My initial reaction is that it is odd that a prince has to
make up a play to catch a lie since he could not trust the ghost either. It seems to me that Hamlet’s actions convey
that he is a cowardly prince. It maybe
the life that he was brought up makes him vague and can’t be direct but only to
one person that he can actually trust.
It is also strange that he has shared his intimate moments with Ophelia
but can’t trust her either. I think playing
a trick to catch a love one in a lie is more common. I hear the war of the roses on radio all the
time trying to catch someone in a lie and it never seems to end up well as the
person’s hunch is usually true, or if not it reveals some insecurity on the trickster’s
part.
Hamlet is a complex main character as he has a vast knowledge
that you would expect from a future king, but insecurities from lack of trust
in his surroundings. Therefore, his character
flaw is his insecurities but makes up for his weakness with strength of wit,
knowledge, skills. Hamlet can be
considered a classic tragic hero as he avenges his father’s murder and is
conflicted by what he must do as he faces decisions about murder, his throne,
and his actions.
In this act, Hamlet’s labile mood is very apparent as he is
in a state of confusion about what action he should do which is apparent in his
line of “to be or not to be”. The theme
that runs throughout this Act is madness as it is noticeable that Hamlet has
gone mad to the people that surround him even though he only plays the part. He has convinced Ophelia that he has gone mad
when he rejected to take back the letter he wrote causing her to be confused
then aloof at the play. He also
convinced the king that he is truly mad as he plans to send him away for
England. The King mentioned this on Act
III Scene I when he stated “madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go”. However, Hamlet reveals to his mom that he is
not crazy and just wants his mom to repent her sins.
I understood why he couldn't trust the ghost. The confusion on who can he trust or talk to was a circus in his mind. In any sense that if you want to know the truth you need to see or hear with your own eyes. Hamlet clearly knew once he heard his uncle repent.
ReplyDeleteCarmina: While I agree with you that Hamlet has issues, I didn’t see him as a coward but merely being extremely cautious with his actions. In a weird way I see his insecurities as being a defense mechanism to help him truly see who is on his side and who is against him.
ReplyDeleteI believe the reason why Hamlet put on the play to determine if what his ghostly father says was true or not was just something we see on the surface. I analyzed this part as one of his "to be or not to be" moments. In putting on the play, it would help him determine whether he should act upon the ghost's request or not act. Like you have said above, he has an internal conflict with himself. To live or not live. This play is to act or not to act, as in, to kill Claudius or not to kill Claudius. He may already believe in the words of the ghost, but he has a sense of responsibility upon his shoulders to take revenge, but under the circumstances of burdening the sin of killing another man. This is just my interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThe connection that you made between Hamlet's modified play and the radio show called War of the Roses is both apt and hilarious! I'm very familiar with the radio show, which was named after an 80's movie in which a divorcing couple tries to break down each other's will in order to win the bigger settlement, but they end up destroying all of their combined possessions in the process. You are correct in that in both the play and the radio show someone is putting on an act in order to draw out the truth from another person. However, in the radio show, the host directly lies to the accused hoping that they will inadvertently reveal their true intentions. Whereas in Hamlet's play, he reenacts the accused's actions with the goal of the accused displaying his guilt indirectly.
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