assignment 1.5

Personally,Ii prefer the play. The movie seems ridiculous, almost comical, andIi dont seem to get as much out of it asIi do from the book. I think the director of this play assumes a lot of things, and because he was short on time, left important sections out, and pushed together certain scenes in the play to make the movie run in the alotted time. Because the director did this, I believe he lost the true integrity of the play, he lost Shakespeare's vision and voice, and turned it into his own. I respect that he has his own artistic style, so there of course will be some changes, but I tend to stick to originals, and the book is as original as it can get.

Assignment 1.4

Ii believe that art definitely holds a mirror up to society. But I also think that art can influence a society. When you look at art, whether it be a piece of literature or a painting, you often understand the art better if you understand the context in which it was created. In art, things are often magnified to make a point, or cause a change, this is called satire. Shakespreare is hard to understand, but once it is explained and the content and word choice are understood, you really understand what shakespeare is trying to say. He is critical on the country of Denmark and the behavior of their royalty. Art reflects life, in my mind, and life is society. That's why it is constantly changing and forming into different era's and styles.

To what degree does Claudius believe Hamlet is a threat to him?

Claudius sees Hamlet as a huge threat. The reason I think this is because of King Cladius's behavior regarding Hamlet. In Act 2 Scene 2 when King Claudius was confronted with matters of foreign affairs and instead wanted to know the reasons for Hamlet's behavior, it causes the reader to wonder about King Claudius's priorities. King Claudius is a selfish man, and does not worry about the well being of others, but instead focus's on the well being of himself and furthering his personal desires. Because of King Claudius's extreme distraction with Hamlet's erratic behavior and obsession with the cause of it, it leads me to believe that King Claudius knows Hamlet is up to something, and considers him a great threat to everything he has recently gained.

Does Hamlet really love Ophelia?

In my mind, Hamlet did not love Ophelia. For the most part the reason I think this is based on Hamlet's encouter with Ophelia in Act 2 Scene 1. Shakespeare did not even give us the firsthand account of the interaction, instead the reader was told through Ophelia's conversation with her father Polonius. For this reason, i think Hamlet's odd behavior toward Ophelia was because he knew Ohpelia would tell her father, and it could help further his case of madness. Hamlet also knew that after Ophelia told polonius about the encounter, the first thing he would do was go to King Claudius. To really understand this, you have to think about Hamlet's motivations, what he is untimatly trying to do throughout the play, and take that into consideration when judging his actions.