Thursday, May 5, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Blog #24: Hamlet Act 4 Social Media Post
Please do not let it be true! According to Peter J Seng's recent newspaper article, Ophelia is dead. She was found lying in a stream, similar to that of a beautiful mermaid. I was not a perfect boyfriend by any means, but I blame her death squarely on Polonius and Laertes - individuals who unknowingly caused her great uneasiness and mistrust that was "so ingrained in her father and brother".
It is true anger directed at my mother found its way to Ophelia at times. This is embodied when I stated that "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it" (3.1.119-120). Please understand, good Ophelia, that this dark side of myself came from about by my mother's poor actions and my father's murder. Make no mistake, I was blinded during this point in my life.
Polonius and Laertes caused many of Ophelia's struggles later in life. As Seng says, "The interview with Ophelia may have begun as a rash and frightened father's attempt to warn his daughter about the ways of the world, but it ends as groundless slander." Laertes was never in favor of our relationship, at one point even stating "Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch
The virtue of his will, but you must fear" (1.3.14-16). We were happy. There was nothing disingenuous about our young love. Alas, her downfall is clearly indicated by the "distorted vision of the world that Polonius and Laertes impress on Ophelia." Even with the bias, Ophelia still understood my good heart, "my honored lord, you know right well you did, and with them words of so sweet breath composed" (3.1.99-101). I will always appreciate her faith in me, even when others encouraged her to spy and report back.
And let's not forget, Ophelia would have never gone insane if Polonius had not spied on me and my mother in her own bedroom. "Behind the arras I’ll convey myself To hear the process. I’ll warrant she’ll tax him home" (3.2.29-30) he once stated to King Claudius, according to multiple reports. His political cunning was the death of him, and ironically, the death of his daughter he once cared so much about. Polonius was a grotesque man that I do not forgive. Of course, we all know this because I once said "If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself" (4.3.34-36). I only wish his life was spared so Ophelia could still be alive. Perhaps now both of our lives (and afterlives) can escape expectation that acted as giant weights on our shoulders. Maybe now we can truly be ourselves.
-Hamlet
It is true anger directed at my mother found its way to Ophelia at times. This is embodied when I stated that "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it" (3.1.119-120). Please understand, good Ophelia, that this dark side of myself came from about by my mother's poor actions and my father's murder. Make no mistake, I was blinded during this point in my life.
Polonius and Laertes caused many of Ophelia's struggles later in life. As Seng says, "The interview with Ophelia may have begun as a rash and frightened father's attempt to warn his daughter about the ways of the world, but it ends as groundless slander." Laertes was never in favor of our relationship, at one point even stating "Perhaps he loves you now, And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch
The virtue of his will, but you must fear" (1.3.14-16). We were happy. There was nothing disingenuous about our young love. Alas, her downfall is clearly indicated by the "distorted vision of the world that Polonius and Laertes impress on Ophelia." Even with the bias, Ophelia still understood my good heart, "my honored lord, you know right well you did, and with them words of so sweet breath composed" (3.1.99-101). I will always appreciate her faith in me, even when others encouraged her to spy and report back.
And let's not forget, Ophelia would have never gone insane if Polonius had not spied on me and my mother in her own bedroom. "Behind the arras I’ll convey myself To hear the process. I’ll warrant she’ll tax him home" (3.2.29-30) he once stated to King Claudius, according to multiple reports. His political cunning was the death of him, and ironically, the death of his daughter he once cared so much about. Polonius was a grotesque man that I do not forgive. Of course, we all know this because I once said "If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself" (4.3.34-36). I only wish his life was spared so Ophelia could still be alive. Perhaps now both of our lives (and afterlives) can escape expectation that acted as giant weights on our shoulders. Maybe now we can truly be ourselves.
-Hamlet
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Blog #23: Hamlet Act 3 Social Media Post
Imagery:
--"The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (3.1.59). Hamlet is immediately questioning the validity of life, by asking whether it is better to endure hardship or give up.
