I thought this quote was really important because its Laertes talking about how he wants to kill Hamlet so bad, he would even kill him in a holy place such as a church. This is a warning that one of the two are going to die, or both in their duel because Laertes has a vengance and wont rest until Hamlet is dead.
I thought the play was interesting. Its like poetry, having to decipher the meaning and stuff, having so much passion in what is being said. But I think that thats the only good part about the play is the emotion and the poeticness, I thought the plot was dumb and the characters were dumb. But it is a lovely piece of work.
“And so have I a noble father lost, a sister driven into desp’rate terms, whose worth, if praises may go back again, stood challenger on mount of all the age for her perfections. But my revenge will come.” (4.7.27-31)
Laertes has just lost his father and his sister has gone mad because of this. Laertes wants to get revenge. He knows that whoever killed his father has also hurt his sister because she is not the same and will never be the same. He will seek revenge on Hamlet because of the terrible things that has happened in his life. This sets the theme for the rest of the book, of Laertes trying to seek revenge.
Hamlet was one of the best Shakespeare books that I have read because I was able to understand what was going on. There were many different things going on at once, but there were still parts that could be predicted. I liked the different plans that everyone came up with throughout the play because it kept the play interesting. Overall, Hamlet was an enjoyable play to read.
“Like a good child and a true gentleman. That I am guiltless of your father’s death/ And am most sensibly in grief for it, It shall as level to your judgement ‘pear/ As day does to your eye.” [4 .5. 171-174]
This quote is important to the play because it is the scene where the King is explaining to Laertes that his father has died. Claudius tells Laertes that he had no role in the murder of Polonius and, while he may not have been directly involved, he was still indirectly involved and therefore is not as guiltless as he claims to be. This is what Claudius has been doing the whole play in order to cover his lies and wrongdoings.
I thought this play was pretty interesting. Before we started reading the book, I knew how it ended because there are so many spoofs, remakes, and satires of Shakespeare in the media that everyone knows the stories, but is still enjoyed reading it. As tedious as the notes were, I think they helped me understand what was happening so it made more sense.
“One woe doth tread upon another’s heel, So fast they follow. Your sister’s drowned, Laertes.” 4.7.187-188
These are Queen Gertrude’s first words to Laertes as she enters the scene. In this quote the Queen is describing the catastrophic events that have continued to occur one after the other. The events (Polonius’s murder, Ophelia’s “death”) have happened so quickly after one another that Gertrude describes them to be tripping over one another’s heels. An occurrence of many tragic events one after the other has been a reoccurring theme throughout the play. King Claudius, when describing the war and Ophelia losing her mind during Act 4 Scene 5, said a similar line. These lines reveal the basic concept of many sorrows happening very quickly. The play, and yes Schindler I’m being sincere, actually grew on me as I was able to get into the story and really understand what each of the characters were going through. The play was full of woeful, comical, and intense happenings. There were several scenes that Shakespeare wouldn’t completely explain to his readers allowing them to decide for themselves what really was the case, such as Hamlet’s miraculous escape off the ship to England and Ophelia’s death being of natural cause or suicidal? Although at times the grammar was difficult for me to understand, I was always able to ask questions and clarify any confusion. Overall, I began to enjoy Hamlet (especially towards the end) but I am very excited to begin reading our next play on Rosencrants and Guildenstrein.
"Farewell, dear mother"-Thy loving father, Hamlet.-My mother. Father and mother is man and wife, Man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother" 4.3.58-61
This is Hamlet talking to King Claudius calling him a women and then Claudius says no I am your loving father. Hamlet stands to correct him by saying no a man and a women are one. Both are made from the dust and a women was created from a mans rib. This is a biblical reference and was seen all throughout the play. He is implying that he can call either one the others name because they are one person. Everyone is created from the dust and will in time return.
I had no idea what I was going to think about this play the first day we started reading Hamlet. It took me awhile to get a hang of the wording and still it can be very confusing at times. Over all I thought the plot was good and keep the audience guessing. I didn't like how Ophelia killed herself I thought that was sad, but it did add to Laertes anger because Hamlet took everything from him. All in all the play was pretty good.
"Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam; and why of that loam whereto he was converted might they not stop a beer barrel?"
This quote is from the graveyard scene before the procession came to bury Ophelia. Hamlet was talking to Horiatio about how Alexander the Great, a huge person in Greek times and ruler of the known world when he died, can go to as lowly of a thing as a cork of a beer barrel. This relates back to his thought of how man is just dust and when we die we are returned into dust.
I thought the ending was kind of weak, as everyone died. This normally happens in a Shakespeare play, so I wasn't surprised. Though I was surprised a little bit on how Fortinbras was named heir to the throne, so that was something that caught me off guard.
"which have solicited - the rest is silence" 5.2.395
hamlet says this right before he dies. This is very ironic because through out the whole play Hamlet wouldnt stop talking. So basically, the only thing to shut hamlet up was death.
I didnt like this book, the old english is very hard to understand. Hamlet was probably the most interesting character through out the whole play even though he was a woose. i dont like how in every shakespeare tragedy everyone or almost everyone DIES.
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will-" V.II. lines 11-12
This line is important to the play because it shows that Hamlet finally believes there to be a purpose to life. he states that it is important to believe in the purpose even if you do not fully understand what it is. He is telling Horatio that when the deep plots he has had have failed that is when one can learn that there is hope and divinity out there.
I think that the play as a whole was good. I liked the ending the best and thought that the end of Act 5 Scene 2 was really exciting and interesting. I think it will be interesting to watch this scene in the movie because I will be able to see the action instead of just read about it. I want to see how they portray Hamlet and Laertes accidentally switching swords.
