Monday, December 15, 2008
Blogger Shmogger.
Blog spot postings messed up all of the formatting in my deliverables so I will just hand them all in on paper.
Activity 1.7
Hamlets transformation into a madman is one that at first sight seems to be very excessive yet this is due to the fact that Hamlet is simply a good actor (He even gives a speech on how to be a good actor which shows the extent of his acting ability). His transformation is one that is more external, this meaning that it was more of a physical madness more than anything. Mentally, Hamlet remained slightly the same character throughout the play, there were smaller alterations seen in his mental state than in his physical form. I actually seem to have gained respect for Hamlet as the play progressed because he used his logic against everyone. He put on a show and everyone believed he was simply mad, outrageous, and ludicrous!
Hamlet utilized many basic human activities as his main source for showing his madness. First of all, his speech greatly changed throughout the play. He went from being a well spoken, good natured man into someone who could be clinically diagnosed as being insane. He demonstrates this in one scene when he is taking to his mother and he witnesses his father’s ghost. The severity of the description given by Hamlet of the ghost he see’s is simply stunning:
On him, on him! Look you, how pale he glares!
His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones,
Would make them capable. –Do not look upon me,
Lest with this piteous action you convert
My stern effects. Then what I have to do
Will want true color; tears perchance for blood.
(Act 3, scene iv, 126-131)
Once again, Hamlet is simply using his logic and education to make everyone believe he is crazy. Secondly, his actions are also a good reflection of his supposed ‘madness’. He kills Polonius simply out of fright. It’s not like Hamlet murdering Polonius was pre-meditated, but Hamlet still used this as an opportunity for him to look mad. He used the body as a kind of focus point when talking to Claudius. Claudius kept asking Hamlet where he put the body but Hamlet would simply mock him, making him all the more look crazy as he is laughing at death. Furthermore, Hamlets thoughts can also be looked at as a reflection of his transformation into madness. As the play progresses his soliloquy’s become more and more random, sinister and vivid, this sparking madness all around him. He constantly questions what mankind really is, this provoking thought to be put into how mad Hamlet actually is. Hamlets appearance also changed accordingly. At the beginning of the play, he simply looked like a man who was grieving the death of his father:
Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted color off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
( Act 1, scene ii, 68-70
As the play progresses, the people around Hamlet begin to believe that he has gone completely mad. There is a transformation in the way people perceive Hamlet; this being what Hamlet wants everyone to believe.
heavy deed!
It had been so with us, had we been there.
His liberty is full of threats to all,
To you yourself, to us, to everyone.
Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered?
It will be laid to us whose providence
Should have kept short, restrained, and out of haunt
This mad young man.
(Act 4, scene i, 12-19)
This is the king’s impression on what Hamlet has turned into. It is a very dark and vile description of a man who appears to be insane (although not at all). Hamlets feelings are also indicators that he had been theoretically transformed into a madman. At the beginning hatred was something Hamlet was not quite accustomed to. As the play went on, Hamlet and hatred soon became best friends. Hamlet often acknowledged his hatred towards his uncle and it would remain this way until the death of this uncle. All in all, Hamlets intents at becoming a madman proved successful.
The people around Hamlet were good indications that Hamlet was successful in becoming a madman. His mother didn’t want to believe that Hamlet had gone mad. She simply believed that he was mourning the death of this father and this was his own way of doing so. Further on in the play, she also acknowledges the fact that Hamlet’s madness may be derived from her re-marrying very quickly after her husband’s death, especially to her deceased husband’s brother. Claudius believes that Hamlet has become completely mad and will not believe otherwise. Hamlet is stirring up some trouble in paradise and Claudius doesn’t like this so he plots to kill Hamlet. It is hard to determine whether or not Ophelia actually believed Hamlet was mad because she herself is mad. It seems as if she took Hamlets madness, combined it with the grieving process she is going through over her father and simply went crazy herself. Horatio is the seemingly the only one who is actually in on Hamlet’s transformation into a madman. Hamlet uses Horatio as his side kick in the whole plot and Horatio goes along with this and explains it indirectly to everyone at the end of the play. Even Hamlet’s supposed best friends: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern aren’t even aware of Hamlet being crazy. They act as henchmen for the king and they themselves end up dying because of Hamlet. Could a madman really devise an ingenious plan to put two people who were burdened with the task of killing him, to death? I think not!
