Please finish reading Act II, and compose a blog response. Think about the mindset of Hamlet at this time. Please choose 1-2 quotations that give us insights into the mind of Hamlet. Read your classmates' responses and come up with something fresh. There is a lot of ground to cover, here.
I look forward to your responses.
I really enjoyed reading the rest of Act II after all of the time spent on the play in class as I felt it was much easier to understand. Throughout the whole play, but in this scene specifically, Hamlet seems desperate. He is trying to do the right thing, but he is trying to avenge his father's murder. For our protagonist, the stakes are very high and he appears to be holding onto every last shred of life, yet is still questioning everything around him. The first quote that stuck out to me is on page 40. I may have interpreted this wrong, but after Polonius is saying he will do whatever it takes to keep Hamlet away from his daughter, Hamlet responds, "You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal- except my life, except my life, except my life." I took this as Hamlet saying that if he lost Ophelia he would lose his will to live as well. The second quote, or passage, really, that stuck out to me was Hamlet's final soliloquy at the end of Act II, Scene II where he questions whether trusting the ghost and killing his uncle is the right thing to do. In this monologue he talks about the evils in the world, and the potential evil of the spirit, and comes to the conclusion that he will get actors to put on a play that shows murder the way his father was probably murdered, and if his uncle flinches and looks suspicious, he will know the spirit was correct and will continue with killing his uncle. It was really interesting to get to see into Hamlet's mind and not only hear how he's feeling but watch him develop actions that will take course during the rest of the play.
ReplyDeleteHamlet acts plainly insane when he thinks Polonius "a fishmonger" (38). Then Hamlet makes it seem like he is mad because of Ophelia, "Conception is a blessing, but as your daughter may conceive--- friend, look to't" (39). Even though from the surface the insanity of Hamlet is convincing, his replies are often layered with other meanings. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern confronts Hamlet, i think he is leaning more towards sanity than insanity because he "know[s] the good King and Queen have sent for [them]" (41). Later on he tells his two friends that his "uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived. [He is] but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw" (44). It sounds like Hamlet is also deceiving his friends by saying he is indeed mad, but only at certain times. His mindset is shown in his soliloquy at the end of the Act, "The spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape... perhaps out of my weakness and my melancholy, as he is very potent with such spirits, abuses me to damn me" (50). I feel like at this point, Hamlet is confused himself. He doesn't know if he's actually mad or not for seeing his father's ghost, but he has one goal in mind: to revenge and "catch the conscience of the King" (50).
ReplyDeleteThe rest of Act II proved to be an interesting read and drew me in. The conversation that is exchanged between Polonius and Hamlet on pages 38-40, I found entertaining because it is not completely clear whether Hammlet is truly losing his mind or is strategically making it appear as such. At first, when Polonius asks him if he knows who he is, Hamlet mistakes him for a “fishmonger” (38), Hamlet then proceeds to ask Polonius if he has a daughter which is strange because he used to be with Polonius’s daughter Ophelia. His seemlingly subtle strategic remarks, like when he says to Polonius “Let he not walk in the sun. Conception is a blessing, but as your daughter may concieve- friend look to it” (39), about Ophelia, creates an interesting discourse because Hamlet because it begs the question of either he is alot more put together than people think, or he is so insane that it is almost an asset. It is like he is playing with Polonius’s mind because what Hamlet said was a rather scandalous thing to say about a woman to her father, and he was essentially saying that he still finds Ophelia desirable, yet Polonius was apalled but excuses it as further evidence to Hamlets madness and feels “he is far gone” (39). But as the act draws to a close it is apparent that Hamlet is under alot of inner turmoil and stress, he is questioning himself, “What an ass am I!... fall a-cursing, like a very drab, a scullion!”(50). However, only moments after he seems unstable and uncertain, he comes to the conviction that “the play’s the thing wherein [he’ll] catch the King” (50). Being able to read Hamlets inner thoughts, plans and his subsequent actions has made this book so much more interesting and I am excited to see how the rest of the story unfolds and where Hamlets duty to his father leads him.
