Hamlet act 5

The final act of Hamlet by Shakespeare...
As a reader I have been waiting to read this act as a class so that I could clearly understand it. However, I decided to go ahead and read it and then read the modern version of it. Doing that I clearly understood what happened and my final thoughts of it are that I did not expect SUCH dramatic ending for this play at all.

In this act, Hamlet who has returned from England visits Ophelia's death and feels strucked in horror. He is negatively affected by her death because of the love they used to share. During this time a lord comes before him and asks him if he will participate in the sword duel against Laertes that King Claudius has arranged. Hamlet is aware that there can only be one of them living in order to fulfill each of their goals, Hamlet and Laertes. He also identifies himself with Laertes calling him his mirror, for both wanting to revenge the death of their respective father.
In the duel, Laertes changes the poisoned sword for a real in order to conserve his honor. Desperate, King Claudius pours venom into the wine in order to kill Hamlet himself. Hamlet wins the first two rounds and King Claudius offers him wine to celebrate it. However, the Queen drinks the wine instead to protect Hamlet. In this moment, Laertes becomes desperate so he wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword and Hamlet beholds the poisoned sword by accident wounding Laertes back. While Laertes is dying he exposes King Claudius crimes in front of everyone. And although Hamlet is also dying by poison he comes toward Claudius with the sword and forces him to drink the rest of the poisoned wine. Claudius dies in torture just as the Queen. In his final moments of life, Hamlet tells Hotario to tell this story to everyone saying, "As thou'rt a man, give me the cup: let go; by heaven, I'll have't. O good Horatio, what a wounded name, things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me! If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart absent thee from felicity awhile, and in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, to tell my story.” (Act V, Scene2) This quote shows Hamlet desire to be remembered. He specially wants Fortinbras to learn about his death because he hopes that he becomes the future king of Denmark. When Fortinbras hears the news about Hamlet's death he announces that Hamlet will be buried as a soldier.

In the end everyone has experienced a tragic death. As a reader of Shakespeare's plays I did not expect anything less. Although I knew an extreme tragic ending was approaching I still wanted to read it. Overall I consider this a great story and I enjoyed reading it. I would have liked to see more of Ophelia and Hamlet's relationship though. Compared to other plays like Macbeth and Othello this one did not show that much love between the main couple. Other than that this is by far the most dramatic play I have read. All the main characters died in the same act leaving no time to see any mourn from any other character. However, even so I still enjoyed it because I like drama.

Hamlet act 4 scene 5,6, and 7

Laertes, Polonius son has heard the news about Hamlet murdering his father...
At this point in the play, the whole situation is very chaotic. Hamlet is not only determined to kill King Claudius once and for all, but he is also about to get killed by Laertes. Ophelia who has also heard about the news feels devastated and turns to insanity. She talks about the King and Queen and compares them to flowers, highlighting the negative aspects of each one of them. She said, There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end…” (Act IV, Scene 5) This quote also shows that Ophelia used to love and honor her father. After witnessing all this, Laertes ensures revenge. King Claudius becomes aware of Laertes ambition for revenge so he takes that as an advantage to get rid of Hamlet.
When Hamlet returns, King Claudius suggests Laertes to have a sword duel with Hamlet, and secretly poison the sword so that he kills Hamlet without any penalty. After that the Queen announces Ophelia's death and Laertes loses his mind in rage and rushes in look for Hamlet in order to kill him.

These scenes are some of the result of the main chaos that has been accumulating lately. It was expected that one or more of the characters were going to die soon. However as a reader I did not expect Ophelia to die. I do not know how Hamlet will take her death, considering that they were lovers. Perhaps her death will change his mind over taking revenge because he would feel guilty. However, Laertes is still coming after him so he will have to face him at some point in the future. There are many different possible endings that this play could behold, and I want to know what will happen. This being said I consider this play as very interesting and one of the best plays i Have read by Shakespeare.