Hamlet utilized many basic human activities as his main source for showing his madness. First of all, his speech greatly changed throughout the play. He went from being a well spoken, good natured man into someone who could be clinically diagnosed as being insane. He demonstrates this in one scene when he is taking to his mother and he witnesses his father’s ghost. The severity of the description given by Hamlet of the ghost he see’s is simply stunning:
On him, on him! Look you, how pale he glares!
His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones,
Would make them capable. –Do not look upon me,
Lest with this piteous action you convert
My stern effects. Then what I have to do
Will want true color; tears perchance for blood.
(Act 3, scene iv, 126-131)
Once again, Hamlet is simply using his logic and education to make everyone believe he is crazy. Secondly, his actions are also a good reflection of his supposed ‘madness’. He kills Polonius simply out of fright. It’s not like Hamlet murdering Polonius was pre-meditated, but Hamlet still used this as an opportunity for him to look mad. He used the body as a kind of focus point when talking to Claudius. Claudius kept asking Hamlet where he put the body but Hamlet would simply mock him, making him all the more look crazy as he is laughing at death. Furthermore, Hamlets thoughts can also be looked at as a reflection of his transformation into madness. As the play progresses his soliloquy’s become more and more random, sinister and vivid, this sparking madness all around him. He constantly questions what mankind really is, this provoking thought to be put into how mad Hamlet actually is. Hamlets appearance also changed accordingly. At the beginning of the play, he simply looked like a man who was grieving the death of his father:
Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted color off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
( Act 1, scene ii, 68-70
As the play progresses, the people around Hamlet begin to believe that he has gone completely mad. There is a transformation in the way people perceive Hamlet; this being what Hamlet wants everyone to believe.
heavy deed!
It had been so with us, had we been there.
His liberty is full of threats to all,
To you yourself, to us, to everyone.
Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered?
It will be laid to us whose providence
Should have kept short, restrained, and out of haunt
This mad young man.
(Act 4, scene i, 12-19)
This is the king’s impression on what Hamlet has turned into. It is a very dark and vile description of a man who appears to be insane (although not at all). Hamlets feelings are also indicators that he had been theoretically transformed into a madman. At the beginning hatred was something Hamlet was not quite accustomed to. As the play went on, Hamlet and hatred soon became best friends. Hamlet often acknowledged his hatred towards his uncle and it would remain this way until the death of this uncle. All in all, Hamlets intents at becoming a madman proved successful.
The people around Hamlet were good indications that Hamlet was successful in becoming a madman. His mother didn’t want to believe that Hamlet had gone mad. She simply believed that he was mourning the death of this father and this was his own way of doing so. Further on in the play, she also acknowledges the fact that Hamlet’s madness may be derived from her re-marrying very quickly after her husband’s death, especially to her deceased husband’s brother. Claudius believes that Hamlet has become completely mad and will not believe otherwise. Hamlet is stirring up some trouble in paradise and Claudius doesn’t like this so he plots to kill Hamlet. It is hard to determine whether or not Ophelia actually believed Hamlet was mad because she herself is mad. It seems as if she took Hamlets madness, combined it with the grieving process she is going through over her father and simply went crazy herself. Horatio is the seemingly the only one who is actually in on Hamlet’s transformation into a madman. Hamlet uses Horatio as his side kick in the whole plot and Horatio goes along with this and explains it indirectly to everyone at the end of the play. Even Hamlet’s supposed best friends: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern aren’t even aware of Hamlet being crazy. They act as henchmen for the king and they themselves end up dying because of Hamlet. Could a madman really devise an ingenious plan to put two people who were burdened with the task of killing him, to death? I think not!
