Beginning of class
- Smith lectured to us about staying focused
- Remember Smith has a visitor coming for our next fishbowl on Monday December, 1st… Make her look good!
Questions:
- What was the tipping point of Ophelia’s madness? What event or action was the thing that finally sent her over the edge?
- How did Ophelia drown? If she were being watched wouldn’t she have been safe?
- What good is there in revenge? Does it, or has it brought about any peace in anyone so far in the story?
- Is it Claudius’ idea or Laertes’ idea to kill Hamlet in the fencing match? Why?
- Why are the first four scenes so short and to the point in act four, where as scene five is longer than all of them combined?
- Why does Ophelia choose to portray her madness in song? Is this symbolic in anyway? If so how?
Homework: Start to write paper over the brake
8 comments:
Ophelia's turnign point of madness is when her father Polonius is murdered. Ophelia spent her whole life listening to what the male figure has told her to do and since either the male figure has turned on her, or been killed she doesnt know what to do with her life so she becomes crazy
I think that Ophelia sings her sorrows to make them seem less signifigant. Songs make things more innocent but at the same time easier to understand. I think that her song allows her to express herself without making herself more vulnerable.
* What was the tipping point of Ophelia’s madness? What event or action was the thing that finally sent her over the edge?
Pelonious's death.
* How did Ophelia drown? If she were being watched wouldn’t she have been safe?
In her crazed state, she fell into the water and tried breathing it. It would depend on who she was being watched by.
* What good is there in revenge? Does it, or has it brought about any peace in anyone so far in the story?
The only good in revenge is the satisfaction the avenging party feels. So far, it has not brought any peace, just an increased desire for revenge.
* Is it Claudius’ idea or Laertes’ idea to kill Hamlet in the fencing match? Why?
Claudius, he wanted Hamlet dead first.
* Why are the first four scenes so short and to the point in act four, where as scene five is longer than all of them combined?
The first four scenes were short to build tension, the fifth scene was long because so much of the story transpired during it.
* Why does Ophelia choose to portray her madness in song? Is this symbolic in anyway? If so how?
She was crazy, I don't know that there's much symbolism to read in it.
I believe the true point of madness manifested itself for Ophelia in Polonius' death. It is obvious that in Ophelia's state of mind she happened to fall into the water, and could not find a sense of life within the water causing her to drown without the aid of a helping hand, this portrays the fact that Ophelia was dealt with in such a manner that no one really paid attention to her actions. There is an old saying in that the best revenge is living well, but in Hamlet's case there was really no chance of living well in that he was under lock and key in his own palace. peace has not been had. It is Claudius' idea considering he knew already that Hamlet was out to seek revenge for his father's death, and in hopes to take care of Hamlet first he sets up this fencing match with the poisoned sword. I believe the scenes are shorter to convey the fact that Shakespeare is setting the stage for a truly epic ending to a tale. The prior scenes foreshadow the ending in a manner that is almost transparent, yet not quite obvious. The melodic tone of Ophelia's song is to show that madness comes with a tone, just in any music, melody can make us feel a certain way emotionally. In fact there is quite a large amount of research prone to this interesting phenomena.
Why are the first four scenes so short and to the point in act four, where as scene five is longer than all of them combined?
The first 4 scenes are short and quick because they help build up the suspense to the 5th scene. Each of the first 4 scenes are really and don't drag on. They get the readers attention and y go by fast. While the 5th scene is full of a lot of information and is a turing point in the story, thats why it is longer then the act's previous scenes.
Ophelia’s tipping point was when her father died. She lost the last male figure that she could depend on; Hamlet has turned away from her, her brother is out of the country and then all of a sudden her father dies. She has no one, and with being so frail, she was simply lost. It would have been easy for her to drown herself, if someone wants to do something, nothing can really get in their way. The portrayal of her madness through song was probably because she doesn’t really know how to think for herself, she had always depended on these men in her life and so now she depended on songs that were already written to express her sorrow for everything that had happened. It was Claudius’ idea to have the fencing match, he knew it was something Hamlet wouldn’t turn down and Laertes wouldn’t either. He was using what he knew would be accepted by Laertes, so the plan would have no way of backfiring. The scenes in act four are so short because it is the climax of the play, everything is building up to the ending. Shakespeare is trying to show the audience that revenge brings nothing but trouble and is a vicious, never-ending circle in this play. The only peace in this story occurs once everyone is dead.
I don't believe there is any good in revenge. I think that people that want revenge have so much hate and anger stored up inside of them that they become willing to push their moral limits to the breaking point, making them kill/hurt the people around them. They feel that through revenge their hurt could have an outlet and wouldn't hang around their neck anymore, however, soon they become obsessed and the revenge ultimately does far more harm than good.
I'm not sure if this is the blog that we answer the question on, but I will anyway. To respond to the questions, "What good is there in revenge? Does it, or has it brought about any peace in anyone so far in the story?" My answer is no. There really is'nt any good in revenge. I say this because although it may make one person or character feel better about something, it nearly always seems to trigger something else. Like, when one person gets their revenge, the acts that they committed only make someone else seek revenge against them. Revenge has not brought about any peace in the story of Hamlet because when the characters want revenge, it is an all consuming feeling, and mission.
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