DRJ #4: Hamlet, Act IV & Act V

DRJ #4: Hamlet, Act IV & Act V

            When Claudius knew that the people would hate him for having Hamlet punished, it reminded me of this one episode of “Hey Arnold” where all the girls were trying to bring down the popular, nice girl because everyone liked her. It isn’t exactly the same because Claudius wants Hamlet dead so that he is safe, where as these girls want to bring her down and embarrass her because they are jealous. Either way they were going to be hated by others for doing such things. I’ve mentioned Ophelia many times but I can kind of relate to how she feels since she is a female. She’s driven insane by Hamlet’s insanity. Ophelia was obviously in love with Hamlet, and seeing being insane and cruel to her caused it. Love hurts.

            Hamlet is the true tragic hero of his story. His father is dies because his uncle kills him for power and his uncle also takes away his mother and they get married. It’s pretty cruel for him to go through such a conflict and it hurts even more. He definitely fits the role of a tragic hero, because even I as an audience character feel bad for what he goes through and the insanity that is caused by his pain. Hamlet blames himself for not moving forward into taking revenge on his uncle. His flaw is that he does not take action into revenge right away, he puts it off and doesn’t make a decision until the last minute.
          At this point I feel as if the theme in Acts IV and V are about Life and Death. Hamlet says, (Act IV, Scene IV Lines 53-55) “Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw, When honor’s at the stake,” Hamlet was talking about how these two countries who are wealthy and at peace would cause war between each other over a small piece of land, they will fight for their pride. All these characters fight for their pride, for their wants and they die in the end. Shakespeare uses symbolism through the gravedigger digging a grave. The gravedigger and the other man talk about how Ophelia killed herself. This is important because she allowed herself to die, she didn’t drown so technically she shouldn’t be having a proper burial, but she is rich so she can have one. Then the final battle takes place in which everyone bets on either Hamlet or Laertus. Gertrude drinks the poison, Hamlet and Laetrus stab each other and Hamlet stabs Claudius. Later on Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are executed. All of this happens because each of their motives and they tried to get to their own wants and satisfaction. Laertus had a grudge over Hamlet, Gertrude wanted Hamlet to be normal again. Hamlet and Claudius wanted each other dead and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern wounded up being puppets. They were all fools and died in the end. Horatio was the only one alive to tell about the lives they lived and why and how they died. 

DRJ #3: Hamlet, Act III

Even though we are much farther into the book, I still can’t think of anyone in my life, or movies that remind me of the characters in Hamlet. I might be able to pull out some familiar predicament I may have seen in my life that characters have gone through. Ophelia’s situation is somewhat similar to what boys and girls go through every day. There are many different relationships between males in females. In this case, Hamlet is a complete and utter jerk to Ophelia, and Ophelia takes it on but it still hurts her.  There are abusive relationships in which boys are abusive the girls. I’ve seen relationships in which they tease each other or if they’re best friends they’ll be mean to each other and call each other names. Males in general will call a female beautiful/fair which Hamlet does, but he’s still pretty cruel to her by calling her a whore.

            Claudius is definitely an interesting kind of villain. He knows what he did was wrong but he accepts it and in this case he prays and asks for forgiveness. In stories I’ve seen or read, the antagonist did what they did on purpose but I don’t usually see them praying for forgiveness because they are pure evil. There are some instances in which the antagonist realize their wrong and turn to good. Sometimes they’ll ask for forgiveness just for their life to be saved and when I think about it now maybe that’s what Claudius wants. Claudius has caused the conflict of the story which sets the plot for the story. He knows what he did was wrong. He murdered his brother so he could take the throne from him and have power. Then he took away his brother’s wife because he lusts for her. He took Hamlet’s parents away which is the cause for Hamlet’s insanity.

            I definitely see the Good/Evil theme in Act III. (Lines 98-99, Act III, Scene III) Claudius rises after he finishes his prayer and says, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.

Words without thoughts never to heaven go,” Claudius accepts that he has sinned and done evil. He does feel guilt for what he did and asks forgiveness, but in the end admits that even though he says he asks for forgiveness, it sounds like he doesn’t actually mean it. Claudius in the end is evil. I feel like all these characters are cruel to each other. Hamlet sees Claudius praying and realizes that if he kills him now he would go to Heaven. Hamlet does not want that, he wants proper revenge so that Claudius can go to hell for what he did. Hamlet wanting to kill is just as evil as well. Good can’t exist without Evil.