Open Prompt Revised

Prompt: 1999. The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time."

          From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality.

Response

          In Stephen Crane's novel The Red Badge of Courage, the young soldier Henry Fleming is torn between his instinct for self-preservation and his duties as a soldier. Throughout the novel, the different feelings confuse him, with each one dominating in different scenes. By describing Henry's internal conflict, Crane hopes to capture the internal conflict between fear and duty that every soldier must face.

          The meaning of Henry's internal struggle is made significant by Crane's generality. Throughout the novel, Crane leaves out many details, such as the name of the battle, the name of the generals, and the location of the battlefield. He also refrains from referring to Henry by name in most cases, preferring to call him "the youth" or "the soldier". The effect of this is that the conflict and characters are almost anonymous--it could be the story of any soldier in any battle. This generality gives Henry's conflict a deeper meaning, because it is not his conflict, but the conflict of a generic soldier.

          One side of Henry is dominated by fear. Before going into battle, he expresses doubt in his own courage, wondering if he will be able to stand his ground. Crane describes how it seems to Henry that all the other soldiers appear not to be troubled. But because of the impersonal sense of the story, it seems Crane means the reader to understand each soldier feels this way. Crane therefore seems to be making the point that all soldiers are afraid, but they gain courage from the group.

          Henry's fear is counteracted in part by his sense of duty. In battle, he is able to conquer his fear by losing his sense of individualism, and becoming part of the army as a whole--like a "cog in a machine". But the victory of one emotion is only temporary, and before long fear returns to dominate Henry, and he flees the battlefield. Several more times though out the novel, Henry's conquers his fear, only to have it return shortly afterwards. Crane therefore makes the point the coming to terms with the fear of death does not occur in a moment, and that a soldier's internal conflict lasts days, weeks, or the whole time he is a soldier. 

          Henry's internal conflict is much larger than Henry himself. By focusing on the opposing feelings and questions tormenting Henry's mind, while also distancing the reader from Henry's individuality, Crane creates a powerful message about war and soldiers in general.  

Response to Course Materials

     In class we just finished Ceremony, and now we have started Fifth Business. I personally don't think we spent enough time discussing Ceremony in class. The book is extremely complicated, and many of the symbols have multiple meaning that I never really understood. I felt like we moved on to Fifth Business before I really understood the significant of symbols like the use of cardinal directions in the book. Compared to the other plays we read, we spent much less time on Ceremony, even though it is significantly more complex and difficult to understand than Hamlet or Death of a Salesman. 

     So far I am enjoying Fifth Business a lot. It is a much more enjoyable storyline than any of the other books or plays we read, and I am enjoying reading it a lot just for the story. At the same time, there definitely seems to be an underlying reason the story is being told which hasn't become apparent yet. One thing I noticed that seems very clever and philosophical is the way Dunstan belief about the snowball is made into a reality. If he did not believe he had affected anything, his life would've gone on as normal and he never would have known Mary Dempster, and his life would've been simple.  However the belief that he had affected events in a significant way made him act in different ways, which ultimately made it into a true event affecting his life. Essentially, his imagination became a reality over the course of the story. 

Ceremony Summary and Analysis

Ceremony Summary and Analysis

Author: Ceremony was written by Leslie Marmon Silko. Silko is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, and writes with relation to their culture. She has received both great praise and criticism for her writing about pueblo culture. Ceremony is her only well known novel. 

Setting: The setting of the novel Ceremony is the American Southwest, in and around the reservation of the Laguna Pueblo, a few years after the end of World War II. Parts of the novel, in flashbacks, also take place in the jungle during World War II. The setting and landscape are essential parts of the novel, and much of the book is devoted to describing them. 

Plot: The book begins with Tayo at home on the Laguna Reservation. Before any action takes place, flashbacks establish parallel stories of him and his consign Rocky during World War II, and him on the reservation as a child with his uncle Josiah. Tayo recalls a horrifying memory of being order to kill a Japanese soldier and only being able to see the face of his uncle Josiah in the face of the Japanese soldier. Both these parallel stories about the war and his childhood continue with flashbacks throughout the novel. A second flashback describes Tayo's stay in the hospital following the war and Rocky's death. He describes this period as if he felt like he were "white smoke". 

Another flashback describes the story of the medicine man Ku'oosh coming to visit Tayo and attempting to cure him of the problems and feelings from the war. Ku'oosh's attempts are unsuccessful. Back in the present, Tayo's friend Harley appears, and the two set off together on mules for the town. During the journey, Tayo has more flashbacks about the war, and times after the war in bars with Harley and the other soldiers who returned to the reservation. One memory is of a bar where there was a fight, and Tayo almost killed Emo, another former soldier by stabbing him with a broken beer bottle.

Tayo and Harley arrive at the bar in Laguna and begin drinking. Tayo recalls more of his childhood about how his aunt treated him and his relationship with Rocky. He recalls a specific memory of killing a deer with Rocky and how Rocky did not respect the old laguna ways and was involved with white culture. Tayo also reflects on his identity of being half-white, and worries about how this affects other people's view of him, since his aunt seems ashamed of him and of his mother.

Next Tayo recalls memories of his uncle Josiah's affair with a woman named Night Swan. She was always mysterious, and on one occasion helped Josiah acquire a herd of cattle from her cousin. These cattle were thin but hardy and could survive in the harshest conditions. Tayo recalls getting the cattle and branding them. Tayo then recalls how Josiah gave him a note to take to Night Swan one day. When Tayo arrives, the two make love, and Night Swan talks about the significance of his eye color. 

Back in the present, Tayo and Harley leave the bar and go out into the town. Tayo also recalls more things from his childhood with Josiah, including a story about the importance of the fly in Laguna culture. Next Tayo returns home, wanting to begin to be productive on the farm again. However, Ku'oosh recommended Tayo go see another medicine man, Betonie, a member of another tribe. Robert takes Tayo to Betonie in the town of Gallup, which appears depressing and with many homeless native americans. Robert leaves Tayo with Betonie, who intends to perform a ceremony to help Tayo free himself of the memories of the war.

