Blog Post #20: Ophelia Instagram Selfie

Although Ophelia's flaws are not quite as obvious as those of Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet, and other, larger characters in Hamlet, but that doesn't change the significance of her inevitable weakness. As a young woman, Ophelia has little power over her own choices and succumbs very easily to the advice of her brother, Laertes, but more importantly, to the advice - or command, rather - of her father, Polonius. In the play, Polonius explains to Ophelia while discussing Hamlet, "and with a larger tedder may he walk than may be given you," (1.3.125-126) He is quite literally telling Ophelia that she does not have as much freedom in folly or otherwise as Hamlet does - this is reminiscent of Polonius' "locking up" Ophelia and binding her to his word as her father . This notion of Ophelia's dependence upon her father  is seen in many areas, but most notably regarding her interactions with Hamlet;after Polonius commands Ophelia to keep a romantic distance between herself and Hamlet, she reports to him, "No, my good lord. But as you did command I did repel his fetters and denied His access to me." (2.1.108-110) Ophelia respects her fathers word, but her flaw in this weakness is that she has grown so accustomed to his dictating her life that she does not understand how to manage her own life without him. In essence, everything she does is a call to his attention both before and after his death - the nature of this "attention," however, changes. The "Ophelia Instagram Post" above reflects these notions; both the image and her response to Laertes' reassuring comment are very "needy" - they call for attention and for support. Of course, Polonius had to make an appearance on the Gram, where he establishes his control over her and commands her to leave behind her worries and self-doubt. 

Blog Post # 19: Hamlet Act Four Assignment

Analysis of Literary Criticism: "Shakespeare and Bedlam":



Hamlet Responding to Criticism:

Without second thought I've aimed thus far to "move [my] mad [self] to centre-stage," as Grace Tiffany suggests, but it is not as if I have foregone my sanity in the hopes of putting on "an antic disposition," (1.5.192). I may seek my incestuous mother's and uncle's attention but that doesn't change my desire "that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew." (1.2.133-136). Am I not what I am? No doubt am I an actor - a man of my own mode - but this can never change that way in which I have so deeply been hurt by the very incidences which have my father reduced to a pitiful ghost. For am I not the very reflection of my own actions? In this place of madness, in this Bedlam, there are man "people for whom the distinction between role and player no longer exist," (Tiffany). While I know in myself it to be true that I cannot lie to my own reflection, perhaps it is out of my control, perhaps I have no power over the "strange or odd some'er I bear myself," and the spilling of my own sanity into a pool of my own verse and mockery (1.5.190). I know myself not to be mad, or perhaps this knowing is merely a product of my own madness, my pretend-madness. If in pretending I have brought myself past of point of salvation and up unto the intersection of reality and feigned misconstuations of the real world, then am I worth of the halls of Bedlam? My own mother has said to me "Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
Sprinkle cool patience," but I know in myself that my father's ghost is no product of my antic disposition, rather, it is a reflection of the incestuous horrors that have been committed among my own kind (3.4.18). Although, if these notions of fact I hold myself to be true are mere product of my rationalization, perhaps I do, in fact, deserve to be in a place "designed with the intent to cure mad folk." (Tiffany). Such a location seems to me so dim and dismal, but what in  my own house is different than Bedlam - friend and foe come here to help and to mock me, to seek me out and to push me away, perhaps for entertainment, perhaps for study, perhaps for their own dispositions, perhaps for their own dispositions, perhaps for their own dispositions. 

As little as I may know about my own mind, my own sanity, I can take comfort in knowing that the "Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds," that surround me are not a product of my own madness (4.5.2). Perhaps, though, my own dangerous conjectures pose more of a threat to me than these externalities combined. 