ReplyDeleteHamlet seemed very scattered in this scene. I couldn’t tell when he was trying to act mad and when he was actually just being himself. In his line on page 40, Hamlet explains to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Denmark, and rather the whole world, is a prison, and “A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' the worst”. I’d imagine he says this in all seriousness, playing with the idea that he feels as though he’s trapped in a prison of his own mind. He is pulled between two options, to listen to the ghost and kill his uncle (Which would mean that he would succumb to his possible insanity), or to ignore the ghost and not revenge his father (The more “sane” option, yet not upholding his role as a son). This is a difficult decision, and in making it, Hamlet needs to make sure that he’s acting on all the logic that he can possibly use. This leads him to having the actors reenact the killing of his father, and watching his uncle’s reaction, so that he can gather more evidence and logical clues. At the close of the scene, however, I believe he is still tormented by his desire for logic and to make sure everything is thought through and his feeling like it is his “job” to revenge his father’s death and act courageously without questioning. He knows that he “lacks gall” , and even calls himself an “ass”, and says he “must like a whore, unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing” (pg 50). He’s torturing himself, unsure anymore about any of his decisions, yet completely aware of his indecisiveness. It will be interesting to see how his troubled thoughts affect his behavior and actions, how the reenactment of his father's death goes, and how it helps him make his decision. Sosha
ReplyDeleteI think that this scene really highlights the unhappiness and moroseness Hamlet descended into. Most of his lines express some form of melancholy, even in those where he is mad (such as when he calls Polonius a “fishmonger”). Polonius states, “How pregnant sometimes his replies are!—a happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of” (39). When Hamlet speaks to Polonius, Polonius recognizes that although what Hamlet says to him is crazy, his statement still contain meaning. Later in the scene after Hamlet discovers his uncle and mother have sent friends to spy on him, losing their trust, he explains to them why he feels so sorrowful. He states that: “I have of late...lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory” (42). These lines show that Hamlet has lost all joy and has grown so melancholy that everything around him is “sterile” and worthless. Also, in Hamlet’s soliloquy at the end of the scene, you get further insight into his mind as he states how he is an “ass” and “That I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab, a scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh! About, my brain.” Similar to Sosha, here, I think that you can see that Hamlet recognizes that all he has done since his father's murder is mope around and ponder over whether or not to act on killing his uncle; here he realizes that he must get himself together and it should be interesting how he goes about murdering his uncle.
ReplyDeleteBy this point in the play, Hamlet’s mind is in utter turmoil. He feels in conflict with almost every person and force around him but can do almost nothing about these conflicts. He feels in conflict with his elders (Polonius, Gertrude, and Claudius) because they seek to control him, he feels in conflict with the state of Elsinore because the way everyone moved on from his father’s death sickens and confuses him, and he feels in conflict with himself because he lacks the drive to act on any of his intense emotions. This last conflict is most interesting to me. Hamlet is consumed by intense hate and grief and wants nothing more than to act on these emotions, but he him won’t let himself do so. He wants to kill Claudius but he makes himself think it through and question whether or not he should the ghost of his father, and by extension, himself. He is consumed by hesitance and innaction, confusion about what to do and how to act, constantly debating and thinking over his own thoughts and behavior, and he hates himself because of it, as expressed in the last soliloquy of Act II. In addition, Hamlet’s conflicts are not only of action but of values. Hamlet holds values and ideologies that no one else around him holds. Everything Hamlet thinks is right is rebuffed by those around him; He doesn't think it’s right for his uncle to ascend the throne, his uncle ascends the throne and everyone's okay with it, He doesn't think it’s right for his mother to remarry so soon, she remarries and everyone’s okay with it. Hamlet is even in an ideological feud with himself, expressing a desire to kill himself in Act I yet unable to because his religion does not condone it. Hamlet is consumed by older and more emotional values of justice and revenge that nobody else in the kingdom understands or cares about. It's no coincidence that he takes a particular liking to the players, who perform ancient