At first, Tayo is nervous and frightened of Betonie, thinking him and his oddly decorated hogan sinister or fake. However, Betonie is kind and understanding and soon Tayo becomes comfortable with him. Tayo confesses many of his concerns to Betonie, and tells him several stories, some of which have already been told. In the morning, Betonie takes Tayo away from the Hogan to begin the ceremony. He tells Tayo many stories and legends from Laguna culture, with the help of a boy named Shush who is the medicine man's assistant. 

The ceremony begins to take affect and Tayo feels better, but Betonie says the ceremony is not complete yet. Tayo heads home in the morning, and is picked up along the side of the road by his friends Harley and Leroy, who are accompanied by a prostitute named Helen Jean. They visit a bar together. A segment narrated from Helen Jean's perspective gives an outsiders opinion on Tayo and his friends. Tayo they decides to return home, and shortly after ventures out to find the lost cattle of his uncle Josiah. 

On his search, he finds house with an unknown woman in it. He realizes this woman is somehow part of the ceremony by recognizing a star pattern Betonie had described. Tayo and the woman have sex in her house, and in the morning Tayo leaves in search of the cattle with new confidence. Tayo locates the cattle inside the fenced in ranch of a rich white landowner. He proceeds to cut a hole in the fence preparing to lead the cattle out. He encounters a mountain lion who leads him to the cattle. He is captured by two patrolling guards of the ranch, but they leave him to go track the mountain lion, and the cattle escape the ranch. Tayo leaves also, and meets a hunter, who takes him back to the house with the woman, his wife.

Tayo does not return home with the cattle, and instead stays in the house for a time. Eventually, the woman, who is now given the name Ts'eh, tells Tayo that Emo and the police are coming to arrest him because they think he has gone crazy living out in the wilderness alone. Tayo goes into hiding, and the next morning leaves, traveling north. He is picked up by Harley and Leroy again, who are drunk. He wakes up finding them gone from the truck, and realizes they may have betrayed him, and so he sets off on foot again. 

Tayo then finds a uranium mine, and makes the connection between it and a story from Grandma about the Trinity test of the atomic bomb. The rest of Tayo's "friends" appear, and Tayo watches as Emo leads the other torturing a captured Harley in an attempt to lure Tayo out. Tayo gets the urge to kill Harley, but realizes this is the power of witchery and overcomes the urge. Tayo stays hidden and the others drive away. Tayo returns home to the cattle. He later discovers that Harley and Leroy died in a trick crash, and Pinkie has killed Emo. The story ends here, with grandma saying she feels as though she has heard the story before.

Characters:

Tayo: A half-Laguna and half-white soldier who returns to the Laguna Reservation from World War II. Tayo is tormented by his experiences in the war, and searches for self identity. He struggles to come to terms with his mixed identity as part white and part Laguna. 

Rocky: Tayo's older cousin. He and Tayo were raised as brothers. Rocky absorbed much of white culture, playing football, going to college, and not following many Laguna traditions. Rocky is strong and confident, and Tayo looks up to him. Rocky is killed in World War II when he and Tayo sign up.

Josiah: Tayo's uncle. Josiah is calm and gentle, and has a small mustache. Josiah acted as a father figure for Tayo while he was growing up. Josiah taught Tayo about old Laguna culture, often telling him stories and legends. Before Tayo left for the war, Josiah had a relationship with a woman in the nearby town who went by the name of Night Swan. Josiah dies while Tayo is away in the war. Josiah's death leaves Tayo feeling lost and without guidance. 

Aunty: The sister of Tayo's mother. Aunty reluctantly adopts Tayo when her sister leaves him with her. Aunty is cold and unwelcoming to Tayo throughout his childhood. Aunty is concerned with what other people in the village think of her and her family, and usually acts in the way best for her public image. She is the only one in the family that goes to church, which she is proud of.

Grandma: Aunty and Josiah's mother. Grandma is old and not talkative throughout most of the story. She often seems distant and frequently talks about the past.

Robert: Aunty's husband. Robert takes over the farm and a fatherly role for Tayo upon Josiah's death. He has little interaction with Tayo during Tayo's childhood, but is kind and fatherly to him after Tayo returns from the war.

Ku'oosh: A Laguna medicine man who comes to help Tayo when he is sick after returning from the war. Ku'oosh is unable to help Tayo, except by stopping his frequent vomiting. He recommends Tayo go to another medicine man Betonie. Ku'oosh performs ceremonies in traditional ways.

Betonie: A medicine man from another tribe that Tayo goes to see to be cured. Betonie believes that ceremonies need to evolve as times change. He performs a ceremony which ultimately allows Tayo to come to terms with his life after the war. 

Shush: Betonie assistant who is associated with the bear boy of legend.

Ts'eh: a mysterious woman who Tayo meets while searching for Josiah's lost cattle. She and Tayo become lovers, and she is a major factor in Betonie's ceremony and helps cure Tayo. Ts'eh is spirit like, and always seems to know what Tayo is thinking and what is happening in other places.

Hunter: A spirit who is married to Ts'eh. He can transform himself into a mountain lion, and helps Tayo on his search for the cattle.

Harley and Leroy:  Tayo's best friends who fought in the war alongside him. They have similar distress after the war, but not as extreme as Tayo's, and they chose to drown theirs in drink. Harley and Leroy are mostly seen driving around drunk in a pickup truck. They are killed together in a crash of the same pickup truck.

Emo: Another former soldiers, and Tayo's rival since childhood. Emo is fat and unappealing, and treats Tayo poorly, making fun of him for being half white. Emo longs for the days of the war to return because during them he was part of white culture and was accepted by whites. Emo tries to betray Tayo and have him taken away. Emo is strongly associated with the evil witchery in the story.

Night Swan: A mysterious woman who was the lover of Josiah and lives in a town near the reservation. She is kind and welcoming to Tayo, and shares his eye color which creates a special connection between them. She disappears from the area of the reservation after Josiah's death.

Style:

The book is written is a disconnect and distant style. This style mimics Tayo's perception of the world-distant and as if he were seeing it through smoke. The plot skips around, often incoherently and randomly jumping between memories and the present without distinguishing. All the description are given in an indirect way, describing things with colors sounds and smells, instead of exactly what they look like. Figurative language, metaphors and similes are used extensively. A traditional poem/legend runs throughout the book, interrupting the story with a legend that parallels the action of the characters.

