Hello all. Normally I would not do something like this-- but we were promised extra credit, and it turns out I have a price. Here's my Hamlet midterm. It's really funny! (Just kidding).

Allison Hartsell

Ms. Blunk

English 301

2-20-2012

Essay #2 Part 1

Royalty and Disloyalty

Most of the characters in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet have ties of loyalty to others, and none of them stand entirely alone. Queen Gertrude has King Claudius; Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius all have each other; Hamlet has Horatio; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have each other. Gradually, Shakespeare reveals act of betrayal among these characters; those of the Queen to Hamlet Sr., Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Hamlet, and even Hamlet to Ophelia. Some of these characters display depth and remorse at their disloyalty, while others simply die. The act of disloyalty occurs several times. Shakespeare uses the literary elements of character and repetition to suggest that disloyalty creates turmoil—at its best, residual guilt, and at its worst, death.

Gertrude, Hamlet Sr.’s “most seeming-virtuous queen” (Shakespeare 1.5.46), appears quite cheerful at the beginning of Hamlet, and even chides Hamlet for mulling over his father’s very recent death. Although she has recently wed the brother of her deceased husband, and it has only been two months since Hamlet Sr.’s death, Gertrude is seemingly unperturbed. Later though, in Act 3, Hamlet confronts his mother regarding her betrayal and she insists, “O Hamlet, speak no more:/Though turn’st mine eyes into my very soul;/And there I see such black and grained spots/As will not leave their tinct” (3.4.89-92). Up until this point, Gertrude has only moved onward, refusing to acknowledge sadness or regret over the deceased Hamlet and her ensuing actions. By having even a morally shady character display remorse over their disloyalty, Shakespeare demonstrates the lasting effects that such behavior can have: regret.

Like Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide to be loyal to a person they shouldn’t (Claudius) and in turn are disloyal to a person that they should be faithful to (in this case, Hamlet). According to Gertrude, Hamlet “hath talk’d much of you;/And sure I am two men there are not living/To whom he more adheres” (2.2.19-21). We are introduced to the characters as being friends of Hamlet. Yet, as the play progresses, they betray him repeatedly. In Act 2 they promise the King and Queen that they will essentially weasel information out of Hamlet as to why he is acting crazy, which Hamlet quicly becomes aware of. In Act 3 Scene 3, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to escort Hamlet to England for the sake of Claudius’ safety, disregarding their friend’s well-being. After Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, believing him to be Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern once again promise the King that they will escort Hamlet to England—unbeknownst to them, with a letter asking the King of England for Hamlet’s execution. When Hamlet discovers this, he rewrites the letter to demand the execution of his former friends. Their relationship begins with friendship and sours over time; Shakespeare suggests that with disloyalty, friendships die.

Shakespeare also structures Hamlet in a way that draws attention to the theme of disloyalty. He has friends betraying each other; a brother betraying his brother; a queen, her husband; and two young lovers, each other. Each disloyalty occurs in a unique manner. By repeating disloyal actions but making them occur in unique ways, Shakespeare uses repetition to make his “disloyalty begets trouble” theme evident.

Hamlet has several instances of guilt being the result of an act of betrayal. Queen Gertrude reflects on the guilt that consumes her in Act 4, “To my sick soul, as sin’s true nature is,/Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss:/So full of artless jealousy is guilt,/It spills itself in fearing to be spilt” (4.5.17-20). Although she has appeared unaffected by her involvement in Hamlet Sr.’s death up until this act, Shakespeare reveals that guilt eventually overtakes the guilty party, even if they do not at first feel regret. Even evil Claudius expresses feelings of guilt over his murder of Hamlet Sr. when he prays; he says, “Though inclination be as sharp as will:/My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (3.3.39-40).

Hamlet also has many instances where disloyalty is linked with another's demise. Although it follows a wide arc, Gertrude ultimately “unknowingly” drinks poison and dies after many events have unfolded, the catalyst of which was her unfaitfulness to Hamlet Sr. Ophelia betrays Hamlet before he reciprocates; whether Hamlet would have treated Ophelia with the same cruelty had she not insisted that they cease visiting with each other is impossible to know, but Ophelia is ultimately overwhelmed with grief following the emotional loss of Hamlet and the physical loss of her father. She commits suicide as well, and the conflict befalling Hamlet and Ophelia can be linked to her suicide. After all, shortly before she dies Ophelia sings, “Quoth she, before you tumbled me,/You promis'd me to wed./So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,/An thou hadst not come to my bed” (4.5.62-65), suggesting that Hamlet does not stay with Ophelia because he has already gotten what he wants from her. Hamlet's betrayal breaks Ophelia's heart, and the damage is completely done when he kills her father.

