Summary/Analysis: Hamlet

Author:
William Shakespeare is a famous English playwright and poet. His notable plays are Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet. He was married to Anne Hathaway and partially owned the Globe Theater.

Setting:
This play takes place in a castle of Elsinore, Denmark (mostly in the throne room).

Significant Characters:
Hamlet-
He is the son of Gertrude and Hamlet Sr. and the nephew of King Claudius. He misses his father and is unhappy with his mother, his uncle, and the society he lives in. His father's ghost persuades him to take revenge on Claudius. Hamlet is very well-liked by the people of Denmark and is also in love with Ophelia.
Claudius-
He is the current king and brother of Hamlet Sr. He took over the throne after he killed his brother by putting poison into his ear. Although he is very cruel and manipulative, he truly loves Gertrude.
Gertrude-
She is Hamlet's mom, Hamlet Sr.'s wife, and Claudius's wife. She committs incest, but definitely loves Hamlet and tries to protect him. She ends up dying from drinking a poison that was intended for Hamlet.
Ophelia-
She is Laertes's brother and Polonius's daughter. She was also in a relationship with Hamlet, but breaks things off with him on her father's orders. She seems innocent, but many people think she had already lost her virginity to Hamlet and may have been pregnant. She goes crazy and committs suicide in the end.
Horatio-
He is Hamlet's best friend, as Hamlet picked him and wasn't ordered by his parents to be friends with him. He went to college with Hamlet at the University of Wittenberg. He is a loyal friend and decides not to committ suicide after Hamlet dies so that he can tell Hamlet's story to the people.

Narrative Voice:
N/A because it is a play.

Plot:
The ghost of the previous king, King Hamlet, comes to talk to Hamlet about revenging his father's death. Hamlet acts crazy, prompting Claudius and Polonius to spy on him. Ophelia decides to follow her dad's orders and goes along with the plan. Hamlet sees right through the plan and insults Ophelia, ordering her to a nunnery. Later, Hamlet tries to make Claudius guilty by having him watch a play alluding to his father's murder. Claudius does feel guilty and goes to pray, while sending Hamlet to be killed in England. Before Hamlet leaves, he confronts Gertrude, killing Polonius after he thinks it's Claudius that is evesdropping. After Hamlet leaves for England, Claudius's plan fails and Hamlet returns, only to find that Ophelia has committed suicide. Laertes thinks it's Hamlet's fault that his sister and father has died, so he agrees to Claudius's plan of fencing with Hamlet in order to kill him. After the fencing match, Laertes dies of wounds, Gertrude dies of poison, Hamlet kills Claudius and then dies, and Fortinbras takes over as the new King. Horatio is left to tell the story of Hamlet.

Quotes:
"To be, or not to be: that is the question:/" (Shakespeare Act III Scene I Line 56)
This quote is one of the most famous lines in English literature. Hamlet debates on whether it is better to live or die. He struggles with the decision to committ suicide, but in the end, realizes that the afterlife's uncertainty and dread is the reason why people choose not to kill themselves. This quote is meaningful to the play, as it includes the theme of death and suicide. It also shows insight into Hamlet's thoughts.

"'Tis brief my lord./ As woman's love./" (Shakespeare Act III Scene II Lines 121-122)
Hamlet's bitterness towards women is shown through this quote. He says that a woman's love is very brief, as he has experienced that with Ophelia. Ophelia obviously did not love Hamlet enough to disobey her father and continue her relationship with him. Hamlet also thinks that Gertrude's love for Hamlet Sr. was brief as after he died, Gertrude immediately fell in love with Claudius.

Style:
Shakespeare uses imagery, detail, tone, symbolism, and diction in this play. There is no point of view since it is a play and there is no narrator. Imagery is used many times, especially when the ghost is describing how Hamlet's father died. Detail is also frequently used. One example is when Horatio was describing the ghost's actions, "...A figure like your father,/ Armed at point exactly, cap-a-pe,/ Appears before them, and with solemn march/ Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walk'd/" (Shakespeare Act I Scene II Lines 199-202). This detail enhances the play's imagery. Shakespeare includes tone to show how a character feels about another character. For example, Hamlet has a harsh tone when speaking to Ophelia, as he is shocked that Ophelia would betray him. However, towards Horatio, Hamlet has a very kind and trusting tone for his best friend. Symbolism is also used in this play, like violets that represent Ophelia's grace, beauty, and innocence. The diction in this play like "impious", "inky", and "fruitful" add to the detail of the events and personalities of the characters.

Theme:
One of the main themes of this play is uncertainty. This is shown through the ghost, as Marcellus, Bernardo, and Horation are unsure of what it wants and what its identity truly is. This theme is also expressed in that Hamlet is uncertain of what to do and who he is. Should he take action and kill Claudius immediately or should he wait?

Revision: Open Prompt #3

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

           The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is a novel about an extremely wealthy society. Although the elite and upper class may seem happier and better than lower classes, Fitzgerald uses symbols to show that this is not the case.

          One of the most significant symbol is geography. The society is broken up into two places: the East Egg and the West Egg. The East Egg is where the "old rich" live. It represents a classy, fashionable, and elegant society. The West Egg is where the "new rich" live. It represents an extravagant, lavish, and unfashionable society.

          Although the characters of the East Egg are considered better than the characters of the West Egg, they are not as satisfied nor happy. For example, Daisy was from the East Egg and even though she loved Gatsby (from the West Egg), she chose to marry her second choice, Tom Buchanan, because Gatsby was at war and Tom was extremely wealthy. Also, Gatsby orginally thought Daisy was the definition of perfection: beautiful, graceful, charming, and wealthy. This was partially because she lived in the East Egg, but was also primarily because Gatsby put her on a pedastle (since he was in love with her). However, Daisy's personality was far from perfection. She was cynicle, uncaring, and shallow. Although Jay Gatsby was from the West Egg, he was a much better person: loyal, kind, and persistant.

          In addition, Nick Carraway from the West Egg was an honest, hardworking man while the lady he was pursuing, Jordan Baker from the East Egg, was dishonest and selfish. At the end of the story, Nick realizes that the glitz and glam of the Eggs in New York were not worth the immoral people and events that also happened. Nick moves back to the Midwest for a calmer and more modest lifestyle.

         The differences in the characters of the two Eggs are extreme. It is evident that Gatsby lives a better and happier life, although he is of the West Egg. Fitzgerald uses these symbols to show that no matter where you are from and what social class you are, you can still live a great life.

Response to Course Material #5

           As of tonight, I have just finished annotating Hamlet! It was a relief to know we had gotten an extension on those annotations because they took forever. I'm glad I did them though because it really helped me understand this play (Shakespeare's use of old English has always been hard for me to read and translate). I thought it was quite interesting to see how Hamlet became more and more crazy, but my favorite part was when Ophelia started singing (it was especially amusing in the Hamlet movies we watched in class).
         Also, I have read over our AP Lit semester final review. Not going to lie, I am quite scared for this. It is like the Terms Test Part Two, which I know the terms test for me did not go quite as well as I hoped it would. I will be definitely studying for this final, as now I have a sense of what it will be like.
         This week, we have also gotten our Jago Ch.4 essays back. Ms. Holmes's comments helped me a lot. I wouldn't have even thought of half the things she had suggested! I think this past month has been filled with reading Hamlet, so I am pretty excited to move on and see what we are going to read next.