greek and roman plays of revenge and raw emotionality. Hamlet says that “Denmark’s a prison” and he is right. He is stuck, trapped by the values of this country and countrymen, spied on by his friends and family, with people constantly trying to control his actions and emotions, and confined by his own hesitation and thoughtfulness which restrict him from acting on any of this frustrations. He is isolated, alone, with no one he can trust to care about his beliefs or try not to control him, with only himself to talk to (which he does alot). Feeling at odds with the universe around him and unable to act on any of his desires or resolve any of his frustrations, the only thing Hamlet is able to do is act out, pretending to be crazy both to gage the response of those he is suspicious of (another step in Hamlet’s unending process of inaction and measured thoughtfulness) but also to unnerve and confuse his elders in much the same way their actions have seemed nonsensical and confessing to him. He is only able to reveal his true emotions to others through his outbursts and acting out. Take for example his interactions with Polonius, who Hamlet despises as a manifestation of the idiotic forces for his elders out to control him (Polonius is literally a croney of Claudius and Gertrude and is scheming to spy on Hamlet). In every exchange between Hamlet and Polonius, Hamlet demeans him or insults him while Polonius is unable to understand what Hamlet is saying and writes it all off as being nonsense. For example, Hamlet remarks that “old men have gray beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams—all which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab you could go backward.” This is Hamlet pretty much saying that Polonius is old in the fact that he is stupid and weak while Hamlet is older and more mature than Polonius will ever be.
ReplyDeleteContinued: Polonius understands that there is deeper meaning to Hamlet’s words but he is still incapable of knowing what it is. This perfectly encapsulates Hamlet's feelings, that he is the only mature, intelligent, and reasonable person in Elsinore and everyone else either does not understand or care about the important things that Hamlet does, and they never will, writing him off as crazy like they always had. For Hamlet he stands alone against a world as incomprehensible to him as he is to it.
DeleteI think that this scene developed Hamlet’s character a lot more thoroughly and we were able to see more into his mindset and emotions. This was especially present in scene 2, while the rest of the characters tried to analyze Hamlet’s actions toward Ophelia, and whether him coming into her room was out of love or madness. I found it interesting how no one really knew what was going on with Hamlet, yet Polonius was so confident that he was mad for Ophelia and was convinced his madness was the only explanation for his actions. One quote that stuck out to me from the act overall was when Hamlet says “You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal- except my life, except my life, except my life" (40). I found this to be dramatic because of the repetition of “except my life”. Also, in this scene, I liked how the two characters used the word “pregnant” in a few different ways. Hamlet seemed like he was using it to refer to the idea of being pregnant, while Polonius sort of makes a come back with it by saying “How pregnant sometimes his replies are!” I think dialogue such as this is what contributes to the comedy of the play overall, and makes the characters enjoyable. Cat
ReplyDeleteSo far, Hamlet seems to be one of the only characters having what I would consider normal reactions to the events of the play. 2 months after my dad’s death, I’d still be acting pretty depressed. If my mom instantly remarried, I’d be upset. If she remarried with my uncle, I’d be furious, and I’d be acting pretty similarly to the way Hamlet is acting. Hamlet also seems to be a very thoughtful character. His thinking is almost too thorough at times. This flaw contributes to Hamlet’s character being believable. Hamlet’s plot to act insane to throw off any suspicion seems a little counterintuitive. He seems to be going a little overboard with it, calling Polonius a “fishmonger” (39). Hamlet also seems to seem genuinely insane when Polonius asks what he is reading, and he replies with “words, words, words” (39). Hamlet’s plan to watch his uncle’s reaction during the play to see if he flinches during it seems also to be strange. If the message directly from his father’s ghost wasn’t strong enough evidence for him that his uncle was a murderer, it seems odd that a flinch from his uncle in the audience would be firm enough evidence to convince him. While these things could allude to Hamlet’s actual insanity, I think that overthinking things is a natural reaction to what he has recently experienced, specifically with seeing and speaking to his father’s ghost. We can see this frantic thought process in Hamlet’s soliloquy at the end of the scene. He sounds anxious about what lies ahead of him, and regretful that he is in this situation.
