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[taimatsu]

Hey, Shakespeare buffs - tell me about Hamlet! Specifically, I have a seminar Wednesday morning focussing on soliloquies and other especially notable bits (everyone should read, I quote, "the soliloquy at the end of Act 2.2 'O what a rogue and peasant slave am I' and also the famous grave diggers scene, 5.1"). We did Hamlet two Bardcamps ago so I have a basic idea of it but VERY LITTLE MORE and I know you people have Big Thoughts on the subject.

If nothing else, tell me - what do you think is the coolest/most interesting thing about this play? A section/speech/scene, a theme, an idea or critical theory, anything. I will do some secondary reading but not much in time.

Comments

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

It's all about the recursive nature of self-examination and how we create ourselves, sometimes with undesired results. This brings in the relationship-with-father thing, creating ourselves in the image of or in opposition to our parents - cf. Hamlet and Claudius, Hamlet and his blood father, Fortinbras and his father, Polonius's children - and Shakespeare's own Hamnet who died in 1596.

It's got more soliloquies in it than most plays, which some critics see as Hamlet driving himself mad, insisting on existing in his own tiny nutshell.

I'm very fond of the gravediggers' scene, but that's partly because it's one of the best Armin/Burbage doublehanders.

The best secondary reading you could possibly do is Stoppard.

[kaet.livejournal.com]

I agree: go find "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"! The Act2.2 speech is mainly about acting, and largely in its praise, and therefore much beloved of actors and thespian types (just like the number of writers appearing in novels).

At this point he's not only dithering, but displacing his dithering by dithering about dithering itself. He wishes he was an actor (or at least compares himself to one) who can bring up wells of emotion, etc, at the slightest notice. If he had the lack-of-drippiness of an actor he could CONQUER THE WORLD!

God, how irritating Mr Hamlet can be.

[akcipitrokulo.livejournal.com]

One thing I loved is how witty Hamlet is. He really has a very good, dark sense of humour - he does the whole coping with really bad shit (tm) through humour very well indeed.

I will have to re-read it again as been too long! but that is one of things that stands out for me.

Also his relationship with Horatio is wonderful - perfect example of a deep friendship.

[ade-of-roke.livejournal.com]

the whole play is cool, because it's a war with the world, and its hypocracies that fester in others..and in oneself...
....before we reconcile ourselves to the world and become old...

The film with Mel Gibson is the most accessible, if u need to soak up an abridged, powerful version of the play...


Some say the gravedigger is actually the central character, because he's the only one who can outwit hamlet with older, and wiser, more light-hearted outlook...etc...but then, maybe not...

All the characters are reflections of different sides to humanity...
The saddest scene comes towards the end, in private..between Hamlet and Horatio 'fall of a sparrow' speech, before the final scenes....

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

I love how many different ways there are to perform it. Rarely is the entire play performed, and depending on what bits are cut the emphasis can be entirely political, entirely ethical, entirely religious...there are so many ways to view the motivations of the different characters, I find them all infinitely fascinating. Also the various reasons for why Hamlet needs to avenge his father; not just that his uncle is a murderous bastard, or that Hamlet himself should be king, but also that his father was murdered without confession, which means he's in hell. Hence one of the reasons why Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius in private when he has a chance; if he slaughtered Claudius while Claudius himself was confessing, Claudius wouldn't suffer after death as Hamlet the First is doing. Hence the glee after Claudius murders Hamlet's mother. By killing him at that point it's guaranteed that Claudius will go to hell also. Bwahahaha, suffering all 'round!

And other things. If Hamlet had been able to just let it all go, he'd probably have had a fairly happy life. Should he have? Hmmm.

And I love above all that Claudius' primary motivation really seems to be his love for Gertrude, as opposed to Wanting To Be King.

But my favorite little bit of all is from a movie version where PAtrick Stewart is playing Claudius. Normally during the play-within-a-play Claudius runs off panicking, screaming "GIVE ME SOME LIGHT!!!" as though he's afraid the darkness in his own soul is going to devour him. Stewart stood up, walked over to Hamlet, stared at him with infinite disdain, and calmly said "Give me some light" while clearly thinking "You arrogant puppy, how dare you try to intimidate me?" Oh how I love Patrick Stewart!

[refusenik2-0.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what sort of thing you're looking for on Hamlet, but as I've technically done a degree involving the study of it, I thought I might as well say something. Bear in mind my approach is quite structural and boring,and not humanistical or character driven. So sorry in advance. Basically, in the play the eponymous mr hamlet is seemingly given a quest to complete by the ghost of his father, ie to avenge his supposed murder by killing king Claudius. The play's about how Hamlet goes about doing this and why, and it often subverts this idea of the quest by having Hamlet driven slightly odd by the madness that was originally supposed to be feigned (but which, tragically, leads to some deaths/suicides etc). Is Hamlet doing his father's quest, or fulfilling some kind of psychoanalytic fantasy built on sexual jealousy surrounding his mother (about which he has a curious obsession)? In the end, Claudius is the one person he fails to kill (until he knows he himself is poisoned). In the soliloquy though he's mainly just berating himself for his lack of action while justifying his (slightly odd) plan to prick Claudius' conscience by showing him a play. It's kind of confession to the audience shifting into setting up the next scene. there's definitely dramatic irony in hamlet narrating to himself on stage what he thinks he should be doing, but doesn't have the guts to - especially given how the whole thing is framed by a quest motif. He's kind of narrating himself and his situation - does that make sense?

I'm reading the gravedigger scene again. A lot's been read into it, Iforget what specifically. It only ever seems to me to reveal Hamlet identifying with death (ie we all become skulls even if we're alexander the Great), and maybe trivialising it through the gravedigger's nonchalence. I don't know, does it imply he's getting ready for the inevitable endgame as suggested by the tragic quest motif? We may never know.

That's just a few ideas from my weird angle. Don't expect anyone to take them seriously.