Tone: 

Silko's tone is simultaneously depressing and rejuvenating. Throughout the book, she focuses on the separation between white and native american society, and how most native americans live in depression and poverty. These dismal descriptions and images are countered by descriptions of nature. These contrasting tones communicate both destruction and renewal.

Imagery:

Imagery is extensive throughout the story. Dialogue is comparatively rare to descriptions of scenes in the present and from memories. Visual imagery focuses on colors rather than specific description. Colors of thing are always mentioned specifically, while other aspects of things, such as people's facial features and body types are ignored. Scents and sounds are also described, though less extensively.

Symbolism and Motifs:

Stories: Stories and poems are frequent throughout the book, both told by characters and by the narrator. From the beginning, stories are associated with the stomach of the storyteller, as established by the poem in the beginning.

Eye and skin Color: eye color is frequently mentioned in the description of characters. These description emphasize the race of the character described. They establish the theme that race is a major part of personality and identity. 

Drought and Rain: Drought and rain are constantly talked about throughout the story. The climate seems to reflect the depression and hardship that the characters faced in the war, and the way they have lost their old way of life and must now struggle to survive. 

Wind and Direction: the wind and direction are frequently mentioned. Directions are always given using cardinal directions, never left right or straight ahead. The significance of this is somewhat unclear. The directions may mean different things in different parts of the story.

Quotes: "It seems like I already heard these stories before—only thing is, the names sound different."-Grandma. This quote from grandma shows the theme of the story that things repeat over time, and the past and present are often in distinguishable. See "theme" below.

"Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war." This quote describes the feelings of Tayo and all his friends throughout the whole story. All those characters spent the story searching for identity after the war, and struggling to overcome the conflict between the culture of their home and the white culture that surrounds them off the reservation that they became part of in the war.

Theme: One theme of the book is that stories repeat over time. The entire book describes how Tayo's situation and the ceremony he becomes part of parallel the legend of the Sun and the trickster, and the hummingbird and fly etcetera. All stories told seem to take place both in the past and in the present. 

Open Prompt (Edited)-March 17

1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

In Arthur Miller's play Death of Salesman, the main characters, Willy Loman and his son Biff, are constantly at conflict. Throughout the play, Willy believes that the capitalist business system allows anyone to be successful with enough hard work, whereas Biff denies this, and tries to escape the business world. In Death of a Salesman, Miller uses the conflicting ideals of Biff and Willy to comment on conventional views of business and human nature.

     The source of the conflict between Willy and his son lie years before the events of the play, at the end of Biff's high school years, as is shown in a flashback in the second act. While in high school, Biff shared his father's philosophy, thinking business was the only path to success. Biff also idolized his father, thinking he was almost a perfect person. However, when Biff finds his father in a hotel room with an unknown woman, Biff immediately becomes disillusioned both with his father, and the whole world that he associated with Willy- the business world. This disillusionment continues throughout the      remainder of the play, as Biff rebels against his father's views. 

     The conflict in the Loman household allows Miller to communicate the central theme of his play. This theme is the falsehood of the capitalist business dream- that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough. Miller evidently felt that many people held similar views to Willy about the business world. In the play, Miller exaggerates Willy's belief in the capitalist system, making him live in a completely fantasy world. Meanwhile, Biff's rational and logical arguments make it apparent how far gone Willy is from reality. 

     Willy constantly makes statements that are generally accepted as true in the business world, but the reality of his situation shows exactly the opposite. For example, Willy constantly professes that if he works hard and invests time in his company he will eventually move up and earn a comfortable retirement. He repeats this to himself so often that he comes to believe it, even though, as Biff points out, he has indeed invested time in his company, and he is about to get fired during the play. The conflict between Biff and Willy repeats this same argument multiple times, with Biff trying to point out how Willy's philosophy contrasts with the reality of his situation. Through this conflict Miller hopes to make the reader realize the faults and the danger of completely believing in capitalism. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead-Summary and Analysis

Summary and Analysis of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Author: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was written by Czech-British playwright Tom Stoppard in 1966. Stoppward is a post-modern playwright, and one of the most famous British theatre writers in the postwar era. Stoppard is the author of many famous plays besides Rosencratnz and Guildenstern are Dead, including The Coast of Utopia, Professional Foul, and The Real Thing. Stoppard is still alive and lives in Britain.

Setting: The setting in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is significant mainly through its absence. Stoppard specifically directs empty and simple stage sets in the stage directions throughout the play. This lack of material on the stage is used as a device to help communicate the themes that life is empty and has no direction. The settings that are present include an unknown forest between Rosencratz and Guildenstern's house and the castle Elsinore, the castle itself, and a boat heading for England. The time of the play is unspecified other than by it's overlap with the plot of Hamlet.

Summary:

The play opens with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in an unidentifiable place repeatedly flipping a coin. The coin continually shows heads. Guildenstern is troubled by this, and make multiple hypothesis as to the cause of it. These hypothesis contain multiple allusions to famous philosophies and thought experiments, but Guildenstern is never able to get the idea completely correct.

The discussion and coin-flipping is interrupted by the appearance of traveling band of players. The player "king" who speaks for them announces with multiple euphemisms that they will prostitute themselves and their youngest member, Alfred, to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz does not pick up on this euphemism; Guildenstern does and scolds the players for it, expressing sympathy for Alfred. He then inquires about the players' acting ability. They challenge the players to a coin-flipping game and exchange a few rounds. The last flip of the coin yields tails, breaking the pattern.

The scene then suddenly changes, showing some action from the play of Hamlet. The scene then changes to one extracted from Hamlet, in which the king and queen instruct Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to discover the cause of Hamlet's malcontent. The two are puzzled about how to proceed, realizing they have no been given much information. They proceed to play a game of questions. Next, Guildenstern tries to get Rosencrantz to practice asking question while pretending he, Guildenstern, is Hamlet. Rosencrantz at first does not understand, but catches on after a while. Hamlet appears then, and greets the two as his old friends. This ends the first act.

