HAMLET

Humanities Seminar 2009-2010

Weekly Paragraph for Hamlet

If you were directing the play or playing the title role, what effect would you try to achieve with Hamlet’s final soliloquy in Act I (I:v:92-112) “O all you host of heaven!  O earth!  What else?...”  In your paragraph please explain a) how you would give shape to the internal movement within the selection and b) use the soliloquy to shape the end of Act I for the audience. 

Due in class on Friday, 02 March.

 

 

Weekly Paragraph #2 for Hamlet

Paraphrasing Hamlet

Choose a passage of approximately 20 lines and identify it by Act, scene, lines.  Paraphrase the passage, preserving the line breaks.  Here is an example from (II,ii,1-19).

King:  Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Moreover that we much did long to see you,

The need we have to use you did provoke

Our hasty sending.  Something you have heard

Of Hamlet’s transformation—so I call it,

Sith nor th’exterior nor the inward man

Resembles what it was.  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.  I entreat you both

That, being of so young days brought up with him,

And sith so neighbour’d to his youth and haviour,

That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court

Some little time, so by your companies

To draw him on to pleasures and to gather,

So much as from occasion you may glean,

Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus

That, open’d, lies within our remedy.

Welcome dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Even though we longed to see you for the sake of seeing you,

Your usefulness to us right now is the reason

We sent for you so urgently.  You must have heard

About Hamlet’s “transformation”—I call it that

Because neither his external appearance nor his inner life

Resembles what it was.  What might be the cause,

Other than his father’s death, that has transformed him

So completely that he’s unrecognizable

I cannot imagine.  I ask both of you--

Brought up together with him since childhood,

And afterward intimately acquainted with him as a teenager and his demeanor--

To consent to stay here in our court

A short time, so that you can hang around with him

And get him to have fun again and gather,

When the occasion presents itself without prying,

Whether there’s something troubling him that he’s hiding

Which, if we knew about it, we could fix.

This assignment is due in class on Friday, 09 April.  If you post your response to Hamlet paragraph #1 (above) in this thread, you can earn one point toward the term grade (same weight as a regular weekly paragraph!).

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Comments

[Ali]

Ali Post
4/03
Hamlet Paragraph

Hamlet's soliloquy at the end of Act I is in response to his father's ghost's request for two things: to “remember me” and “nor let thy soul contrive/ Against thy mother aught.” If I were directing the play, I would want to use Hamlet's soliloquy to emphasize that Hamlet hears only what he wants to hear from the ghost's requests; he uses the ghost's plea for revenge as a way to confirm his suspicions about his uncle, yet he ignores the order not to go against his mother. I imagine that Hamlet begins his soliloquy kneeling desperately on the ground as he watches the ghost leave. Yet as he begins talking about what the ghost has asked of him, he grows full of purpose, and begins to rise at the words “But bear me (stiffly) up. Remember thee?” He is drawn up into a standing position by these words, because he is accepting the noble task of avenging his father and his country, and vowing to think of nothing else (“thy commandment all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of my brain”). His voice grows clear and confident. However, he soon gets distracted from his noble cause when he remembers his mother-- “O most pernicious woman!”-- and this departure from the ghost's orders and his recent vow to focus his mind brings him back down to his knees, crumpled and crouching, speaking in a muffled and agonized voice. Thus, when he swears to avenge his father by writing it in the dirt he is kneeling on, he is writing it for the wrong reasons; he has in mind more his anger towards his mother than the need to bring justice to his father. I think that this would give shape to the end of Act I because it ties together the important themes thus far: Hamlet's desire to kill his uncle and his eagerness to believe anything that will confirm his feelings, and his unusual preoccupation with his mother, which is so strong it distracts him from the cause he intends to focus on.

[Steph]

Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5, marks a big shift in character and plot. I interoperate this scene as the one when Hamlet snaps. Before the end of Act 1, Hamlet’s character was somewhat docile, and a little bitter and bored. At the end of Act 1, Hamlet’s character shifts to one who is passionate, driven and excited, on the edge of insanity. He transforms from a stable character to a wildly unstable an unpredictable character on a fervent mission. If I were acting as Hamlet, I would try to make known to the audience this shift in Hamlet. I would portray this shift through changing the audience’s sentiment and attention toward Hamlet. I would want the audience to feel on-edge, uneasy and scared about Hamlet. The soliloquy greatly foreshadows what is to come in the play and what will become of the Hamlet character. In lines 99-111 in the New Folgers Edition, Hamlet is planning and plotting. He is slowly losing control and allowing his thoughts to consume him. Although portraying such emotion should be left to professionals, if I were playing Hamlet, I might recite the lines quickly and quietly to myself, as if each thought were coming to me and building up pressure. Then in lines 111-116, I would explode in excitement, like I just found the answer, shouting with a sly smile, running sporadically. Then lines 117-119, I would take an ink pen and etch the words “adieu, adieu, remember me” into my arm, pressing the pen into my arm, without cutting the skin. I would want to startle the audience because this is a startling and dramatic soliloquy.