Hamlet act 4 scene 1,2,3 and 4

These scenes were very short and somewhat complicated to understand, therefore as a class we studied each important character individually and made presentations on them. This way we could focus on what they did and how they currently feel in this specific scene. It made it easier for me to understand what was happening.

By now Hamlet has talked to his mother about her actions. He has told her that he knows the truth and he yells at her asking her why would she ever choose King Claudius over his honorable father. He is determined to torment his mother and make her feel guilty, but he sees the ghost of his father who tells his not to harm the Queen. Hamlet listens to his beloved father and tells his mother that if she wants to be forgiven then she must have to refuse having sexual intercourse with the current King. The queen agrees with Hamlet, in the end of their conversation. Another important event of this scene is that Polonius is hiding in order to listen to the conversation. However, he makes a noise and Hamlet murders him thinking is the King. Hamlet takes Poloniu's body away.

In the next scene Claudius asks Gertrude about Hamlet's recent reaction, and the Queen explains how Hamlet killed Polonius by "accident". King Claudius assumes that he will go through the same thing Polonius did unless he does something about Hamlet. He decides that sending Hamlet away to England is the best way to keep himself alive. Hamlet agrees and is escroted on his journey. There Hamlet meets the prince of Denmark, Fortinbras, who intends to invade Poland. Watching Fortinbras' inmensive army attacking a land gets Hamlet in shock. Fortinbras' impolsive behavious in war, make Hamlet want to revenge his father more than ever.

I think that these two chapters were sort of scary because the Hamlet has finished awaking the anger inside him. It was seen that he is completly capable of killing a man without any regret. Now that he truly wishes to kill someone nothing will stop him. I consider Hamlet's character as scary because of this, but he is the cause of all the drama and intensity of this play.
By comparing Hamlet to Macbeth, I consider Hamlet more confused and angry then Macbeth who truly wanted the crown. Even compared to Othello, I consider Hamlet being more disturbed than him. In other words, throughout my experience with Shakespeare, the character of Hamlet takes the crown for being the most trouble causing man in any play I have read.

Hamlet act 3 scene 2 and 3

These two acts were watched and played in class so I understood very well what happened in this part of the play. Studying Hamlet this way is very fun and easier for me to remember it.
In scene 2, Hamlet prepares a play for the king and queen. The play is about a nephew murdering the king and taking the crown and Queen as a "price" which is similar to what Claudius did to the former king. The whole purpose of this play was to see King Claudius' reaction and determine if he was guilty or not. During the murder part of the play, Claudius reacted as if he was feeling extremely uncomfortable with it, suggesting to the whole audience including Hamlet that he was guilty for the murder of the King.

Knowing this in act 3 Hamlet is determined to assassinate Claudius to revenge his father. However, King Claudius was praying in the prefect opportunity, which made Hamlet change his made. In this play it is believed that when a person confesses his crimes before God before dying that person will be forgiven and allowed in Heaven. Of course, Hamlet did not wish to send Claudius to Heaven so decided to wait until he was doing something bad to kill him. Hamlet said to himself, "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;
and so am I revenged. That would be scann'd: a villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge… When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; at gaming, swearing, or about some act that has no relish of salvation in't; then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damn'd and black as hell, where to it goes.” (Act III, Scene 3) Killing him when he is drunk or cheating on the queen will definitely send him to hell where he belongs, or so Hamlet believed.

In the next act it might be possible that Hamlet assassinates King Claudius. If he does then he will finally revenge his father and possibly feel better. However, this will cause many problems if he gets caught. It is possible that he will be punished for killing the King, despite if he is the prince. I also do not know how the queen will react to the death of her current husband. It is possible that she might experience what Lady Macbeth did before any of this happens. She could feel very guilty, specially after watching the play and commit suicide. That would be a really dramatic twist to this play but I would not be surprised because it is Shakespeare after all...

