1) A new scene for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- set in 'the lobby up the stairs' where they have been sent to find Polonius' body. They find Polonius and have a discussion about what will happen to Hamlet now that he's killed somebody. They are suspicious that Claudius will send Hamlet and themselves to England to face their death, but decide they will still go because they are so devoted to their friend.
Reasons for this scene would be to show the true loyalty of the friends, because there is evidence for and against their loyalty throughout the play, and I feel it is necessary to show proof the they really do love Hamlet. Evidence for loyalty includes the queen's opinion, 'two men there are not living to whom he more adheres', and the genuine confusion and hurt that they face when Hamlet questions their loyalty, 'my lord, you once did love me', 'take you me for a sponge, my lord?'. The scene would show their devotion, love and sacrifice, and the audience would sypathise with the characters, as they have become tragic victims.
2) A new scene for Polonius- A scene between Polonius and Laertes, before Laertes departs in the first act. Polonius warns Laertes about how he encountered the Ghost, which told him Claudius killed Hamlet's father. He tells Laertes not to return, and that he will send Ophelia away too if he does not think Hamlet will marry her. This explains a) Polonius' obsession with Hamlet's love for Ophelia (as he doesn't want to send her away and believes she will be safe if she marries Hamlet), 'I have a daughter- have while she is mine', 'he, repelled.... fell into sadness... into the madness'. b) The haste Polonius has for Laertes' departure, as he fears fot the safety of his children in a nation lead by a murderer 'Yet here, Laertes? Aboard, aboard for shame!'. c) Polonius' devotion to Denmark, as he risks his safety to stay and try to amend the disorder, for example when he hides in the closet scene, he maybe hopes to overhear something to make sure that Hamlet was not involved in his father's death. Also, Polonius puts up with all of Hamlet's insults, 'old men... have a plentiful lack of wit', 'these tedious old fools', because Polonius is against Claudius and therefore cares for Hamlet as he is the rightful king who will restore order in society.
3) A new scene for Ophelia- Set just after the scene where she is singing after she's gone mad. She meets Hamlet on the bank of the river. He is extremely upset to see the condition she is in, and to know that it is his fault. He tries to explain how Polonius' death came about, how it was a genuine mistake, but she cannot cope with what he says and eventually makes him leave. There is a blackout as she falls forward into the river. The conversation would reveal a) Hamlet does love Ophelia- although in the text he says 'I never gave you aught', he also says 'I did love you once', and never suggests that he stopped loving her. b) Ophelia is pregnant (she discloses this to Hamlet in the scene, and although at first shocked, he treats her well and shows his excitement at being a father, as an attempt to calm her down and return her to sanity). Evidence for this includes Ophelia saying 'let in the maid that out a maid/Never departed more'. The 'never departed more' could mean that when Ophelia slept will Hamlet, she not only lost her virginity, but also became pregant, so she is effectively saying 'no one ever parted with their virtue so extremely as I did, because I became pregnant too'.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Homework from lesson 9/2- extra scene involving Gertrude
ACT ONE
Claudius spoke at the service today. He is devastated, my dear. He loved you almost as much as Hamlet did. And as for Hamlet, our wonderful son… It was tragic to see how he cried. The night you died, we held each other for hours, and it seemed his tears would drown the whole country. I wept with him, not out of love for you, but for the pain I could see in our son, the pain I could do nothing to resolve. Save one thing. Whilst our dear boy sobbed in my arms, I realised such a young and grieving boy could never lead Denmark out of its grief. He’s just never been an optimistic face, and I knew it would not be kind to force him so quickly out of his sorrows in order to restore order to society. So I made a decision… to remain Queen. To marry Claudius. I believe this is the only way to keep the kingdom in as good a state as you and I made it. It is a hard time for everybody, and the threat of Fortinbras is terribly foreboding. Denmark must remain strong or it may cease to exist.
My marriage to Claudius will be similar to my marriage to yours- we will sleep in separate beds, and we will touch and smile together only in public, to keep up appearances. But he can never be as great a King as you. I do not think he quite sees monarchy as you did- we shared the throne, we discussed everything, we decided things together. I don’t think Claudius has quite so modern a feeling towards women.
When he offered his hand after the service yesterday, and I accepted, we agreed that we would not be a couple, but only seem to be a couple. I said ‘Denmark will know nothing. They will see a happy King and Queen, and in turn we will maintain a happy kingdom’. He smiled- he looked a lot like you- and then he hit me. Across the face. And he said ‘Denmark will know nothing’. (Opens the shoe box at her feet, takes out white wedding shoes, and swaps them with the black funeral shoes. She stands)
(Almost in tears, but with strength in her voice) I never loved you Hamlet. You never loved me. But I shall miss you every single day, friend.