"An earnest conjuration from the king...He should those bearers put to sudden death, not shiriving time allowed"
Hamlet discovers that Claudius has ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to kill him in England. He decides to rewrite the letter so that the King of England is to Kill the messangers, Rosencrantz and Guildenster instead. He also includes they should not be allowed to confess before they are put to death. This is significant to the play because Hamlet is undermining the kings power and doing him one better by switching the letters.
Overall I thought the play was well written and had an interesting plot. But I dont enjoy reading Shaespeare because of the old english and confusing references to other works.
“Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil / Free me so far in your most generous thoughts / That I have shot my arrow o’er the house / And hurt my brother” (5.II.255-258).
This is Hamlet’s apology to Laertes for the deaths of Ophelia and Polonius. Hamlet proclaims his innocence and blames his behavior on madness, saying that it was not his intent to hurt “his brother” Laertes, because they used to be good friends. Laertes still seeks revenge and will not accept reconciliation, but Hamlet’s sincere apology lessens the animosity between the two, and when they fatally wounded each other, Laertes realizes that Claudius was the villain all along, and forgives Hamlet.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, although sometimes the writing was hard to understand. The characters were kind of weak, and Hamlet’s bipolar/suicidal personality was really annoying. The plot line was pretty good, but I like Shakespeare’s Macbeth a lot more.
"Stay, give me drink. - Hamlet, this pearl is thine./ Here's to thy health./ Give him the cup." - King (V.2.306-308)
This quote is important to the play because it is really the beginning of the end. It seemed that Laertes and Claudius had made this perfect plan for killing Hamlet, but at this point in the play it all starts to unravel. Hamlet refuses the drink with the poisionous pearl in it, and then the Queen proceeds to drink out of it and it kills her. After that, Laertes' and Hamlet's swords get mistakenly exchanged and Laertes is wounded with the poisionous sword that kills him shortly after as well. Hamlet goes to then kill Claudius, and then shortly after that is killed by the poison as well. Everything went downhill very fast in the play.
Overall I thought it was a good play, but still the Shakespearian language will always be one that is near impossible for me to understand. It helped me that we frequently paused and took notes, but still the true message of what a character is trying to say is veiled by language too complex for me. Compared to his other plays this was one of my favorites along with Macbeth.
"When our deep plots do pall; and that should learn us/ There's a divinity that shapes our ends." (Act 5, Scene 2 10-11)
In the quote above it relates to the book as a whole because Hamlet is discussing to Horatio how there is a God who gives us a purpose to our lives and will give us our time to die and we should recognize it. It fills the whole plot of the book because of how everyone in the story seemed to fill up their purpose to their ends. Such as Hamlet accepting his death at the end of the play as well as Laertes.
Now that we have finished I thought it was overrall a better play than the other Shakespeare works we have read in school. Mostly because it was filled with lots of action which keeps me interested but at the same time it was really easy to know where the story was going and how it was going to end.
“Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day,/ All in the morning betime,/ And I a maid at your window,/ To be your Valentine...” (4.5.53-60)
It is Valentine's Day by the way but I chose this quote because in my opinion it sets the tone for the rest of the play. That is, everyone is almost in their own kind of madness and ironically like Ophelia end up dieing from it. Laertes mind is bent on revenging his father and sister. Because of his unclear state of mind he ended up blinding himself from the real Satan in the play, Claudius. If his mind was clear he would have noticed Claudius manipulative tendencies. But instead he ended up blinding himself from the truth and as a self proclaimed “pelican” he sold himself to the devil and died by his own works. Then Claudius is mad in a sense that he's stuck on being the cause to everything bad that's happening. The Queen is completely oblivious to everything despite being connected to the turn of events, in a way that makes her mad because a mad person isn't really aware of reality. Then Hamlet is mad by his own creation. He wasn't really mad but acting in an “antic disposition” helped him lose credibility in the eyes of those that really could have helped him, except his trusty friend Horatio. Horatio would have committed a Juliet act if it wasn't for Hamlets good reasoning. We could say that Horatio was the only one that overcame the depths of madness but O' the lengths we go for love- even madness.
Overall, I actually liked the play. Everyone deserved what they got in my opinion and I just like the Shakespearean language and description of things in general. What I didn't like about it though is its sense of comedy. It may have been funny during Shakespeare's time but like today we can have a sick sense of humor which I don't like.
"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away." - Hamlet (5.1.220-221)
Here, Hamlet visits a graveyard upon returning from his abortive exile to England. Seeing this showed Hamlet how it mattered not what people did in their fleeting lives, because they will become one with the Earth. Julius Caesar may have possessed incredible power over the Roman Republic, but after his assassination, he was the same as every other corpse. This makes Hamlet wonder what life means if we ultimately just turn to dust.
In my honest opinion, Hamlet is overrated somewhat. I'm no scholar, so maybe this is just too highbrow for me. I just found myself unable to understand and therefore incapable of relating to Hamlet. Something about him just felt so forced.
“O, I die, Horatio.The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit.I cannot live to hear the news from England.But I do prophesy the election lightsOn Fortinbras. He has my dying voice.So tell him, with th' occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited. The rest is silence.O, O, O, O. “(Act 5 s 2 lines 390-395)
I thought this quote was really important because it’s Hamlet talking last time. Through the whole play Hamlet has been talking and he finally got what his dad wanted him to do. He telling Horatio that he would not live to hear the news England and Fortinbras will win the election. In the end he didn’t get to be the king but he got what his dad asked him to do.
I thought the play was interesting. I am not big fan of Shakespeare, but I really liked Hamlet, and I was able to follow it. I like the part that movie followed the book really well and the character played the Hamlet very well. The scene three was a little confusing but other than I liked Hamlet.