[alice]

If I was acting as Hamlet in this play, for the specified soliloquy, I would try to convey Hamlet’s (at first) determined mind, then make clear that he is easily distracted. To express these feelings, for Hamlets first few lines, I would act uneasy by paissing up and down the stage with an anxious gait. Then with the start of “Bear me (stiffly)…” I would start to act more confident standing still and standing up rite, then at the start of “ I’ll wipe away all trivial…” I would act even more confident, maybe even cocky. By jabbing my chest with my fore finger, and large gestures with my arms, that part will show the viewers how confident Hamlet can be with himself, and that this revenge is becoming more and more about himself. For the rest of the soliloquy, I would act more calmed down, for Hamlet has set his mind on this goal, and for this short period that is all he is thinking about, and he becomes confident that he will succeeded. When Hamlet mentions his mother, I would act disgusted with even the though of her, but that tone of voice will only last for the short line to show Hamlets easily distracted mind. There are many different tones and feelings that are trying to be betrayed through this short soliloquy, because of this while acting this part I would try to show that Hamlet has a “jumpy” mind, for his feelings are changing constantly, and I think this can be seen as a foreshadowing for the rest of the play.

[Jeannie]

In his final soliloquy of Act I, Hamlet should be portrayed as becoming overcome with passion, even leaning towards mad. There should be a sense of desperation, as implied by the first two lines when he searches for further exclamations to cry. The repetition of “Remember thee?” should be said as a conversation with himself, further emphasizing his madness. Gesticulations should be constant and dramatic, for Hamlet seems to feel that the situation calls for drastic measures. In general, his mood should flow quickly from desperate to decided. This soliloquy should serve to entrench the audience's awareness that Hamlet is desperate and seems to buy readily the strangest and most evil explanation of his father's death. The soliloquy also reveals Hamlet's new intention to avenge his father, which completes the set-up of the relations and tensions among the characters.

[Isaac]

Isaac Baker
3/31/10
Hamlet Paragraph
If I were playing the lead role in the play Hamlet, I would begin this soliloquy on the verge of exploding; filled with energy and passion. One line in, I would catch myself and center my energy enough to think back to what the ghost said. The ghost says “Remember me,” but Hamlet claims that he cannot hold the ghost and its words in his currently “distracted globe” (Hamlet's head). The “yea” in the next line down is the first of two turning points in the speech. I would say it with a finger raised and I would assume a tone of discovery to imply aha, this is what I will do. I would then run through the list of Hamlet's prior knowledge looking off in one specific direction and turn 180 degrees when saying “thy commandment.” At this point, Hamlet is only talking about what he plans to do, but when he gets to “Yes, by heaven!”, he has put his plan into action. This is the second turning point. I will become a little crazed as I shout out the next few lines, creating as much contrast as I can with Hamlet's previous level-headed reasoning. All that is left to Hamlet is revenge and I would write it in charcoal (from a torch?) on the battlement.
This wraps up Act 1 nicely. Hamlet's mission is clear. The audience is also in on the real reason for Hamlet's craziness which makes Polonius's severe misinterpretation of it in Act 2 all the more enjoyable.

[Sam]

Sam Bennett
Hamlet Paragraph
Humanities Seminar
4/2/10

In Hamlet’s final soliloquy in Act I, Hamlet himself evolves as a character as the main plot element is revealed. Up until this point Shakespeare has kept the option open to define the genre of play this story will be, but if I were directing the play of Hamlet this would be the turning point for the rest of the story. It is revealed to Hamlet that his own uncle murdered his father, and this seems to send Hamlet to a dark place. If I were in control I would have the actor striding about the stage, angrily gesturing to himself and muttering just loud enough to be understood. He is erasing all other thoughts from his mind except that of revenge, he is emptying his mind of all else and thus losing a bit of his sanity.

[Sam]

also, are we supposed to post this week's paragraph on here too?

[Todd Sumner]

No, Sam. One point was available to those who posted the first assignment, not the paraphrase. The deadline to earn that available point is Thursday, 15 April.

[Todd Sumner]

I heard folks reacting to Zefirrelli's choices to play up the sexual tension ("eeeewwwww!") between Hamlet (of the expressive eyes) and Gertrude (of the long braids), but I wonder if folks had other reactions to the opening scenes of this film version. Things you liked or otherwise responded to? Great costumes, no?

