Essay Comments

My essay writing has improved since my last essay but i still have a few weaknesses I have to work on. I can make simple improvements such as proof reading more as well as printing the essay out and revising it on paper. But other errors I must work on is the way I structure my essay. I need to organize my ideas so that my essay is easier to understand. My ideas and analysis do not flow as smoothly as they should. But more importantly, I need to stick to the essay question! I guess it was a mis understanding of the question but regardless, writing off topic will obviously hurt my grade. From my essay comments I've learned that I am showing improvement but to fully succeed I have to become more aware of my weaknesses so that I can correct them when revising rather than the teacher catching them.

Intro Paragraph

The two poems, To An Athlete Dying Young and Ulysses, both address the concept of time as their theme however, Housman's poem is about a boy who lives too short and Lord Tennyson poem is about a man who lives too long. In second person using formal diction, Housman attempts to justify a young boy dying young after achieving greatness - the athlete dies before his glory fades. Lord Tennyson wrote Ulysses in first person with a more natural tone to expand on a mans once heroic ability and great strength that fade with age. The retired hero, Odysseus, must watch himself demise as a weak old man whereas the young athlete never had or has to experience such a defeat. In both proems, time is devastating, but the damage time brings upon Odysseus - faded glory - contrasts with the young athletes life being cut too short.

Ulysses and To an Athlete Dying Young

The two poems, Ulysses and To an Athlete Dying Young, both have the theme of time, however, the ways they both address the theme are different. In To an Athlete Dying Young, time is lost by a young athletes life being cut too short. Ulysses is about a man whose life is too long and he longs for the a past. To an athlete dying young addresses how dying young has a positive side being that the boy dies with glory. He still holds his records and he dies a very successful young man. The athlete will never have to experience failure or someone else breaking his record. He dies happy and satisfied. On the other hand, Odysseus looks back on his past and wishes he could be young again and go back to his days of great achievements and strength. His life is dragging on and he's tired of sitting around waiting to die. Another difference is that the poem of the athlete is written in 2nd person and Ulysses is written in 1st person. The athlete uses more formal diction than Ulysses. The poems can seem very similar as they both talk of time and the toll its taken on their lives however the poems are contrasted by their differing predicaments being that the athlete lives too short and odysseus lives too long.

Performance Choices

Lauren and I have prepared to to act out the conversation between Horatio and Hamlet right after Hamlets first soliloquy. As we practiced reading the lines aloud, we realized how significant it is to put emphasis on certain words. The tone of the conversation constantly shifts and hand gestures or movement is not always enough. Actors must take into account that there is a large audience and the people sitting in the back rows cannot see the actors clearly, thus, their speech must portray their emotions. Ergo, emphasis on words when the tone shifts is extremely important. I, being hamlet, noted when to use an angry tone towards Horatio as he is frustrated with the fact that horatio would come to his mothers weeding opposed to his fathers funeral.

Appearance vs. Reality

The theme, appearance vs reality is clearly demonstrated through the characters Hamlet and his mother. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet attempts to confront his mother and open up to her about his depressions. However, she responds saying his sadness is only his appearance (black clothing and depressed facial expression). Hamlet tries to explain himself further and he details how his external sadness is only a reflection of his internal sorrow. He tries to tell his mother how he is truly upset. UNfortunately, she continues to submit to King Claudius and remains clueless to her sons emotions. She, as well as Claudius, bullies him about shamefully unleashing his emotions in public and finally convinces him to conceal them in public.

Concealing vs. Revealing

The theme, Concealing vs. Revealing plays a huge role in Hamlets character. Hamlet is forced to "conceal" his real thoughts in public but he is able to "reveal" these true emotions in private. He starts of mourning with no shame of his depression. But after being bullied by the queen and king claudius, he is forced to hide his real emotions from the public. He becomes ashamed of his vulnerability and frustration. Hamlet lets all of this thoughts build up inside his head as he masks them with this newly found manic attitude. he uses craziness to be deceitful in order to help get revenge on king claudius. However, when he is alone, during his soliloquies, he lets out all of his emotions and reveals his anger, frustration, and disappointment. Hamlet's obsessions are unveiled as well. He seems to be oddly obsessive about talking of his mothers affairs and lack of loyalty to his dceceast father. He cant stand the fact that the queen would marry another man within three weeks of the kings death, let alone to his uncle! This frustration is understandable considering the fact that almost any normal person would be rightfully upset over this. However, he cannot stop obsessing over his disgust with the situation and displays himself to be out of the ordinary. Although, hamlets manic behavior is only a strategy thus far to seek revenge, his craziness could still possibly begin to fool himself.