"And where th' offense is, let the great ax fall. I pray you, go with me." (Act 4 Sc. 5 L. 244-245) -The King
The King's promise to Laertes regarding his father's death is ironic because the King had some sort of involvement and wasn't completely innocent. By the end of the play, everyone who is involved in Polonius' death is killed, including the King. Shakespeare uses this irony to foreshadow the multiple deaths at the end of the play.
Hamlet was incredibly tragic at the very end. It certainly didn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside, especially when some of the more innocent characters met an undeserving fate. The play was more engaging than other Shakespeare plays that we've read at school though.
Jenn Hergert "Let four captains/ Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage,/ For he was likely, had he been put on,/ To have proved most royal; and for his passage,/ The soldier's music and the rite of war/ Speak loudly for him."
This is Fortinbras talking about giving the highest honors to Hamlet in burial. I don't really understand how Fortinbras came to the decision to do this, being that he never really met Hamlet, his country was invaded by Hamlet's father, and Horatio hasn't told him the story yet. I don't really see Hamlet as being that honorable of a person; after all he caused the death of many innocent people, not just the death of his uncle, which was supposed to be his true purpose. But anyway, this quote is significant to the play as a whole because it tries to turn Hamlet into some kind of hero, which depending on your own view of his character, he may or may not be.
After finishing the play, I have to say, all I felt was annoyance for Hamlet. He was a little weakling who tried to get revenge for his father death by using innocent people, making them feel horrible and eventually killing them. Ophelia and Laertes both had absolutely nothing to do with Claudius and his murder of King Hamlet, but Prince Hamlet dragged them both into his stupid revenge plot, caused Ophelia to go mad and drown, and made Laertes quite upset after killing his father...which eventually led to Laertes' death. Polonius and Gertrude are less innocent than Ophelia and Laertes, but still they didn't know anything about Claudius and the murder, and somehow Hamlet managed to get them killed too. I was excited to read this play, especially because I loved reading Macbeth (Actually I think Macbeth is my favorite book that I've read in school), but I was kind of disappointed to find that the main character of Hamlet was a whiny user (and murderer!) of others that got made into a hero at the end...Don't get me wrong, Macbeth killed innocent people too, but he got what was coming to him. And he was not made into a hero for all of his misdeeds.
“Compounded it with dust, whereto ‘tis kin.” -Hamlet (Act IV, Scene 2, line 6).
This is Hamlet's response when Rosencrantz asks him what he did with Polonius' body. Hamlet does not tell Rosencrantz exactly what he did with the body, but rather states that he buried him with the dust, where he belongs. This is yet another reference to the repetitive theme throughout the play that man originates from dust (like Adam), and when man dies, they go back to being nothing but dust.
Hamlet is one of the better of Shakespeare's plays that I have read. I liked reading it out loud and going over the meaning of the lines helps me better understand what was going on and made me gain more appreciation for the story. One thing I would like to have known is what role the Queen played in all of this. She was somewhat assumed innocent throughout the entirety of the story, but nothing was ever stated one way or the other. I don't think there was something I especially liked or didn't like regarding the plot itself. I did like watching the movie after reading the acts because it helped put a picture to the actions taking place when we read.
"...the foul practice hath turned itself on me. Lo, here I lie, never to rise again. Thy mother's poisoned. I can no more. The King, the King's to blame." (V.II.348-351)
This quote is from when Laertes was dying and admitted that he and the king were involved in a plot to kill Hamlet. This is important because this gave Hamlet all the evidence he needed to force the poison down the kings throat and kill him. This also turned all the people against the King and Laertes and they seemed to put their trust with Hamlet.
Hamlet was an interesting play. I though the plot was well put together and very layered because of how the story kept putting things together piece by piece until the dramatic ending where all the schemes and feelings came out.
"But I am very sorry, good Horatio, that to Laertes I forgot myself, for by the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his." (5.2.85-88)
Just before Hamlet is informed of the impending duel that is going to take place between himself and Laertes, he confesses to Horatio that he is sorry for the way he has treated Laertes. Laertes and Hamlet used to be friends, and Hamlet says that, "...By the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his," meaning that Laertes is in a situation not too different from his own.
Overall, I thought the play was pretty interesting. Although the plot is a little outrageous, it makes for a good story. I liked a lot of the dialogue, especially because there is usually more meaning behind what each character says. I also liked how in the end Hamlet discovered that there is meaning to life. My only dislike was that Hamlet continually talked of taking action but never did anything.
Laertes: "Lay her i' th' earth,/ And from her fair and unpolluted flesh/ May violets spring!" (V, scene 2, ln. 248-250)
Ophelia's death s being dicussed-- the doctor notes that because she has committed suicide she is supposed to be buried at a crossroads and "flints and pebbles should be thrown on her". However, her royal blood prevents this from happening. This quote also relates to the ever-appearing concept of 'dust to dust, ashes to ashes'.
Though I'm not particularly a fan of Shakespeare, Hamlet, along with Macbeth are the two most interesting. There are plenty of characters and events occuring that make it interesting. And the notes we take really do help.
“There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, it will come. The readiness is all.” (5.II.233-234)
I liked this quote because it has to be read a few times in order to fully grasp what Shakespeare is trying to portray. This is another part of the book that shows how Hamlet believes that there is a purpose to life. When he is talking about the sparrow, he is saying that a sparrow never falls without God knowing about it. The part that talks about the “readiness is all” is saying that you have to be ready at anytime to follow God.
Overall I enjoyed the play. There were a few parts that I felt were unnecessary and did not contribute to the plot, but I was still interested throughout the book. I also liked how it showed progress. For example, a lot of the book Hamlet does not know the purpose to life. As shown in my quote, he finds this purpose towards the end of the story.
"One woe doth tread upon anothers heel, so fast they follow. Your sisters drowned Laertes" 4.7.187-188
This quote is important to the story because it explains that all of the tragedys are following so close to each other that there is really nothing you can do about it. Also, it gives Laertes another reason to blame Hamlet for everything since after the death of Ophelias father, she has gone crazy, which is mostly all Hamlets fault.