Act two opens with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern talking to Hamlet. Hamlet mentions the players coming to Elsinore to perform. Once the conversation ends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern discuss how Hamlet had bested them, getting information out of them, but managing not to give them any answers. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern proceed to have a rather incoherent conversation about a number of things, including more coin tricks, the direction of the wind, and philosophies about life and acting. 

The players then appear at Elsinore, and explain to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern their philosophy on acting. They discuss Hamlet's situation briefly, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern warn to players not to give a vulgar performance. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have another philosophical conversation, this time about the nature of life and death. 

The play then converges with the action of Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern converse with Polonius, and then update the king on what they have learned, which is nothing. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then see Hamlet and Ophelia talking. By accident, they barge in on the players practicing. The practice is interrupted by the scene from Hamlet in which Hamlet urges Ophelia to "get thee to a nunnery." The king's speech following that scene also interrupts the play practice. After those characters depart, the practice resumes, and the play king describes the plot of the play they are performing. The play bears obvious similarities to the action of Hamlet itself, including the death of two characters resembling Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 

The king and queen come to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern saying the Hamlet has killed Polonius and they must retrieve the body. The two men discuss for some time how best to go about this. Hamlet appears dragging the body, but they are unable to get it from him. The king then informs them they are to escort Hamlet to England. Seeing no other possible course of action, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern depart for England on a boat, ending act two. 

The third act opens in darkness, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern debate whether they are dead. They decide they are not, and the scene of a boat on the way to England appears. They discuss their mission and what the king has instructed them to do. They argue about their pay and who is holding the letter, briefly fearing that they have lost it. Then they practice what they will say to the king of England once they arrive. They read the letter and discover that Hamlet is to be killed upon its deliverance.  

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then briefly forget what they are doing, but soon re-establish their mission. Soon, they fall asleep, and Hamlet sneaks on stage, replacing the letter.  Then they hear pipe music, and discover the players have snuck onto the boat, wishing to escape Elsinore. The ship is attacked by pirates, and Hamlet escapes onto the pirate ship. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and players hide in barrels. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then open the letter to reread it, and discover that it has been replaced with one ordering their own deaths. The players' nonchalant views about death prompts an argument, in which Guildenstern stabs the player king, only to discover the blade was fake and he only acted out his own death. The two have a final discussion philosophizing about death. The scene ends ambiguously and does not show whether Rosencrantz and Guildenstern escape. The play ends showing the final scene from Hamlet with the ambassador from England announcing the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 

Characters:

Rosencrantz: One of the two main characters of the play. He demonstrates many qualities of a theater of the absurd character, namely that he shows a very poor memory, and often forgets obvious things or does not remember who he is or what he is doing. Rosencrantz is much less perceptive than his friend Guildenstern, and frequently is less aware of what is going on around him. However, he is well meaning throughout the play, and wishes only to act properly and perform his duty. 

Guildenstern: Guildenstern demonstrates many similar qualities to Rosencrantz, displaying characteristics of a theater of the absurd character. Guildenstern is generally more aware of what is happening than Rosencrantz, and acts as the leader of duo. Guildenstern generally comes up with the plans and Rosencrantz follows him. Guildenstern is philosophical, and frequently employs long and complicated arguments alluding to famous philosophies, but he never gets them quite right. Guildenstern is less friendly than Rosencrantz, and is quicker to anger in several scenes. 

The Player "King": The leader of the band of tragedians that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern encounter frequently throughout the play. The player believes life and acting are essentially the same thing, and that acting is an accurate reflection of life. He also believes that death is of little concern. He explains these philosophy throughout the play, often disagreeing with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Player King also shows many godlike qualities in the play: he is able to predict things, always speaks with authoritative certainty, and seems to be able to control the action of the play. 

Hamlet: Hamlet is the same character as in the original play Hamlet. He is troubled by the same things as in his own play, and retains his wit. Hamlet's character is far simpler in this play than in Hamlet, and his complex emotional struggle is not discussed in Stoppard's play.

Alfred: A young boy who accompanies the group of Tragedians. Alfred plays the female role in the groups performances. He is generally a comic figure, being the object of many sexual jokes. 

Claudius, Gertrude, and Polonius: These characters show the same qualities as they do in the original play Hamlet. Almost all their lines are direct quotes from Hamlet, used in scenes where the action of the two plays overlaps. 

Style:

Stoppard writes the play in a satirical style using many elements of the Theater of the Absurd. Throughout the play there is constant repetition and dialogue that goes nowhere. Characters often repeat themselves or blatantly contradict themselves; characters also frequently do not remember what they are doing. The play also has almost no plot, and moves along very slowly, ending without a satisfactory conclusion. Stoppard skillfully mixes high and low comedy throughout the play, provoking laughter by twisting certain philosophies slightly, but also provoking comedy through crudeness and the sheer stupidity of the characters. Stoppard's style is also somewhat ambiguous, and no clear message is delivered through the play. There are consistent themes and focuses of the play, but the interpretation is left ambiguous. 

Tone: 

Stoppard's tone is satirical and mocking. Throughout the play, he makes fun of western culture and societal norms. He pokes fun at literature by mocking Hamlet throughout the play, inflating minor details such as the confusion of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the pirate attack to create a humorously distorted version of Hamlet. He also mocks social norms about sexuality through the character Alfred, and the exaggerated friendship between the two main characters. Stoppard also mocks the whole idea of theater performances by breaking the fourth wall frequently, and having players acknowledge or address the audience. All elements of the play serve the purpose of mocking or satirizing something.

Imagery: 

The imagery in this play is minimal. The stage directions frequently direct for the stage to be almost empty, especially in the first and third acts when the characters are in a sort of limbo outside Elsinore. Some imagery exists throughout the play during the philosophical speeches by Guildenstern and the player king, in which they give detailed descriptions on death and acting, often using figurative language and imagery. The overall lack of imagery in the play allows it to focus on the dialogue, which is the main element of the plot and action in the play. 

Symbolism:

The play contains extensive symbolism, mostly through motif.

Chance/luck: The motif of impossible chance is present throughout the play. It is mostly associated with the flipping of a coin, which occurs multiple times throughout the play. This motif symbolizes the pre determinism that is present in the play.