Activity 1.6
Maslow’s Hierarchy greatly relates to the play Hamlet because each character lies at a certain level on this pyramid of needs. It is hard to determine which level they are all at, for they all have different needs. At the beginning of the play, I believe that none of the major characters in Hamlet fall under the first stage(Physiological) of Maslow’s Hierarchy as they all have basic human needs and necessities, even though some needs such as sex are not seen, it is fair to assume that everyone is getting a piece of that pie. This concept drastically changes throughout the play though. Firstly, Hamlet is a character that may fall in the middle of two stages, those being stage two (Safety) and three (Love/Belonging). This is because when his father (Old Hamlet) was still alive, Hamlet could have been considered to be at stage three (Love/Belonging) or maybe even four (Esteem). The reason behind this being that Hamlet is a character that seems to have a large amount of self-esteem and confidence as well as respect from his peers (until he pretends to be crazy), but he does not seem to have a lot of respect for others as he appears to be a pretty overconfident person therefore not needing to show respect to others. Since Hamlet does not fall under each category of stage four, it is fair to say that he cannot be fully considered at this stage. Hamlet does show all signs of stage three, that is Hamlet demonstrates friendship, family and quite possibly sexual intimacy (with Ophelia). As Claudius killed his father, Hamlet kind of lost the family aspect of that stage, so he must therefore drop to the next stage, that being the second. Hamlet sees Claudius as the enemy and would love nothing more than for him to be out of the picture. He knows that his mother is a good person and does not understand why she loves Claudius so much. In Hamlets eyes, no one is to be trusted. He acts insane so that he can get away with more, and this was not seen by the others. He no longer feels the security of family (and some could argue mental health) therefore he tries to regain this sense of family. He does so by seeking to avenge his father as he promised to do so, and therefore he will be content with his actions and security can once again be restored in his family life. This in turn bumping Hamlet back up to stage 3 of the hierarchy (although this stage is very short lived as his mother dies, and Hamlet ends up dying also).
Secondly, Claudius being quite a bit older than Hamlet is further up in the Hierarchy because he has had more time to complete each stage. Claudius is probably on the fourth level, because he has good self-esteem, a high level of self confidence and he not only has the respect of the people but he also demonstrates some respect in return. Claudius will not make it to the top of the hierarchy because he killed his brother, this demonstrating flaws in his morality, therefore he cannot be considered anywhere above stage four. I believe that Hamlet’s mother Gertrude can also be considered to be on stage four of the hierarchy for the same reasons as Claudius. It can be assumed that Gertrude had something to do with Old Hamlet’s death, therefore causing moral issues (her believing that taking a person’s life is right).
Thirdly, I believe Polonius can be considered to be one of the only characters who is on stage five of the hierarchy. I say this because he definitely demonstrates the requirements of all of the first four stages of the hierarchy. He also demonstrates that he has good morals as he gives a speech to his son Laertes before his departure to France:Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion’d thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch’d, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy:
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be:
For loan oft loses both itself and friend;
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all,—to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. (Act I, scene iii (59–80) In this speech, Polonius gives useful advice to Laertes, among his advice the most important points being: keep your thoughts to yourself and do not act recklessly, hold on to old friends and be don’t be quick to trust new ones, avoid fighting but if it is unavoidable be brave, be a good listener, learn to accept criticism but do not be too judgmental, preserve an appropriate appearance, do not borrow or lend money and most importantly; be true to yourself. This speech reveals a lot about Polonius and what his stance on a lot of morals is. In this case, it is a positive outlook of what Polonius believes in, hence him being on the fifth level of the hierarchy.
Ophelia starts off being on the same stage as Hamlet (fourth level) but she is quick to drop to the first stage as her mental health spirals down into the ground. At the end of the novel she is on the first stage as she only has simple necessities and not all of them at that (sex), and then she dies. I believe that her brother Laertes is part of the fourth stage at the beginning of the novel but this gradually begins to change as the play progresses. He is slowly making his way to the fifth stage but throughout the play ends up moving down to the first stage like his sister. He lost his family as well as his security of family, his respect from others, his friendship and his morality. This bumping him down into the first stage, until he dies (which is shortly after he reaches this stage).
Secondly, Claudius being quite a bit older than Hamlet is further up in the Hierarchy because he has had more time to complete each stage. Claudius is probably on the fourth level, because he has good self-esteem, a high level of self confidence and he not only has the respect of the people but he also demonstrates some respect in return. Claudius will not make it to the top of the hierarchy because he killed his brother, this demonstrating flaws in his morality, therefore he cannot be considered anywhere above stage four. I believe that Hamlet’s mother Gertrude can also be considered to be on stage four of the hierarchy for the same reasons as Claudius. It can be assumed that Gertrude had something to do with Old Hamlet’s death, therefore causing moral issues (her believing that taking a person’s life is right).