Most of the play I actually enjoyed. Some of it was boring but overall it was good.I feel that the story kindoff skips around a little but in the end it all makes sense. I also really enjoy the movie.
From what I've read of Shakespeare, Hamlet was one of the plays I liked more than others. I enjoy the large amount of sarcasm Shakespeare uses in Hamlet, really fits my style. Some parts were confusing, it is often diffuclt to grasp what Shakespeare means; it takes a lot of background knowledge to understand all of the allusions in the text, luckily there are notes on the side.
“…their grand commission; where I found, Horatio, a royal knavery – an exact command, larded with many several sorts of reasons importing Denmark’s health and England’s too, with – ho! – such bugs and goblins in my life…” (V.2.21-25).
This quote is significant because at this time in the play is when Hamlet is held “captive” on the pirate ship and he finds the letters that Claudius sent to tell the people in England to kill Hamlet. Also while Hamlet was on the ship he started to realize that there just might be a purpose to life.
I thought overall the book Hamlet wasn’t that bad. At times it could get a little confusing, but for the most part it was quite interesting. I also thought that some parts of the book were rather boring.
Hamlet: To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander till he find it stopping a bunghole? (5.1.209-211)
At this point in the book Hamlet is with Horatio in the graveyard and they are talking about a skull Hamlet just picked up. He reiterates a biblical allusion that he's been developing the entire book, and that is from the phrase, from the dust we were created and to the dust we shall return. He goes on to say that it is ironic that the Great Alexander could return to dust and end up being used to stop up a barrel. Because in the end we all just turn to dust.
Opinion on the book as a whole. Something i will never read again. There was literally no aspects of it that grabbed my attention, and the fact that there were so many biblical allusions turned my interest as well. I dont like to think as I read, i just get lost in the text and this isnt a book one can just "read", you have to work at it, and thats just undue effort to me, I would be fine never reading another Shakespearian book or poem for the rest of my life.
"So shall you hear of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, of accidental judgments, casual slaughters, of deaths put on by cunning and forces cause, and, in this upshot, purposes mistook fall'n on th'inventors' heads." V.2.422-428
I found this quote said by Horatio to Fortinbras describing the events that occurred very interesting. I thought that the way he simplified the betrayal misunderstandings and injustices was brilliant. Shakespeare outdid himself here, he made all of these tragic events seem so simple to understand. When the whole book was a web of self denial, ambition, love and vengeance. I liked how the book was practically wrapped up into that simple and small quote.
I enjoyed the book. I thought it was going to be painful to read like some of Shakespeares other plays, but to my surprise it wasn't. I liked the character Hamlet and the dark humor in his self hatred and hi outlook on life. The movie was nothing like how i pictured the play to be. The movie was funny and i had a hard time taking it seriously.
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will." Hamlet
This quote is towards the end of the book, when hamlet begins thinking more and more about death. The line, there's a divinity that shapes our ends, is stating that everyone has a destiny for them, which has an end planned out for them. Noone can tell what shall come. This is very significant to the play, because it seemed each death of a character happened without warning or any way of fortelling.
I enjoyed this play very much actually. It kept me hooked, wanting to know what hamlet was going to do to get his revenge on the King. And then when hamlet accidentally stabbed Polonius instead, is when it really got interesting. Although it was shakespeare, making it a hard to read play, it was still enjoyable.
Alexander died Alexander was burried Alexander retunrneth to dust: the dust is earth; of earth we make loam...
This quote goes back the the question what is the quintessence of dust. Basically Hamlet is saying that dust is ash and that everyone faces death and everyone turns into ashes when they die. Even great people such as Caesar who he mentined earlier in the book.
Considering that this was Sakespeare and i have had trouble in the past enjoying his work this was a little different. I feel as though some parts were rather interesting and watching the movie along with reading help me understand the play that much more.
"in heaven. send thither to see. if your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself..."
This quote is where hamlet is talking to the king about polonius after he has been killed. Hamlet is saying to send a messenger to heaven to look for him there and if he does not find him search yourself in the other place a.k.a hell.
Overall i did not find Hamlet to enjoyable. They style of writing i found really hard to understand and keep up with. except the metophores which i actually enjoyed cause it made it challenging almost like a riddle to figure out what message was being portrayed
"I loved Ophelia: Forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum." -Hamlet (5.1) This quote shows that Hamlet has changed and is seeing things more clearly now. Since he was being rather harsh to Ophelia before, what he's saying could mean that he was being mean to her before in order to spite others and now realizes that it shouldn't have mattered before. It shows that he is evolving and just is becoming more understanding as a person, although this doesn't quite extend to his uncle given the circumstances at hand.
Now that we're done with Hamlet, my reaction to it is that it was a great story, and actually, I'd have to say it was definitely one of my two favorite from Shakespeare. Even though he was a somewhat gloomy character, I liked the character of Hamlet because you are able to idenftify with him somewhat when you're down or angry, even though we wouldn't do the things that he's thinks about or attempts to do. What I didn't really like about it was the Shakespeare language, which, although it can be comprehended, is somewhat unnecessary. Overall I thought it was a good book though.
Breanna Taylor
ReplyDelete"To cut his throat i' th' church"
-Laertes
I thought this quote was really important because its Laertes talking about how he wants to kill Hamlet so bad, he would even kill him in a holy place such as a church. This is a warning that one of the two are going to die, or both in their duel because Laertes has a vengance and wont rest until Hamlet is dead.
I thought the play was interesting. Its like poetry, having to decipher the meaning and stuff, having so much passion in what is being said. But I think that thats the only good part about the play is the emotion and the poeticness, I thought the plot was dumb and the characters were dumb. But it is a lovely piece of work.
