Week 12: Another Hamlet

I watched The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet.  I watched this version because it looked better than the other version we had.  It was produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company, it was directed by Gregory Doran and the star of this version was David Tennant.  Its hard to say what the setting is but I would guess some wear around 1990.  The whole movie is done inside a somewhat modern palace, a lot of the palace was made of black marble.  I thought the acting from everyone except David Tennant and Patrick Stewart was pretty much awful.

Week 12: Page161 Q.4: From Hell or Not

I do not believe that the ghost of Hamlet is from hell because, he has not yet gone into hell, the ghost tells Hamlet that he is, "Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, and for the day confin'd to fast in fire...".  The ghost of Hamlet must continue like that until, "...the foul crimes..." he committed while he was alive have been, "...purg'd away.".  Meaning that he is in purgatory, because Shakespeare was catholic he probably believed that purgatory was the place you went to before going to heaven or hell.  Therefore the dead king had not come to his final resting place, probably hell.  The ghost did use Hamlet as his puppet, the ghost might have seen that Hamlet was already angry with his uncle and mother, so all the ghost had to do was tell him that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle and then Hamlet would take revenge for his father.

Week 11:Thought Q.9: Two Faced

I think Claudius is two faced, because sometimes he acts as if he feels remorse for killing Hamlet, however most of the time he acts like killing his brother was just business.  Claudius only feels remorse when he figures out that Hamlet knows he murdered the king.  That remorse is only short term and is quickly thrown away.  Throughout most of the play he acts like killing his brother was just a job that he had to complete in order to become king.

Week 11: Review Q. 9: Speeking to Gertrude

Hamlet starts off speaking to his mother angrily and accusingly.  I think he might have spoke to her like that at first because he thought that she took part in murdering his father.  Once he realizes his mother doesn't know that his father was assassinated he begins speaking to her more kindly.  Hamlet's words seem to send his mother into shock, probably because she had not suspected that her former husband had been murder, especially not by his brother, her current husband.