Wind/Direction: Throughout the play, the characters, especially Guildenstern, inquire about the direction of the wind, or which direction is north. The characters are never able to firmly establish either. This motif symbolizes the lack of direction in the plot or the lives of the two characters. Their direction is also unknown. 

Death: Discussion of death are frequent throughout the play. These discussions establish death as a major theme in the story. However what Stoppard means by this is ambiguous, and the meaning of the constant commentary on death is left up to interpretation. The speeches on death consistently discuss how death is the ultimate ending and how nothing can exist after death.

Quotes: 

"Death is the ultimate nothing."- This quote epitomizes the discussions on death that occur throughout the play. The main point of all these philosophical discussions is that death is the end of everything, and that nothing exists after death.

"Words, word. They're all we have to go on." This quote shows the lack of plot in the story and the lack of intuition by the characters. The character, in the theater of the absurd style, seem to possess no desire or morals, and so all they do throughout the play is react to the things the other characters say. They have no background knowledge, so they are forced to rely on the words alone to decide their course of action.

Theme:

One theme of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is that literature is not like real life. A large part of Stoppard's play focuses on denouncing the realism of literature and acting. The premise of the play, following the action of Hamlet, establishes this. Stoppard takes a renowned work of Western literature and points out the inconsistencies, by showing that many of the characters, the two heroes of his play in particular, do not act like real people would in the situation of Hamlet. His use of theater of the absurd makes the action of Hamlet seem unrealistic when the focus is shifted slightly. The speeches of the Player King also contribute to this theme. The player king insists that acting is exactly like life, and Stoppard makes this an obvious contradiction by making it true in the play. The absurd result of the mixing of acting and real life in the play shows that this is an erroneous statement. 

Response to Course Materials March 10

     I'm glad that we have finally finished reading plays and moved on to novels. I enjoy reading novels a lot more than plays. Ceremony seems like an interesting book so far; it is different from any other novel I have ever read, mixing a lot of different styles and techniques. It is quite confusing and skips around between multiple stories, but even in the first half (I'm on about page 120 as I write this), the individual stories are starting to come together and make sense. I am enjoying certain parts of the story a lot, but other parts seem to drag a little bit, mostly the memories about herding cattle with Josiah. The flashbacks to the war and the scenes are the bar, however, are exciting.
     Besides starting the new book, we have spent some time in class practicing writing. I think this is something we should have been doing a lot more frequently throughout the year, because it seems like a big deal now that we are doing it the first time. Judging from the examples we saw in class on Friday, the AP graders seem to be looking for specific things in analysis when they are grading. How well the essay is written in terms of vocabulary, organization, and sentence structure seem to have little to no impact on the grade the essay receives, which I think is a bit silly considering this is partly an english class. I am struggling a little bit with evaluating my own essays; I have no way of knowing at this point when I should feel confident about what I have written. Hopefully we can get more feedback on our writing before the AP test.

Open Prompt (Nov 11) Revision-Feb. 17

 1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.

Vergil's epic poem The Aeneid contains extensive allusions to mythology and other works of literature. As Vergil's hero Aeneas travels around the Mediterranean, he encounters people, places, and monsters that are familiar from classical stories. Through constant allusions to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and other Graeco-Roman myths, Vergil hopes to make his hero and epic as well known as those stories.

       Vergil's main goal in writing The Aeneid was to justify the rule of Caesar Augustus. By writing a story about Aeneas, a fictional founder of Rome and supposed ancestor of Caesar Augustus, Vergil hoped to justify Augustus' bloodline. In his epic, Vergil makes his hero Aeneas encounter many difficulties identical to those of Odysseus and other heroes familiar to the reader. Vergil hopes to further justify Augustus' rule by inflating the image of his ancestor Aeneas to equal those of Odysseus and Achilles, placing him among the greatest heroes of legend. He accomplishes this by sustained allusions to other epics and myths.

      The entire first six books of The Aeneid allude to the Odyssey from their structure. For all of these six books, Aeneas sails around the Mediterranean and stops at various islands, just as Odysseus does in the Odyssey. Some of the places Aeneas comes to are exactly the same as those Odysseus Does. For example, Aeneas accidentally lands on the island of the harpies, whom Odysseus also encounters. Likewise, he finds the island of Polyphemus, where Odysseus blinded the Cyclops. Finally, Aeneas is forced to sail through the strait between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, just as Odysseus was. By placing Aeneas against the same obstacles that Odysseus and his crew faced, and having Aeneas overcome them in the same or even cleverer ways, Vergil makes Aeneas seem Odysseus' equal or even his better.

      Aeneas' wanderings also contain more subtle parallels with the Odyssey. The main example of this is his stay with Dido, the queen of Carthage. Aeneas stays with Dido for a time, and perhaps falls in love with her. But eventually, Hermes brings the message from the gods that Aeneas must fulfill his duty elsewhere, and Aeneas departs. This echoes Odysseus' stay on the island of Calypso. He stays there for a time, and his possible love for Calypso conflicts with his duties to wife and homeland, and he finally departs upon prompting from Hermes. With these more subtle allusions, Vergil intends to parallel Aeneas' character with that of other heroes, rather than his deeds. Aeneas' ability to overcome his personal feelings and do his duty shows his inner strength and service to the gods and other men.

     The second six books of The Aeneid allude to the Iliad just as the first six allude to the Odyssey. Aeneas is a distinguished Trojan captain, already placing him among the heroes of the Illiad. Once Aeneas reaches Italy, he must fight a war to gain control of the land the becomes Rome. Ultimately he must defeat a man of superhuman strength, Turnus, whose physical prowess mimics that of Achilles and Hector. Throughout the conflict, Gods also appear and aid the combatants of both sides, which is a common occurrence in the Trojan conflict as well. By making Aeneas overcome such a mighty foe, Vergil puts Aeneas' strength in war, and thus that of Rome, on the same level as the heroes of the old stories. 