Christine Nafziger
ReplyDelete“And so have I a noble father lost, a sister driven into desp’rate terms, whose worth, if praises may go back again, stood challenger on mount of all the age for her perfections. But my revenge will come.” (4.7.27-31)
Laertes has just lost his father and his sister has gone mad because of this. Laertes wants to get revenge. He knows that whoever killed his father has also hurt his sister because she is not the same and will never be the same. He will seek revenge on Hamlet because of the terrible things that has happened in his life. This sets the theme for the rest of the book, of Laertes trying to seek revenge.
Hamlet was one of the best Shakespeare books that I have read because I was able to understand what was going on. There were many different things going on at once, but there were still parts that could be predicted. I liked the different plans that everyone came up with throughout the play because it kept the play interesting. Overall, Hamlet was an enjoyable play to read.
Gina Chenoweth
ReplyDelete“Like a good child and a true gentleman. That I am guiltless of your father’s death/ And am most sensibly in grief for it, It shall as level to your judgement ‘pear/ As day does to your eye.” [4 .5. 171-174]
This quote is important to the play because it is the scene where the King is explaining to Laertes that his father has died. Claudius tells Laertes that he had no role in the murder of Polonius and, while he may not have been directly involved, he was still indirectly involved and therefore is not as guiltless as he claims to be. This is what Claudius has been doing the whole play in order to cover his lies and wrongdoings.
I thought this play was pretty interesting. Before we started reading the book, I knew how it ended because there are so many spoofs, remakes, and satires of Shakespeare in the media that everyone knows the stories, but is still enjoyed reading it. As tedious as the notes were, I think they helped me understand what was happening so it made more sense.
Sarah Hale:)
ReplyDelete“One woe doth tread upon another’s heel, So fast they follow. Your sister’s drowned, Laertes.” 4.7.187-188
These are Queen Gertrude’s first words to Laertes as she enters the scene. In this quote the Queen is describing the catastrophic events that have continued to occur one after the other. The events (Polonius’s murder, Ophelia’s “death”) have happened so quickly after one another that Gertrude describes them to be tripping over one another’s heels. An occurrence of many tragic events one after the other has been a reoccurring theme throughout the play. King Claudius, when describing the war and Ophelia losing her mind during Act 4 Scene 5, said a similar line. These lines reveal the basic concept of many sorrows happening very quickly.
The play, and yes Schindler I’m being sincere, actually grew on me as I was able to get into the story and really understand what each of the characters were going through. The play was full of woeful, comical, and intense happenings. There were several scenes that Shakespeare wouldn’t completely explain to his readers allowing them to decide for themselves what really was the case, such as Hamlet’s miraculous escape off the ship to England and Ophelia’s death being of natural cause or suicidal? Although at times the grammar was difficult for me to understand, I was always able to ask questions and clarify any confusion. Overall, I began to enjoy Hamlet (especially towards the end) but I am very excited to begin reading our next play on Rosencrants and Guildenstrein.
Crystal Nybo
ReplyDelete"Farewell, dear mother"-Thy loving father, Hamlet.-My mother. Father and mother is man and wife, Man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother" 4.3.58-61
This is Hamlet talking to King Claudius calling him a women and then Claudius says no I am your loving father. Hamlet stands to correct him by saying no a man and a women are one. Both are made from the dust and a women was created from a mans rib. This is a biblical reference and was seen all throughout the play. He is implying that he can call either one the others name because they are one person. Everyone is created from the dust and will in time return.
I had no idea what I was going to think about this play the first day we started reading Hamlet. It took me awhile to get a hang of the wording and still it can be very confusing at times. Over all I thought the plot was good and keep the audience guessing. I didn't like how Ophelia killed herself I thought that was sad, but it did add to Laertes anger because Hamlet took everything from him. All in all the play was pretty good.
Will Quattlebaum
ReplyDelete"Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam; and why of that loam whereto he was converted might they not stop a beer barrel?"
This quote is from the graveyard scene before the procession came to bury Ophelia. Hamlet was talking to Horiatio about how Alexander the Great, a huge person in Greek times and ruler of the known world when he died, can go to as lowly of a thing as a cork of a beer barrel. This relates back to his thought of how man is just dust and when we die we are returned into dust.
I thought the ending was kind of weak, as everyone died. This normally happens in a Shakespeare play, so I wasn't surprised. Though I was surprised a little bit on how Fortinbras was named heir to the throne, so that was something that caught me off guard.
Lexy Kaftan
ReplyDelete"which have solicited - the rest is silence" 5.2.395
hamlet says this right before he dies. This is very ironic because through out the whole play Hamlet wouldnt stop talking. So basically, the only thing to shut hamlet up was death.
I didnt like this book, the old english is very hard to understand. Hamlet was probably the most interesting character through out the whole play even though he was a woose. i dont like how in every shakespeare tragedy everyone or almost everyone DIES.
Kiera Wesley
ReplyDelete"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will-" V.II. lines 11-12
This line is important to the play because it shows that Hamlet finally believes there to be a purpose to life. he states that it is important to believe in the purpose even if you do not fully understand what it is. He is telling Horatio that when the deep plots he has had have failed that is when one can learn that there is hope and divinity out there.
I think that the play as a whole was good. I liked the ending the best and thought that the end of Act 5 Scene 2 was really exciting and interesting. I think it will be interesting to watch this scene in the movie because I will be able to see the action instead of just read about it. I want to see how they portray Hamlet and Laertes accidentally switching swords.
Bridget Cook
ReplyDelete"An earnest conjuration from the king...He should those bearers put to sudden death, not shiriving time allowed"
Hamlet discovers that Claudius has ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to kill him in England. He decides to rewrite the letter so that the King of England is to Kill the messangers, Rosencrantz and Guildenster instead. He also includes they should not be allowed to confess before they are put to death. This is significant to the play because Hamlet is undermining the kings power and doing him one better by switching the letters.