Hamlet act 3 scene 1

This scene is a continuation of Polonius plan to show Hamlet's madness. This time he makes Ophelia confront Hamlet meanwhile he will be spying. In this scene also, Hamlet before meeting Ophelia, is deciding whether to commit suicide or not. He does not find death frightening, and that is what concerns people around him the most. Hamlet also thinks out loud which makes the reader understand his characterization more. When Hamlet meets Ophelia he seems somewhat upset, and says "Ha, ha! Are you honest…Are you fair?" to her. This is because re realizes that she and his mother have lied to him. This caused him to feel anger against women overall. Meanwhile this was happening they were being watched. King Claudius got truly concerned about Hamlet's mental state and to be safe he wanted to send him away to England.

I am not entirely sure if I understood this scene. However I did read the spark notes and it seems that I got close to the real play. At this point of the play, I think that Hamlet is truly loosing it now. Considering suicide because death is not scary at all is truly concerning. This may suggest that he no longer has any appreciation for his own life and sees no purpose to it. I thought that his next goal would be taking revenge but perhaps he is even doubting that. I predict and tragic ending for this play.

Hamlet act 2 scene 1 and 2

This act was very short overall. It consisted of only two scenes on which King Claudius and the Queen send people to investigate Hamlet's abnormal behavior recently. Polonius is also in this act and he tells the king that Hamlet's weird behaviour is due to Ophelia's rejection. And in order to prove this he made Ophelia confront Hamlet. Before their encounter, Polonius meets Hamlet to test his madness and after talking to him he confirms Hamlet's insanity. Before Polonius left Hamlet said, "You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal: except my life, except my life, except my life.” This shows that Hamlet sees things differently than other people. This is interpreted as madness by the other characters on the play. By saying this words it seems that he is paranoid, and as a reader once again I understand this feeling.

After reading this act I became to somewhat dislike Polonius. This does not mean that I support Hamlet or his actions. Since the beginning Polonius has been somewhat against Hamlet. Even though it is obvious that the queen and the new King were suspicious of murder, Polonius still helped them against Hamlet. Perhaps he is an interested man who has not much to do. Also by concluding that Hamlet's madness was due to Ophelia instead of his father seems very unconsidered.

Hamlet act 1 scene 4 and 5

I found these two scenes very easy to understand. It was a continuation of acts 1 and 2 when the ghost of the King is appearing at night. Hotario tells Hamlet about his experience and his idea of having Hamlet talk to the ghost instead because the ghost might want to tell his son something important. Of course, Hamlet also wants to talk to his father so he waits for his appearance outside the castle. Once he "meets" the ghost he mourns for him and asks him about his murder. The ghost suggests that Claudius had something to do with his death and tells Hamlet not to harm the queen, Gertrude. Because of his father's words, Hamlet promises to revenge his death.

In Shakespeare's plays I have seen many ghosts appearing and communicating something. It seems normal for them to see a ghost and even talk to him, which tells me that although Shakespeare has built a dramatic play he also likes adding some fantasy to it. Perhaps Shakespeare believed and even encounter with a ghost during his time, explaining why he adds them to his plays.

However, after reading this, Hamlet's affection for his father became more clear to me. He is truly sad and upset because of the death of his father and therefore swears to revenge. Although people may just say "Hamlet is a crazy man" I think he has a reason to be. He is filled with frustration and sadness which makes him act compulsive. This of course does not excuse it, it just makes it understandable. There are other characters seen in Shakespeare's plays to handle death a little better. However, guilt is something the murder always feels at some point in the play, so I am expecting the new King and the queen to feel guilty for killing the king at some point in this play.

Hamelt Act 1 scene 2 and 3

Scene 2 of act one was similar to scene 1. It was also about the guards and Hamlet talking about the king and what made his ghost come out every night. But in this scene, Hotario, Hamlet's friend does not think it is a real ghost so he tries to communicate with him. The ghost did appear before him but he did not want to talk to Hotario, so Hotario thought he would only talk to Hamlet. During this scene I also learnt that Hamlet is very sad for his father's death, and he is angry at his mother fro marrying his uncle soon after the king died. His mother and the new King Claudius become aware of this and try to "cheer him up" by saying to get over it because death is a common thing. And because of this cold attitude of his mother, Hamlet begins to hate her.

