hamlet, but still oblivious, when the actors appear. Do you feel the same way? Why do you think this is?
Ashley that is true but if she loves him as much as we think she does, why won't she follow her heart before she loses what she had.
Joe- I completely agree with you. To me at least it doesn't seem that Ophelia is really IN LOVE with Hamelt. Even if she is truely in love with him I think she knows that their realtionship is not possible due to certain circumstances. I don't think that her love for Hamlet is going to change what she does about their relationship becuase of her loyalty to her father.
charlie- i don't think you missed it. All we really have is assumptions about how their relationship was going. If you believe the hollywood versions, then we can assume that they were very much in love, but it's kinda hard to tell from just the text itself.
Class- What role do you think Polonius will hold in the next Act or even the rest of the play? How significant is his participation in the ongoing events?
Ryan- I don't know if it would be justified but i think that Hamlet could very well murder claudius if he did find out that he really did murder his dad. I think that it could be justified in Hamlets mind because he must be loyal to his dad, and that's what the ghost of his dad wanted him to do.
Joe- I think that Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, but she is obliged to listen to and obey her father. Although she reacts somewhat shocked by Hamlet's somewhat unorthodox presence in her room, deep down she has feelings for Hamlet.
Joe- I think that Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, but she is obliged to listen to and obey her father. Although she reacts somewhat shocked by Hamlet's somewhat unorthodox presence in her room, deep down she has feelings for Hamlet.
karm- so far we have ran into very selfish characters in this story so it wouldnt be too suprising if she choose her father, only caring to benifit herself
Charlie- I agree I feel we have not read enough to truly understand their relationship.
class - To add on to one of my previous questions, how do you think that Polonious feels when Hamlet begins to mock in in the Kenneth Brahna movie version?
steven- I think that the betrayal by his friends just furthur adds to his almost suicidal mindset. He even tells Polonius that he can take nothing but his life. He has lost his friends, father, and a little of his mother so he is not living to great right now. Which means that if he kills Cladius there is nothing that can punish him that he fears.
I agree with what Allie just said. Hamelt is making himself crazy. The thought of the ghost not existing truely is a very interesting thought and would be an awesome twist on the story. However, I do not think that is the case. I do think that Hamlet needs to catch himself before he starts to loose it.
kyle- i think that polonius will play a somewhat major role in the rest of the play. i think that he somehow get caught up in hamlets revenge plot and gets killed. Then hamlet loses his love, ohpelia, because he killed her father. Let alone, i think this is when hamlet moves in to kill claudius and ends up losing his own life. Cause shakespeare normally has a twist at the end of his plays, like Oedipus gouging his eyes out.
Class- Do you think that Ophelia will chose to be with Hamlet or chose not to be depending on the actions of her father?
Kyle- I think that we will see alot more of Polonius. I feel like Polonius is threatened by Hamlet for his daughter. Polonius will try to take Hamlet down and work against Hamlet's actions or thoughts.
Kyle- i don't think that polonius's character contributes a lot to the play. His character is only necessary when it comes to Ophelia and Hamlets "love" but other wise i really think the play does not need him.
steven- i dont think he really knows how to reat to hamlet anymore. first he acts crazy then he becomes a jockster and is just getting mixed feelings. And i think Hamlet is purposely doing it to make him confused
kyle b.- I guess that's true. Maybe happiness wasn't the word but I think Young Hamlet will atleast feel a sense of relief than confusion about this whole situation. And the play will finally get him out of his shell and just finally release his anger rather than keeping it to himself all the time.
Steven- I am not sure why Hamlets friends wouldn't come to support their friend in a time of need. I do think the only reason they came was because the king and queen have requested that they come and in some way it seems like they were forced to come. But I was unsure if the king and queen were giving them something for coming such as money
Kyle- I think that Polonius will help worsen the relationship between Hamlet and Cladius and maybe eventually lead to one of their deaths.
Steven- I think that Polonius' perception of everyone else's reaction to him has been corrupted by his extreme desire to please. He has had this personality for some time and therefore, I don't think that he was very phased by any amount of mocking from Hamlet. I also think that his perception of Hamlet has clouded his interpretation of anything that he may say.
joe- i think that Ophelia will try to choose to be with hamlet but be unable to do so. I think hamlet's plan won't allow for ophelia to love him and he can't let her interfere with his plans.