     The Aeneid also contains allusions to various myths besides the works of Homer. On one island, Aeneas finds the temple of Daedalus and the descendants of Perseus, alluding to the myth of Icarus and Daedalus' flight from Crete. His journey to the underworld also alludes to the feats of Orpheus and Hercules, the greatest hero of myth. The specific venture into the land of the dead and back show Aeneas' transcendence of mortality to an almost god-like stature. Through all these adventures, Aeneas becomes the hero of all heroes, having experienced the equal of any of the most famous heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. 

     The allusions, both subtle and obvious, that are contained in The Aeneid all serve to impress the reader with Aeneas' feats. At the end of the book, the reader has seen Aeneas overcome all the most difficult obstacles in the world. This made Aeneas noble and worthy in their eyes, elevating him to a god-like status. In the eyes of the Roman public, who could not necessarily distinguish myth from truth, this created a national sense of pride and worthiness because of their descent from such a hero. Vergil's epic turned the popular opinion in favor of Caesar Augustus, who, as Aeneas' descendant, supposedly had the same strength, nobility, and courage.

Response to Course Material February 10

     The first thing we have done in class that I want to comment on is the multiple choice practice. The AP multiple choice questions are quite difficult, but I noticed that the questions were pretty well written. Whenever I got one wrong, I could see where I went wrong and why the correct answer was what it was. The thing I think I have to work on most for the multiple choice questions is reading quickly. The passages found in the multiple choice section are long and often confusing and contain long and complex sentences, composed of multiple clauses, similar to this one, which often obscure, cloud and otherwise make unclear the meaning that the author had intended. The multiple choice questions we practiced at home work took me a lot longer than the time we get on the AP test, and most of it was spent reading the passages rather than answering the questions.
     In class we have finally finished Hamlet and moved on to "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". So far this new play doesn't seem as complicated as Ms. Holmes hinted when we started it. So far the first act just seemed like a string of dirty jokes. The second act is a little better, and it seems like the author is trying to say a few things that I haven't quite picked up on yet. The thing I am wondering about most is why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to switch roles for the second act. This play is also a nice break from the complex Elizabethan English from Hamlet; it's a lot easier to read and understand the normal dialogue between the characters.
     I hope we don't spend as long on this play as we did on Hamlet. I'm getting a little sick of plays. It's good to study them all at once so that we remember everything and can compare the differences, but it's getting a little monotonous, and I'm excited to get to the non-play part of the course.

Hamlet Summary and Analysis-Jan 21

Summary and Analysis of Hamlet

Author

Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare, the most highly regarded English playwright in history. Little is known about Shakespeare's life. He is the author of 38 plays and dozens of sonnets, including notable plays such as Henry VIII, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. It is unknown exactly when Hamlet was written; most estimates are around 1600.

Setting

The play takes place in the castle Elsinore in Denmark. The time period is unspecified, and could be Shakespeare's time period or several centuries earlier. The castle Elsinore is the home of the King of Denmark and his court; deceit and corruption are commonplace within Elsinore. 

Summary

The play begins with the changing of night guard at Elsinore. Bernardo takes over the guard from Francisco. He is accompanied by Marcellus and Horatio, Hamlet's trusted advisor. The guards discuss with Horatio a ghost that they have seen previous nights. Horatio doubts them, but then the ghost appears, but will not speak with them. They decide to bring the news to Hamlet. Horatio explains the background story about the death of Old Hamlet and the challenge from Fortinbras of Norway. The ghost appears once more, but again will not speak with them. 

The next scene takes place inside the castle. The king and queen and their courtiers are present. The son of Polonius, Laertes, requests the king to return to school in France and the king agrees. Then Hamlet is introduced, and the king and queen beg him to stay in Elsinore instead of going back to school. They also encourage him to get over his father's death. Hamlet agrees to stay. Horatio and Marcellus then take Hamlet aside and recount to him the events of the night before, requesting that he keep guard with them that night.

The next scene takes place between Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia. Polonius gives Laertes advice about what to do while away in France. Laertes gives advice to Ophelia about how to deal with Hamlet, who is supposedly in love with her.

The fourth scene takes place on the guard platform at night. The ghost appears again and beckons Hamlet to follow it. Hamlet's companions try to hold him back, but he throws them off and exits with the ghost.

The ghost speaks to Hamlet, telling him that he is the ghost of Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet that his father was murdered by his uncle Claudius in the orchard, and demands that Hamlet make his revenge. Hamlet swears to avenge the deed, and makes his companions swear to secrecy, saying he will pretend to be mad in the coming days.

The second act begins with Polonius and Reynaldo. Polonius instructs Reynaldo to go to Laertes in France, but to inquire into his business there before meeting him. Reynaldo agrees and departs. Then Ophelia enters, saying Hamlet entered her chamber and seemed mad. 

Polonius goes to the king and queen, reporting Hamlet's actions, and saying that Hamlet's madness must be caused by his love for Ophelia. The king and queen recruit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's old friends, to spy on him and discover the cause of his madness. Both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Polonius speak with Hamlet, but he reveals nothing to them, only mocking them, although they do not realize it. Then the players enter and Hamlet exchanges lines with them, reciting excerpts from famous Greek and Roman works. Hamlet ends the scene with his longest soliloquy, in which he contemplates life and death, and decides to put on a play mirroring the events of his father's death to check the king's guilt from his reaction to it. 

Then Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to the king and queen and discuss Hamlet's condition. Polonius suggests letting him talk to Ophelia while they watch from behind a screen, and they hide as Hamlet and Ophelia enter. Hamlet suspects they are being watched and betrays nothing, communicating his confused feelings to Ophelia with the double meaning of the phrase "get thee to a nunnery." The king recognizes Hamlet still possesses some reason despite his strange actions. 

The characters then all meet for the play. Hamlet speaks with Ophelia at the start, giving mixed messages. The actors perform the play, and the king jumps up, revealing to Hamlet that he is guilty of the crime. Hamlet leaves, his suspicions confirmed. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, and Hamlet berates them for betraying him. Polonius enters and tells Hamlet to meet with the queen. 

Hamlet observes the king confessing his crimes while at prayer, but decides not to murder him there.

Hamlet then goes to his mother's room and antagonizes her for marrying Claudius after his father's death. He discovers Polonius spying on them and kills him, thinking him to be the king. Hamlet insists to his mother that he is not mad, despite the ghost reappearing, seen only to him. He exits, dragging Polonius's body. 