Blog Post #18: Hamlet Act Three Assignment: "To be or not to be,"

Directed by Kenneth Branagh:

After thoroughly analyzing Hamlet's Soliloquy in Act Three, Scene One, it is clear that, of the Branagh, Hawke, and Olivier renditions, the Kenneth Branagh direction of Hamlet best connects mis en scene to the words of Shakespeare. While one could argue that the Olivier direction offered a clearer visualization of the shifts in Hamlets soliloquy and that the Hawke direction offered a clever background that delivered messages alongside the speech, it is, without a doubt, that the Branagh direction most clearly toy with the imperative, eternal, philosophical question "to be or not to be," (3.1.55). Simple, yet loud in its reservedness, the camera focuses over Hamlet's shoulder as he speaks to himself in a mirror - immediately, the mis en scene adds information to the scene: it is clear that Hamlet is, quite literally now, too, reflecting upon himself and his own character. In the first two thirds of the soliloquy, Hamlet's head and shoulder remain in the camera shot as he speaks to the man in the mirror - presumably himself - and that is important because it identifies the presence of "more than one Hamlet." While Hamlet continues to scheme against Gertrude and Claudius, there is an evident divide between the man, Hamlet, and the character, Hamlet. In question whether "whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer or to take arms against a sea of troubles," Hamlet takes action to undermine those who have betrayed him, but his character continues to follow a path of mental decay. The only problem? In some regards, Hamlet has lost his footing, in a sense, and has trouble now distinguishing who he is and what he wants - the freedom from the plight of life in death, or the freedom for the unknown of death in life. Branagh amazingly incorporated this nuanced notion into his direction of the scene; as Hamlet begins to reveal to himself that he is losing his ability to act, Branagh removes the silhouette from the camera shot and obscures what the viewer is seeing. Is it Hamlet face-on? Is it Hamlet in a mirror? Is it Hamlet through a mirror? This ambiguity in the direction adds to the complex nature of the major theme in the soliloquy - while hamlet asks if it is to be or not to be, there is no answer and the only answer that could truly be given is both and neither. Finally, in this moment truly being an interaction between Hamlet and himself, Branagh creates a brilliant suggestion in his mis en scene choices; who are we more comfortable with than ourselves, but the director does not progress into extreme close-up. rather leave the camera at a slightly more distanced position. This establishes a distance between Hamlet and himself, as if he does not, at this point, even completely know himself.

Following Branagh's direction, Laurence Olivier would be next in line. As mentioned above, the slow panning in matched by sudden jolts back clearly identify shifts in the soliloquy, but the placement of Hamlet on a cliff-side establishes a false sense of resolution from within Hamlet. Although it does establish notions of his isolation ,Olivier does not imply Hamlet's isolation from himself which is central to his argument and his circular train of thought. Ethan Hawke's direction would likely come next in the line-up; while the mis en scene may be a little bit obvious for some viewers, Hawke makes some important decisions regarding what lay in the background. As Hamlet walks through a Blockbuster Video Store, he stays in the "actions" sections while action movies play in the background. In his own antic disposition, Hamlet builds up and searches for drama to implore social change, and what more than an "action" movie to display there elements of acting and drama that are so pivotal to Hamlet's character. While all three renditions were outstanding, this order reflects the significance each has in adding depth and complexity to the written word of Shakespeare. 

Blog Post #17: Hamlet Act 2 Assignment

Hamlet on Mr. and Mrs. Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C1miwFdQOQ

The movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith - deals with the central issue of trust, but this notion is redefined for the context of a married couple made up of two world class assassins.How can we fully trust someone? If we’re living life as a play, we would like our record read nothing so that we can live in impromptu appropriateness and truly in the moment - honesty aside.    

Hamlet [reflecting upon the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith]: What is it that has, for so long, kept me from finding one whom I can trust - trust more than anyone else in the world - trust more than myself in times of disposition? Clearly these two lovers have yet to find a similar comfort and, after so long, have yet to understand what it is that drives them so far apart. The Smith’s have, for their entire marriage, known nothing of each other - rather, in knowing seemingly everything they are bound to know nothing in that, by nature, their marriage has been all but a show. Temptations results from the “taints of liberty,” but loneliness can’t be solved with relations so deep - like John Smith said, “I guess that's what happens in the end, you start thinking about the beginning.” (2.1.36). My own mother and uncle have betrayed me so it seem blood has little value when it comes to trust, but I fear that my incestuous mother, like the Smiths, does not know who she is going to bed next to every night.