Joe- I do not think that Ophelia and Hamlet will end up together. I don't think Hamlet will have enough sanity to hold a relationship with the circumstances. Also I do not think Ophelia will go against her father.
kasey- i feel that polonius' character is important because hamlet needs to get through to polonius in order to find out more about claudius' secrets
Class- Can anyone draw any connections between Hamlet and Macbeth? Are their situations similar?
sam - even though you are not blogging i am going to address you...
You mentioned that you think we are finally beginning to see the caos stage of Hamlet's tragic hero persona. I completely disagree, i think that we say the caos stage in he beginning when is Hamlet's father died, wen his mother abandoned him, and when his life first began to fall apart.
Steven- It didn't really seem like Polonius cared when he was being mocked. He just seemed to not let it bother him and didn't really think twice of what remkarks Hamlet was saying about him. The only comment that made him think was when Hamlet made the comment about how his daughter could be convieving.
Steven- I feel that Hamlet has absolutely no respect for Polonius based off of his actions in the movie. If I were Polonius I would be insulted by a teenager talking to me like that. I feel that Hamlet was rude eventhough he had a just reason to be. I think that if Hamlet wants to be the bigger man he will have to come up with better ways to deal with his problems.
steven- Hamlet does a good job of making Polonius believe that he is insane... until the actors come to town. Hamlet has a great love of theater. When the actors arrived Hamlet is so happy that he forgot that he was supposed to be mad. Polonius becomes less enthusiastic towards Hamlet because he becomes suspicious.
matt- I agree that Ophelia will try to be with Hamlet but Polonius will stand in his way. Depending on how Hamlets and Ophelias realtionship progresses that will detemine which side Ophelia picks. Hamlet might have to eliminate Cladius and Polonius to truly feel happy with himself. He needs Ophelia to be with him because he has no one else in his life.
Kyle- to be truly honest, I don't remember anything from Macbeth except for some nasty witches
joe- i don't think that Hamlet and Ophelia will be together in the end. I think that Hamlet will get so caught up with the ghost and trying to find out the true story that he will not want or just forget about Opheilia. and if her father won't let them be together now why will the fture matter anymore.
Ashley- Yeah that's true i didn't really think of that. Do you think that Hamlets plan to get to Claudius through Polonius is/ or will be successful? if so why?
sam- being as we can address you even though you can't hear us...i agree with steven. I think the entire story is about hamlets downfall and he never really had the first or second stages of his heroic journey.
i agree with steven, i feel like hamlet was in a chaotic stage when his father died and i feel like hamlet will have a loss of innocence when claudius gives in and tells the trut, i have a feeling that it wont be what hamlet expected it to be
Jake- I agree with that. Polonius may continue to confuse everything and may stir everything up to the point where control is lost. There may be a continuation of the telephone game (a sentence is spoken into the ear of one person and then is passed down the line, losing meaning and structure along the way). Polonius may have already muddied Ophelia's reaction to Hamlet's craziness and may continue to falsify information to pursue his personal objectives.
So just a general question how is everyone feeling about Hamlet so far. Do we enjoy the story what parts do you like and dislike?
Joe- i think that Ophelia will run to Hamlet solely because of the untrust worhty relationship between her and polonius, ophelia may feel a sense of comfort and safety with Hamlet that may be enough for her to run to him.
Emily- So far I am enjoying Hamlet's character because it is different and more fun than other Shakepearian characters. he is interesting, complicated, and funny
Class- Do you think that after the play and Claudius reveals his reaction that the ghost will appear and give Hamlet advice on what his next move should be?
kasey- i dnt believe that his plan will be successful because polonius already dislikes and questions hamlet because of his supposed "love" for ophelia, i feel like he will spy on hamlet and push away any questions that he will ask
emily- thank you for an easy question. i think that hamlets going pretty good, the movies are definetly helping understand what is going on and these little class blogs are helping me to get a hold of what is going on. However, i am not really a fan of how shakespeare manages to make everything turn against the main character and, instead of them overcoming these obstacles, they are crushed by them. It's oh so depressing.