Through Shakespeare's use of characters, their conflicts, and repetition of a subject—disloyalty—Shakespeare shows that unfaithfulness is destructive in its various potential consequences.

The Liberation of Ophelia

Ophelia is not an independent or very emotionally strong young lady. Throughout the play, she meekly acquiesces, be it to Laertes, Polonius, or even Hamlet, even when a normal young lady might object; such is the case when Hamlet is essentially calling Ophelia a whore with “Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1.118), while Ophelia is begging God to help him instead of defending her honor. It is not until this sweet young lady has gone mad that she begins to speak her mind. In having the meekest character transform into the most straightforward and honest due to “insanity,” Shakespeare is saying that there is freedom in madness.

When she is first introduced to the audience, Ophelis's brother and then her father are instructing her to avoid Hamlet and to mistrust his declarations of affection; Ophelia humbly submits to their request, although she loves Hamlet. To Polonius she says, “I shall obey, my Lord” (1.3.136). Later she agrees to being part of Polonius’ scheme to determine the cause of Hamlet’s madness, merely to appease her father (although her feelings of loyalty are divided, she knows that she should obey Polonius). When Hamlet is slinging offensive words at her, like “[I]f thou wilt needs marry, marry/a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you/ make of them” (3.1.132-134), Ophelia does not protest or argue; she just begs “O heavenly powers, restore him!” (3.1.135). It is not until Ophelia has “gone mad” that she begins to speak with strength, and people begin to listen; as Horatio says, “'Twere good she were spoken with: for she may strew/Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds” (4.5.14-15), suggesting that her words now have power.

Ophelia's madness also gives her the freedom to speak the truth without punishment. In Act 4, Queen Gertrude keeps attempting to interrupt Ophelia's song, but Ophelia continues to sing and insists “Pray you, mark”--listen!--and tells the tale of the virgin maid who is discarded once she has been used, surely a taboo subject to sing about in front of royalty; even more inappropriate since the song is about herself and Gertude's son. And yet, Queen Gertrude does pause and listen. Later, she gives the Queen columbines to symbolize her adultery, and to King Claudius she gives rue to suggest he needs to repent. Ophelia openly accuses the King and Queen of being sinful, and NO ONE stops her or even chastizes her for the inpropriety. Perhaps King Claudius and Queen Gertrude believe that Ophelia no longer has control over what she says, or even that she means it. But the sins that the royalty has been hiding is quickly revealed because Ophelia has the freedom to do so.

Patriarchal rule was not questioned in Shakespeare's era. Young ladies did first what their fathers bade them, then their husbands. Ophelia was no exception; her submissive role reflects the times. Her madness is liberating, but this madness is the result of two losses: first her lover, then her father at the hands of her lover. In this sense, she is freed both from the dominating male figures in her life who have previously controlled her and the restraints that society have placed on her. Upon her loss of sanity, Ophelia talks and sings to anyone who nearby, no longer behaving like a perfect maiden. Polonius' death liberated Ophelia physically; her ensuing insanity freed her emotionally.

Death is the ultimate freedom. There are no more troubles, no more worries. As Hamlet says, “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And by opposing end them?” (3.1.57-60). Although Ophelia's drowning is rather passive, described by Queen Gertrude as falling “in the weepy brook” (4.7.173), she does not resist the pull of the water. Ophelia continues to sing unconcerned, resigned and willing to be submerged. Upon death, Ophelia has no more sorrow, expectations to meet, or unrequited love; and her madness drove her to the complete liberation that is death.

Ophelia is not given to long speeches like most of the other main characters of Hamlet. Polonius, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and Hamlet have lengthy musings to say aloud. Such expression does not occur with Ophelia until she has gone insane. Her insanity gives her the freedom to speak at length, to be listened to, to declare horrible truths—both universal and specific to her company—without any listener's protest. She is permitted to accuse the Queen of adultery and the King of sin because they feel she is saying nonsense, although her words are exact and true. Only when it appears that Ophelia has lost touch with reality does she begin to express genuine emotion for more than a moment, mourning the loss of her father, Hamlet, and her innocence. The perfect, beautiful Ophelia unravels and in doing so, is finally set free.

DRJ #4

Initial Reaction: The pacing of Acts IV and V is way faster than the beginning acts. Action abounds, and each bit is more unbelievable than the those preceding. My favorite part is when Hamlet's ship gets attacked by pirates, and he escapes. I thought at first Hamlet might have invented this as explanation for his escape, but all the research I've done suggests that, within the play, his boat was indeed attacked by pirates. Of course. I can't say that any part or character reminds me of anything in particular, but the abundance of increasingly ridiculous goings-on (a pirate attack, a duel, and the death of everyone) has an over-the-top quality that reminds me of theater in general. Perhaps I'm evading the question.

