5.1 Hamlet Discussion

Hi folks.  Some weird stuff in this scene... Skulls??  Jokes??  Disturbing puns??  Fist-fights inside a grave??  Alexander the Great stopping up a beer barrel??  More allusions to Hercules??  Whaaa?

The Royal Shakespeare Company does a great job bringing the scene to life-- especially that saucy grave digger.  I recommend reading the scene first and annotating, then watching the video.  After that: post a discussion question/comment with a quote.  Only one required this time, so make 'em good. :)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLO5IdAl-q8
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVHu5BTylbM

Hamlet, Act 3, scene 4 Discussion: Things get intense!

Hi again everyone.  It is seriously so fun to see you all analyze this stuff.

Be sure you're solid on scenes 2 and 3 before getting to scene 4; we see important action transpire via the players' play in scene 2 (some key moments-- Hamlet's speech to Horatio; the interactions between Hamlet and Ophelia; Claudius' reaction to the play; Hamlet's altercation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  Another funny bit about this scene-- many people think that Hamlet's instructions to the players about not over-acting were Shakespeare's deliberate and indirect way of insulting of Will Kempe, the gregarious comedian who broke from Shakespeare's acting troupe in a huff.  Tee hee.)  You might discover other key points-- what moments from this scene do YOU find telling?  Also, scene 3 gives us super interesting insight on Mr. Claudius, AND on Hamlet's revenge strategizing.  I'm excited for you guys to discuss all that tomorrow. :)

Now!  Onto scene 4: I will be very honest.  Because this scene takes place in Gertrude's bedroom, and because it's just Hamlet and Gertrude, and because Hamlet is railing against her for her "bedroom choices," and because he's super worked up, some productions have taken this an extra step and have implied throught the acting that Hamlet is actually "into" his mother and turn it into an Oedipal thing.  I have talked with several other English teachers about that, and-- other than the above mentioned circumstances-- there's really nothing in the text to warrant that.  The RSC scene, although uncomfortable to watch, keeps it realistic and makes no such unwarranted Oedipal leaps.  Pay especially close attention to the text when the ghost arrives.  Gertrude's reaction to the ghost is hard to figure out; are there any specifications in text to help clarify it, or is this one more ambiguous moment from Shakespeare?  These are all things to consider, but let your own ideas and analysis direct the conversation. 

The scene is attached below, if you all like being able to see it played out:

Part One of the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOjpvNPr3JU
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay502y7aspo

Once again, you get to discuss this scene however you see fit.  Keep your analysis grounded in the text (use quotes) and use proper grammar and spelling.  Have at it!

Hamlet: Act 3, scene 1 Discussion

Hi folks!  If you want to see the scene play out in live action, feel free to watch the videos provided in the links below.  NOTE: For whatever reason, the Royal Shakespeare Company decided to move the scene where Polonius is questioning Hamlet about what he's reading ("Words, words, words.") into the end of this scene.  I have no idea why they did that; in my opinion, it destroys the tension.  However, everything else about this production is pretty great, so we'll keep it up anyway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nM_Oqd6Ers (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1geIIDdrV7c (Part 2: "To be" through "Get thee to a nunnery")

DISCUSSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Post a comment in response to this post, discussing the scene.  I give you all total ownership in discovering meaning here.  Pick a quote, come up with a discussion question, and have at at.  Know that everything Shakespeare did in this scene is intentional, so think about what he's trying to reveal through it.  Try to post two comments before class tomorrow.  If discussion is occurring in a frenzy, and you want to just respond to other comments with both your posts, do so.  But if discussion is wobbling along, use one of your comments to stoke the discussion with a question.  We need practice with embedding quotes and staying tightly connected to the text, so reference the text in both of your comments.  In other words, you should have a quote in there.

Also: use correct grammar and punctuation please.

You all are SMART and it is okay if you make mistakes, and there's no such thing as a dumb question, especially when you're dealing with tough language like this.  So discuss boldly and recklessly! :)

Sonnet Instructions!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!  I hope you're all feeling deliciously well fed. :)

Instructions for the sonnet:

• 14 lines
• Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
• Each quatrain should have its own contained idea, and the ending couplet should provide the "key" to understanding the poem.
• Do your best to write in iambic pentameter (each line should be 10 syllables of alternating unstressed/stressed syllables: "i WANT to EAT the WHOLE enTIre PIE!"  But-- obviously-- you can spell normally.)
• Remember, serious form often relates to significant subjects.  Not a requirement; just a suggestion.

Also: here are ways that Shakespeare allowed himself to bend the rules a little when the rhyming and meter got tough:

• You can combine words to take out a syllable; just note the missing letters with an apostrophe: "It is" --> "'tis" / "In faith" simply becomes " 'Faith" / "Overtook in his rousing" becomes "o'ertook in’s rouse."  Try not to do this too often, but if you're desperate, combine!
• You can also write a line of 11 syllables, provided the last syllable is unstressed.  This is called a "feminine ending," because it is is unstressed.   And seeing as women never get stressed, it makes sense.
• He also sometimes invented words.  Not saying you should start Dr. Seussing or anything, but if we're emulating The Bard... well, the man did coin some diction!