--"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause." (3.1.67-69). Hamlet explicitly expresses concern with the assumption that life after death will automatically be happier.--"To grunt and sweat under a weary life" (3.1.78). Emphasizes just how difficult life is for many people with vivid actions that may take place.
Ethos:
--"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" (3.1.84-86). Hamlet applies a natural rule of nature to all human beings which improves his credibility to the audience.Pathos:
--"The fair Ophelia!—Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered" (3.1.90-91). The relationship between the two is remembered. It is sad to think of people who will miss you when you're dead, so this discourages death.
--"The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (3.1.74-75). Plays on the fact that current leaders are inefficient in society, logic that can be defended.
Paradox:
--"To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end" (3.1.61-62). The only way the struggle to survive goes away is when a person is dead
--"To die, to sleep" (3.1.61). Repeated various times in the soliloquy that emphasizes death cures heartache
Infinitive:
--"To be or not to be" is what Hamlet is discussing for thirty lines. This is talking about deciding to to live or die determines quality and happiness of life
Tone: The tone is distraught and conflicted since Hamlet has multiple opinions on the purpose of life. He is genuinely struggling to cope with events and thoughts in his head at the moment.
Diction: The diction is very elevated to show he is understanding of the conflict he faces. He also uses bleak imagery to develop the tough conditions people live in
Metaphor 1: States that death and sleep are essentially the same thing
Metaphor 2: Shows that death is uncertain by comparing it to an undiscovered country
Comparisons:
-- "No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks" (3.1.61-62). Compares sleep to death
--"When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause" (3.1.68-69). States how we should think long and hard about this subject
--"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time" (3.1.71). Going to list how difficult life on earth is for many people
Opposition 2: If he doesn't commit suicide, he will have to deal with hardships on Earth instead of going into an easy sleep
Opposition 3: He says fear stops suicide, but often times fear of life on Earth can actually push people towards suicide
Philosophical questions: Is it a person's moral duty to forge on throughout life, or is the ultimate prize afterlife? If life is this unfulfilling, is it really worth living at all?
Conclusions: Hamlet believes people should take their time when making important decisions. He also thinks it would be cowardly to not follow the ghost's commands as there is no 'correct' answer to death.
Mise En Scene Analysis
I personally believe the Branagh intepretation is the best Hamlet adaptation of the four videos. First I like how Hamlet is staring at a mirror, which also acts as a door. A couple of times Claudius is seen with fear in his eyes on the other side of the door. This embodies overarching reasons Hamlet is so emotionally torn apart by symbolizing the power struggle between the two characters. By having Hamlet stare directly into Claudius' eyes, it reinforces order vs disorder and revenge+spying in the play. All of Hamlet's trust issues and overall sorrow is due to Claudius killing his father. Hamlet is trying to figure out how to best avenge his death - the major theme in this "to be or not to be" soliloquy. The setting was also royal and fancy. This confirmed my mental image of the play. It was a good decision to not move around the camera too much, as the tone shifts and overall topics at hand were not drastic. Hamlet's chain of logic felt more smooth this way. As the camera zooms in from an over-the-shoulder medium shot to an extreme close up of the mirrored image, you can see the intensity on Hamlet's face. It is a serious, thoughtful speech with a lot of 'inward looking' by Hamlet. I also liked how when he pulled the sword that could represent a tone shift of ending a life instead of dealing with real-world problems society has to face.
Rankings
My personal order from best to worst is Branagh, Olivier, and then Hawke. I found the Hawke video to be creative, but it lost the royal 'charm' from that time period. In both of the other videos, I thought there was less acting emotion from Hamlet. Given how this is a famous soliloquy, I was hoping to be moved more. Instead, everything felt too scripted and not geninue enough. I liked the idea of Olivier sitting on a cliff near death, but didn't think the transition to Orphelia was smooth enough. I did like the authenticity of the Olivier video more than Hawke.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)