Gertrude's Soliloquy...

Hamlet has left the bedroom of the Queen. The Queen is in shock from the previous conversation with Hamlet. She strolls silently around her room, and finds a picture of Hamlet on her dressing table. Picking it up, with great trepidation, she begins...

To you, my darling, I am blind,

But it is you, you, that fails to see,

For I am not cold,

But frozen through the loss of love,

A pain you will understand one day.

My voice is little and insignificant,

Yet accusations are still voiced,

With words that stab me deeply,

With blame that’s too hard to hear.

My darling, I, your mother,

Should be treated with respect,

Not disgrace,

Not doubt, nothing but love.

And nothing but love, my dear,

Is what I feel for you.

Whilst I am ageing,

My heart remains full of youth,

Full of love that is now unrequited,

Un-responded from my dear husband that used to be,

Your dear father.

Now I ask you this,

Where is my love to go?

To a stranger?

To a man with no knowledge of you?

To a man with no respect for you?

The ache in my heart is not fixed,

But the burn is soothed,

By a man who respects my wishes,

And means good for the Country,

And good the Country shall be, when you rise to the throne.

I understand, I do,

This is hard to comprehend,

And it is not without great thought that this situation arose,

But I know in your eyes I shall remain blind,

For to you, my voice shall remain insignificant.

The Queen drops the photo of Hamlet, flinches, but leaves it to fall. She walks over to the picture of her dead husband, places it beneath her pillow, and with her hand still touching the photo, climbs into bed and closes her eyes... 

(then bursts into a hardcore rap)

Gertrude talks back...

Wowza - totally thought i was reading the wrong think at first - the joke about Hamlet and pork still has me pondering. Anyways after quadrupole checking that i was reading the right thing, i read on. And even though in this version Gertrude is the murderer (always the quiet ones), i actually quite like her character.

I think Margaret Atwood has been very clever by putting elements of Hamlet's wit into Gertrude's personality - after all that good old sense of humor has to come from somewhere, and his father didn't exactly seem a barrel of laughs. And although i didn't really think her personality would be as 'strong' as Margaret has portrayed her to be, it works really well. I agree with the things Margaret has put, because although Gertrude has opinions, she still has remained concerned about Hamlet; even though Gertrude is telling Hamlet off for being so nosey and inappropriate about her sex life, she still wants Hammy to "have a nice roll in the hay".

However, i also disagree with Atwoods' interpretation slightly because, as Alice and i discussed in class today, Gertrude doesn't actually mention her sex life at all, and she chooses not to respond to the things young Hammy comes out with. So, personally, i think it's not really in her personality to discuss her sex life with her son, as normal as that may sound (sarcasm there), and i really don't think a mother would say "And every time I felt like a little, you know, just to warm up my ageing bones" to her son.


Now after blabbering on, i cant really decide whether i like this version of Gert or not. In fact, no i dont. I know i've changed my mind from the beginning of this blogatron but i think she's a bit of a hypocrit after calling her dead husband selfish, which just makes me want to go up to her and say "What non-selfish reasons did you commit murder for then?". I expect silence as her reply, well either that or she'll run and get a sword to kill me with.

So long, farewell, auf weidersehn, adieu....

The blog where I've just realised I've blogged about the wrong thing. Poo...

In Act 2, Scene 2, there is ambiguity whether Hamlet is pretending to be mad in this conversation or if he really is mentally ill. In this essay I shall explore the possibilities to suggest Hamlet is sane or insane.

Hamlet talks very highly of the actors, “for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time”.  Lines 459-470 highlight Hamlet’s passion for the stage and the respect he shares for the actors, a characteristic that audience had not seen before now, suggesting this part of the play should be played with genuine enthusiasm and excitement.  This could suggest that Hamlet could not be mad, as he remains intellectual enough to later write a scene for the actors to perform.

Later in the same scene, Polonius engages in a conversation with Hamlet, although for completely selfish reasons - to “find where truth is hid”.  Some people may think that because his words still contain depth and meaning, he is therefore sane. For example, when Polonius asks if Hamlet knows who he is, Hamlets reply is “excellent well, you are a fishmonger”.  Whilst this may seem a completely unstable reply, it is possible that Hamlet could have overheard the plan between the King and Polonius; Hamlet is perhaps calling him a fishmonger as an insult, hinting to Polonius that he knows what is going on. However, Hamlet could also be purely playing into Polonius’s hands, by taking advantage of the fact he is believed to be mad.  

It may also be thought by some that Hamlet isn’t mad because he drops subtle warnings into the conversation, which although Polonius appears not to realise them, the audience may as Hamlet uses words he has already used earlier on in the play. An example of this is when Hamlet refers to the sun breeding “maggots in a dead dog”, which could be viewed on a deeper level to symbolise himself (as he has already been referred to a son by Claudius earlier on) and Ophelia. Hamlet then asks “have you a daughter”, which could be seen as a warning for Polonius not to use his daughter for power. However, this could also be viewed by the audience as a sign of Hamlet’s madness, as Hamlet’s responses aren’t well fitting to Polonius’s questions, making his sanity seem somewhat questionable. This may be thought when Polonius asks Hamlet what he’s reading, and Hamlet’s answer completely misses the answer; “words, words, words” is very literal and creates ambiguity whether or not Hamlet is still control of his own mind.

