This is so perfect, I just had to put it on
Worth the time, right?
This clip really made me think about Hamlet though. What is Shakespeare trying to tell/teach us. - although sometimes I wonder if he was just depressed one day and decided to write a play where everyone dies. I figure there must be something deeper about what he's writing than just letting everone die for the heck of it.
The play has lots of great themes: life and death, 'to be or not to be.' It's also about sanity and mind over matter.
Who's the real hero here? And what is it that the hero does that makes them heroic? In this story they all die, so the true measure of heroism is not simply in 'being the last to survive.' It makes me want to start examining Hamlet closer, what qualities does he have that could make him a hero? He doesn't seem particularly brave, and he does go crazy, or at least pretends to.
Maybe Hamlet isn't the hero. I don't think the king is the hero, he doesn't get the prize. But perhaps someone like Polonius who at least realizes what the trouble is could be considered more heroic. Even if he isn't 'true to himself' he at least sees that its a short coming. - then again, if you know what the problem is and then don't act on it that may be worse then simply remaining ignorant.
Thoughts?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
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jspelta 42p · 741 weeks ago
2. As I remember hearing in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, death comes to all; kings, queens, princes, and the "nobodys." I believe Shakespeare might have been showing the equalizing factor of death. I also believe each character had a lesson attached. Hamlet: don't hesitate. Laertes: don't rush into things. Ophelia: don't drown yourself. Gertrude: don't drink. Claudius: don't kill your brother before he has a chance to confess his sins, take his crown, try to have your nephew/son-in-law killed twice, accidentally poison your wife/sister-in-law, or over prepare. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: don't hand letters to people so freely! As you can see, these lessons can benefit people of all ages.
3. As far as heroes go, let me answer your question with another question: does a story have to have a hero?
4. Hamlet might be considered a tragic hero because he matches the Greek definition, if his hesitation is seen as his "tragic flaw." The fact that he achieves his goal of revenge before he dies might disqualify him from this label.
JessicaV 57p · 741 weeks ago