Summary and Analysis of Hamlet (Jan. 21)

Summary:
The story starts with a visitation from the ghost of Hamlet's father. The guards at Elsinore castle had seen the ghost twice, and, this third time, brought their skeptical, scholarly friend, Horatio, with them. The ghost refused to speak with them, so they decided to report the occurrence to Hamlet.

Hamlet had been grieving the death of his father for some time and was quite disgusted at his mother's hasty remarriage to Claudius, his uncle, and he made his opinion quite transparent to them in public. Horatio and the guards found him ranting about the feebleness of woman's love. Suspicious about the ghost's purpose, Hamlet decided to wait for its return. Later, the ghost of old Hamlet told Hamlet he had been murdered by Claudius. Hamlet immediately vowed to avenge his father's death and swore his friends to secrecy before pretending to go insane.

When Polonius, Claudius's right hand man, discovered Hamlet's "condition," he assumed it was a result of his daughter Ophelia's reduced interactions with Hamlet. He and Claudius then plotted to test the theory through Ophelia. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's childhood friends who had been enlisted by Claudius to spy on Hamlet, announced to Hamlet the arrival of his favorite group of actors. Upon their arrival, Hamlet requested the performance of a particular play with some additional lines added. His intent was to test Claudius, to prove he truly did murder old Hamlet, before he killed him.

Before the play takes place, Claudius and Polonius arrange for an accidental meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet. Hamlet ultimately figured out what was going on and dumped Ophelia because of her involvement in the scheme. Claudius began to doubt Hamlet was really mad and arranged to ship him to England to be executed quietly.

The day of the play arrived, and Hamlet and Horatio kept a close eye on Claudius throughout the play. The play was, in essence, a reenactment of the murder of old Hamlet. Claudius was unnerved at the sight of the murder scene and immediately stood up and left, leaving Hamlet overjoyed that he had confirmed the murder.

Gertrude summoned Hamlet to her room after the play for interrogation while Polonius hid in the closet. Hamlet heard Polonius and, thinking it was the king, killed him through the curtain. Then, after giving Gertrude a stinging lecture, he left and buried the body. Shortly afterwards, he was on the ship to Britain, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Laertes, son of Polonius who had been studying in France, returned in a rage when he heard of his father's death. Ophelia went mad under all the recent stress, then drowned, infuriating her brother further. With some convincing, Claudius was able to direct Laertes's wrath at Hamlet.

Meanwhile, Hamlet discovered the letter for the English king was an order to kill him, so he changed it and sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths as he returned to Denmark. Learning of this, Laertes and Claudius devised a plan to avenge Laertes and kill Hamlet. A rigged fencing match is arranged and, in the process, Gertrude is poisoned and Hamlet, Laertes, and Claudius all killed, leaving poor Horatio to clean up the mess.

Narrative Voice:
As a play, Hamlet is almost completely made up of dialogue, so Shakespeare must use various techniques like soliloquies and asides to convey the thoughts of characters. The point of view, as a result, is of an outsider--a non-existent spectator of the whole story. The audience sees Hamlet's interpretation of the story most, but is still left to make up its own mind about what is going on. The tone and imagery, also, are not fixed, as they are, for the most part, determined by the director's interpretation of the play. Symbolism, then, is the strongest point of the play. For example, towards the end of the play, Hamlet recognizes that he is being lured to his death, yet is calm and submissive to it. In his death, he accomplishes his ultimate goal and sends his follower (a.k.a. disciple) out to spread his story. He is, as a result, a candidate for a "Jesus" symbol.

Quotes:
"This above all--to thine own self be true..."     As a well known, yet widely misinterpreted phrase, this quote is one significant to remember. Polonius is, when he says this, giving his son Laertes advice that will be important should Laertes ever inherit his position as Claudius's right hand man. In a castle where deceit is the norm, it is important to be suspicious of everyone and to place oneself above everyone else. This is most certainly not supposed to mean "be yourself."

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go."     Claudius, guilt-stricken, recognizes his deplorable state. His statement is that of a man trapped by his own deceitfulness. He realizes that he only says things for his own benefit. In order to be freed of his guilt he has to give up everything he lived for, something he is not willing to do. This statement shows that, though Claudius is the "bad guy" of the story, he is not truly a bad guy. It makes Claudius more relatable to the audience in the midst of their dislike of him.

Theme: Hanging on to the past will ultimately lead to one's own destruction.
From the beginning of the play, this theme is stated loud and clear. Hamlet, unable to let go of his father's death, is chided by Claudius who says, "...but to persevere/In obstinate condolement is a course/Of impious stubbornness." Recognizing and understanding the past is important, even necessary to succeeding in the future, but dwelling in it rather than moving into the future is a mistake in itself. Laertes gets pulled into the same trap later as he is so focused on revenge that he goes so far as to kill a friend, losing his own life in the process.

Prompt Revision (Jan. 20)

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate

Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

For a small individual, home often means security, comfort, and predictability. Without these, he feels out of place, exposed to the dangers of the outside world. No doubt, this was how Bilbo Baggins felt as he was carried away from home to begin Tolkein's novel, The Hobbit. Not even a day's journey from his house, he already began wishing for his handkerchief. Utilizing Bilbo's original fear of leaving his "comfort zone," Tolkein emphasizes his message for us that, insignificant as we may appear, each of us has the capacity to use the skills learned inside our own fields to greatly affect the world beyond.

To start the novel, Tolkein immediately describes Bilbo's character, explaining that he comes from a land where the inhabitants ostracize, and even despise, adventurous people. He likes to think of himself as a typical hobbit, practical, so as to avoid unexpected hazards. This serves him well and makes him a valuable asset on the journey, as he is able to arrive at the simplest, most effective solutions to the problems at hand. Hundreds of miles from his own home, Bilbo is still solving problems as if he were in his own home in the Shire.

An inhabitant of a peaceful area, Bilbo bears no grudges or ill-will against anyone the way the dwarves did against the elves and men. As the neutral party in the conflict, Bilbo becomes the perfect mediator between the dwarves and the men and elves. Perhaps he was not received too well for his actions, but his peaceful background gave him the sense not to push for war like the others. He saw past the past grievances and looked to form a compromise that would be beneficial to both camps.

A character's home is often the best place to explore in order to understand his comfort zones and deepest of character qualities. Bilbo was a hobbit of comfort and peace. He ordered his home to be as practical as possible not only for his own needs, but also for guests. Leaving his home may have meant leaving his comfort zone, but true to Sonsyrea Tate's words, home, his most cherished values, never left him.