6. There is a definite relationship between the characters Hamlet and Prince Fortinbras. They are such opposites but this gives them a connection. Hamlet also seems to somewhat admire Prince Fortinbras and his ruthless technique. Hamlet talks about how a truly great person will fight whenever honor is at stake. It seems to me that Hamlet is calling Prince Fortinbras a truly great person because he wants to kill for no real reason except dignity.
Scene 5
1. A gentlemen tells the Queen that Ophelia has gone mad. Gertrude tells him to let Ophelia in. When she comes in Ophelia wigs out and starts singing of love, death, and sex. The King comes in and when Ophelia leaves he tells Horatio to watch over her. Claudius talks about how Laertes is back and rumors that are going around saying the king killed him. Laertes bursts in screaming of revenge and then his insane sister, Ophelia, comes in still singing. She leaves and the King continues defending himself.
2. This scene let the audience in on the mental states of some of the main characters. It shows the Kings new worries, tells how Ophelia has snapped, and explains how now we have another son bent on revenging his fathers murder. That last part actually introduced a whole new subplot. And the plot thickens.
5. Ophelia seemed to have snapped rather quickly. I know her father died but that calls for crying and sleeping not singing creepy songs and going nuts. She didn't seem to have been to terribly hung up on Hamlet so I don't think it was that. That whole section just seemed kind of unbelievable to me unless there is something else going on I don't know about.
Scene 6
3. This scene makes no sense to me. Are the pirates parts of Claudius's plan to have Hamlet killed? Is Hamlet lying to make them believe that he is out of the picture? If so, why have the letter sent to Horatio? Or is this just some at random weird plot twist? Also, if he's being held captive how was he able to send a letter?
4. "I have words to speak in thine ear that will make thee dumb," Hamlet finds time to be poetic even while being held by pirates. What a trouper. "They have dealt with me like thieves of mercy, but they know what they did: I am to do a good turn for them," Hamlet never really says why he was taken and it made me wonder if he had to avoid saying it incase the letters were intercepted. Because maybe the "good turn" is against Claudius.
6. I like the relationship between Horatio and Hamlet. Hamlet
considers them to be buddies while Horatio looks at him like a superior. Hamlet constantly asks him to speak to him im a more casual manner but Horatio doesn't. They remind me of the couple from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean but with less sexual tension.
Scene 7
4. "Laertes, was your father dear to you? Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, a face without a heart?" I would just want to beat the crap out of him if he said this to me. I just think it's ironic that Claudius should make Laertes seem obligated to revenge his fathers death when Claudius killed Hamlets father. It's a crazy world. "We should do when we would; for this 'would' changes," the King pushes Laertes into killing Hamlet but it sounds so neat.
5. Is Hamlet really so invincible that not only do they plan to drive a large pointy object through him but they also have to poison him? I just think that's a little over kill. Claudius did the same think with Hamlets father. Did he really have use poison that gave him painful boils all over? Claudius must have some other resentful grudge against his brother or maybe he's just one of those types of people that get off on watching others suffer.
6. Laertes must hate Hamlet so much. First he thought that Hamlet was trying to get into his sisters pants and take her virginity. Then he finds out Hamlet has killed his father which in turn has pushed his sister over the edge. As if that weren't enough, Ophelia drowns herself and even though that may not be Hamlets fault I'm sure Laertes blames him.
1. In this scene Claudius finds out from Gertrude that Hamlet went insane and killed Polonius. They get Hamlets college buddies, Rosencrantz and Guildersern, to collect the body. Claudius is worried about how this will reflect on the royal house.
2. This scene is significant because the king learns of the murder and decides that Hamlet's freedom is "full of threats to all." This scene lets you in on how the king wants to deal with Hamlet but it doesn't let you know the whole of it. It also lets the audience know that the Queen has dismissed her son as nuts and it seems like she will let Claudius do whatever he wants to do with Hamlet.
3. It seems to me like the king wants to keep the murder business on the down low but I don't really understand why. I also don't understand why they would send Rosencrantz and Guildersern to collect the body. Wouldn't it be smarter to send guards instead of poets? Also, was there a different way of dealing with the criminally insane in that age? If you were an aristocrat homicidal maniac did you get imprisoned with better treatment or just hung with the masses? How did they execute people back then?
4. The Queen calls Hamlet, "mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is mightier." I just love that line; it such an amusing metaphor and also uses this great personification to build the image up in your mind. Claudius is so self focused that upon hearing the death of his advisor he first worries about himself. He wonders aloud, "It will be laid to us, whose province should have been kept sort, restrained and out of haunt this mad young man."
5. King Claudius seems like such a narcissist to me. He hears a friend has just died and his first reaction is how it would affect him. It makes me wonder if he had this all planned out long before his affair with Gertrude. Maybe he seduced her as part of his plan. He seems to keep his cool the majority of the time. He constantly has this, "all goes according to plan," evil cartoon character personality. Hamlet completely through him off with the murder and you can tell that the king is panicking.
Scene 2
1. In this scene Hamlet has just finished hiding the body of Polonius when Rosencrantz and Guildensern arrive on the kings orders. They try to talk Hamlet into showing them where the body is and returning with them to Claudius. Hamlet refuses to reveal the body but agrees to go with them to the King.
2. Hamlet gives himself to Claudius. Couldn't get more significant than that. He agrees to go see the king right after he murdered one of his closest advisors. I don't think I would stick around to find out what the king would do. Hamlet makes a major decision in this scene which majorly affects the turn out of the play.
3. Has Hamlet really lost it? This has similarities to the downward spiral of a serial killer. He has the blood lust. Is Claudius going to go easy on him and play up the whole "my nephew is a psycho" bit or will he through the book at him? Would Gertrude let Claudius through the book at Hamlet?
Scene 3
3. I don't understand where Hamlet dumped Polonius' body. He talks about the worms chowing down on him but then he tells them that they can find him up the stairs and in the lobby. So, where's the body. I also don't understand why Claudius doesn't just kill Hamlet himself.
He obviously doesn't have a problem killing people. He even has reason to sentence him to death; why doesn't he just kill Hamlet himself?
4. I love the stand off between Hamlet and Claudius. When Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius is and Hamlet says, "At supper." Claudius asks, "At supper where?" and Hamlet replies, "Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic are e'en at him." That's so hilarious. Hamlet's such a smart ass. "A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king," Hamlet throws Claudius in his place with this remark. He belittles Claudius but it sounds so pretty.
7. Hamlet is getting paranoid and thinking that all the characters are against him. Ironically, this makes him look insane and turns all of the characters against him. He seems to be getting sloppy. Hamlet is has put the revenge of his fathers death above his own well being. It's becoming more and more a selfish act driven on by Hamlets ego. He's loosing control of himself and getting desperate. He's just nuts
scene 4
2. This scene completely backs up my point that Hamlet isn't seeking revenge for his father but for himself. He has justified any rash decisions he will make in the future all because some spoiled royal brat, Prince Fortingras, wants to go to battle over some worthless piece of Poland. I don't think Hamlet realizes that it has become a matter of his own "honor" and has nothing to do with his father any longer.