Personally, I am still unsure whether Hamlet is pretending to be insane, or whether he really is mad. This is because his madness does seem to have a method, by using words with underlying meanings and making it clear to the audience that he does not trust Polonius, making it doubtful that Hamlet would be able to do such things if he was in such a delicate state of mind. However, I do also wonder if Hamlet is slightly mad, or at least beginning to lose his sanity, as he presents very literal answers in some instances, and I wonder why a sane person would willingly choose to ‘pretend’ to be mad, unless of course, he already was insane. 

The very first serious, but shocking blog...

In Act 1, Scene 1, the ghost, “in the same figure like the King that’s dead” is introduced to the audience. However, because he shows little emotion and no interaction, ambiguity is created for the audience as the first impression of the ghost will largely be based on the body language and stage directions of the ghost.  For example the fear felt by Horatio, Benardo and Marcello may be transferred to the audience, presenting the ghost as a fearful character. But, the audience might be interested to discover more, just like Hamlet, presenting the ghost as an intriguing and significant character.

Hamlet’s instant reaction to the ghost is to ask for protection, and after the ghost beckons, “as if it some impartment did desire” for Hamlet to follow, Horatio orders Hamlet not to go; reinforcing the idea of the ghost being a dangerous and powerful character. The ghost finally speaks to Hamlet when he’s alone, but still shows little emotion and says blunt sentences like “mark me”, to show the importance of what he’s saying.

As there have been different performances of the play, the audience may have had different opinions of the ghost, creating many discussions about what the character is really like. In the version of the play with David Tennant, some people may think that the ghost appears quite bitter and desperate to seek revenge. However, when the ghost realises Hamlet’s despair, he comforts him for a brief moment before fading away; which may cause others to think that the ghost is a softer, more emotive character.  This differs to the version of Hamlet directed by Laurence Olivier, where people may think the ghost seems more ‘human like’ and relaxed, as his tone of voice is much softer than the play with David Tennant.  Although, some may disagree and think that the ghost is more ‘robot like’ as he has no physical interaction with Hamlet, and stands at a much greater distance to Hamlet.

Some people think the ghost is a manipulative character because the ghost draws him in with a speech expressing the “murder most foul”, and then proceeds to question Hamlet’s love for him; “If thou didst ever thy dear father love” could warn the audience that the ghost may be a suspicious character as he has seen the reaction of Hamlet since his father was killed which is obviously genuine and sincere. Also, Hamlet previously said that he wants his body to “thaw and resolve itself into a dew” but he can’t because God doesn’t allow it, yet after the conversation with his father’s spirit, is willing to commit murder, which is not allowed by God either. However, people may disagree with this and think that the ghost isn’t suspicious and manipulative, but hurt and suspicious of others. This is because the murdered King may have had a strong relationship with Claudius, but then the King was murdered, poisoned by his own brother, understandably raising trust issues for others, even if it is unlikely.

Throughout the conversation of Hamlet and the ghost, people may question whether the ghost is an illusion in Hamlet’s mind, or if it is really his father’s spirit. This may be thought because a lot of what Hamlet says during the first few scenes in act 1, is later repeated or familiar to what the ghost says to use to persuade Hamlet. For example the ghost talks about the “most seeming-virtuous Queen”, which is a repeat of the conversation when Hamlet disagrees with the Queen about his feelings of grief – “Seems’, madam – nay it is, I know not ‘seems’”. It could also be argued that the things that are said to Hamlet by the ‘ghost’ is exactly what Hamlet wants to hear, again suggesting that the ghost is in fact a hallucination; it was clear in Act 1, scene 2 that Hamlet was not happy with the speech made by King Claudius regarding his father. Hamlet may have already had suspicions about his uncle and the death of his father, and this is shown after the ‘ghost’ gives clues to Hamlet about who committed the murder, as Hamlet shouts “O my prophetic soul”, admitting he had already been thinking about it. However, you could argue against this point, as both Horatio and Marcellus saw the ghost before Hamlet did.

The ghost, on several occasions refers to religion throughout his conversation with Hamlet. The ghost teases Hamlet with the thoughts of the “sulphurous and tormenting flames” and the crimes done that are “burnt and purged away”.  When this play was being first performed, the main religion of the audience was protestant Christianity, yet the ghost refers to purgatory - a part of catholic religion.  This creates ambiguity over the character of the ghost; could the ghost be tricking Hamlet into potentially murder by creating horrid thoughts? Or is the ghost, his father’s spirit, being open and honest because they will not see each other again? 

Not going to lie, I found this very hard, and I'm not happy with this essay on a whole, plus there are things that I didn't get into it like the tragic villain theory, but i'm still not too sure on that, so i'll have to have another stab at it me thinks.

So long, farewell, auf weidersehn, adieu...