DRJ #4: Hamlet, Acts IV and V

My initial reaction to Acts IV and V is “Wow, that was a lot of action”!  These two scenes are the most action packed of the entire play.  The only character that reminds me of anyone in my life would be Horatio, as a true friend to Hamlet.  Horatio continues to be a solid, stable character with no real flaws revealed like the other characters in the story.  These two acts kind of remind me of a soap opera.  With all of the action going on simultaneously and the plotting behind closed doors.

Laertes is a supporting character that is marked with an emotionally driven purpose of revenge in Acts IV and V.  He is focused on one thing, which is to avenge his father’s death and his sister’s madness.  I find it interesting that Laertes has taken on the same life purpose as Hamlet.  They are both now living to seek revenge for the death of their fathers.  It’s ironic that up until these last two acts we have seen Hamlet expressing despair and hopelessness with thoughts of suicide.  Now, he is keenly intent on carrying out his plan for revenge, which is also true of Laertes.  Laertes never waivers in his intent which does mark a difference between he and Hamlet and also shows us that Laertes is the stronger character.  We see that he is not going to allow anyone, not even the King to misguide him from his purpose.  For example in Act IV, Scene VII, Laertes tells Claudius “So you will not o’errule me to a peace”.  He made it known to the King that he wanted to carry out his plans for revenge no matter what and the King should not try to change his mind and make him come to peaceful terms with Hamlet.

I would say the theme for these final acts of the play is Life and Death.  Shakespeare once again uses the plot to support this theme.  In the beginning of Act IV we have Gertrude and Claudius dealing with the fact that Hamlet has killed Polonius.  Hamlet talks about how dead people become food for worms.  Throughout these two acts there is repeated mention of death and what happens to people after they die.  Ophelia has now gone mad over her father’s death.  Act V begins with the gravediggers digging Ophelia’s grave and discussing how she died and whether or not she deserves a Christian burial since it was a suicide.  When Hamlet encounters the gravediggers he engages in a lengthy discussion about what happens to people after they die.  Hamlet asks how long a body will lay in the ground before it rots.  He concludes that death brings every person to equal qualities.  Act V also has the plotting of Hamlet’s death by Claudius and Laertes, and Hamlet setting a plan in motion for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be killed by the English King.  In the end everyone’s life was ended except Horatio’s.

DRJ # 3: Hamlet, Act III

My initial reaction is that Claudius showed his guilt!  I expected him to show more restraint but his guilt took over.  I was also surprised by the way Hamlet spoke to Gertrude.  The ghost previously advised Hamlet to let God deal with her and to not go against her.  However, I can say that I believe it is just human nature.  As a son who loved his father Hamlet could not help the feelings he was having.  Most people in his situation would have difficulty holding in those emotions.  The only character that reminds me of someone in my life is Horatio.  He was there for Hamlet just as friends should be.  I know if I were going through a tough situation like that my best friend would be there for me to listen and help out just like Horatio.

Shakespeare gave us a lot of insight into Hamlet's character in this scene.  In the beginning we can almost feel Hamlet's despair when he is talking to himself about whether it is better to live or die.  When Hamlet says:  “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of despised love, the laws delay, the insolence of office and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes”, we feel his complete loss of faith that there is anything good left in the world.  In addition to Hamlet’s show of despair, we see him acting somewhat bizarre with Ophelia.  In his conversation with Ophelia I believe he intentionally wanted to appear that he had gone mad but some of it was an expression of his broken heart and loss of faith in women.  At the end of his conversation with Ophelia he tells her “God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp; you nickname God’s creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance”.  Hamlet was basically saying that women are deceiving and conniving.  I believe he was venting over his broken heart because Ophelia would not be with him any longer but at the same time making Ophelia believe he had gone crazy.  Also in this act we see Hamlet expressing sincere admiration for Horatio and we also begin to see Hamlet plotting to get to the truth about what happened to his father.  He contrived a plan to have the actors act out a scene that depicts the murder as the ghost had described it to him.  In this one act we see Hamlet’s character go through many different thoughts and emotions.  This scene gives us a true sense of who Hamlet is, a man who has lost his zest for life and found himself in great turmoil within himself because of the situation that has landed in his lap; a man who was trying to keep himself together for the sake of revenge.

Shakespeare uses the plot of this act to support the concept of guilt/sin.  Through the play that Hamlet contrived, the guilt of Claudius is confirmed and his sins are displayed.  This play forces Claudius into rage and also sends him into prayer.  He feels so guilty about his actions against his brother he almost cannot pray.  We also see Gertrude in this act being reduced to shame and guilt.  After Hamlet murdered Polonius and told his mother of her evil ways she could barely stand to listen to him any more and said: “O Hamlet speak no more: Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul; and there I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct”.  Gertrude feels that she can never be forgiven for the sins that she has committed and doesn’t want to hear of them or think of them.  Unlike Claudius who was holding out hope that somehow he could be forgiven for his awful sins.