Thirdly, I believe Polonius can be considered to be one of the only characters who is on stage five of the hierarchy. I say this because he definitely demonstrates the requirements of all of the first four stages of the hierarchy. He also demonstrates that he has good morals as he gives a speech to his son Laertes before his departure to France:Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion’d thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch’d, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy:
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be:
For loan oft loses both itself and friend;
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all,—to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. (Act I, scene iii (59–80) In this speech, Polonius gives useful advice to Laertes, among his advice the most important points being: keep your thoughts to yourself and do not act recklessly, hold on to old friends and be don’t be quick to trust new ones, avoid fighting but if it is unavoidable be brave, be a good listener, learn to accept criticism but do not be too judgmental, preserve an appropriate appearance, do not borrow or lend money and most importantly; be true to yourself. This speech reveals a lot about Polonius and what his stance on a lot of morals is. In this case, it is a positive outlook of what Polonius believes in, hence him being on the fifth level of the hierarchy.
Ophelia starts off being on the same stage as Hamlet (fourth level) but she is quick to drop to the first stage as her mental health spirals down into the ground. At the end of the novel she is on the first stage as she only has simple necessities and not all of them at that (sex), and then she dies. I believe that her brother Laertes is part of the fourth stage at the beginning of the novel but this gradually begins to change as the play progresses. He is slowly making his way to the fifth stage but throughout the play ends up moving down to the first stage like his sister. He lost his family as well as his security of family, his respect from others, his friendship and his morality. This bumping him down into the first stage, until he dies (which is shortly after he reaches this stage).
Activity 1.5
Thesis: Would Ophelia have gone mad, even if her father had not died? No Ophelia would not have gone mad. (it is impossible to find examples from the text for this thesis, it is simply a prediction therefore only explanations are given).
Reason #1: If changes are made in the past, this will drastically alter the future.
Explanation: Ophelia had gone mad from the result of both her father dying and her losing the love of her life: Hamlet. If changes are made in the past, this will drastically alter the future. If you go back to the scene were Hamlet was having a heated conversation with Gertrude, while Polonius stood hidden behind a curtain, since Polonius didn’t die (change in past) than this would mean that there would have been drastic changes in the future, ie: Hamlet not becoming a murderer.
Reason #2: Since Polonius did not die; Hamlet did not kill Polonius this meaning he would not have been shipped out to England. This in turn meaning that Ophelia would not have lost her lover, this being the only other factor that could have influenced her mental instability. Explanation: Since Polonius was not killed by Hamlet, Hamlet would not have to be shipped out to England. This meaning that Ophelia would not have lost the love of her life. This resulting in no changes in her life meaning that she would not have gone crazy.
Reason #3: Ophelia has not lost her father nor the love of her life, therefore she has no reason to become mentally ill simply out of the blue.
Explanation: Before losing her father and Hamlet, Ophelia was a very mentally stable person. Throughout the play there were no other factors that could have impacted Ophelia’s mental stability besides her losing her father and Hamlet. Since her father didn’t die and she didn’t lose Hamlet, she would have no reason to go crazy.Conclusion: If Polonius hadn’t died than Ophelia would have no reason to go crazy. Polonius not dying means that Hamlet would not become a murderer and get shipped out to England therefore Ophelia would not be losing her love and her life would simply go on. There are no other factors in Ophelia’s life that could have influenced her mental stability.
Reasons for believing otherwise: Hamlet would have still killed Claudius even though he didn’t kill Polonius and this might have affected Ophelia’s mental stability slightly. She may have simply looked at Hamlet in a different perspective, she would not completely go full blown crazy.
Reason #1: If changes are made in the past, this will drastically alter the future.
Explanation: Ophelia had gone mad from the result of both her father dying and her losing the love of her life: Hamlet. If changes are made in the past, this will drastically alter the future. If you go back to the scene were Hamlet was having a heated conversation with Gertrude, while Polonius stood hidden behind a curtain, since Polonius didn’t die (change in past) than this would mean that there would have been drastic changes in the future, ie: Hamlet not becoming a murderer.