[Todd Sumner]

Zeffirelli. my bad.

[Alice]

Act four scene 1

This scene in Hamlet is right after Hamlet killed Polonius and after he talked to his mother about his “plan”. The queen is flustered at this time, for she not only just witnessed a murder in her bedroom; she also just learned that her son believes that her new husband killed her past husband. Although she is confused about what is going on, the queen has wants to protect Hamlet and his plan. She shows this desire by telling the king (many times) how mad Hamlet has become. She is helping Hamlet by saying these things for it is what Hamlet is trying to get the King to believe. Although she does not know what is going on or who is telling the truth, her maternal instinct has officially kicked in to protect Hamlet.

[ROSIE]

HAMLET PARAGRAPHS FOR PORTFOLIO:

A,
Throughout the play of Hamlet Rosencrantz is used by Claudius to spy on Hamlet. In act four, scene two Rosencrantz is confronted by Hamlet who has found out this ploy. In this scene Rosencrantz has two objectives, which are pretty straightforward, he hopes to extract from Hamlet where Polonius’s body is hidden, while also not confessing to Hamlets accusations. Throughout the scene, when Rosencrantz tries to get information for the king, Hamlet responds by accusing him of being a “sponge” and confronts him about leaking information to Claudius. In this exchange of dialog, Rosencrantz’s main objective is to please everyone, he wants to help Claudius (whom he has no reason not to trust) find the body, stay out of suspicion from Hamlet, and basically do what he is told.

B,
Rosencrantz’s main form of speech in Act 4 Scene 2 is questions. In order to stay neutral to both sides (i.e. Claudius and Hamlet) Rosencrantz responds to Hamlet’s accusations by repeating them as questions. For example, he does not confess to being a “sponge” instead he denies it asking, “Take you me for a sponge, my lord?” Furthermore after being insulted by Hamlet, Rosencrantz acts as if he is clueless to what Hamlet has just said by asking Hamlet what he is talking about. Through denying, acting clueless, and answering Hamlet with questions, Rosencrantz attempts to stay on Hamlets “good side”. In addition Rosencrantz is on another mission to find the place at which Polius’s body is hidden. In order to extract this information from Hamlet, Rosencrantz first asks Hamlet point blank where it is hidden and then continues to refer back to it in hope of getting a location that he can relay back to the king.

[ROSIE]

C,
In Act 4 Scene 2 Shakespeare uses a bunch of short quotes from Rosencrantz to make him appear less intelligent than Hamlet who is constantly bashing him. In addition Rosencrantz’s responses to Hamlet are all in the form of one liners and questions, none of which refer back to Hamlet’s accusations. By doing this, Shakespeare expresses to the reader or viewer that Rosencrantz does not wish to get on Hamlet’s “bad side” because instead of defending himself or returning Hamlets digs with insults, he acts confused and responds in short questions or phrases like, “I understand you not, my lord.” Furthermore Rosencrantz continues to address Hamlet as “my lord” throughout the scene making it appear as if he still wishes to impress or respect him.

[Will]

Will Melnick
Hamlet Paragraphs (III-I)

A) In III-1, Hamlet wants his pain to go away. He laments the loss of his father, and he wonders whether or not his life is really worth anything at all. At the same time, Hamlet wishes to be elusive and manipulative toward Ophelia. Knowing that he is being watched, he attempts to show his mother and uncle that he knows no love, and even that he is crazy. He wishes to appear crazy, but not necessarily love sick toward Ophelia, in order to hide from his uncle that he is plotting to murder him. He wants his uncle to think that he does not know the true fate of King Hamlet.

B) Hamlet uses his conversation with Ophelia to persuade his uncle that he in insane. He accuses her of manipulating him, and accuses her entire sex of causing the plights of man. Unfortunately, his acts only pushes Claudius to send Hamlet to England, to be killed. His act essentially fails in this sense. At the same time, Hamlet, who seems rather uninterested in Ophelia, manages to convince her stop loving him. He anger her and causes her to leave in a fit of confusion and rage. It is not clear whether Hamlet still does love Ophelia, and if he does, his conversation with her gave her rather the wrong impression, and as we learn later, is part of the reason Ophelia ends her own life.

C) Shakespeare uses purposefully uses vague language in Hamlet’s first soliloquy in order to obscure Hamlet’s true intention with the speech. It is text that came be interpreted in any number of ways (To be or not to be what?). Shakespeare is able to convey to the reader that Hamlet does not really know what he will do next, or what will happen next. Also, Shakespeare is able to use language to show the reader the ways in which Hamlet attempts to give Ophelia mixed messages. He moves from “...For the power of beauty will sooner/ transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the/ force of honesty can translate beauty into his/ likeness” to “Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a/ breeder of sinners?” in hardly any time.