Overall I thought the play was well written and had an interesting plot. But I dont enjoy reading Shaespeare because of the old english and confusing references to other works.
Savannah Guillen
ReplyDelete“Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil / Free me so far in your most generous thoughts / That I have shot my arrow o’er the house / And hurt my brother” (5.II.255-258).
This is Hamlet’s apology to Laertes for the deaths of Ophelia and Polonius. Hamlet proclaims his innocence and blames his behavior on madness, saying that it was not his intent to hurt “his brother” Laertes, because they used to be good friends. Laertes still seeks revenge and will not accept reconciliation, but Hamlet’s sincere apology lessens the animosity between the two, and when they fatally wounded each other, Laertes realizes that Claudius was the villain all along, and forgives Hamlet.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, although sometimes the writing was hard to understand. The characters were kind of weak, and Hamlet’s bipolar/suicidal personality was really annoying. The plot line was pretty good, but I like Shakespeare’s Macbeth a lot more.
"Stay, give me drink. - Hamlet, this pearl is thine./ Here's to thy health./ Give him the cup." - King (V.2.306-308)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is important to the play because it is really the beginning of the end. It seemed that Laertes and Claudius had made this perfect plan for killing Hamlet, but at this point in the play it all starts to unravel. Hamlet refuses the drink with the poisionous pearl in it, and then the Queen proceeds to drink out of it and it kills her. After that, Laertes' and Hamlet's swords get mistakenly exchanged and Laertes is wounded with the poisionous sword that kills him shortly after as well. Hamlet goes to then kill Claudius, and then shortly after that is killed by the poison as well. Everything went downhill very fast in the play.
Overall I thought it was a good play, but still the Shakespearian language will always be one that is near impossible for me to understand. It helped me that we frequently paused and took notes, but still the true message of what a character is trying to say is veiled by language too complex for me. Compared to his other plays this was one of my favorites along with Macbeth.
Laura Ahlrep
ReplyDelete"When our deep plots do pall; and that should learn us/ There's a divinity that shapes our ends." (Act 5, Scene 2 10-11)
In the quote above it relates to the book as a whole because Hamlet is discussing to Horatio how there is a God who gives us a purpose to our lives and will give us our time to die and we should recognize it. It fills the whole plot of the book because of how everyone in the story seemed to fill up their purpose to their ends. Such as Hamlet accepting his death at the end of the play as well as Laertes.
Now that we have finished I thought it was overrall a better play than the other Shakespeare works we have read in school. Mostly because it was filled with lots of action which keeps me interested but at the same time it was really easy to know where the story was going and how it was going to end.
“Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day,/ All in the morning betime,/ And I a maid at your window,/ To be your Valentine...” (4.5.53-60)
ReplyDeleteIt is Valentine's Day by the way but I chose this quote because in my opinion it sets the tone for the rest of the play. That is, everyone is almost in their own kind of madness and ironically like Ophelia end up dieing from it. Laertes mind is bent on revenging his father and sister. Because of his unclear state of mind he ended up blinding himself from the real Satan in the play, Claudius. If his mind was clear he would have noticed Claudius manipulative tendencies. But instead he ended up blinding himself from the truth and as a self proclaimed “pelican” he sold himself to the devil and died by his own works. Then Claudius is mad in a sense that he's stuck on being the cause to everything bad that's happening. The Queen is completely oblivious to everything despite being connected to the turn of events, in a way that makes her mad because a mad person isn't really aware of reality. Then Hamlet is mad by his own creation. He wasn't really mad but acting in an “antic disposition” helped him lose credibility in the eyes of those that really could have helped him, except his trusty friend Horatio. Horatio would have committed a Juliet act if it wasn't for Hamlets good reasoning. We could say that Horatio was the only one that overcame the depths of madness but O' the lengths we go for love- even madness.
Overall, I actually liked the play. Everyone deserved what they got in my opinion and I just like the Shakespearean language and description of things in general. What I didn't like about it though is its sense of comedy. It may have been funny during Shakespeare's time but like today we can have a sick sense of humor which I don't like.
Derek Decker
ReplyDelete"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away." - Hamlet (5.1.220-221)
Here, Hamlet visits a graveyard upon returning from his abortive exile to England. Seeing this showed Hamlet how it mattered not what people did in their fleeting lives, because they will become one with the Earth. Julius Caesar may have possessed incredible power over the Roman Republic, but after his assassination, he was the same as every other corpse. This makes Hamlet wonder what life means if we ultimately just turn to dust.
In my honest opinion, Hamlet is overrated somewhat. I'm no scholar, so maybe this is just too highbrow for me. I just found myself unable to understand and therefore incapable of relating to Hamlet. Something about him just felt so forced.
Jaina Shah
ReplyDelete“O, I die, Horatio.The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit.I cannot live to hear the news from England.But I do prophesy the election lightsOn Fortinbras. He has my dying voice.So tell him, with th' occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited. The rest is silence.O, O, O, O. “(Act 5 s 2 lines 390-395)
I thought this quote was really important because it’s Hamlet talking last time. Through the whole play Hamlet has been talking and he finally got what his dad wanted him to do. He telling Horatio that he would not live to hear the news England and Fortinbras will win the election. In the end he didn’t get to be the king but he got what his dad asked him to do.
I thought the play was interesting. I am not big fan of Shakespeare, but I really liked Hamlet, and I was able to follow it. I like the part that movie followed the book really well and the character played the Hamlet very well. The scene three was a little confusing but other than I liked Hamlet.