Character Analysis: I find Gertrude perplexing. I believe she has genuine love for Hamlet; I didn't find any evidence to suggest otherwise, and throughout the play she tells him she loves him. In other areas, though, she is twisted. There is no way that Gertrude could get married to her late husband's brother SO shortly after Hamlet Sr.'s death had Claudius and Gertrude not already been having an affair, and Hamlet suggests that his mother is an unfaithful who** several times. Without Gertrude, we could not have the story. Claudius might not have had enough motivation to kill Hamlet Sr. if there were no Gertrude to win; Hamlet would not have felt so betrayed; and thus, the need for revenge would not have been present. Even the ghost of Hamlet does not wish for any harm to come to her, suggesting that (up until the end), she was probably a good wife.

Theme Analysis: Although it is not the most significant theme in the last acts, I noticed that the characters brought up the treatment of wealthy people vs. those without money a few times. When the gravediggers are talking to eachother in act V, Second Clown (gravedigger) says to the First Clown gravedigger that Ophelia would not be getting a Christian burial, had she not been wealthy, as she committed suicide. 5.1.20-21 goes, “If this had not been a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o' Christian burial.” Later on, when Hamlet is interacting with the irritating Osric, he says essentially the same thing; Osric is not fun to interact with, but since he has land and money, he is treated well. By having both a peasant and royalty reflect on the issue of money buying good treatment, Shakespeare uses contrast to emphasize his point.

DRJ #3

Initial Reaction: I re-read Act III, so at this point I understand it better than any other act. I feel like the pace has picked up a little bit. Hamlet's bizarre, inconsistent interaction with Ophelia reminds me of a guy I dated when I was 17. He was also rather pompous and full of himself, and would alternate between being nice and loving with me, and then suddenly dismissive without provocation. This experience was of course far less meaningful than Ophelia/Hamlet, but I also think that Hamlet is an ass.

Character Analysis: I'm going to discuss Ophelia. Ophelia is a nice, eager-to-please, obedient, naïve young lady who is emotionally sort of...weak. I would say that she does have a fatal flaw, which is that very emotional weakness. It does not happen in this act, but eventually Ophelia is worn down by Hamlet's retraction of love (and ensuing flirtatious mind games) and her father's death. She simply cannot muscle through, and succumbs to grief. Although I don't think she is a foil, Ophelia's presence and interaction with Hamlet demonstrates the type of man he is.

Theme Analysis: One theme that stood out to me the most in this act was contemplation versus action. In thesis format, here goes: Too much mulling over what action should be taken ultimately interferes with any action taking place whatsoever. The idea is mentioned at least twice within the act, so I would say that Shakespeare is reinforcing it via repetition. In 3.1.83-87, Hamlet is talking about how a person who is at first resolute weakens if he ponders for too long about the appropriate action, and that instead of considering at length, people should act immediately. Later, when the royal family is watching the play, the Player King says essentially the same thing. At 3.2.165-176, he likens inaction to fruit that dies on the tree because it stayed too long on the branch. He is saying that people lose their fiery passion to act when they pause to think. 

DRJ#2

Allison Hartsell

DRJ #2: Hamlet, Act II

Initial reaction: I don't feel that I know enough about the characters at this point to be able to compare them to anyone I know. I am beginning to think I am deeply uncreative, but there's nothing here that reminds me of my life or any movies apart from other Shakespearean works. So I'll go ahead and compare one work of Shakespeare to others. In this act, everyone seems to want to use some sort of trickery to find out the “truth” about another character. Trickery is very common for old William S. Shylock is tricked in the Merchant of Venice by Portia, who is dressed as a man; Juliet tries to trick the people of Verona into believing she is dead in order to have the opportunity to run away with Romeo.

Character anaylysis: I am going to focus on Polonius. He seems to be a caring father, certainly interested in the welfare of his children. His love is demonstrated in some odd ways, though, as he sends Reynaldo to spy on his son Laertes in Paris, and first forbids Ophelia from interacting with Hamlet further, then intends to use her to determine if she's the source of Hamlet's insanity. He also seems kind of obnoxious, rambling on to the queen instead of getting to the point. I think he is a supporting character, whose motives and interactions with Hamlet serve to show us something about Hamlet, rather than Polonius. Hamlet's extreme seriousness contrasts with the goofiness of Polonius, and Hamlet seems to be mocking Polonius throughout their interactions. For example, at 2.2.175-210, Hamlet and Polonius engage in a dialogue in which Polonius seems utterly confused by everything Hamlet says. Then later, at 2.2.354-380, Hamlet outright insults Polonius. Polonius tells Hamlet that the actors have arrived, and Hamlet responds with “Buz, buz,” accusing Polonius of being boring.