[Alice]

Alice M
5/28/10
What the character wants in the specific scene (a)

The King in act four scene one, is very flustered and nervous, the audience has just witnessed the King confess to the murder and the King talks about how he suspects that Hamlet might know something. The King is scared that Hamlet is going to tell everyone what he did and because of this fear, he wants to find out what Hamlet knows and he is trying to keep on eye on him. Once Hamlet kills Polonius, the king realizes that his life is in danger and the need to find and stop Hamlet gains even more importance. The King is starting to get anxious about Hamlet's actions, and is getting more and more worried that Hamlet is going to tell on him. This is the beginning of the Kings one track mind of stopping Hamlet, even if that means he must kill him.

[Jeannie]

What Claudius Wants
In Act 4, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Claudius responds to Hamlet's killing of Polonius with two principle desires. The first is to get rid of Hamlet, and the second is to keep his own name clean. In his interactions with Gertrude, Claudius expresses his distress over the trouble Hamlet is causing, (“Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered?” 4.1.17) and his desire to send Hamlet far away, where he won't cause more trouble (“We will ship him hence” 4.1. 31). Claudius also wants to ensure that his reputation won't be tarnished by either Hamlet's actions or his own doing away with Hamlet. On many occasions he alludes to his concern about what the public will think of him, the first such comment being nearly the first words out of his mouth after he learns of Polonius' death. “It will be laid to us, whose providence/Should have kept short, restrained, and out of haunt/This mad young man” (4.1.19-21). Essentially, he is worried that he will be blamed for Polonius' death, because he didn't keep close enough control over Hamlet. At the end of the scene, he draws on the image of a cannon to illustrate his wish that the “poisoned shot,” or blame and ill favor, “may miss our name and hit the woundless air” (4.1.44-45). Claudius also has desires such as learning why his wife is crying or where Hamlet is or where Polonius' body is, but his objectives that have real significance to the course of the play are doing away with Hamlet and keeping a clean reputation.

[Jeannie]

How Claudius Pursues His Objectives
In Scenes 1-3 of Act 4, Claudius works very directly to pursue his principle desire, which is to get rid of Hamlet while keeping his own name clean. He plans to have Hamlet killed far away, and so that it will look entirely accidental. Claudius takes immediate action by first sending for Hamlet himself. Claudius has to endure Hamlets circuitous riddles and jabs, but seems to do so patiently, for at the end of it he informs Hamlet that he must depart for England. Claudius is careful to give the voyage a false pretense, and to send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern along ensure the process goes as planned. Using his political leverage from a recent war with England, Claudius orders Hamlet's death upon his arrival in England. This series of actions works well towards his wants, for it not only plans for the absolute end of Hamlet, but it does so in a way not to cause a detrimental scandal.

[Jeannie]

Shakespeare's Language for Claudius' Objectives
In scenes 1-3 of Act 4 of Hamlet, Shakespeare uses similes and other imagery to help the audience understand Claudius' desires and objectives. In scene 1, Claudius responds to the news that Hamlet has killed Polonius with, “O Gertrude, come away!/The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch/But we will ship him hence” (4.1.29-30). In this passage, not only does he explicitly state his wish to send Hamlet away, but he also draws on the images of the mountains and sun to strengthen his language. Mountains, because they are so large, are most often seen at quite a distance, and the sun's light at sunrise typically illuminates objects on the horizon before it reaches the viewer. The sunlit mountains facilitate our understanding of his objectives by providing an image of great distance, and similarly the simile of a cannon illuminates Claudius' fears and hopes around reputation. Again to Gertrude, Claudius seems almost to moan, “As level as the cannon to his blank/Transports his poisoned shot, may miss our name/And hit the woundless air” (4.1.43-45). This simile seems to refer to rumors and ill favor that he fears the public will begin to hold against him. The comparison likens blame to a cannon ball, and so suggests Claudius' feeling that being held accountable for Polonius' death and falling into ill repute with the public would be fatal to his career, and perhaps to him personally. Finally, at the close of scene 3, Claudius describes the effect that Hamlet is having on him in a command to England, “Do it, England,/For like the hectic in my blood he rages,/And thou must cure me” (4.3.73-76). By comparing Hamlet to a raging fever, Claudius implies that Hamlet is putting him in pain, inconveniencing him, and possibly killing him. Through the three images of mountains, a cannon, and a fever, the audience better understands Claudius' emotions and objectives.