April Dick
ReplyDelete"And where th' offense is, let the great ax fall. I pray you, go with me." (Act 4 Sc. 5 L. 244-245)
-The King
The King's promise to Laertes regarding his father's death is ironic because the King had some sort of involvement and wasn't completely innocent. By the end of the play, everyone who is involved in Polonius' death is killed, including the King. Shakespeare uses this irony to foreshadow the multiple deaths at the end of the play.
Hamlet was incredibly tragic at the very end. It certainly didn't leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside, especially when some of the more innocent characters met an undeserving fate. The play was more engaging than other Shakespeare plays that we've read at school though.
Jenn Hergert
ReplyDelete"Let four captains/ Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage,/ For he was likely, had he been put on,/ To have proved most royal; and for his passage,/ The soldier's music and the rite of war/ Speak loudly for him."
This is Fortinbras talking about giving the highest honors to Hamlet in burial. I don't really understand how Fortinbras came to the decision to do this, being that he never really met Hamlet, his country was invaded by Hamlet's father, and Horatio hasn't told him the story yet. I don't really see Hamlet as being that honorable of a person; after all he caused the death of many innocent people, not just the death of his uncle, which was supposed to be his true purpose. But anyway, this quote is significant to the play as a whole because it tries to turn Hamlet into some kind of hero, which depending on your own view of his character, he may or may not be.
After finishing the play, I have to say, all I felt was annoyance for Hamlet. He was a little weakling who tried to get revenge for his father death by using innocent people, making them feel horrible and eventually killing them. Ophelia and Laertes both had absolutely nothing to do with Claudius and his murder of King Hamlet, but Prince Hamlet dragged them both into his stupid revenge plot, caused Ophelia to go mad and drown, and made Laertes quite upset after killing his father...which eventually led to Laertes' death. Polonius and Gertrude are less innocent than Ophelia and Laertes, but still they didn't know anything about Claudius and the murder, and somehow Hamlet managed to get them killed too. I was excited to read this play, especially because I loved reading Macbeth (Actually I think Macbeth is my favorite book that I've read in school), but I was kind of disappointed to find that the main character of Hamlet was a whiny user (and murderer!) of others that got made into a hero at the end...Don't get me wrong, Macbeth killed innocent people too, but he got what was coming to him. And he was not made into a hero for all of his misdeeds.
Anna Billmaier
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
“Compounded it with dust, whereto ‘tis kin.” -Hamlet (Act IV, Scene 2, line 6).
This is Hamlet's response when Rosencrantz asks him what he did with Polonius' body. Hamlet does not tell Rosencrantz exactly what he did with the body, but rather states that he buried him with the dust, where he belongs. This is yet another reference to the repetitive theme throughout the play that man originates from dust (like Adam), and when man dies, they go back to being nothing but dust.
Hamlet is one of the better of Shakespeare's plays that I have read. I liked reading it out loud and going over the meaning of the lines helps me better understand what was going on and made me gain more appreciation for the story. One thing I would like to have known is what role the Queen played in all of this. She was somewhat assumed innocent throughout the entirety of the story, but nothing was ever stated one way or the other. I don't think there was something I especially liked or didn't like regarding the plot itself. I did like watching the movie after reading the acts because it helped put a picture to the actions taking place when we read.
"...the foul practice hath turned itself on me. Lo, here I lie, never to rise again. Thy mother's poisoned. I can no more. The King, the King's to blame." (V.II.348-351)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is from when Laertes was dying and admitted that he and the king were involved in a plot to kill Hamlet. This is important because this gave Hamlet all the evidence he needed to force the poison down the kings throat and kill him. This also turned all the people against the King and Laertes and they seemed to put their trust with Hamlet.
Hamlet was an interesting play. I though the plot was well put together and very layered because of how the story kept putting things together piece by piece until the dramatic ending where all the schemes and feelings came out.
Brody Hovatter
ReplyDelete"But I am very sorry, good Horatio, that to Laertes I forgot myself, for by the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his." (5.2.85-88)
Just before Hamlet is informed of the impending duel that is going to take place between himself and Laertes, he confesses to Horatio that he is sorry for the way he has treated Laertes. Laertes and Hamlet used to be friends, and Hamlet says that, "...By the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his," meaning that Laertes is in a situation not too different from his own.
Overall, I thought the play was pretty interesting. Although the plot is a little outrageous, it makes for a good story. I liked a lot of the dialogue, especially because there is usually more meaning behind what each character says. I also liked how in the end Hamlet discovered that there is meaning to life. My only dislike was that Hamlet continually talked of taking action but never did anything.
Kirsten Zoba
ReplyDeleteLaertes: "Lay her i' th' earth,/ And from her fair and unpolluted flesh/ May violets spring!" (V, scene 2, ln. 248-250)
Ophelia's death s being dicussed-- the doctor notes that because she has committed suicide she is supposed to be buried at a crossroads and "flints and pebbles should be thrown on her". However, her royal blood prevents this from happening. This quote also relates to the ever-appearing concept of 'dust to dust, ashes to ashes'.
Though I'm not particularly a fan of Shakespeare, Hamlet, along with Macbeth are the two most interesting. There are plenty of characters and events occuring that make it interesting. And the notes we take really do help.
Katie Martens
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
“There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, it will come. The readiness is all.” (5.II.233-234)
I liked this quote because it has to be read a few times in order to fully grasp what Shakespeare is trying to portray. This is another part of the book that shows how Hamlet believes that there is a purpose to life. When he is talking about the sparrow, he is saying that a sparrow never falls without God knowing about it. The part that talks about the “readiness is all” is saying that you have to be ready at anytime to follow God.
Overall I enjoyed the play. There were a few parts that I felt were unnecessary and did not contribute to the plot, but I was still interested throughout the book. I also liked how it showed progress. For example, a lot of the book Hamlet does not know the purpose to life. As shown in my quote, he finds this purpose towards the end of the story.