1.1 (The grave of the dead KING HAMLET can be seen spotlighted downstage right. GERTRUDE enters alone, carrying a shoe box and flowers. She wears black shoes)
GERTRUDE: Today was the worst day Hamlet, Hamlet my dear. No woman should have to see the death of her husband. I know we argued. I know we did not really love each other. I know that for several years, neither of us has felt we had anything in common. But we had Hamlet, and we had Denmark, two things we both loved, two things that together we helped to develop. We were a good team, you and I. The lack of love between us just meant a lack of arguments. And we were both happy. But now you are gone. (Places the flowers on the grave. Kneels.)Claudius spoke at the service today. He is devastated, my dear. He loved you almost as much as Hamlet did. And as for Hamlet, our wonderful son… It was tragic to see how he cried. The night you died, we held each other for hours, and it seemed his tears would drown the whole country. I wept with him, not out of love for you, but for the pain I could see in our son, the pain I could do nothing to resolve. Save one thing. Whilst our dear boy sobbed in my arms, I realised such a young and grieving boy could never lead Denmark out of its grief. He’s just never been an optimistic face, and I knew it would not be kind to force him so quickly out of his sorrows in order to restore order to society. So I made a decision… to remain Queen. To marry Claudius. I believe this is the only way to keep the kingdom in as good a state as you and I made it. It is a hard time for everybody, and the threat of Fortinbras is terribly foreboding. Denmark must remain strong or it may cease to exist.
My marriage to Claudius will be similar to my marriage to yours- we will sleep in separate beds, and we will touch and smile together only in public, to keep up appearances. But he can never be as great a King as you. I do not think he quite sees monarchy as you did- we shared the throne, we discussed everything, we decided things together. I don’t think Claudius has quite so modern a feeling towards women.
When he offered his hand after the service yesterday, and I accepted, we agreed that we would not be a couple, but only seem to be a couple. I said ‘Denmark will know nothing. They will see a happy King and Queen, and in turn we will maintain a happy kingdom’. He smiled- he looked a lot like you- and then he hit me. Across the face. And he said ‘Denmark will know nothing’. (Opens the shoe box at her feet, takes out white wedding shoes, and swaps them with the black funeral shoes. She stands)
(Almost in tears, but with strength in her voice) I never loved you Hamlet. You never loved me. But I shall miss you every single day, friend.
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
This is the book I've just finished reading which I'd like to tell everybody to read because it was fantastic :)
It's only about 100 pages long, and critics have called it the best short story of all time- Hemingway got the Nobel Prize for Literature for it. It's about a very old fisherman who hasn't caught a fish for 85 days... And then something happens... The main theme is endurance, as he is incredibly strong and resilient and is wonderful :) my favourite line is when he talks to himself, urging himself to keep fighting, and he says 'a man can be destroyed, but not defeated'. It's really worth a read :)
It's only about 100 pages long, and critics have called it the best short story of all time- Hemingway got the Nobel Prize for Literature for it. It's about a very old fisherman who hasn't caught a fish for 85 days... And then something happens... The main theme is endurance, as he is incredibly strong and resilient and is wonderful :) my favourite line is when he talks to himself, urging himself to keep fighting, and he says 'a man can be destroyed, but not defeated'. It's really worth a read :)
Lesson 9/2- What I think of Gertrude
After reading Margaret Atwood's Gertrude talks back, I've definitely been shown a new interpretation of Gertrude's character.
In Atwood's work, Gertrude begins by calling Hamlet's father 'selfish'. Straight away I have to say, although he may well have been selfish, Gertrude is fairly obviously being potrayed as malicious as she insults someone who is not long dead. However, I do like the line 'I wanted to call you George', as George is the name of several Kings of the past, and so maybe this shows that if Gertrude had been allowed to make more decisions, Hamlet would have been a successful King.
I like the paragraph comparing the two Kings- I think this shows that all Gertrude needed was to feel loved, and Hamlet senior never showed love wheras Claudius does. She says she loves Claudius despite his faults, 'he likes a drink' and has a 'slight weight problem'. I agree this is a possible interpretation of Gertrude, one suggesting that she is not as shallow as Hamlet thinks she is. Also, the line about Ophelia, 'any little shock could push her right over the edge' shows Atwood is suggesting that Gertrude is wise and clever, because she is right about this.
When Gertrude suggests that Hamlet should 'roll in the hay' and get a girlfriend and have some fun, I realised for the first time that maybe she's right, and maybe Hamlet just needs to lighten up. If his father truly was like Gertrude has described, then it's fairly obvious Gertrude is happier with Claudius, and a good son would want their mother to be happy.
However, when Gertrude says 'it was me' and that she killed Hamlet's father, I don't agree at all with this interpretation of her character. She may have been in on the deed, for example may have played a Lady Macbeth kind of role and encouraged Claudius to do the deed, but I don't believe Gertrude actually comitted the murder. Mainly because Claudius admits that it was him.
In Atwood's work, Gertrude begins by calling Hamlet's father 'selfish'. Straight away I have to say, although he may well have been selfish, Gertrude is fairly obviously being potrayed as malicious as she insults someone who is not long dead. However, I do like the line 'I wanted to call you George', as George is the name of several Kings of the past, and so maybe this shows that if Gertrude had been allowed to make more decisions, Hamlet would have been a successful King.