Reason #2: Since Polonius did not die; Hamlet did not kill Polonius this meaning he would not have been shipped out to England. This in turn meaning that Ophelia would not have lost her lover, this being the only other factor that could have influenced her mental instability. Explanation: Since Polonius was not killed by Hamlet, Hamlet would not have to be shipped out to England. This meaning that Ophelia would not have lost the love of her life. This resulting in no changes in her life meaning that she would not have gone crazy.
Reason #3: Ophelia has not lost her father nor the love of her life, therefore she has no reason to become mentally ill simply out of the blue.
Explanation: Before losing her father and Hamlet, Ophelia was a very mentally stable person. Throughout the play there were no other factors that could have impacted Ophelia’s mental stability besides her losing her father and Hamlet. Since her father didn’t die and she didn’t lose Hamlet, she would have no reason to go crazy.Conclusion: If Polonius hadn’t died than Ophelia would have no reason to go crazy. Polonius not dying means that Hamlet would not become a murderer and get shipped out to England therefore Ophelia would not be losing her love and her life would simply go on. There are no other factors in Ophelia’s life that could have influenced her mental stability.
Reasons for believing otherwise: Hamlet would have still killed Claudius even though he didn’t kill Polonius and this might have affected Ophelia’s mental stability slightly. She may have simply looked at Hamlet in a different perspective, she would not completely go full blown crazy.
Activity 1.3
Each character in every novel or play has his or her own constructed reality. In Hamlet, everybody views themselves as more or less, a good person because not everyone is aware of everything that goes on. Gertrude has a constructed reality that least resembles actuality. She does not know that Claudius killed her husband. She has no idea about Hamlet seeking revenge upon Claudius. She simply believes that King Hamlet died of some natural or unknown cause and to keep her position as queen she must marry Claudius. She also believes that Hamlet has gone mad, although Hamlet is just putting on a show for everyone. In the end she dies because Claudius was trying to kill Hamlet using poison and she ended up drinking the poison.
Hamlets constructed reality is completely different. Hamlet sees Claudius as the enemy and would love nothing more than for him to be out of the picture. He knows that his mother is a good person and does not understand why she loves Claudius so much. In Hamlets eyes, no one is to be trusted. He acts insane so that he can get away with more, and this was not seen by the others. In the end Hamlet is killed.
Claudius believes that Hamlet is crazy. He thinks that it should be pretty easy to kill Hamlet, because he is crazy. Claudius knows that he had done a terrible thing by killing his brother, but he thinks that it was for the right reasons, and he is also unaware that Hamlet knows the truth about the whole ordeal.. He believes that he is a good person. In his reality Hamlet is mad, and Gertrude loves him. The actuality of it is that Hamlet is not insane, although Gertrude does seem to love him. In the end Claudius is killed.
Now, after seeing the constructed realities of some of the different characters in the play, it is easy to see how important the family unit is not only to the members of the family but also in society. Firstly, the family unit is very important to the members of the family because it is a sort of reflection on how well each member interacts with each other. If the overall outlook of the family is one that is optimistic than this means that there is a healthy relationship between its members. Conversely, if the family seems to be dysfunctional than this means that the relationship between members is either lacking or just not solid. Hamlets family is one that is dysfunctional because there is not a solid relationship between its members. Each family member has a different constructed reality therefore no one is really on the same page. If Hamlets family would have all shared a common reality than maybe their relationship would have been better.
The family unit may be one of the smallest units of society, but it is without a doubt, one of the most important. The family unit is very important to society because it ensures a standard welfare and care amongst its members. The family unit that a child is born into offers the child safety and stability and later on nurturing and advice. Further on down the road, a family offers a kind of intermediate step between the safety of the family home and the harsh real world. If a child is brought up in a world without a family unit than this child will have serious difficulties growing up. There is no one really there to offer them care and nurturing so the child will most likely have a rough childhood. This child may go on to do bad things, such as commit crimes, but can you really blame the person in this case? They never really experienced being in a family, therefore they were never really properly cared for. The family unit is important to society because it (generally) prevents children from growing up into bad people by offering them nurturing and care at a young age. Hamlet seemed to have experienced a good childhood but the same cannot be said about his later years. He grew up in a healthy family, and this stayed the same until the death of his father. After his father’s death, one could argue that Hamlet took a turn for the crazy (the reason for this being his fathers death) and this ended up costing him his life.
