Hamlet Review

I like the play, though I feel like it'd be more interesting if it was even more diverse in perspectives. It focuses on Hamlet, the titular character, though it does touch on others. I think if it didn't focus particularly on Hamlet at all, it would be better, as people like Ophelia and Claudious are very interesting and complex. Hamlet, meanwhile, doesn't speak to me as a particularly strong protagonist as he does quite a lot of harm.

I do like the psychological aspect of the play; the questioning of the reasonableness of living is interesting even if a bit nihilistic, and I liked our class discussion as to the fact that sadness is a good and important emotion. The portrayal of madness from different perspectives is also compelling, especially with Ophelia (who is also my favorite character in the play). Learning about the tradition of avenger stories and the Freudian analysis of hamlet was also eye opening and should be helpful in future analysis of literature.

Act 5 Laertes and Redemption

In general, I feel like the final scene of the play wherein everyone dies is a bit rushed. I'm not necessary surprised by this because the play needs to be concluded and a lot of people are still alive. I also feel like Laertes, as a character, was incredibly stupid to loose his sword and get stabbed via poison tip, but I can suspend disbelief.

However, I find Laertes motivation in telling Hamlet everything to be interesting. In doing so, I feel as if he has to accept the fact that his actions were wrong; but this seems to subvert the stereotypical avenger we thought Laertes was supposed to represent. If Hamlet killed his (Laertes') father, why does Laertes need to cleanse his soul by telling him the truth? Of course it gives Hamlet the knowledge he has to kill his father quickly; at the same time, it might offer a critique on the futility of revenge. The ending of the play solidifies this point even more, because in trying to carry out revenge, everyone does (which might be the most futile ending of all).

Hamlet, Madness, and the Death of a Parent

I really like the threads that connect characters together within the play. We talked about how Fortinbras and Hamlet (old and regular) parallel each other. I also find Ophelia works as an interesting parallel to Hamlet as well. Her father is killed by a member of the Danish Royal family, Hamlet (and Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras as well), which drives her insane and eventually leads her to die (I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume Hamlet dies at the end of this). However, despite the parallel she presents to Hamlet and Fortinbras, she lacks the ability to pursue action or agency within the story (I attribute this to the fact that she is a woman, and thus her pursuit of agency is restricted but the male characters). Instead, it is Laertes who pursues vengeance, though he doesn't suffer from madness and is able to use physical violence (through the duel) to enact his revenge. Ophelia must pursue a different kind of violence (against herself via suicide) to try to influence the world around her in a anyway, which is unfortunate because I think she's a really interesting character (personally my favorite).

Hamlet and Regret/Redemption (or lack thereof)

One particular aspect of Hamlet I find interesting is the coupling of vengeance with regret. Hamlet is obviously built up as the protagonist and he seeks vengeance for his father. However, his uncle, against who whom he seeks vengeance, doesn't seem particularly bad. He is seems to be an acceptable King, which Hamlet's father might not have been; he is in purgatory, which can mean he lived a moderately sinful life that wasn't good enough for him to go to heaven (though it's possible his presence in purgatory is the result of his unfinished business on earth, it is described as a fiery purgatory in which his sins are burned away). Claudius wants redemption for his sins, which is why he tries to pray in Act 3. The fact that he fails at praying and thus doesn't feel redeemed is also interesting because it reflects the lack of redemption he receives from the audience, who always side with Hamlet. This is despite the fact that Hamlet also kills people (Polonious and indirectly Ophelia so far).