Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Act III Notes

Act 3 Scene 1 
Indirect characterization crafty madness
Hamlet was giving them weird answers. 
He's forcing the way he's acting. He is doing it on purpose.
Polonius says devotions visage 
The outward of being devoted 
By looking like we are doing the right thing we can convince the people that we are not malicious 
Claudius is beginning to feel guilty 
R and g are on Claudius's side.
Hamlet is talking to Ophelia but also commenting on that he doesn't trust her feelings and beauty corrupts honesty- his mother queen Gertrude. 
He doesn't love you now. 
Everyone that comes to talk to him is sent there for a reason that is why he doesn't trust Ophelia 
He's upset at everyone. Everyone is acting a fool including himself. He is a sinner as well. He is a skinny kid at fat camp. 
He is saying that women corrupt men 
He is talking about two faced or face paint and makeup.
Madness double entendres. Madness in temper. Beyond the pale of good taste and therefore at the presumption of insane.
Hamlet is going back to England. Polonius and Claudius were listening. They set this up so they could hear his own words. Claudius suspects danger. He doesn't know if it's anger at his fathers death or his mothers marriage. So now he will send him off
Polonius will never disagree with the king but he still believes the madness is over the love for my daughter. Polonius says let Gertrude have a moment with him to get it out. He's not really mad but if he is send him away. Polonius wants his daughter to marry hamlet because she has potential to become queen but then he also tells her to stay away from him.
Scene 2 
Hamlet has turned director. Telling the players how he wants the players to speak and it is naturally 
Don't underplay it but also let your own judgement be your guide. Make this be real. He's very calculated. Not a madmen. Gearing it to the audience. In a sense post modernism a play within a play. Don't go off the script. The lines I've given you are exactly what I want you to say no more no less. 
The king and queen are ready to watch the play so Hamlet sends rosencrantz and guildenstern to get the players ready. He then begins to talk to Horatio. He gives him praise. Is this because Horatio has kept hamlets secret or Horatio is the only one that Hamlet trusts? 
Hamlet begins to give this big speech about why he likes Horatio. Horatio is important to Hamlet because he doesn't have an agenda, he comes simply to talk to Hamlet. Horatio is poor which means that Hamlet does not need to impress him, so why does Hamlet give him all these complements? I believe that it is because Horatio is the only person that Hamlet trusts and is the only person that Hamlet has left. 
Horatio has a trait that Hamlet lacks. I'm confused as to what that trait is or what he is implying in this situation. Horatio is a steady man, but what is that implying?
Hamlet then realizes he has embarrassed himself and said too much, so he asks Horatio to watch the king and make sure he does not escape in its course. 
All those that see hamlet as mad enter for the play. Hamlet makes an interesting remark that has two puns. One pun being air/ heir. ( the king promised to be heir to the throne but that promise isn't even chicken feed) what does this mean? The king promised to be faithful but he has done nothing of the such? 
Another pun is seen when hamlet calls polonius a calf and then turns his attention to Ophelia. Does this mean he is protecting Ophelia or how is this a pun and what is its importance? 
Hamlet makes sexual puns towards Ophelia and she reacts without anger. Rather casual as if he is joking, but hamlet is serious and referring to his mother and the king.
The play starts identically like how hamlet's father died. The exact seen is shown, but one thing is clarified or suggested: that the queen never participated in the murder and did not have affairs with Claudius before the death of King hamlet. 
The next scene of the play is the queen promising that she will never remarry even though the king feels his death nearby. The king then explains that one should recognize their lies and forgive and forget it which contradicts hamlet's belief that he is a coward for not fulfilling the revenge. 
The act of the king being poisoned is played again and more in real life. Hamlet is getting impatient and asks his mother what she thinks of the play. Then the king asks if there was offense in this play and hamlet replies yes. Now hamlet begins yelling out extra details that were not in the play. The king calls off the play and everyone leaves except for hamlet and Horatio. 
Hamlet is celebrating and very excited for his success. But was he successful? Did everyone else catch on? 
Guildenstern and rosencrantz come to tell hamlet that the king is distempered, but hamlet does not care and takes it as drunk rather than angry. The two friends expect an apology or guilt within hamlet but hamlet rather gives them a hard time and does not feel bad at all.
The friends tell hamlet that his mother wishes to speak to him, but he is not apologetic but will talk to her and tell her that he is simply doing her a favor.
Guildenstern attempts to stop hamlet when he goes to play the recorder. The hunting metaphor is then made. He is trying to guide hamlet into a net. Guildenstern tells hamlet he is only doing it out of love and then hamlet retaliates and explains how his friends have betrayed him in so many ways. 
Polonius now enters and relays the same message that hamlets mother wishes to speak to him. But hamlet treats the three men with disrespect and shows that he is sick of them treating him like a fool and a madman. 
Hamlet now thinks about what he will say to his mother. He has so much anger that he contemplates killing his mother but remembers what the ghost told him. 