Act four begins with the king and queen discussing grave matters of Hamlet's madness and Polonius's death. The king instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to recover the body from Hamlet, but they fail. Hamlet enters and tells the king where the b.ody is. The king decides to send Hamlet to England in punishment of the crime, sending letters in secret instructing that he be killed there. Hamlet departs, seeing an army from Norway on the plain, Supposedly marching through to Poland. 

Back in Elsinore, Horatio goes to the queen saying Ophelia has gone mad after he father's death. Ophelia sings in her madness, but communicates certain things about her love to Hamlet. Laertes has returned from France and blames the king for his father's death but the king calms him and turns the blame on Hamlet. In the meantime, Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet saying he is returning from England after being captured by pirates. The king and Laertes make a plan to kill Hamlet in a duel and with poison. 

Hamlet and Horatio go to a graveyard and speak with the gravedigger. They are interrupted by Ophelia's funeral, and Hamlet and Laertes both jump into Ophelia's grave and begin fighting. Hamlet confesses his love for her. 

Back in the castle, Hamlet and Horatio speak, and Osric brings word of a challenge from Horatio. Hamlet accepts, and goes to the duel. He and Laertes begin, and Hamlet begins the fight well, winning the first two exchanges. The king offers him wine that he has poisoned as a reward, part of he and Laertes' plan. The queen takes the cup and drinks and falls to the ground. Hamlet and Laertes begin fighting again, and exchange weapons, giving Hamlet the rapier Laertes had poisoned, also part of the plan. Both are wounded, and Laertes confesses his treachery, saying they will both die and the king is to blame. Hamlet kills the king. About to die, he imparts his final wishes to Horatio, just as Fortinbras storms the castle. Fortinbras honors Hamlet's death.

Characters

Hamlet

The prince of Denmark, beloved by the people. He is 30 years old and highly intelligent but distressed by the death of his father. He is driven to the point of madness by his desire to avenge his father, and constantly debates if he should kill the king although he sees moral problems with it. He also contemplates suicide throughout the play. He spends much of the play philosophizing about life, death, and morality. Hamlet trusts no one except for Horatio, and constantly mocks other characters with his clever wit. Hamlet tends to use extended metaphors and figurative language when he speaks. 

Horatio

Hamlet's right hand man, trusted by everyone at Elsinore. Horatio is regarded as wise and scholarly; other character's heed his advice throughout the play. 

Claudius

The king of Denmark at the time of the play. The younger brother of Old Hamlet and uncle of young Hamlet. He is not well-loved by the people. He became king when he murdered Old Hamlet. Shortly after the murder he married Gertrude the queen, who may have been his main objective in the murder. Claudius is afraid throughout the play that his actions will be betrayed or that the people will turn against him. He acts cautiously though out the play, especially when dealing with Hamlet. He shows some regret for his actions in the scene when he is praying.

Gertrude

The queen of Denmark and the wife of Old Hamlet. Married Claudius shortly after her former husbands death. She is fond of her son Hamlet and of her new husband. Though she feels guilt about the dishonor that comes from marrying her dead husband's brother when Hamlet accuses her of it. 

Polonius

Advisor of king Claudius. Polonius is very crafty and works for his own political gain and to preserve his position in the court. He works against Hamlet throughout the play. He instructs his children bvery closely, teaching them to also work for political gain and betray nothing to other members of the court.

Laertes

Son of Polonius. Laertes claims to be enraged by his father's murder, but it is unclear whether he truly loved him or just wishes to defend his honor. Laertes often acts rashly and is manipulated by the king to help him against Hamlet. 

Ophelia

Daughter of Polonius, young and most likely innocent and unaware of the gravity of many of the events at Elsinore. She likely loves Hamlet, although her father and brother warn her against it. She hints that she may be pregnant. Her father's death drives her into madness, and to death, possibly suicide. 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Former friends of Hamlet recruited by the king to spy on him. They work mainly with the king and follow his orders blindly. 

Fortinbras

Son of the old king of Norway. Acts as a foil to Hamlet: he acts rashly and is quick to anger and seek revenge for his father- quite the opposite of Hamlet. He attacks Elsinore at the end of the play and demonstrates an honorable nature by his treatment of dead Hamlet.

Style

Shakespeare wrote the play in a masterful style that creates ambiguity. All the events in the play and the lines of characters can be interpreted in multiple ways. Hamlet's capture by pirates for example, creates perfect ambiguity of whether Hamlet outsmarted Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or whether he was truly captured by pirates. The reader cannot know for certain. Similarly in all the speeches, the abundance of lies at Elsinore make it unclear in almost every sentence whether the characters truly feel as they are saying or if they are plotting and lying for their own gain. Shakespeare ambiguous style leaves much up to the reader for interpretation.

Tone 

Shakespeare's tone throughout the play is difficult to identify. Shakespeare deliberately minimizes all stage directions and narration that would give clues about tone in the play. However, the foreboding  tone of the play is communicated through the actions and lines of the characters. Right from the start of the play, it is established through the appearance of the ghost that something in Denmark is amiss and hanging over the people at Elsinore. Throughout the play, dark events continue but the problem is not resolved, foreshadowing the ultimate tragedy that occurs at the conclusion. 

Point of View

Shakespeare's own point of view is impossible to identify through his writing. The absence of narration and stage direction and the ambiguity of the lines of characters make it impossible to decipher how Shakespeare meant the play to be interpreted. The power of the play is mainly the absence of a point of view, which leaves the questions posed by events unanswered.

Imagery

Throughout the play, the dark and foreboding tone is communicated with dark backgrounds and figurative language. In the opening scene and the scene in which the ghost speaks with Hamlet, the setting is given as a cold night. Most interpretations of the play that we watched communicated this cold night as windy, pitch black, and slightly haunting, creating an uninviting and sinister atmosphere. 

Throughout the play, characters also use imagery and figurative language in their speeches. One example of this is in Hamlet's speech to the queen describing his father's picture. He uses vivid imagery and allusions to mythology to communicate that his father was the image of perfection, describing his visage. 

