Question #9

From lines 474 - 533, Hamlet is contemplating his plan of action regarding his dealing with Claudius. Within this passage is when Hamlet decides that he shall alter the play in order to garner some sort of guilty reaction from his father's brother. The subject matter is certainly heavy and shows the amount of personal turmoil that Hamlet is dealing with. 'Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O, vengeance!'. The harsh, repeated language demonstrates the moral battle that is raging inside of him. The repeated animalistic images shows how primal his want of revenge is and how deep-seeded he feels about it.

Question #7, 14

Question #7

Hamlet tells his companions he is likely to put on an 'antic disposition' because he doesn't want to worry him. As evidenced by the reactions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, his new disposition is one that leads people to believe he has lost his marbles. I think his behavior is not a natural reaction but a calculated strategy. Based on the difference between his manic displays in public and his brooding, sad soliliqueies, he is not actually crazy; you can't turn off crazy. The reason behind his new disposition is simple, keep the king off guard, if Claudius believes he is unsuspected, he is likely to make a make a mistake.

Question #14

When Hamlet says 'Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good ro bad, but thining makes it so.', he is aiming to confuse, under the guise of his antic disposition. He means that we apply meaning to everything, nothing inherently means anything. He is saying this to test Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because he suspects them as spies. When he says: 'I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw' it suggests that he can control his madness and it isn't in fact organic. Hamlet is faking.

Discussion #4

Laerte's objection to Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet is that he thinks Hamlet is only interested for the sex and if he wanted to marry her he would have proposed. Polonius' objection is based on the actions of Hamlet and thinking that he is madly in love. Laerte's argument is most fair although neither really take into account Ophelia's take on the situation. Laertes thinks all women are helpless and just there for the ride and shows his jealousy for Hamlet while Polonius, also thinking women are helpless, thinks that Hamlet's actions are motivated by his direction which he gave to Ophelia. Laertes is jealous of the status of Hamlet while Polonius thinks all women are below men.

The many faces of Claudius

Shakespeare's character-illuminating repitoire is vast and is not simply limited to the description of physical appearance, what is said, and the actions that take place. In Hamlet, Shakespeare employs a much more complex and deeper method with the purpose of further explaining and reinforcing the content of each character. The use of sophisticated speech pattern and diction is part of this more complex method of explantion and manifests itself throughout the play in instances of repeated or abrupt word choice. Claudius is not immune to this method and himself demonstrates the revlieling nature. Claudius' character consists of many facets that through one interaction will be lost. Claudius's nature, as expressed through his actions, is congruous to his word choice. Claudius's character is pliable and goes through many slight transformations, yet having been built from the same material, is at heart the same. When dealing with Hamlet, Claudius takes on a tone seperate from that when interacting with Gertrude and still different from him being a leader. Therefore, Shakespeare uses harsh word choice and specific speech patterns to not only help differentiate but to also individualize Claudius's character as a father, as a leader, and as a husband.

To His Coy Mistress

And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity

This line is signifigant because of the helplessness it conveys. This line drags the reader down into the vast nothingness that is time. This is the mood-setter of the second stanza and truly marks the change in direction the poem takes. Marvell also incorporates a semblence of sibilance which helps the line flow and creates a wondering and lost effect. The most clever portion being the inclusion of the word us. This us not only plays into the slight sibiliance but also plants an innocent and tiny seed in the mind of the coy mistress. Deserts also play into the sibiliance while bringing up the helpless feeling meant to be conveyed by the this line.