Four Soliloquies

In Hamlet's very first soliloquy, his depressed emotions as well as suicidal thoughts are first exposed to the audience; "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!" (I.ii.129-130). Finally alone, hamlet is able to express his inner thoughts in result to anger from being humiliated by Claudius in front of everyone. He shows his first signs of wanting to kill himself as he wishes himself to just melt away; thinking death would be better than his present situation. "Fie on't! ah fie!" (I.ii.135). This expression of emotion is through sounds instead of words. Here, hamlet begins to emote and make grunts of frustration and anger. As he continues to poor out his emotions when he enters the subject of his mother marrying Claudius. The queen's lack of respect for hamlet and for his father truly bothers hamlet and his obsessive frustration over this matter is first revealed in this soliloquy. His bursts of pure emotion disrupts the syntax and his speech deteriorates as it becomes fragmented. This fragmented speech unveils hamlet's serious frustration with his family situation. He hides his true emotions in public which causes all these emotions to pile up over time. And he is revealed of these backed up emotions only when he is alone. His anger builds up over time and because he is so eager to let it out, his thoughts come out in uncontrollable bursts, ergo, his speech becomes broken. Towards the end of his speech, Hamlet's frustration becomes too overwhelming for himself and he is forced to be calm himself down with a self-soothing tone.

Questions #7 and # 14

Question #7:
Hamlet implies that he will put on an “antic disposition” (I.v.172) because his plan to get revenge on king Claudius causes him to develop manic behavior. Hamlet was forced to disguise his depression by acting out manically however this reaction is also a strategy for hamlet. Though Hamlet seems to be vulnerable to the audience, he plans to get revenge on king Claudius though his craziness.

Question #14:
In act II, scene II, hamlet says, "why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." In this scene, hamlet is trying portray himself as depressed and vulnerable. Ever since his fathers death he never felt as comfortable in his own home. Especially after having to watch his mother marry his uncle the same day of the funeral. However, underneath the surface, he clearly is not mentally insane, as one would infer from his manic behavior. Rather, his mind is soli concentrated on getting his revenge on King Claudius. A man who can decipher when to act crazy, is not actually mentally ill. Instead, his intelligence is revealed. Hamlet continues to play this 2-faced character, however, the possibility still remains of him becoming what he religiously pretends to be.
Hamlet also states, "I am mad north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hake from a handsaw." (2.2.330-331). This quote further demonstrates hamlets control over his appearance and his behavior. He is in control of his behavior at the moment but the question is.. When will he fall for his own deceit.

Advising Ophelia

Hsmlet's and Ophelia's relationship is objected by Polonius and Laertes. Polonius is worried that Hamlet will have too munch control over Ophelia and that she might get hurt in the end. Laertes believes that Hamlet's love for ophelia might be fake. He even attempts to warn Ophelia to not believe everything Hamlet tells her and to keep her distance from him. They both obviously object to Hamlet's and Ophelia's relationship however Laertes's arguments seems to be more logical considering the fact that polonius's argument seems to be bias. Laertes is making an assumption based on his knowledge of Hamlet and is only giving Ophelia advice. Polonius' on the other hand, seems to be more demanding than genuine. His argument is much more commanding as he tries to tell her what to do as if he has complete com inane over her. But overall, both of their arguments display their did respect for women which inevitably reveals their their dominant role over ophelia. As for class functions within their arguments.. Both Laertes and polonius argue the validity of hamlets claim to "love" Ophelia and believe it to be suspicious due to Hamlet's royal status and loyalty to the throne.