DRJ #4, Hamlet Act 4 & 5

During these scenes I think things got very bad for Hamlet. He may have come very close to completely ending his plan for revenge when Polonius was killed. Certainly didn't help his case for not being insane. I liked Hamlets soliloquies about whether or not someone should act on a situation regardless of the circumstances. I think Hamlet had moved his mind into a place where he can focus and actually follow through with his plan to kill the king, but unfortunately because of his actions he is sent to England to be executed.

I wanna discuss Claudius for this post, really because I dont like the way he handles things at all here. Hes basically suppose to deal with situations like Polonius' death in a very organized and diplomatic manner but the way he went about it was very shady. Mostly just covering things up and keeping it all a mystery, then to top it all off he decides to just ship Hamlet off to have another country take care of the problem. I think its clear Claudius is in way over his head and really shoudnt be in a position to make these calls.

I think one of the themes brought out in these acts where people character and how they react to certain situations. Hamlet character changes a lot though out the story mostly due to his over thinking and indicisive nature, but other people around him start to lose their composure in act 4. Ophelia starts to lose her mind a little, Claudius fails to salvage the situation with Polonius' death but Leartes stays with what he is. Leartes is more or less the opposite of Hamlet, quick to action and knows what he wants. Hamlet would be wise to learn something from that, but then the play would be over too soon.     

DRJ #3 Hamlet, Act III

This was the first part of the story when Hamlet really starts thinking about committing suicide. The third act brings out a lot of different sides of several of the main characters. When Hamlets circle begins to realize that he might actually be insane and not just in a weird funk they take drastic steps and declare to send Hamlet to England. A lot of bitterness comes out between characters in this act. Hamlet and Claudius trying to catch each others secrets and Hamlet confronts his mother. He also jumps around with his mood a lot. One moment being very controlled and then losing it completely, i think its a sign of his mental instability getting worse as the story progresses.

I think the most interesting character in this act was Hamlet. Hamlet kind of gets a sub conscience especially when he contemplates suicide, but he never says why he wants to kill himself. I liked when he says that everyone would commit suicide if they weren't unsure about the after life. What I found interesting about that speech is that Hamlet doesnt say I or me. Almost like he isnt expressing himself at all, but trying to get a deeper point across. People say things to each other but may really mean something completely different then what they literally said. In this instance Hamlet is doing that same thing (hiding his motive) but from himself.

I think part of the theme here was just peoples insanity. Hamlet at first could be argued that he was simply pretending to be crazy. But evidence in this act suggests that he may be more insane than sane. When a sane person wants to start acting insane, eventually he might actually believe he is losing his mind. Hamlets generally antisocial behavior starts to hurt him here. Basically to the point where hes friends want to banish him to England. Hamlet even psychs himself out of his own revenge plot. Possibly because he wants a more climactic revenge but also his mind is just all over the place. How would he be able to exact revenge on the king if he can barely stay focused on the thought for more than a few minutes. This act also brings in elements of God and the afterlife. Hamlet suddenly gets a need to take in some knowledge on the subject. Probably because he really is worried about his soul and the idea that hes going to commit murder and maybe kill himself. 

DRJ #2

This is my favorite act in Hamlet, because the way he acts around his peers and also just his seemingly insane mindset throughout. You could argue that Hamlet has lost his mind to grief or rage or what not, but I think he's much too smart and controlled for that. At one point he says the he is "mad north-north west, when the wind is southerly i know a hawk from a handsaw". Basically Hamlet is only "crazy" when its advantages to him. Its difficult to predict what the next move of a mad man is, and conspiracy to murder is pretty risky business. Still though I dont think even Hamlet knows his next move. I like the contrasted with Hamlet and Laertes. Both have lost their fathers and had their uncles inherit the throne, but Hamlet is very indecisive and Laertes knows exactly what he wants to do. I think seeing Laertes conviction probably had a significant impact on Hamlet.

In this act Hamlet is often distracted by Ophelia and the conversation they have reveals a lot about who she is. Its clear that her father has some very heavy influence over her. Its brought out in the conversation with Polonius that she broke up with Hamlet after her father told her too. We also get to see Hamlets madness from another perspective which is interesting. This makes Hamlet seem more revealed to Polonius because I think he believes Hamlets recent dip into insanity is due to the loss of Ophelia, which may have a play in it, but I think Hamlet has bigger fish to fry. Ophelias concerns of Hamlet eventually lead to the idea of Hamlets friends spying on them, so this conversation really help add developments to the play.

I dont think the theme her was betrayal or dishonesty, but more investigatory and political. Everyone wants to know what Hamlet is really thinking but its not as easy as just walking up and asking him. Hamlets friends begin spying on him by order of the queen. Claudius is dealing with all kinds of threats. The King of Norway has his army freely wandering Denmark and Hamlet is going crazy. Claudius focuses most of his attention on Hamlet who is capable of defending his nation. Clausius sees Hamlet as an internal threat that needs to be dealt with.