DRJ #4- Acts 4 & 5

My first reaction with Act 4 is that Claudius feels he could have met the same fate as Polonius the 0099 Curtain Spy. Hamlet's blade was meant for Claudius. Polonius' death was just a prelude to more deaths to come, albeit none were as amusing as his. Earlier the Infamous Mr. C and 0099 Curtain Spy were behind the curtains when Hamlet was talking to Ophelia in Act 3 Scene 1 and it was a successful recon mission. But Polonius pushed his luck too far and paid a price. After Polonius’ death the whole play takes on a very different tone, it’s not all about Hamlet’s madness, but it is about putting plans into action. Both Hamlet and Claudius attempt to put an end to the other; Claudius by sending Hamlet to England and have him killed, and Hamlet trying to muster the will to thrust a sword through Claudius. Hamlet now knew he was capable of killing and became more brazen in his plans. The deaths of the characters were not all heroic but Hamlet seems to have come out as a more honorable person. Unfortunately Hamlet had to die also in order for the “rotten in Denmark” to be completely purged.
The Gravediggers give a common man’s view of the kingdom and of death. Though they only show up in Act 5 Scene 1, they play a vital part in the final scenes of the play by giving a perspective of death to Hamlet that he had not considered. When they talk about the idea of suicide when digging Ophelia’s grave, they discuss if suicide is a forgivable sin. Hamlet was contemplating suicide in earlier scenes. After Hamlet hears those words and then sees that it is Ophelia that is being placed in the grave he sees death in a different light after that point. When the gravediggers play with the skulls, it shows that no matter how royal your blood may be, when you die, the worms eat you and you become simply a bag of bones that can be tossed back and forth and used as a prop for a joke. Hamlet shows his disgust with what the gravediggers are doing when he says “That skull had a tongue in it and could sing once. How the knave jowls it to the ground, as if it were Cain’s jawbone,that did the first murder! It might be the pate of a politician, which this ass now o'erreaches, one that would circumvent God, might it not?" He sees how his own bones will be lying there one day and he had no control if they were to be defiled.
Mortality is a theme that fits well with Acts 4 and 5. Each main character meets their demise by the end of the play whether they deserved death or not. Persons of royalty feel as if they will live forever, but Hamlet learned in the gravedigger scene that no one lives forever and all are mortal. Even though we feel that Gertrude should have been spared, she is still “rotten” as is the whole kingdom. No one is innocent in this kingdom. If any of the ruling royalty had lived, the lingering stench of a corrupt kingdom would have still permeated in the castle. Even Hamlet had to die to purge the kingdom of its putrid state. That sounds harsh I know, but the only way to purge corruption, deceit, madness and sin is to purge it completely and start over. Hamlet addressed mortality and began to understand what death meant, that we all return to dust when he said “No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth into 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? Imperious Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe, Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!”

DRJ#3-Hamlet-Act 3

My first reaction was what the heck is up with all the curtain spying going on, was that some sort of standard spying protocol in those days? We find in Scene 3 that even though Hamlet is spiraling out of control with his plots and plans, it is revealed that Claudius did in fact kill The King, and Hamlet's revenge is justified. Polonius' death was humilating for a person of his esteem, and his death begins a string of deaths that leads to the climax of the play. I cant help but think of, that in some way, it reminds me of Gladiator, the movie. Some scenes seem to continually make me think of that movie, but in that one a son kills his father the King and Gladiator is bound for avenging his death. Similar but different I guess.

Horatio is seen little in Scene 3 but he is, by Hamlet's own description, a complete opposite of Hamlet. Hamlet tells him "for thou hast been—
As one in suffering all that suffers nothing—A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards Hast ta'en with equal thanks" which means that you are a calm person who takes things as they come and dont get too upset about what happens in life. Horatio seems to be somewhat balenced, but goes along with Hamlet's crazy plans anyway showing loyalty to Hamlet. Hamlet seems to demean Horatio but Horatio takes it in stride.