While Mr. and Mrs. Smith each let the other “ply his music,” this unknowingly admits that the two are in full understanding that there is information that they don’t know (2.1.81). What hypocrisy exists between a man’s expectations and his actions - I, a man of the stage and a man of mapped behavior and words, cannot allow myself to bestow the greatest of admiration in someone if I am not pure of heart enough to expect the same honesty that I provide. Although there is such a distance between the Smiths, the multi-faced nature of John Smith’s life is perfectly suited that “there is none living to whom he more adheres,” than Jane, his wife (2.2.20-21). So in this, should I expect to marry someone my equal - someone as blind to the horrors surrounding them yet so driven to meet a certain agenda? I can hardly imagine marrying my own mother, so this hardly will do. Like this wretched state to which I am bound, “there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so,” and perhaps a happy marriage is simple, is immediate, is fleeting; if I think it good, so be it, but If i think it tarnished, there must be a polish at hand (2.2.268-270). The Smiths find a marriage counselor - and a few hundred bullets - to serve as this polish, but here in the rotten state of Denmark, that which is not glimmering is even further tarnished, and I cannot see myself with a woman, be it Ophelia, and being satisfied with keeping myself from her. I may think, as my father very well had, that the act is up once I’m married, but as was said in Doug Liman’s film, “Happy endings are just stories that haven't finished yet;” hopefully this means for me that my inevitable struggles to overcome character removal are at least indicative of formerly happy times - but lo! Where are these? The daughter of “old Jephthah,” is a mocking wreck of my own lineage, but contrary to what I’ve told Polonius, I want to carry this out as best I can without “blowing my cover.” (2.2.444)

Blog Post #16: Hamlet Act One Social Media Assignment

Hamlet discussing his communication with his Father:

What horror, what alarm; the very pith and marrow of a goblin is my own father. He brings with him “airs from heaven or blasts from hell,” and I, bound to listen, hear this ghost's tale of horror, his tale of murder (1.4.45-46). At the hands of Claudius my father, King Hamlet, had fallen and now I am drawn, I am bound to avenge his “foul and most unnatural murder… [a] murder most foul.” (1.5.31-33). “The serpent that did sting [my] father’s life now wears his crown,” and I, in my distracted, worried mind, must hold onto these images, these memories, and these words of my fallen father to avenge the incestuous horrors and crimes that now plague my kin (1.5.46-47).

Oh mother! Why must the the lust for power so plague you to live in shadow and judgement of the Lord. For Claudius has made his pact clear and stands his ground - an offender to nature and to our kind. For if this is an “honest ghost,” which I know to be true, all that now surrounds us is lost to the arrant matin of the Danes (1.5.154). “Upon my sword,” I as truepenny, the unnatural, foul sins and curses against my father shall be chastened and Claudius will see a light apt to his own crimes (1.5.165).

Tweets:

“... air from heaven or blasts from hell.” (1.4.45-46)

The winds of a ghost come not from east or west, rather from sky or earth.

“... foul and unnatural murder… [A] murder most foul.” (1.5.31-33)

Murder she wrote - a murder most foul. Jessica Fletcher clearly hasn't been to Denmark.

“The serpent that did sting [my] father’s life now wears his crown,” (1.5.46-47)

From the Garden of Eden to the courts of Elsinore - temptation has followed man since the first of our tainted kind.

“Honest ghost,” (1.5.154)

Honest hearts produce honest actions; honest ghosts produce honest horror.

“Upon my sword.” (1.5.165)

As a smile is the sword of beauty, my word is the sword of sound and determined character.