As a reader of scene 2 I can understand Hamlet's feelings of wrath. If I were him I would probably feel the same against my mother, and begin losing my mind, specially if I loved my father that much. After reading this also, I became to dislike the queen and the new king. It is obvious that they had something to do with the King's death because of their cold attitude. Also by the ghost of the King appearing at night is because he might want to communicate something important. Something that has not allowed him to rest in peace.

In scene 3 of act 1, Ophelia, Hamlet's lover, and her family are introduced. In this part Ophelia's father and brother are both telling him that Hamlet is simply playing with her emotions. They also consider Hamlet as someone confusingly odd, specially right after the death of his father. Ophelia loves Hamlet so she is not happy about hearing the advice of forgetting about him and being with someone who actually respects her. She thinks otherwise of Hamlet but she does not try to defend his name against his family. Then she decided to simply hide her affection towards Hamlet because she does not want to leave him.

I think that Ophelia's family are not being unreasonable and mean by telling her to leave Hamlet. They are just worried about her. Her father did not prohibit to see him after all, he simply spoke his mind about him, which suggest that after all he is understanding of his daughter's feelings and it is her choice. Although Ophelia, may be heartbroken in the future because of Hamlet, I think that right now she is blinded by love. It is hard for her to see the flaws that her father and brother see in Hamlet, and therefore refuse to see him. As a reader I understand Ophelia's decision, but because I already know that Shakespeare likes drama too much, Hamlet may try to hurt her in some kind of way.

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1

Back in those days I really do not know how people understood any of Hamlet's plays. After reading this first scene I did not have a very clear idea of what was occurring. I am aware that there were two guards talking about seeing a ghost. It was supposed to be the king whom they have seen before when he was alive. Because he was wearing his armor, the two guards based most of their conversation on war history and possible future wars. Or so I understood.
What I enjoy most when understanding Shakespeare's plays is that regardless of how tragic these may be, they seem very natural. Unlike any current movie, the tragedy and drama presented in this play is something not seen often. Even in our daily lives, we do not experience that much tragedy. Perhaps the time period on which Shakespeare based his novels was much more complex than the one today. Perhaps this could be because there were no DNA forensics investigating a crime and psychologists prescribing medicine to help troubled men and women. Everyone was most likely left alone for that matter, which led to great chaos.
Nevertheless, I did not learn much about Hamlet from this scene. Simply that he was seen as courageous for killing a king in battle. Knowing that Hamlet is capable of killing I can expect violent reactions and decisions coming from him. As previously seen in other Shakespeare plays, such as Macbeth, when a man witnesses and participates in war that man is most likely to experience a similar type of violence throughout the play. In other words, It is most likely to see Hamlet considering violent methods, such as battling, as a way to solve a problem. This prediction might be wrong, but I could not imagine this play as tragic without Hamlet being in such way.
My experience with Shakespeare has not being so pleasant. Mostly because I have a hard time understanding what he truly wants to communicate as an author and also I cannot relate to any character in this store. However, I love drama and enjoy tragedy in a novel or play. Therefore i find Shakespeare's plays interesting. Without mentioning that his plays make a great part of English history and culture. Reading Hamlet as Shakespeare wrote it is much more enjoyable than reading a translation to modern English of it. Indeed, it is frustrating at times but I do this is much better.
After reading some of his plays, I realized that Shakespeare was truly into the dramatic outcome of death. Without mentioning the chaos of it. If Shakespeare were alive today, I think we would enjoy crime and investigation movies. Because in these, the families that lost their beloved individual are shown causing the audience feelings of sadness, anger, and surprise. I believe that Shakespeare truly wanted to make his audience feel something. And considering the high level or tragedy in his plays, the audience is most likely to deeply get into the story. I think that there is nothing more interesting and intriguing than what a person is not supposed to do.