Joe I see what you mean... but do you think that he is trying do be the bigger man? Why should he be, everyone else has almost abandoned him? What does he have to gain by being the bigger man? I think he just wants to decieve and confuse as much as possible!
Class- So as to further any drawing of connections between Macbeth and Hamlet, Macbeth started a killing spree and could not be stopped. He was killed in the end after losing himself and losing all happiness in his life. He was totally consumed by desire to fulfill a vision. I think that Hamlet may be as Macbeth was. He will start something evil with a murder and this will escalate until he no longer understands anything as he once had.
Shaina- I do not think that the ghost will reappear to give Hamlet more advice. The ghost was quite clear in telling Hamlet to avenge his death and he has already told Hamlet everything that Hamlet needs to do. The rest is up to Hamlet to deal with.
jake t.- I think that Ophelia might do that as well. I mean yeah we don't really know if their both in love but we do know that they feel love towards each other enough. It's just the fact that I think they are both confuse and there are other things going on.
Kyle- good question. Both Macbeth and Hamlet, had to endure different situations as tragic heros. Hamlet has lived through his father's death and is trying to find a way to attempt revenge. In Macbeth, Macbeth stirves to become king, but his major flaw is the fact he lost self control. He begins to kill many people to become king and I hope Hamlet doesn't lose his self control. There is a great possibilty that this can happen because as Hamlet plans to seek revenge he may lose his self morals and all of his control, just to seek revenge.
class- reveng can be described in a variety of ways. do you think that the ghost wants revenge against claudius with death, or do you think the revenge will be self pity and the town turning against him
class- is anyone else noticing how much shakespeare brings up revenge in his plays? or am i just crazy?
Shaina- I think that the Ghost's appearance was a one time deal, and, as I overheard from the inner circle, the ghost may have been a figment of Hamlet's imagination. There was such a strong desire to find meaning in his father's death that the whole conversation that he had with the ghost may not have happened at all. I feel that the ghost filled his role in act 1 and won't appear again.
Both Michael and I think that this blog is going really fast... also I too don't remember anything from Macbeth.
Steven- I think that he wants to gain justice for his father and maybe by being the bigger man he will be able to do so. I think he will step up and gain as much support as possible so he can appease his father.
me neither steven...me neither
Weems, sir, I believe that you are crazy...sorry
Steven and Michael- i agree... Macbeth=Zzzz
matt- it does seem like shakespear always has revenge because it is very interesting to the readers. Revenge always leads to problems and fights and all the things that keep people wanting to read.
matt- i think you are just crazy!!!!! lol no i agree i think that his plays has messages bhind everyhing. i think he tries to teach readers through his plays.
Joe - thank you... now I see what you meant!
Joe - thank you... now I see what you meant!
Class-If Hamlet kills Claudius who will take over and become king? What would happen to Gertrude, she has already lost one husband and to lose another would be hard. What will happen to her?
matt w.- yeah I defiantely agree. maybe because shakespeare is not a very happy person and maybe his stories can also relate with his life?.
Steven- serioulsy by the time I read the blog and then respond, 10 other posts have already gone up.
-kyle- sorry. i kinda thought i could be crazy but i just wanted to see if anyone was joining me on the fun side.
steven- The chaos in the beginning was aimed at Old Hamlet, it was the tragic end for him not young Hamlet. Only recently have we been able to see how these events will eventually lead to Hamlets downfall.
Michael - word!
class-hte last blog only had like 70 posts...this one had 150 last time i checked, awesome.
Charlie- I agree. Obviously the king doesn't know that anyone else knows about the murder, so his reaction will be very obvious if the ghost was telling the truth.
Ryan- On the surface it appears that Fortinbras just wants to move through Denmark, but he might have a different agenda than what we see. He very well might want Denmark as well.
Matt- Regardless of whether or not Claudius is guilty, his reaction to the play is not enough evidence to incriminate him. He will still have to tread carefully in order to avoid further conflict.
Steven- I think that Hamlet's perceived insanity is to throw off any attempts by Claudius to move forward with his rule. He must deal with Hamlet first.
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