Crazy

Ok so here I am reading Hamlet and watching David Tennant's Hamlet on YouTube and once again I'm faced with the same question that has been bothering me from the beginning of the whole play.

Is Hamlet going crazy?

I have absolutely no idea whether I should trust in Hamlet as a reader or whether I should pity his condition. In all of ACT III we can see a Hamlet that shows illogical and nonsensical traits although there is a certain "method to his madness." An example is when he is with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and begins to randomly talk about the recorders. At first I thought, "Oh lord, here we go again with his foolish behavior" but then out of no where, Hamlet actually turns the whole recorder business into a way of insulting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Also, the whole play that Hamlet decides to put on is very curious with all the absurd players with absurd dialogs. To most of the people in the court, Hamlet has gone crazy. They think that his actions are completely irrational when the truth is that Hamlet is actually thinking quite clearly through it all. His lucidity contrasts greatly to his odd behavior.

I am interested in hearing all of my classmates' opinions on this subject and I hope that in the play we may pick up more clues that might help me answer this question of Hamlet's sanity.

Buddies, buddies, buddies!

No matter what kind of person one is, no matter what beliefs one holds true, no matter whether one is good-hearted or bad, one will always have someone who will be there to accompany oneself through one's endeavors. Friendship is important. We all need people who will be with us in the good times and in the bad. For Hamlet, this remains true. Although in most of the play he is depicted as a very solitary and absorbed character with all his long and intricate soliloquies, he still has a companion that is with him through all his troubles. This person is Horatio.

In lines 50-90 of ACT III SCENE II, the play within the play, we can see the special relationship that Hamlet and Horatio share. By putting on the play within the play, Hamlet is trying to see whether his uncle reacts to the plot. If his uncle reacts and shows signs of nervousness, it means that he is guilty of regicide. Hamlet decides to confide in his friend Horatio and tells him of his presentiments and his plan to uncover his uncle.

In Hamlet, Horatio is the only character that has freely chosen to guide and accompany Hamlet. All other people of in Denmark are either spying on Hamlet or think he is going insane. Horatio is the only character who represents genuine friendship in the whole play.

Analyze This!

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought"

How true this is. Lets ask ourselves, what makes our human condition sometimes appear so dark and gloomy? What makes our lives so difficult compared to bees for example? Why do these little creatures live their lives routinely and every so swiftly without ever suffering? Perhaps what makes us different from the many other creatures in this world is our stupid and imbecile tendency to think! Had we been truly intelligent and somewhat sophisticated creatures, we would have evolved and had let go of this stupid burden in our lives.

What Hamlet says in his soliloquy in ACT III SCENE I is absolutely true. In his life, he is hesitant and because of his hesitation (which comes from his innate susceptibility towards thought!) he does not act quickly in response to his thoughts. He loses his savage ability to act on instinct because of thought! His need to think and question what he wants to do is ultimately what dooms him! We can see how in David Tennant's Hamlet, Hamlet is hard on himself and is even frustrated when he is giving his soliloquy (posted above is an excerpt). The intonation and facial contortions of the actor supports this theory that Hamlet is hating himself and his human tendency of analysis.

Mother always says,

"Think before you act!"

How absolutely STUPID can this be. I'm not saying this to criticize the millions of mothers that have said this, but I just think that it's something that limits us. Something that makes us, as humans, question our actual level of advancement. All wars have been fought, all murders have been committed, all affairs have been had, all deceptions have been executed because of our need to think and our unfortunate inclination towards analysis. Perhaps this gift that has been bestowed on us called "free will" has actually been more of a curse than a gift.

Active Voice

1. The statue is being visited by hundreds of tourists every year.
2. My books were stolen by someone yesterday.
3. These books had been left in the classroom by a careless student.
4. Coffee is raised in many parts of Hawaii by plantation workers.
5. The house had been broken into by someone while the owners were on vacation.
6. A woman was being carried downstairs by a very strong firefighter.
7. The streets around the fire had been blocked off by the police.
8. Have you seen the new movie that was directed by Ron Howard?
9. My car is in the garage being fixed by a dubious mechanic.
10. A great deal of our oil will have been exported to other countries by our government.

1.) Hundreds of tourists visit the statue every year.

2.) Someone stole my books yesterday.

3.) A careless student left these books in the classroom.

4.) Plantation workers in many parts of Hawaii raise coffee.

5.) Someone had broken into the house while the owners were out on vacation.

6.) A very strong firefighter was carrying a woman downstairs.

7.) The police had blocked off the streets around the fire.

8.) ?

9.) A dubious mechanic is fixing my car in the garage.

10.) Our government will have exported a great deal of our oil to other countries.

An Actor's Alternative

In theater and in movies, the script gives a certain amount of space for the actors to interpret their roles and create their own characters based on the way that they see in the person they are representing. As we can see on both of the videos posted on Mr. Tangen's blog, many times actors interpret their roles very differently even though their roles are based on the same plot, dialogue, etc...

In the Branagh version, Hamlet is a more noble and statuesque figure. In Tennant's version, Hamlet is a more vulgar and blunt character. It is amazing to see how great the difference can be between two of the actors portraying the same role.

Response To Rachel's Blog

I really want to discuss and go over Krapp's Last Tape in class to be able to really understand it because honestly I don't think that I grasp it to it's full extent. It is because of this that I have decided to look around my classmate's blogs and see what they think about this interesting play.

I chose Rachel Jovene's post "Tears and Sweat" because I really liked how she focused on a particular element that may not have been that evident at first. She talks about how it is inferred that Krapp goes to drink alcohol when he leaves around the middle of the performance. She then says that this reflects that he is drinking the alcohol in order to forget what is happening (or didn't happen) in his life. She also says that he uses alcohol as "his means of escape."

She then talks about how it is interesting to see how Krapp's physical characteristics support her thesis.

I really liked how she used her almost detective-like skills in order to find out something about the character.

Great post, Rachel!

Krapp's Dilemma

I think we all suffer from having good times and bad. Yeah, that's right. We suffer because of all the ghastly GOOD times and the brilliant BAD ones.

What am I talking about?

We live life. In it, we experience moments and situations which can either be labelled as PLEASANT and UNPLEASANT.

• "In order for there to be a good moment, there must be a bad moment to make it so."
• "All good things must come to an end."
• "What goes up, must come down."

If we think about these expressions we realize that we are always going to be stuck in this cycle.

When watching Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape I asked myself why would Krapp listen to his recordings after so many years.

I started thinking about Krapp's character. Old. Unstable. Disturbed. He's clearly depicting a state of "bad."

Just like everything and everyone in life, he probably had a "good" period. Maybe this is what Krapp is doing by listenning to his recordings so ferverously. He is trying to grasp and remember the good times as a way to escape the life that he is living.

For whom is Krapps making his recordings for???? I hope in class we discuss this.