The family unit is very important, although it is often taken for granted by people these days. If ever you have a problem, the family unit is always there for you. If ever you just need someone to talk to, the family unit is always there for you. People do not generally take the time to think about how much family actually means to them. This reflection actually made me appreciate my family and how much they mean to me. I don’t know what I would do without my family, and I think the same can be (hopefully) said for everyone.
Hamlets constructed reality is completely different. Hamlet sees Claudius as the enemy and would love nothing more than for him to be out of the picture. He knows that his mother is a good person and does not understand why she loves Claudius so much. In Hamlets eyes, no one is to be trusted. He acts insane so that he can get away with more, and this was not seen by the others. In the end Hamlet is killed.
Claudius believes that Hamlet is crazy. He thinks that it should be pretty easy to kill Hamlet, because he is crazy. Claudius knows that he had done a terrible thing by killing his brother, but he thinks that it was for the right reasons, and he is also unaware that Hamlet knows the truth about the whole ordeal.. He believes that he is a good person. In his reality Hamlet is mad, and Gertrude loves him. The actuality of it is that Hamlet is not insane, although Gertrude does seem to love him. In the end Claudius is killed.
Now, after seeing the constructed realities of some of the different characters in the play, it is easy to see how important the family unit is not only to the members of the family but also in society. Firstly, the family unit is very important to the members of the family because it is a sort of reflection on how well each member interacts with each other. If the overall outlook of the family is one that is optimistic than this means that there is a healthy relationship between its members. Conversely, if the family seems to be dysfunctional than this means that the relationship between members is either lacking or just not solid. Hamlets family is one that is dysfunctional because there is not a solid relationship between its members. Each family member has a different constructed reality therefore no one is really on the same page. If Hamlets family would have all shared a common reality than maybe their relationship would have been better.
The family unit may be one of the smallest units of society, but it is without a doubt, one of the most important. The family unit is very important to society because it ensures a standard welfare and care amongst its members. The family unit that a child is born into offers the child safety and stability and later on nurturing and advice. Further on down the road, a family offers a kind of intermediate step between the safety of the family home and the harsh real world. If a child is brought up in a world without a family unit than this child will have serious difficulties growing up. There is no one really there to offer them care and nurturing so the child will most likely have a rough childhood. This child may go on to do bad things, such as commit crimes, but can you really blame the person in this case? They never really experienced being in a family, therefore they were never really properly cared for. The family unit is important to society because it (generally) prevents children from growing up into bad people by offering them nurturing and care at a young age. Hamlet seemed to have experienced a good childhood but the same cannot be said about his later years. He grew up in a healthy family, and this stayed the same until the death of his father. After his father’s death, one could argue that Hamlet took a turn for the crazy (the reason for this being his fathers death) and this ended up costing him his life.
The family unit is very important, although it is often taken for granted by people these days. If ever you have a problem, the family unit is always there for you. If ever you just need someone to talk to, the family unit is always there for you. People do not generally take the time to think about how much family actually means to them. This reflection actually made me appreciate my family and how much they mean to me. I don’t know what I would do without my family, and I think the same can be (hopefully) said for everyone.
