Q1. How does the
play make you feel at this point? Record your emotional response(s) in a few
sentences and then explore them for a few minutes, trying to figure out why you
feel as you do.
Ans.) In act one
scene two of Hamlet, it gave me feelings of distrust and rage when I found out
that Hamlet’s uncle- Claudius- became king of Denmark and married Hamlet’s
mother- Gertrude, I could nearly feel the feeling that Hamlet might have felt
then. I felt anger, disappointment, and even a bit of hatred towards both of
them, because I saw things going on in Hamlet’s position.
Q2. In what
situations have you felt similar to the characters? What persons, places, or
ideas from your own experiences came to your mind while you were reading this
portion of the play? Try to list at least three associations, but don’t worry
about trying to figure out why they came to mind. Just accept that they occur.
Ans.)
A. I have a
sister and a brother, both younger than me. I give them, or at least- try to
give them as much as advice to them as possible so they won’t repeat the same
mistakes I did. One advice I gave to my sister is that when she comes to grade
9, she must watch out for every tests and quizzes she take and be responsible
for it. I told her whatever GPA she will get, it’ll follow her everywhere,
attached like a tail on the back of her. This can relate to scene 3 act 1,
where Laertes give advice to his sister, Orphelia. I understand the feeling how
Laertes is worried for his loved sibling, as it was for me.
B. I had a very
trusting friend back when I was young. I told her some of my secrets and things
that I didn’t even tell my mom or dad about. I trusted her and she trusted me.
But one day, just like every story you see about betrayals, I heard a gossip about
me and what I had told her. I felt anger, betrayed, and absolute disappointment
for her- not that she let me down, but that I could not trust the way I did for
her again. I believe that when Hamlet knew about his father’s death that it was
a murder by Claudius, he must have felt the sense of betrayal uncle and also
from his mom- by marrying his uncle so easily- once her half brother.
C. Everyone has
a time when once in their life they want to do things their own way. I had felt
the same when I was a little kid. I wanted to go out with friends rather than
studying, I wanted to watch television shows rather than reading books.
However, my mom adviced me and told me how I’d regret later if I didn’t do
things right while I’m still young. So I tried to understand the meaning, feel
it, and follow her advice. How I wanted to do things my way was probably same
for Ophliea. But she followed her dad’s advice, and agreed not to meet Hamlet
again. I believe Orphliea and I share same feelings of how we must endure and
put things aside and set priorities.
Q3. What portions
of Shakespeare’s language attracts your attention? These might be individual
words, phrases, lines, scenes, or images. Make note of whatever features draw
your attention. Speculate for a few minutes about what you think they might
mean.
Ans.) In this play Hamlet, the language of Old
English attracts my attention the most. However, the use of adjectives and
symbols representing something in the story also is interesting. One of the
features that draws my attention is in scene 5 of act 1 when the ghost speaks
to hamlet about his death and how he should plan revenge on Claudius. “Ay, that
incestuous, that adulterate beast….” This part showed me how real the ghost of
Old Hamlet felt towards Claudius. I believe it is a good choice of words,
helping me with my imaginations and such.
Q4. Make note of
any portion of the play, its language, or events that cause you problems. Note
any questions that you might ask.
Ans.) I am confused
and not sure about why Hamlet must make his best friends- Horatio and Marcellus
agree to swear not to speak of the sight of seeing Old Hamlet’s ghost
appearance. And I also would like to know why the ghost only wanted to speak to
Hamlet alone, not around Horatio and Marcellus.
Great! 20/20
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