ReplyDeleteAnna
Because of our classroom discussions, I felt like I was able to pick up on some of the humor that Shakespeare included. He does a nice job at portraying Hamlet as a mental step ahead of all of the other characters, while at the same time making him seem sort of delusional. His conversation with Polonius seems to echo his actions of going into Ophelia's room and just staring at her. Instead of proving himself crazy, to me he just proved himself a good enough actor to trick Polonius into thinking he is crazy. Hamlet also picks up on the purpose of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's visit; he suspects that they are there to watch him and try to figure out why he is acting so weird. Balancing carefully on the line of intelligent and insane, Hamlet is clearly confusing the other characters, making it hard for the reader or audience to make assumptions about his mental state. When you think back to the actual reason that Hamlet is acting strange, the whole situation becomes a bit more dark, which shows how talented Shakespeare is at adding elements of comedy in his tragedies right before everything goes downhill. Another aspect of this is Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship. It is entirely dictated by the adults in their lives and seems so irrelevant to Hamlet. He really doesn't seem to care about her at all and seems much more consumed with getting revenge on his uncle, and Ophelia is hardly represented in the script at all. Polonius's false interpretation of their relationship not only adds to his reputation of ignorance, but also proves how little their relationship seems to matter whatsoever because of the irony of the situation. The fact that the Queen and King and Polonius think that Hamlet is lovesick makes those three characters lose all credibility since it is so obvious to the reader that Hamlet is unhappy about the death of his father.
ReplyDeleteHamlet seems all over the place throughout this act. In one conversation he seems extremely depressed and goes as far as to say the “Denmark is a prison.” (40) He seems almost suicidal during this conversation as if he cannot even come to terms with the day to day reality of life. Then in one of the next conversations he has with the players from the company he seems very joyous and is looking forward to what the players have come to perform for him. His excitement even causes him to recall a play in which there was “one speech in it I chiefly loved.” written with “an honest method, as wholesome as sweet, and by very much more handsome than fine.” (46) Hamlet is splitting into two different people almost. One that has gone mad and one that has kept his sanity. The important decision that he will have to make is deciding which path he wants to go down. He is confused, at times insulting himself for his inability to decide, yet at the same time cognizant of his indecisiveness. I think Hamlet just needs to give himself a little more time to let the death of his father sink in. It is only normal to feel confused after the death of a close relative. It is a shame that everyone around Hamlet moved on from the death of his father so quickly and took no time to check in on Hamlet and make sure he was coping with his father's death. In addition, it will always be a tough decision whether or not to kill your own uncle. Even though he may be responsible for the death of Hamlet’s father, at the end of the day he is still his uncle.
ReplyDeleteI feel that as Hamlet’s plan of pretending to insanity comes to a head, so does the tension in the play thus far. In some ways, Hamlet feels more able to speak the truth under the cover of madness: when he tells Polonius he “would [Polonius] were so honest a man” as a fishmonger, he speaks truth under the guise of his irrationality; while Polonius writes off his remarks, Hamlet actually means what he says and knows about Polonius’s machinations and trickery. Although Hamlet claims to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he isn’t truly insane, and “knows a hawk from a handsaw” most of the time, this act seems to foreshadow Hamlet becoming truly insane. There exists a harsh change of tone between Hamlet’s pretended strangeness and his moments of true, almost frightening, insanity: when Hamlet compares Polonius to a fishmonger, I is clear he is using his supposed insanity as an excuse to make jabs at Polonius’s expense. But when hamlet compares Polonius to Jephthah, the biblical judge who sacrificed his own daughter his words ring with more than their fair share of truth, feeling more like foreshadowing.
ReplyDeleteHamlet’s anecdote about Pyrrhus and the slaughter of Priam also serves as important foreshadowing, letting the reader know that Hamlet will stop at nothing short of a Pyrrhic victory that destroys himself in the process to get revenge against his “uncle-father.”
