Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4

          In Act 3, scene 4 Hamlet finally confronts his mother, Gertrude. King Hamlet’s ghost told Hamlet that he is not to kill his mother like he is to kill Claudius, but that does not mean the Gertrude is blameless and deserves no repercussions. Hamlet finally releases some of his fury in this conversation with his mother. In the scene he picks up a picture of the two brothers, King Hamlet and Claudius, together. Hamlet compares his father to a god, describing his “eye like Mars’ to threaten and command” (III.iv.67). He also compares him to Jove and Mercury. Then he transitions into speaking of Claudius and has nothing but disgust for the man. He is in utter disbelief that his mother “would step from [King Hamlet] to [Claudius]” (III.iv.81). He goes on to say that there must be something wrong with his mother’s senses, or she must have been tricked in some way. Otherwise, he sees no plausible reason why she would so quickly marry Claudius after his valiant father’s death. However, maybe that is just it. There was no reason in Gertrude’s act. She allowed her brain to shut down and simply acted rashly. She allowed emotion to take over, and now she has lost her son. Hamlet is unwilling to forgive her. He is not going to kill her, but that does not mean that Gertrude is not figuratively dead to Hamlet.

Witness

Witness

I step outside

To hear

The call of birds

To see

The clouds passing by

To smell

The freshly bloomed flowers

To taste

The cool spring air

To feel

The grass between my toes

 

I step outside to be a witness

A witness to something beautiful

Something natural

Something free

 

 

Hamlet #5

          Hamlet, suspicious of his uncle, enacts a clever way to confirm his suspicions. He has a play put on with a plotline exactly like the plotline of his life. There is a duke poisoned in a garden by a man who then tries to win over the late king’s duke. He succeeds though she does put up some protest. Hamlet has this play performed in front of Claudius and Gertrude, so that he can see their reactions as the plot plays out. Hamlet receives the reaction he is looking for as he recites, “He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate… You shall see anon how the/ murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife”(III.ii.286-290). Immediately, Claudius rises and storms out. Claudius does not speak, but the only logical inference to make in this situation is that this story has hit a nerve with Claudius because he performed similar actions with his brother. Hamlet knew that by putting on this play, he would be able to tell whether Claudius is truly guilty, and Claudius’s storming out is all the proof that he needs. Hamlet knows that it is Claudius who has killed his father, and now, it is quite clear that Claudius knows that Hamlet has discovered his secret. The conflict is on the verge of playing out, and the fight between Hamlet and Claudius is about to come to a head. Now the reader just has to wait and see who will be the winner.

Hamlet #4

          After watching an acting troupe put on a production involving a vengeful murder, Hamlet is greatly moved. He sees the passion that the actors have in a situation that is not actually real, and he realizes that he needs to be acting with much more vigor. After observing the play, he says to himself, “Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,/ A broken voice, and his whole function suiting/ With forms to his conceit – and all for nothing!” (II.ii.582-4). The actor is demonstrating such emotion and action, and he is only acting. Hamlet, on the other hand, has real reason to be angry and vengeful. He almost feels as if he has insulted his father. He should be jumping to action since his father has been so greatly wronged, yet he has been a “dull and muddy-mettled rascal” (II.ii.594). Hamlet vows at this point to take action and to follow through with the plan outlined by the ghost of his father. This could potentially be a major turning point in this play. Before now, Hamlet has been solely mourning the death of his father. He has been angry at his mother and his uncle, but he has not fully expressed this anger. Now, he is ready to take his revenge. No one will doubt the fire that is stirring within him, and his uncle should be ready for a battle.

A Loss of Clarity

A Loss of Clarity

I feel it fading

The light is dimming

What once was so prominent in my life

Now has become a source of strife

I’m losing my grip

On what I used to think was truth

There was no other choice

Left myself wanting without a voice

I want something to believe in

Something to fall back on

But this couldn’t be it

It just doesn’t fit

I feel cold and alone

My heart is hollowed and my brain confused

I want to look and truly see

To fly and actually be free

They say once you lose this

You lose everything- it could be true

Maybe I’ve set my fate

There’s nothing more but to wait

A mist has settled

Over everything I once knew

Let the fog clear

Why, why were we put here?

Leaving a Hole

Leaving a Hole

Another bed empty

Another empty slot at the dinner table

Another voice lost

Yes this is all true

But also,

One less bed to make

One less mouth to feed

One less headache

 

But remember,

Another smile gone

Another opinion unheard

Another joke untold

Still true

However,

One less dentist appointment

One less argument

One less fake laugh

Never mind

Forget it

I’ll miss her

That’s it

 

Hamlet #1

               In Act 1, Scene 2 the audience is introduced to the mess that is Hamlet’s family. King Hamlet has mysteriously dropped dead. The king’s brother has, within weeks, married the late king’s wife, Prince Hamlet’s mother, so now Hamlet has lost his father and has a new father in his uncle, and barely a month has passed. Needless to say, Hamlet is not pleased. In speaking of his mother, he says, “O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourned longer!” (I.ii.154-5). Even an animal that does not have the ability to properly think through a situation would have showed more remorse than his dear mother did. Hamlet is deeply angry with his mother for betraying his father in this way. Hamlet is still crying and dressing in black, and his mother is jumping into another marriage: “most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (I.ii.161-2). Not only has his mother remarried inappropriately quickly, but also she has married the brother of her former husband. This is deeply disturbing to Hamlet as it would be to any son. Hamlet is troubled, but he makes a prediction at the end of this soliloquy that could be very foreboding: “It is not, nor it cannot come to good” (I.ii.163).