And if you're feeling REALLY ambitious...

• Consider employing some of the literary devices we've been discovering this year.  Employ beautiful words to convey a soothing tone; employ harsh and ugly words to convey a disturbed tone.
• Figurative language is also great: personfication, paradox, metaphor, simile... have at 'em!
• Imagery can be great if you want to create some symbolism-- think of all the symbolic meanings associated with things found in nature!  Could some of those lend themselves to your meaning?

Finally: it's okay if it's not brilliant! 

The main reason we're doing this is so that you all internalize the form and function of a sonnet, as well as experience the challenge of writing in meter and verse so that you can better appreciate what Shakespeare did.  But I don't expect you to write like Shakespeare (Keaton, you can consider that a challenge), so don't put too much pressure on yourself!  I'm excited to read them!!

Need inspiration?  The link below will take you to a website where Shakespeare's sonnets can be read to your hearts' content.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/

Video: Hamlet, Act 1, scene 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-tYlYJ0PJM  (start the scene at about 3:50 if you want to go straight to scene 5)

Questions to consider as you watch this and look over the scene in your scripts:
1.) How does the ghost say he was murdered?
2.) What does the ghost tell Hamlet about Gertrude, or any plans Hamlet may form to avenge himself against her?
3.) After the ghost leaves, Hamlet is frantically processing what the ghost has told him.  In your opinion, does the text imply Hamlet is becoming mentally unstable?
4.) When Horatio and Marcellus enter, Hamlet greets them oddly.  (David Tennant does a great job emphasizing the strangeness of Hamlet's words; an actor could choose to play those lines much more straight, but even so, the lines seem bizarre, and the iambic pentameter falls apart.  Horatio points out, aptly, "These are but wild and whirling words!")  Why do you think Hamlet has them repeatedly swear they will not tell anyone what they have seen that night?  (NOTE: in the play, there is no specific stage instruction for Hamlet to cut his hand.)  Why would Hamlet greet them so strangely, or make jokes about the ghost's rumbles, calling the ghost "an old mole" and "truepenny" (slang for "honest old fellow.")  Why would Shakespeare malign the verse in this part?
5.) What does it mean when Hamlet tells his two friends that, from here on out, he "might think it meet to put an antic disposition on"?

Analysis:
1.) Hamlet tells his father's ghost "with wings as swift as meditation or thoughts of love [I will] sweep to my revenge" but at the end of the scene he says: "Oh cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right."  Do you think Hamlet is eager to avenge his father's murder?  Do you expect he'll be good at taking that revenge?  What clues from the text inform your guesses?
2.) In your opinion, is Hamlet acting mad (insane) here, actually going mad here, or just emotionally distraught, as would be expected?

Hamlet video: Act 1, scene 1

Click on the link below to watch the opening scene of Hamlet.  NOTE: although Hamlet is written to take place during the medieval era in Denmark, modern productions often set it in a more contemporary time period.  In this production, Hamlet is set in modern day.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-NLnsq3P7Y

Antigone Blog: due by 11:59pm, 11-15-2013

In the lecture I gave you all on Tragedy, there was a quote towards the end from an introduction of the Theban plays, discussing Antigone.  The quote states:

“[Here is] tragedy– not in the martyrdom of obvious right under obvious wrong, but in the far more bitter, and at the same time more exhilerating, contest between two passionately held principles of right, each partly justifiable, and each to a degree (though one more than the other) vitiated by stubborn blindness to the merits of the opposite.” (Watling 11)

The quote reminds us that, although Creon's edict is ultimately shown by Sophocles to be incorrect, the two principles at odds are both essentially valid: on the one hand, the play is concerned with upholding the security of the city; on the other, we are confronted with the importance of upholding the timeless will of the gods.  Antigone ultimately would have posed a very challenging conundrum to its original audience since-- as the Chorus demonstrates-- at times, one principle seems more valid; at times, the other emerges as best.

Your assignment:

• Based on the character you were assigned, write a first-person justification of that character's perspective.  Some characters struggle with both (or more!) principles, so explain fully the thought process of those characters.  Some characters have a controversial stance, so (in character) justify that stance as passionately as that character would.
• Do your best to emulate the style of speech used in the play, and incorporate at least three CDs from the play, with citations.  Those quotes should be lines that your character actually says.
• Shoot for two long-ish paragraphs, and remember to incorporate those three CDs.

Remember: it's our job as readers to seek to understand these characters, not judge them.  Although it may be tempting to showcase your character as a two-dimensional nincompoop, try to imagine yourself actually in their shoes, and do your best to explore their complex motivations.

Part Assignments:

Antigone: Cassidy, Hannah S, Bryce

Haemon: Eric, Mariah, Keaton 

Teresias: Jon, Hanna K,  Nathan

Chorus: Madison, Amy, Rachel

Ismene: Mel, Tori, Dani

Creon: Sonia, Leyla, Matthew