After reading this scene I am starting to believe that Hamlet is going more and more crazy and not just acting, as many have mentioned he seems to be very out of it and acts irrational. However in his defense his plan to make a play that would potentially force some sort of reaction from Claudius, in my opinion, is a great idea for a seemingly crazy person to come up with which correlates to his belief that “ [he is] but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” This quote and choice of his plan shows that although he is acting more and more crazy he still does have some logical thinking and sanity left, but as readers we predict this won't last much longer. It was also interesting to see the parallel between this act and the last when Polonius had someone spy on his son just as Claudius and Hamlet's mother had Hamlet’s friends do the same to him. This shows the recurring theme of parents not trusting their kids which is something we can all relate to today. This decision on the mother's part also has me believing that she may of had more to do with the murder of King Hamlet the previously thought. Her lack of emotions, quick recovery period, and betrayal of her son show she is a very complex character even though she doesn't have lots of lines. I know we briefly discussed her in class but I would still love to see what others think at this point in the play. Do we think she will have a reaction to Hamlet's play? I think Claudius will be able to control himself and Gertrude will be the one expressing guilt.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the rest of Act II, I became very excited about Hamlet, especially because the reading we did in class helped me to understand the comedy and meanings of the work. In the majority of Act II, Hamlet suggests he suggests that he is pretending to be crazy, and some begin to actually believe him. In Act II, scene ii, Hamlet shares “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.” This shows that he only acts crazy so people will perceive him that way, when he wants them too. It is also shown that as he says this, he may know he is being spied on. Because of this, he says this simple statement that can be misinterpreted so that he is really believed as insane. In Act II, the concern of Hamlet’s late father is still very present. Personally, I never believed this was cause to determine if Hamlet was sane, because others had seen the “ghost” as well. Also in scene ii, Hamlet says “The spirit that I have seen, May be the devil: and the devil hath power, To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps,Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits,Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds More relative than this. The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.” In this quote Hamlet shows his concerns about the motives of the ghost. He is in a very tricky position where he does not know who to trust in his family, and killing his uncle could be a very wrong decision with no real evidence. I think this is more proof that Hamlet is sane. Instead of blindly following everything a ghost tells him, he questions the facts and thinks things through. By the end of Act II, I believe Hamlet is still sane, however any small thing could push him over the edge in the acts to come.
ReplyDeleteDuring this scene I started to sense that Hamlet’s act of insanity is actually affecting his character and his environment. His odd behavior has also made others paranoid. Hamlet begins with control over himself, being able to manipulate what he says. When Hamlet said “Then is doomsday near. But your news is not true. Let me question more in particular. What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of fortune that she sends you to prison hither”(40), Hamlet’s control and sense of mind is clear. Besides a genuine visit,, Hamlet is aware of possible motives that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern could have. He is establishing that though he may be crazy, he is still wise. Hamlet declares this idea directly when he says “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.”(44). Hamlet’s control between sanity and insanity troubles his friends and his family, for they are unsure of when he is what. This form of knowledge that only Hamlet holds is essential for him when he seeks revenge. With everyone confused about whether he is truly crazy or a unusual genius, Hamlet can get back at King Claudius and Queen Gertrude.
ReplyDeleteKaby
I thought that reading the rest of the Act on my own was going to be very difficult, but I think that after going over it so in depth in class it was much easier to understand. After reading the rest of Act II, I feel that the other characters in the play can see that Hamlet is struggling with the death of his father, and are trying to help such as in the beginning of Act II Scene II, when Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I entreat you both that, being of so young days brought up with him and since so neighbored to his youth and 'havior, 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,” (10-15). By asking them to spend time with Hamlet, Claudius shows that he cares. However, I think Queen Getrude’s pleas are ingenuine. While Hamlet is her son, after she married Claudius, I think that she became hard and distant. I think that its because she somehow knows the real reason that Hamlet is so distraught (because she knows he has to kill Claudius) but trying to play it off like she doesn't actually know. For example, when Polonius enters to tell Claudius and Queen Gertude that he thinks he knows why Hamlet is distraught, Queen Gertrude says “I doubt it is no other but the main: His father’s death and our o'erhasty marriage”. I think that this is her way of trying to dismiss the subject and cover up what she actually knows. I thought that this scene was very interesting and revealed some of the characters true colors, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the play takes us. :)
ReplyDeleteMy second quote is from lines 56 and 57.