I like the paragraph comparing the two Kings- I think this shows that all Gertrude needed was to feel loved, and Hamlet senior never showed love wheras Claudius does. She says she loves Claudius despite his faults, 'he likes a drink' and has a 'slight weight problem'. I agree this is a possible interpretation of Gertrude, one suggesting that she is not as shallow as Hamlet thinks she is. Also, the line about Ophelia, 'any little shock could push her right over the edge' shows Atwood is suggesting that Gertrude is wise and clever, because she is right about this.
When Gertrude suggests that Hamlet should 'roll in the hay' and get a girlfriend and have some fun, I realised for the first time that maybe she's right, and maybe Hamlet just needs to lighten up. If his father truly was like Gertrude has described, then it's fairly obvious Gertrude is happier with Claudius, and a good son would want their mother to be happy.
However, when Gertrude says 'it was me' and that she killed Hamlet's father, I don't agree at all with this interpretation of her character. She may have been in on the deed, for example may have played a Lady Macbeth kind of role and encouraged Claudius to do the deed, but I don't believe Gertrude actually comitted the murder. Mainly because Claudius admits that it was him.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Lesson 2/1/2011- How should Hamlet be played at the end of Act Two?
Hamlet’s behaviour at the end of Act Two seems to be based on one main point of debate- that Hamlet is not a classical tragic hero.
Towards the end of Act Two, the audience sees the way Hamlet is affected by the power of the theatre. His soliloquy is entirely based around the fact that the actor he watched 'turned his colour and had tears in's eyes'. Hamlet obviously deeply respects the power of the theatre and all players, and tells Polonius that 'you were better have a bad epitaph than their ill report while you live'. He is passionate about being included in the play, asking if he could write an extra scene ‘and insert in’t’. He also speaks in an extremely intellectual and thoughtful way (unlike classical heroes), using almost poetical phrases such as ‘what would he do had he the motive and that for passion that I have? He would drown the stage in tears’. A character like this, who loves the power of words, portrays more similar conventions of the classical tragic villain than the conventions of a hero.
Hamlet also does not seem to have the Hubris of all classical tragic heroes, as he completely lacks any kind of pride or self-esteem, calling himself ‘a rogue and peasant slave’. He easily conjures pictures in his dialogue of violent actions, for example between 2.2.496-500 he uses words such as ‘drown… cleave… make mad… confound’. These frightfully powerful and potentially destructive actions are not however carried out. His other outbursts include ‘remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain’. Yet Hamlet still does nothing.
Another quality of Hamlet’s character to suggest his lack of heroicness is his female-like character. He describes himself as a ‘whore’, the lowest kind of woman, for not yet acting upon the words of the ghost. He says ‘I am pigeon-livered and lack gall’, which means he lacks guts and bravery, the stereotypical traits of a manly figure.
I believe Hamlet should be portrayed as weak in this soliloquy. I believe the words suggest he has reached a low point, where he has done nothing and hates himself for his lack of bravery, but even as he talks he admits to himself that he isn’t the sort of character to act upon his thoughts. I like the way David Tennant performs the scene- curled up, protecting himself from his own hurtful words. It portrays Hamlet’s character as fragile, utterly alone, and with need of a guiding light that doesn’t exist. So although Hamlet may not fit as a classical tragic hero, by the end of Act Two the mood and atmosphere is indeed that of a tragedy.
Towards the end of Act Two, the audience sees the way Hamlet is affected by the power of the theatre. His soliloquy is entirely based around the fact that the actor he watched 'turned his colour and had tears in's eyes'. Hamlet obviously deeply respects the power of the theatre and all players, and tells Polonius that 'you were better have a bad epitaph than their ill report while you live'. He is passionate about being included in the play, asking if he could write an extra scene ‘and insert in’t’. He also speaks in an extremely intellectual and thoughtful way (unlike classical heroes), using almost poetical phrases such as ‘what would he do had he the motive and that for passion that I have? He would drown the stage in tears’. A character like this, who loves the power of words, portrays more similar conventions of the classical tragic villain than the conventions of a hero.
Hamlet also does not seem to have the Hubris of all classical tragic heroes, as he completely lacks any kind of pride or self-esteem, calling himself ‘a rogue and peasant slave’. He easily conjures pictures in his dialogue of violent actions, for example between 2.2.496-500 he uses words such as ‘drown… cleave… make mad… confound’. These frightfully powerful and potentially destructive actions are not however carried out. His other outbursts include ‘remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain’. Yet Hamlet still does nothing.
Another quality of Hamlet’s character to suggest his lack of heroicness is his female-like character. He describes himself as a ‘whore’, the lowest kind of woman, for not yet acting upon the words of the ghost. He says ‘I am pigeon-livered and lack gall’, which means he lacks guts and bravery, the stereotypical traits of a manly figure.
I believe Hamlet should be portrayed as weak in this soliloquy. I believe the words suggest he has reached a low point, where he has done nothing and hates himself for his lack of bravery, but even as he talks he admits to himself that he isn’t the sort of character to act upon his thoughts. I like the way David Tennant performs the scene- curled up, protecting himself from his own hurtful words. It portrays Hamlet’s character as fragile, utterly alone, and with need of a guiding light that doesn’t exist. So although Hamlet may not fit as a classical tragic hero, by the end of Act Two the mood and atmosphere is indeed that of a tragedy.
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