Loyalty is a theme I see in Act 3 due to the various players' allegiances being revealed and tested. Horatio is loyal to Hamlet and never thinks twice about helping him follow through with his revenge for his father. We see that Polonius is loyal to Claudius and pays the price for his blind loyalty. I have to admit his death scene actually was somewhat amusing, with his cry of "Oh, I am slain", and Hamlet's response to his death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (sounds like a law firm, sorry, I couldn't resist) show their loyalty to Gertrude and Claudius when they go to try to persuade Hamlet after the play. They know that Hamlet is on to them when he says "Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me!You would play upon me. You would seem to know my stops. You would pluck out the heart of my mystery." Also even though Hamlet reveals to Gertrude why he is so mad and angry, she seems to still not waiver from being loyal to Claudius. And what does all this loyalty get them? It gets them dead, thats all. Dead man walking....

DRJ #2- Hamlet Scene II

Initial Reaction: Forgive me if I say that Hamlet is beginning to read more and more like a modern day soap opera or a Lifetime movie with a tragically dysfunctional family only being played out using a kingdom. In the first scene Polonius is one of the main character as he is dealing with situations with his children. He sends Reynaldo to Paris to find dirt on Laertes and also has to listen to Ophelia’s account of how Hamlet came to her room seeming crazy. I think any college student can relate to Laertes situation, how parents who are not fully trusting of their children find a way to spy on them. I have heard how some parents sign up on Twitter or Facebook under a pseudo name and become friends with their children just to keep tabs on them. It is my opinion that Polonius is sending Reynaldo in order to protect his own status within the kingdom, not as much as trying to protect his son.

Character Analysis: Polonius is a featured character in Act II and we find out much about his motives and character. He seems to be a protective father to Laertes and Ophelia but it soon escalates to a damaging character flaw for him as his actions meant to protect his children are more detrimental to them. He doesn’t trust his son and he feels that Laertes’ possible misdeeds in Paris will reflect badly on him and thereby harming his status in the eyes of the new King. He feels his daughter is a gullible ignorant girl who cannot make decisions in life regarding men thus his warnings about Hamlet. He told her to be careful in a cold unemotional way, not with compassion and feeling as a caring father would. Polonius was loyal to King Hamlet before his death and he seems to be trying to make his mark with Claudius by using deceit and a corrupt nature much like Claudius. He shows his loyalty to Claudius by saying “I assure my good liege, I hold my duty as I hold my soul, both to God and to my gracious king…”. He launches into a speech on the importance of duty and honor and then follows up with declaring to the King that Hamlet is crazy. Polonius can’t keep up with all the pots he has in the fire and seems almost absent minded and confused when he loses his train of thought and says “What was I about to say? By the mass, I was about to say something. Where did I leave?”
Theme Analysis- Deceit and deception would be the theme for Scene II as it plays out throughout the scene. Polonius showed deception by having Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes and also by his actions with his daughter’s news to him of Hamlet’s visit to her room. Both show that he is using deception to gain his own rewards, not utilizing it to help his children. Claudius uses deceit in having Hamlet’s friends keep tabs on him, his whereabouts and his mental state. Hamlet begins his plotting on how he will uncover the truth about his father’s death. He asks one of the actors in a troupe that enters to perform a speech from Virgil’s Aeneid which tells of the story of Achilles death whose son was Phyrrus. He then tells them he wants them to perform “The Murder of Gonzago” the next night for Claudius with added language by Hamlet so that he can watch the reaction of Claudius and see if he flinches or seems guilty about King Hamlet’s death. He says that he has heard that some people who are guilty sometimes confess their crime when they are led to feel guilt through a certain scene in a play. Hamlet is seeking ways to confirm what he already knows, that Claudius killed his father. Hamlet is not brave enough to take the action of killing Claudius and is seeking other ways to inflict revenge. He even admits his own weakness when he says “Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,That I, the son of a dear father murdered,Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with wordsAnd fall a-cursing like a very drab,A scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh!”. He is also deceiving his own self in thinking that he could act on what his heart and mind is telling him to do.