DeleteI agree with Kate’s blog post comment regarding the fact that she was able to better understand the play after reading it in class, which allowed me to see Shakespeare’s humor. It also allowed me to see what Shakespeare is trying to expose, making it more enjoyable to read. What I really found interesting is the way each protagonist deals with Hamlet in this act, as in act I everyone initially had a ‘just get over it’ mentality, but that seems to have changed. From his mother, Gertrude, and King Claudius getting Hamlet’s two school friends to spy on Hamlet. This makes us question their motives, as his mother does genuinely seem concerned. Then to his two friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, that show their true colors by spying on a friend after he has just lost a father, it exposes a sense of deception. This deception is also shown with Claudius’ concern over Hamlet's “transformation” when he realizes that he was again on the cutting board.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Hamlet’s progression throughout the play, from a confused, depressed boy mourning the death of his father and questioning his mother’s actions he deems a betrayal. At the beginning of the play as he accepted his father’s death and beliefs he is unable to do anything about it and feels hopeless and sees no point in anything anymore as his father’s death was shortly acknowledged and quickly forgotten. But after seeing the Ghost, who tells him he must do something, he becomes a tortured soul due to his split thoughts on what to do with his inner feelings of obligation to justify his father’s death. The fact that the reader is also split on whether Hamlet has indeed lost his mind due to his state, but still is unsure due to his sense of awareness that is shown when he states, "These tedious fools." understanding that Polonius is not the only person that he needs to worry about and when he gets his "excellent good friends", Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, into admitting they have been sent to spy on him.
Hamlets “thinking before acting” nature is really displayed in this act as well as his somewhat growing insanity as he creates a pretty elaborate plan in order to prove to himself that the ghost he saw was not only “the devil: and the devil hath power, To assume a pleasing shape” resulting in his father not actually having been murdered by his uncle. Although Hamlet seems to be confident in his control over his insanity (“I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw”) his sense of confidence seems somewhat insane seeing as his acts are so convincingly insane. Although his planning is better than immediately acting and accidentally killing an innocent man, his plan is overall ridiculous seeing as his uncle could flinch during the play for many other reasons other than feeling guilty for killing his brother. So while it is somewhat well thought out, it is also comical. Hamlet seems to be spiraling out of control and his thinking is quickly turning into overthinking, driving him into the insanity he thinks he is above.
ReplyDeleteThough I thought the language was a bit thick, I enjoyed my reading of act 2. I thought it was interesting how Hamlet chose to deceive Polonius and his parents by acting as crazy as he could, yet at the same time allow himself to be able to potentially still marry Ophelia by being as poetic and romantic as he could be given the circumstances. He speaks almost entirely in long, confusing and often nonsensical soliloquies and it seems as though even the people around him are recognizing this as something that he has some natural talent towards.
ReplyDeleteHis plea of insanity seems especially apt when considering the fact that he is so down on himself by the end. His final speech at the end shows that he lacks any sort of confidence or direction in his attempt to murder his uncle thusfar. Similarly, the troop of actors being usurped by the children may also be a metaphor for Hamlet taking the thrown from Claudius, though he certainly isn't a child. I'm not exactly sure how old Claudius is but if Hamlet is interested in marrying Ophelia, and men typically were older than the women that they married I would assume that he's probably at least in his mid twenties to maybe his early thirties or so. I don't know what to expect in the next act but I can't see Fortinbras' troops being of much help to Hamlet, who may then in turn inherit the thrown at exactly the wrong time and die and the end because he and his country were unprepared after a second king dies prematurely on the thrown. But that's just my best guess if I had to make a prediction.