Activity 1.2
Hamlet’s family tree
Gertrude- - - - - Late King Hamlet------ Claudius
Prince Hamlet
Hamlet’s family is one that seems to be very dysfunctional, this causing many problems among his family. Hamlet has suspicions that Claudius killed his own brother in order to take the throne and his wife. Hamlet thinks this because a ghost, who turns out to be his father’s spirit, approaches him and tells him that Claudius did in fact kill him. Claudius takes the throne and marries his brother’s wife Gertrude. Hamlet is very angry with his uncle and plans to kill him. He attempts to, but only ends up killing Polonius, who is the father of Prince Hamlet’s lover. In the end Claudius attempts to poison Hamlet, but ends up poisoning his wife as well. Gertrude dies, then Hamlet kills Claudius, then Hamlet dies while reciting a very moving speech. The family does not cope with their problems very well, because their only solution seems to be death and in the end everyone dies. This is appropriate though as it is a Shakespearean tragedy. The family that the reader is seeing is not a typical nuclear family because Hamlets father is not his real father. If Hamlet’s father would have still been alive then they would be categorized as a nuclear family, but since he is not, they’re not. However, even with Claudius not being Hamlets real father, all the roles are filled in the nuclear family, so it does somewhat resemble one. Polonius’ family tree
Polonius
Ophelia---------------------Laertes
The problems that this family faces are not really within the family itself. Each of the family members has their own problems, but they do look out for one another. For example, at the beginning of the play when you first find out that Ophelia and Hamlet are in love, Laertes is quick to warn his sister not to mess around or something bad will happen. When Palonius is killed by Hamlet, his children have very mixed emotions. Ophelia starts off being ridiculously sad and then later on goes insane. Once Laertes finds out that Hamlet is responsible for killing his father, he decides that the right thing to would be to kill Hamlet. In trying to kill Hamlet, Laertes ends up dying himself. Ophelia ends up drowning after going for a stroll one day(although this did not make much sense in the movie considering the movie was cast in the middle of winter). Again, the only outcome to all of their problems was death. They could have definitely coped with their problems better, by maybe taking less action and thinking things through. Considering it is a Shakespearean tragedy though, the outcome is appropriate. People went to go see Shakespeare’s plays to be entertained. If Ophelia and Laertes would of simply thought their problems through then Shakespeare would have been hearing crickets in the audience. If Ophelia and Leartes coped with their problems better, than maybe they wouldn’t have died. This family does not resemble a nuclear family because there is no mother in the family. There is simply Polonius and his two kids. There is never any mention of their mother throughout the whole play.
Gertrude- - - - - Late King Hamlet------ Claudius
Prince Hamlet
Hamlet’s family is one that seems to be very dysfunctional, this causing many problems among his family. Hamlet has suspicions that Claudius killed his own brother in order to take the throne and his wife. Hamlet thinks this because a ghost, who turns out to be his father’s spirit, approaches him and tells him that Claudius did in fact kill him. Claudius takes the throne and marries his brother’s wife Gertrude. Hamlet is very angry with his uncle and plans to kill him. He attempts to, but only ends up killing Polonius, who is the father of Prince Hamlet’s lover. In the end Claudius attempts to poison Hamlet, but ends up poisoning his wife as well. Gertrude dies, then Hamlet kills Claudius, then Hamlet dies while reciting a very moving speech. The family does not cope with their problems very well, because their only solution seems to be death and in the end everyone dies. This is appropriate though as it is a Shakespearean tragedy. The family that the reader is seeing is not a typical nuclear family because Hamlets father is not his real father. If Hamlet’s father would have still been alive then they would be categorized as a nuclear family, but since he is not, they’re not. However, even with Claudius not being Hamlets real father, all the roles are filled in the nuclear family, so it does somewhat resemble one. Polonius’ family tree
Polonius
Ophelia---------------------Laertes
The problems that this family faces are not really within the family itself. Each of the family members has their own problems, but they do look out for one another. For example, at the beginning of the play when you first find out that Ophelia and Hamlet are in love, Laertes is quick to warn his sister not to mess around or something bad will happen. When Palonius is killed by Hamlet, his children have very mixed emotions. Ophelia starts off being ridiculously sad and then later on goes insane. Once Laertes finds out that Hamlet is responsible for killing his father, he decides that the right thing to would be to kill Hamlet. In trying to kill Hamlet, Laertes ends up dying himself. Ophelia ends up drowning after going for a stroll one day(although this did not make much sense in the movie considering the movie was cast in the middle of winter). Again, the only outcome to all of their problems was death. They could have definitely coped with their problems better, by maybe taking less action and thinking things through. Considering it is a Shakespearean tragedy though, the outcome is appropriate. People went to go see Shakespeare’s plays to be entertained. If Ophelia and Laertes would of simply thought their problems through then Shakespeare would have been hearing crickets in the audience. If Ophelia and Leartes coped with their problems better, than maybe they wouldn’t have died. This family does not resemble a nuclear family because there is no mother in the family. There is simply Polonius and his two kids. There is never any mention of their mother throughout the whole play.
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