Scene 3 
The king, guildenstern and rosencrantz enter because hamlet does not obey the messengers. The king says I like him not which means he doesn't like where it is going. 
The king tells the two men that they will be taking hamlet to England. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Not in this case. The Kings reason is that he deserves respect as the king and hamlet is of complete disrespect so he must leave.
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz accept the Kings request and kiss up to him as the king has much more power than any government official in today's world does. The people strongly believe that the king is trying to keep the country safe so many would agree with making hamlet leave the country.
The king does not care what the queen has to say because the king has already decided hamlet will be sent to England for his protection. Polonius hides behind the curtain hoping to hear that hamlet is mad because he can't have Ophelia's love. Polonius then expects the queen to scold hamlet and make him be a good boy. The king doesn't care what is being said so polonius exits.
The king now gives his soliloquy. He is scared by the play but still will not admit anything to anyone. The king does not know for sure whether hamlet has figured him out or not, but he knows that God knows and this guilt rises up inside of him. He try's to pray but cannot. He has been exposed to God. He knows that sins can be forgiven but only if they are repented and cannot repent this sin.
He asks the Angels for help and bends his knees. He is going to pray now. 
Now hamlet enters just as the king kneels down to pray. He is about to kill the king but then realizes that if he killed him now the king would go to heaven and that is not revenge. Hamlet decides he will catch the king when he is in a state of sin. Hamlet leaves to go to his mom. Just as he leaves the king reveals that he had failed to pray and if hamlet would of killed him he would not have gone to heaven. Hamlets thinking about his thinking saved his enemies life. 
Scene 4 
The scene takes place in the queens closet where there is a huge bed. ( this is also where hamlet had paid Ophelia a silent visit. )
Before polonius hides behind the curtain he tells the queen that she must scold her son. 
The queen begins to scold her son and calls the king his father and he responds with you have offended my real father. She then tells him that she will get someone who will make him listen talk to him rather than herself. She seems frightened now as if hamlet is doing something that scares her. He may have put his hand on his sword or thrown his mother into the chair it is not said, but he does something to frighten her. 
The queen begins to yell asking what hamlet will do to her because she is guilty and it is coming out of her. Polonius yells for help and hamlet stabs through the curtain killing polonius. His last words were o I am slain.
The next part is up for interpretation. I believe hamlet meant to kill the king and did not know that it was polonius. Hamlet makes the accusation to his mother that she helped the king kill her husband, which is new and was not said by the ghost. When hamlet calls the king a murderer the queen doesn't deny it or isn't surprised. Whether the queen was apart of the murder or not was never determined.
Hamlet pulls back to curtain and says he thought it was the king and that polonius will finally understand why it is dangerous to be so noisy. 
The queen tries to justify herself but hamlet is very rough in denying her and goes on to tell her how she has gone against her vows and so forth. He shows a picture of both the men she married. She sees king hamlet as a god and king Claudius as a mildewed ear. She then realizes she doesn't understand why she did what she did, she didn't control herself ? 
Hamlet continues to shout at his mother because he is still so angry. 
The ghost enters: as hamlet continues to shout and show his anger towards his mom the only thing that stops him is the ghost.
His mother sees nothing and finds him mad but hamlet explains to his father that he would rather reem his mother than revenge his father. He is nervous because he had a chance to kill the king and he did not. 
The ghost tells hamlet he must make sure that his mother does not go mad. Shakespeare paints the picture within the eyes of the queen that hamlets hair is standing on end and has a life of its own which clarifies why his mother thinks he's mad. 
She begins to explain his presence.
Hamlet tries to show the ghost to his mother but she cannot see the ghost. He seems to be reporting an emotional encounter with himself. He believes the image of the ghost will make him weep rather than kill. 
The queen explains that he is only insane and that is why he describes this ghost. Hamlet is offended and begins to verbally attack again. Hamlet asks for forgiveness but the queen has a hard time with this. Hamlet then tells his mother to not sleep with his uncle tonight because it will bring virtue to her easier. He knows he has sinned but worries only of his mother sexual relationship with his uncle, not of what happened with the murder or if his mother was apart of it. 
He softens his tone and wants sympathy from his mother which is expressed through his repetitive good night. He repents his killing of polonius and knows that he will have to pay for it. He asks for one more word from the queen but she only says what shall I do.
Hamlet then gets angry again with this response and spills that he is only pretending to be mad and he doesn't want his mother to sleep with the uncle because she may reveal his secret. If she does this she is only getting herself into more trouble. 
The queen promises not to tell her secret and hamlet asks if she knows that he must go to England. She says that she knows and she's sorry that he has to go. Hamlet then paints a cartoon painting regarding his feelings towards guildenstern and rosencrantz. What significance does this have? 
Hamlet is now done with his mother and he will begin to pack his bags. He continues to make puns at polonius even though he is dead and he makes one on drawing. Drawing towards the end with polonius and drawing him out of the room. Hamlet says goodnight to his mother again and she doesn't respond again. 

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