As the play progresses, I believe that it becomes apparent that although Hamlet is attempting to display a facade of insanity, he is truly becoming deranged, albeit gradually. It seems that his poor condition is driven by the fact that his father has passed, his mother married his uncle, and his father’s ghost has encouraged him to kill Claudius. After Hamlet goes to visit Ophelia in his “psychotic” state, Polonius and the others are convinced that Hamlet has gone, “mad for [Ophelia’s] love” (31). I believe that although this is a facade, it foreshadows Hamlet’s inevitable insanity. Furthermore, his inability to trust anyone, even his closest friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, causes him to become unconditionally paranoid of those around him. “You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to color” (41). It becomes clear that although Hamlet is able to think quickly on his feet, he often jumps to conclusions too quickly. This is evident in his plan to display a homicide similar to his father’s, as he concludes that any reaction from the King suggests that the ghost’s claims are indeed true.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been having some difficulty figuring out if Hamlet is actually crazy or if he is just acting, but whether he is insane or not, he certainly is deeply sad and frustrated with the world around him. He says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern “I have of late—but wherefore I know not—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises… the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air… why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors.” He no longer sees the joy in life; the world to him feels empty and cold, like a prison. He believes “Denmark’s a prison” and that the whole world, in fact, is a prison. This mindset of his at this point is understandable, due to his father being dead only two months and his mother getting remarried to his uncle, and it is one of the scenes where I felt as though Hamlet was truly himself. However, once he learns about the acting troupe that’s coming through, his attitude completely changes, and he acts crazy around Polonius. He randomly brings up Jephthah and largely ignores what Polonius is trying to tell him. I am interested to see how crazy Hamlet actually is, and how much of it is an act. I am also interested to see how the rest of the play unravels, and what the reaction of the king will be to seeing the play.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just my tendency to be overly confrontational when confronted with conflict, but Hamlet’s mentality throughout Act 2 made very little sense to me. It almost seemed reminiscent of the convict in some of the older movies who thinks he’s being smart by “hiding under the law’s nose” and staying in an upscale hotel in the middle of New York until the he finds his room surrounded by cops a few hours later. For Hamlet- acting insane does nothing but attract even more attention from his uncle and Polonius and make accomplishing anything even more difficult- as seen by how the uncle has now hired two of Hamlet’s friends to constantly spy on him. Regardless of which way Hamlet is leaning on the question of whether or not his father was actually murdered at this point in the play, this extra attention can only be detrimental to him. As readers, we’re supposed to be rooting for Hamlet and his quest to restore justice to for his father, but I honestly wish that the protagonist were of any other nature that would focus on capturing concrete goals instead of a poorly-planned attempt to “catch the conscience of the King.”
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I thought Act II, Scene II was downright hilarious. While a lot of people commented on their insecurity regarding Hamlet’s actual mental state, I did not reach that realm of doubt, rather I enjoyed his antics. After the slow introduction into the play I was able to follow along better because I was familiar with the characters and the pacing. I thought Hamlet was playing everyone else perfectly and it was astounding how none of the characters picked up on his games. I mean, at one point Hamlet literally tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that all of a sudden life just ‘lost’ all meaning and he has no interest in anything, then later on says, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” He lays out his plan to act crazy but remain intellectually sound, yet they continue with the conversation about the silly child actors. I do think Hamlet is taking the acting too seriously, to a point where the lines between reality and scheme are blurred and it becomes difficult for the reader to clearly differentiate between what’s intentional, but the fact that everyone was so quickly convinced of his ‘craziness’ is so funny to me. He reaches an extreme point of (half fake, half real) delirium and Polonius is over here saying it’s because of the breakup with Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are doing the equivalent of the soft voice you use with a child saying, “Heyyyyy buddy, how ya doin?” but Hamlet is having fun with this whole bit. Towards the end of the act, though, it is pretty evident that Hamlet is losing control and genuinely can’t process his actual surroundings because he’s so invested in this plot of vengeance (a very melodramatic, funny plot, might I add).
ReplyDeleteSide note: Shakespeare’s mockery through Polonius’ “...tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited,” made me chuckle. I really enjoyed his sly little jab at the classifications.