Erik Enselman
ReplyDelete"One woe doth tread upon anothers heel, so fast they follow. Your sisters drowned Laertes"
4.7.187-188
This quote is important to the story because it explains that all of the tragedys are following so close to each other that there is really nothing you can do about it. Also, it gives Laertes another reason to blame Hamlet for everything since after the death of Ophelias father, she has gone crazy, which is mostly all Hamlets fault.
Most of the play I actually enjoyed. Some of it was boring but overall it was good.I feel that the story kindoff skips around a little but in the end it all makes sense. I also really enjoy the movie.
Mark Galambos
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read of Shakespeare, Hamlet was one of the plays I liked more than others. I enjoy the large amount of sarcasm Shakespeare uses in Hamlet, really fits my style. Some parts were confusing, it is often diffuclt to grasp what Shakespeare means; it takes a lot of background knowledge to understand all of the allusions in the text, luckily there are notes on the side.
Tori Weisel
ReplyDelete“…their grand commission; where I found, Horatio, a royal knavery – an exact command, larded with many several sorts of reasons importing Denmark’s health and England’s too, with – ho! – such bugs and goblins in my life…” (V.2.21-25).
This quote is significant because at this time in the play is when Hamlet is held “captive” on the pirate ship and he finds the letters that Claudius sent to tell the people in England to kill Hamlet. Also while Hamlet was on the ship he started to realize that there just might be a purpose to life.
I thought overall the book Hamlet wasn’t that bad. At times it could get a little confusing, but for the most part it was quite interesting. I also thought that some parts of the book were rather boring.
Brian Gleadle
ReplyDeleteHamlet: To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander till he find it stopping a bunghole?
(5.1.209-211)
At this point in the book Hamlet is with Horatio in the graveyard and they are talking about a skull Hamlet just picked up. He reiterates a biblical allusion that he's been developing the entire book, and that is from the phrase, from the dust we were created and to the dust we shall return. He goes on to say that it is ironic that the Great Alexander could return to dust and end up being used to stop up a barrel. Because in the end we all just turn to dust.
Opinion on the book as a whole. Something i will never read again. There was literally no aspects of it that grabbed my attention, and the fact that there were so many biblical allusions turned my interest as well. I dont like to think as I read, i just get lost in the text and this isnt a book one can just "read", you have to work at it, and thats just undue effort to me, I would be fine never reading another Shakespearian book or poem for the rest of my life.
Denisse Manrique
ReplyDelete"So shall you hear of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, of accidental judgments, casual slaughters, of deaths put on by cunning and forces cause, and, in this upshot, purposes mistook fall'n on th'inventors' heads." V.2.422-428
I found this quote said by Horatio to Fortinbras describing the events that occurred very interesting. I thought that the way he simplified the betrayal misunderstandings and injustices was brilliant. Shakespeare outdid himself here, he made all of these tragic events seem so simple to understand. When the whole book was a web of self denial, ambition, love and vengeance. I liked how the book was practically wrapped up into that simple and small quote.
I enjoyed the book. I thought it was going to be painful to read like some of Shakespeares other plays, but to my surprise it wasn't. I liked the character Hamlet and the dark humor in his self hatred and hi outlook on life. The movie was nothing like how i pictured the play to be. The movie was funny and i had a hard time taking it seriously.
Jade Baumann
ReplyDelete"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will."
Hamlet
This quote is towards the end of the book, when hamlet begins thinking more and more about death. The line, there's a divinity that shapes our ends, is stating that everyone has a destiny for them, which has an end planned out for them. Noone can tell what shall come. This is very significant to the play, because it seemed each death of a character happened without warning or any way of fortelling.
I enjoyed this play very much actually. It kept me hooked, wanting to know what hamlet was going to do to get his revenge on the King. And then when hamlet accidentally stabbed Polonius instead, is when it really got interesting. Although it was shakespeare, making it a hard to read play, it was still enjoyable.
Dan McMillan
ReplyDelete5,1,216
Alexander died Alexander was burried Alexander retunrneth to dust: the dust is earth; of earth we make loam...
This quote goes back the the question what is the quintessence of dust. Basically Hamlet is saying that dust is ash and that everyone faces death and everyone turns into ashes when they die. Even great people such as Caesar who he mentined earlier in the book.
Considering that this was Sakespeare and i have had trouble in the past enjoying his work this was a little different. I feel as though some parts were rather interesting and watching the movie along with reading help me understand the play that much more.
Craig Thomas
ReplyDelete"in heaven. send thither to see. if your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself..."
This quote is where hamlet is talking to the king about polonius after he has been killed. Hamlet is saying to send a messenger to heaven to look for him there and if he does not find him search yourself in the other place a.k.a hell.
Overall i did not find Hamlet to enjoyable. They style of writing i found really hard to understand and keep up with. except the metophores which i actually enjoyed cause it made it challenging almost like a riddle to figure out what message was being portrayed
Maxx Forde
ReplyDelete"I loved Ophelia: Forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum."
-Hamlet (5.1)
This quote shows that Hamlet has changed and is seeing things more clearly now. Since he was being rather harsh to Ophelia before, what he's saying could mean that he was being mean to her before in order to spite others and now realizes that it shouldn't have mattered before. It shows that he is evolving and just is becoming more understanding as a person, although this doesn't quite extend to his uncle given the circumstances at hand.
Now that we're done with Hamlet, my reaction to it is that it was a great story, and actually, I'd have to say it was definitely one of my two favorite from Shakespeare. Even though he was a somewhat gloomy character, I liked the character of Hamlet because you are able to idenftify with him somewhat when you're down or angry, even though we wouldn't do the things that he's thinks about or attempts to do. What I didn't really like about it was the Shakespeare language, which, although it can be comprehended, is somewhat unnecessary. Overall I thought it was a good book though.