DRJ #2: Hamlet, Act II

The only character that I can say reminds me of someone that I know, in this act only, is Gertrude.  In this act she seems to just be a concerned mother.  I believe her intentions with her son are good, although misguided by her husband’s influence and her guilt.

Polonius’ character stands out to me in this act.  He is there to show us yet another character whose flaws will ruin him.  Polonius is a conniving, sneaky man, who is loyal to Claudius and serves as a foil to Hamlet.  This act is stamped with Polonius’ deceitful ways.  Shakespeare shows this to us initially in Act II, Scene I, when Polonius enlists Reynoldo to go spy on his son to find out what he is up to.  Shakespeare writes, “By this encompassment and drift of question”.  He shows us that Polonius intends for Reynoldo to be sneaky and conniving by asking questions in a roundabout way instead of being direct.  He also writes “…and there put on him what forgeries you please; marry none so rank”.  In this we see that Polonius has given Reynoldo permission to make up whatever lies he sees fit to get the truth as long as it doesn’t dishonor.  He tells Reynoldo that these types behaviors are common amongst young men so they will not dishonor Laertes.  We see more of Polonius’ conniving ways in Act II, Scene II, when Polonius suggests to Claudius that they hide behind a curtain and listen in on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia to try and get to the bottom of Hamlet’s disturbance.  Shakespeare writes “At such time I’ll loose my daughter to him: Be you and I behind an arras then”.  Polonius’ character is marked by conniving, sneaky behavior, which is in contrast to Hamlet’s character.

The theme of this act is deception.  We have Polonius enlisting Reynoldo to go secretly asking around about Laertes using deceitful tactics. Instead of being direct with people Polonius is telling Reynoldo to tell lies about his son to get information about what his son is doing.  Polonius says “By encompassment and drift of question that they do know my son, come you more nearer than your particular demands will touch it”.  Polonius believes Reynoldo will get closer to the truth by being deceitful.  Polonius also tells Reynoldo, “…and there put on him what forgeries you please; marry, none so rank as my dishonour him”.  Polonius wants Reynoldo to tell whatever lies he sees fit to get to the truth about Laertes’ behavior as long as it doesn’t dishonor him.  Then we have Claudius and Gertrude calling upon Hamlet’s childhood friends. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to secretly find out what is bothering him and relay the information back to them.  They offer them money to do this and although they are Hamlet’s supposed friends, they agree.  In this, Shakespeare writes, “I entreat you both… To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather, so much as from occasion you may glean”.  Claudius wants Hamlet’s childhood friends to entertain him and in a very deceitful way glean information from him.  We also have Polonius plotting for him and Claudius to secretly listen in on a conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet.  We even have Hamlet plotting to confirm whether or not Claudius did, in fact, murder his father as the ghost told him.  Deception is all through this act.  Everyone seems to be engaging or planning some kind of deceitful deed.

DRJ #1: Hamlet, Act I

My initial reaction is a feeling of disgust for Gertrude and Claudius.  The act that they have both committed is horrific.  Claudius betrayed his brother in the worst way.  Gertrude betrayed her husband, and in a sense her son as well.  I feel sorry for Hamlet.  He is grieving over the loss of this father but is forced to conceal it.  I cannot believe the audacity of Claudius and Gertrude expecting Hamlet to just get over his father’s death that quickly.  I cannot believe the audacity of Claudius telling Hamlet to accept him as his father now.  These thoughts and words are very disgusting to me.  This situation does remind me of my sister-in-law.  She was once guilty of trying to carry on an intimate relationship with someone in our family, while still married to my brother.  These acts are disgusting and difficult to over come.

Claudius’ character seems to be comprised of greed and possibly jealousy towards his brother.  We get a glimpse of his selfishness when during his first speech in Act I, Scene II, he says “Yet so far hat discretion fought with nature that we with wisest sorrow think on him, Together with remembrance of ourselves”.  Instead of taking time to mourn the death of his brother he is concerned about himself.  Claudius’ mention of mourning his brother’s death seems mechanical.  He only mentions this to appear righteous to those listening.   Claudius’ fatal flaws are greed and selfishness.  These characteristics are strong enough to provide conflict in the story as an opposing character to Hamlet.  I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds.

The theme of this first act is evil versus good.  Shakespeare uses the plot and characterization to support this theme.  We see the evil acts of Claudius in Act I, Scene II, when Claudius speaks to everyone about mourning former King Hamlet’s death but quickly getting back to business.  To use the lame excuse for marrying Hamlet’s wife shows how evil Claudius is.  Shakespeare writes “Therefore out sometime sister, now our queen, Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state, have we, as ‘twere with a defeated joy”.  He is happy to have married Gertrude.  The act of doing so is evil and for him to be happy about it is equally as evil.  The opposing good that we see in Hamlet also supports the theme of evil versus good.  Here Hamlet is left to deal with the grief of losing his father and yet the good in him forces him to just follow along with the evil demands of his uncle and his mother.  After being asked to quickly get over the death of his father and accept his uncle as his new father and remain in Denmark with his mother and uncle, Hamlet responds with “I shall in all my best obey you, madam”.