To me this act showed that while Hamlet is pretending to be insane, he is also being his truest self. His concern for the child actors, and his interrogation of Rosencrantz to determine "Who maintains 'em? How are they escoted? " shows his own feelings of abandonment. Hamlet could be seen as reverting into a childish state of mind in his insanity, calling Polonius a fishmonger reads as a childish insult. More of Hamlet's true feelings are revealed when he equates Denmark to a prison, showing how trapped he feels in this country now that his father has died. While reading this chapter I was constantly trying to figure out where Hamlet's deception ended and where he was truly sad or crazy, but that line was elusive and purposely vague. Yet Hamlet had enough wits about him to plot to catch his uncle looking guilty, in order to verify what the ghost informed him. This was reassuring to me because Hamlet seemed so shaken by the ghost and so quick to play insane that I feared he would act without thinking about the consequences of his actions.
ReplyDeleteI also want to remark on how sure Polonius is that Ophelia is the cause of Hamlet's insanity. I used to think that Polonius was in on Claudius's plot but now that Polonius is more occupied with his daughter's effect on Hamlet than he is helping the king so now I am not sure.
After reading Act Two of Hamlet the internal struggle within Hamlet is starting to become more apparent. It seems all that has happened with the death of his father, his mother marrying his uncle and his father's ghost encouraging him to kill his own uncle is creating confusion within him. In Act Two we start to see that confusion transform into in my opinion some snip its of insanity. It seems as so much trauma has happened in Hamlet's life that his mental state is starting to be greatly affected. A great example of this is when Polonius comments how Hamlet has gone mad for Ophelia and how he is unable to trust anyone because of the recent events that have happened in his life. Another reason I think Hamlet is going insane because of the intricate way he plans to seek revenge. It seems as if Hamlet is so into seeking revenge that his morals as a person no longer exist. In some ways, Hamlet seems to be so conflicted that he is no longer acting on his own mind but on the commands of his father's ghost. So far in my experience in reading Hamlet has been great, however, understanding some of the language has been a little hard. Overall I’m really enjoying the play thus far.
ReplyDeleteI am in consensus with my classmates above that the dialogue that took place between Polonius and Hamlet, beginning on page 38, was one of the key parts of the act. Within this dialogue, I personally loved the quote, "[y]ou cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal — except my life, except my life, except my life." (40) I think that this exemplifies the state Hamlet is in. He is wholly distraught by the events that took place, and the lack of general regard for his late father. He feels as though his sentiments are not shared by anyone else, and this leads him into depression, triggering suicidal thoughts and a lack of desire or drive in life. Going back to the quote, this illustrates the fact that Hamlet has already lost everything (or at least, he believes that he has) — his happiness, his honor, his passion, his reason for existence. As a result, he proclaims that the only thing he has left to lose is his life itself. This encompasses both Hamlet's suicidal tendencies, as well as his loneliness in thought and in company. On the same page, Hamlet notes how traps he feels. He uses the anecdote of Denmark, and describes it as a place "in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons" (40). I believe that these aforementioned quotes truly give insight into the mind of Hamlet. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to fully understand as a reader, however I believe this is a deliberate doing by Shakespeare, to parallel Hamlet's inability to understand himself.
ReplyDeleteIn these scenes I have been having a little bit of difficulty determining if Hamlet is actually crazy or if he is just acting this way. I know in the beginning he was only acting this way, but as the play progresses I am finding it difficult to distinguish if he is sane or not. However, crazy he may be acting I think that whatever way he wants to react to his father's death and mother and uncles betrayal is is appropriate. Everyone around him pretends that these things are not happening when in reality they are happening and need to be addressed. It is for sure that Hamlet is deeply sad and disturbed with the world around him but it is unclear if he is actually crazy. I believe that he is only acting this way but there are some parts of the play where I begin to question this. One example of when this happened is when Hamlet beings to ramble on about feeling imprisoned. He no longer sees any joy or real point to life. I took his reference to “Denmark is a prison” as a reference for the whole world. Hamlet’s whole life fell apart very quickly and he is a young man trying to put it back together. I expect to see progression in Hamlet’s character in the future and hope that he finally gets a complete grasp on his life and starts to make sense of everything that is happening. I hope that he is able to expose his uncle and make his father proud in whatever way he chooses to do so.
ReplyDeleteColleen