Symbolism:

Emptiness

In almost all interpretations of the play, Elsinore is shown to be deserted in most scenes. This emptiness could reflect Hamlet's inner confusion and the separation he feels from the people around him. 

Yorick's Skull

The skull Hamlet finds in the graveyard represents his fear and wonder about death. The skull represents everything that he has philosophized about death throughout the play and what remains of someone's body  and soul after death.

Hamlet's clothing

No stage direction are given directing Hamlet's costume, but some directors chose to make Hamlet's dress mirror his inner emotions throughout the play. Dressing in dark colors or black has been used to symbolize Hamlet's depression.

Flowers:

Flowers symbolize innocence in the play, especially when relating to Ophelia, who is commonly associated with violets. She is frequently compared with a flower, and describes for herself what the different flowers symbolize during the flower scene.

Quotes

"Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportion'd thought his act"-Polonius. With this quote, Polonius unintentionally summarizes the state of Elsinore and Hamlet. Most of the character's in Elsinore lie and hide their true motives behind acts for the majority of the play; that is, they do not speak their true thoughts. Hamlet's predicament is that he heeds Polonius's advice too well, thinking too much before he acts.

"To be or not to be."-This quote from Hamlet's soliloquy summarizes his internal conflict throughout the play. He consistently wonder whether he should kill the king, kill himself, or do a number of other things. His indecision is the central internal conflict of the play.

Theme

One theme of Hamlet is the mystery of death.

Death and its impact on Hamlet's thought and actions are present throughout the play. From the beginning, Hamlet wonders about the death of his father when the ghost appears. He debates whether the ghost is from heaven or hell, raising question about the immortality of the soul and the purging of sin. Later Hamlet debates suicide, wondering whether what awaits him after death could be better or worse than what he experiences in his torment at Elsinore. Hamlet likewise debates his own ability to deal out death, especially to the king. He wonders if the punishment that awaits the king after death will avenge his crimes.

Open Prompt (Edited) from Oct 14

Prompt:

2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell implicitly addresses the question of why communism fails as a system of government. The question is neither directly stated nor directly answered; instead, through obvious allegory and the fictional farm animal's society, Orwell shows the reader how communism fails. Throughout the novel, Orwell shows in his fictional society that communism fails because it manifests in corrupted form, because it provides only works temporarily, and because members of society are innately unequal, but he leaves his implicit question unanswered. 

       Orwell shows the reader the corruption of true communism through the animals' deviation from the vision of Old Major, who is representative of communism's founder Karl Marx in the novel. In the beginning, Old Major present his pure vision of a utopian society in which all are equal and share the work equally according to their ability. As the play progresses however, that utopia is corrupted as the pigs seize power. This change occurs gradually so that the animals are unaware of it. The reader, however, who can perceive events neutrally and whose memory is superior to that of the animals, sees the gradual progression that leaves the system in a totally different state than that in which it began. These changes are explicitly presented on the barn wall in the novel, where the commandments of the government system are written, which change many times throughout the novel. Each time they change, the animals still treat them as divine law. Orwell never explicitly states anything regarding deterioration of the utopian ideals, but the irreversible trend from good to bad to worse makes his message clear. He does not offer any solution to the problem, simply cutting off the novel at a low point, and leaving the reader to reflect on the problem and think about what a possible solution could be. 

        Orwell shows how short lived of a solution communism is by making the story form a complete circle, ending exactly as it started. In the beginning, the farmer oppresses the animals, and as the novel progresses, the pigs become more and more alike them until the two are indistinguishable to the other animals. Thus the problem was only solved for a short time, because of the nature of the animals themselves. Orwell presents implicit questions of why the animals do not recognize it, or what could be done to prevent the deterioration of the system, but again he gives no answer.

       The main question Orwell addresses with his allegorical society, is whether communism could ever achieve the utopia Old Major saw. He asks this by presenting and emphasizing the main problem with communism-that there will always be innate inequality among people and animals. Each time of farm animal in the novel represents a stereotypical person in society, and throughout the novel the differences between them destroy the system. The main example of this is the horse Boxer, who is loyal and selfless, giving far more to the system than he gets out of it. In the same way, other animals contribute more or less than their equal share of the work because of their personalities or because of the innate abilities of their species. The result is that the farm society is destroyed because some species like Boxer are worked to death, while other's contribute nothing. Orwell leaves the reader with the unanswered question of whether this could have been prevents to realize Old Major's dreams.

       Old the events and representations in Orwell's allegory serve to indirectly ask questions about the nature of communism. Instead of writing an essay giving specific details and professing possible solutions, Orwell presents his questions in an allegory, leaving the readers to make connection on their own. Essentially by leaving the questions implicit and unanswered, he escapes any possible criticism of his views. The obvious allegory paralleling events of the Russian Revolution establish the real and heavy undertone to the events of the farm, which seem rather absurd if taken at face value. With his fictional society, Orwell forced people to reconsider questions about the political movement which shaped the 20th century.

Response to Course Materials Jan 13

     After doing the close read of Hamlet and the annotations, I have decided that I actually enjoy the play very much. Most of the subtlety and meaning, I now realize, went right over my head the first time through. Going over some of the speeches again, especially some Hamlet's, revealed the thought that went into the writing. Some of Hamlet's word play and metaphors are unbelievable clever. The simplest example I can think of is the word play on "lying" in a grave in the first scene of act 5. All throughout the play, Hamlet practically never breaks character from speaking in elaborate riddles and metaphors that, when you think about them, actually have multiple levels of meaning to fit the situation.
     With regards to the movies we have watched in class, I found the second movie much enjoyable and in accordance with how I pictured the scenes. The scenery is much more elaborate, and the majority of the characters are cast much better. The first video also took many interpretive liberties, like playing up the relationships between Hamlet and Horatio and Hamlet and his mother. As I have said multiple times, there is really no evidence to make either of those more than wild speculation. And even so, the ambiguity of it is part of the genius and beauty of the play. By making that choice for the reader/watcher the director took away some of the deeper meaning of the play. The only thing I found strange about the second version of the play we watched was the time period. The actors and weaponry and buildings were in a style that suggested a time period much later than I had envisioned.