Theme analysis: Several characters in this act plan to use some form of trickery to find out the truth. Polonius intends to use Ophelia to see if Hamlet is really in love with her, without Hamlet knowing that Polonius will be spying; Queen Gertrude and King Claudius use Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out what is wrong Hamlet; and Hamlet intends to use the traveling actors and their play to determine if Claudius really killed Hamlet's father. In short, I think one theme of this act is our inherent desire to understand the truth in our reality, even if we have to deceive in order to do so. Shakespeare uses repetition of this theme—desire for truth—using many different characters, to reinforce this idea.   

DRJ #1: Act I

Allison Hartsell

No one in Act I reminds me of anyone I know specifically. When Polonius warns Ophelia to guard her virtue from Hamlet, it seems a very common warning from fathers to their daughters. King Hamlet being killed by his shady brother (possibly) sounds a bit like The Lion King.

I am going to focus on Claudius, because I sense that I'm going to like him the least. If the ghost of Hamlet Sr. is not a liar, then Claudius is not a hero, but certainly has a fatal flaw: greed. I don't know yet if he wanted Hamlet's kingdom or simply his wife, but in either case, the willingness to murder his own brother by sneak attack is just...shady. I would not say that the conflict he creates is caused intentionally (yet—hard to say right now, as I'm only through Act II); I don't think he wanted anyone to find out about his murdering of Hamlet Sr. He should be quite comfortable, having inherited the queen and the kingdom of Denmark. The supposed purity and perfection of the dead King Hamlet quite contrasts Claudius' intentions and behavior.

If I had to choose one theme to focus on during Act I (and it turns out I do, because that's the assignment), I would say it is this: through the way he has constructed his female characters, he is suggesting that women are easily seduced. *Disclaimer: I do not agree with this, I'm just accusing Shakespeare of thinking so. At 1.2.146, the protagonist Hamlet says, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” This is sparked by the fact that his mother recovered from the death of Hamlet Sr. so quickly, easily trapped by Claudius. Shakespeare probably would not have used his most significant character to state such a thing if he did not believe so himself. In addition, Ophelia needs directions from both her brother and father to protect her virtue from Hamlet. Ophelia suggests to her father Polonius that Hamlet loves her, to which Polonius responds, “Affection!Pooh! You speak like a green girl/Unsifted in such perilous circumstance.” (1.3.101-102). Both of these women require little coaxing to fall in love/lust with men, and both approach romance with naivete.  

Thesis #2: Chopin

Louise does not “come to life” until she has processed the fact that her husband is dead. In the beginning she is a delicate woman with a heart problem; as she sits in her room turning over the news that she is “Free! Body and soul, free!”, her eyes are “keen and bright,” holding the very essence of liveliness. This is in stark contrast to how she imagines her husband will look, “fixed and gray and dead.” The descriptions surrounding Louise's reaction revolve around energy, spring, an open sky, her coursing blood; at one point she is likened to a “goddess of Victory.” Chopin intentionally uses lively descriptions only when we believe Louise to be a widow, suggesting that marriage is life-draining for women.

Allison Hartsell

SSRJ #2: Colette

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's short story The Hand made me feel uncomfortable. The young wife, whose name we never learn, goes from gushing newlywed to resigned, disgusted matron within a matter of hours at most. The element that stood out as interesting to me was the setting; the entirety of the story takes place within a bedroom. In many ways, the story only takes place within the mind of the wife, as the plot follows her growing realization that she is married to someone she doesn't know.

The young wife is at first girlishly devoted to her new husband. She thinks, “'Too happy to sleep,'” as she supports the slumbering head of her husband on her shoulder (Colette 282). As she studies her handsome husband, she has nothing but wondrous admiration for his athleticism, his mouth, even his hand—at first. The appearance morphs from just manly to threatening, ready to attack, and squeezes the blanket with “the methodical pleasure of a strangler” (Colette 284). But when Colette moves the focal point to his hand in particular, it becomes the centerpiece of the story. In moving the focus from courtship to the hand and giving it a role in the story, Colette makes a statement about what marriage meant for women: lack of power, a life of subservience. The marriage that at first seemed so pefect and shiny, like the superficial gleam of the husband's nail varnish, turns ugly upon close inspection. By its closing, the nameless young lady has realized what the hand, or marriage, really is; and the once energetic girl begins “her life of duplicity, of resignation” (Colette 284), and kisses the hand in disheartened understanding. She has lost her freedom, and belongs now to her husband. Colette intentionally left the bride and groom nameless. The fact that neither the wife nor the husband have names indicates that this could have been any couple in the early 1900s, and all married women were destined to be owned and stifled.

The Hand states very quickly that this new husband is recently widowed. Are we supposed to think that the marriage killed her, or the husband?