Structure and Argument

It seems to me that this poem is addressing age and how we change as we grow older. In lines 120 and 121, the speaker says, "I grow old...I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled." In other words, people's whole entire demeanor and actions can change, just like the seasons. I think that this poem is constructed in a way so that it makes a statement about life. It seems that he could almost be saying that life is somewhat structured due to the layout. The reason I say this is because he seems to break up the stanzas into different experiences within his life, unlike the first poem we read which was completely unstructured. In other words, he may be saying that there is some order to life.

What We Are and May Be

So, what does Ophelia mean when she says, "Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be," in lines 43 and 45 of Act 4, Scene 5? I interpret this line two different ways. When I first read the line, I interpreted it as saying that we may know what we are right now, in the present, but can never be sure what we will be in the future. This reminds me of the movie Reign Over Me, with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. In the movie, Adam Sandler loses his wife and three kids in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and his life is turned upside down. Before he lost his family, he was a dentist as well as a happy father and husband, but after the traumatic event he becomes a hermit who pretends as if he never had a family. He knew what he was before 9/11, but had no idea what the future had in store for him. The second way I interpreted it was that, people may think they know what or who they are, but in reality they have no idea what they have become. I can think of many examples to illustrate my point. The first example that comes to mind is the movie Death Sentence, with Kevin Bacon, where his son is murdered by gang members while at a gas station. He then decides to get his own revenge after his son's killer is set free from jail. Kevin Bacon thought he was a grieving father, but in reality had turned into a killing machine.

Movie or Book?

I have reasons for and against both the movie and the book. I enjoy reading from the book because it leaves you free to imagine. Much of the time in class when we're reading, I think of how Denzel would act the part, and then I go from there. It gives you the freedom to make buildings and scenes look a certain way. I dislike reading from the book though because it can be rather complicated to understand. You can read over the line, but the way that you inflect can change how you interpret a sentence or whole entire conversation. I enjoy the movie because it helps to visualize what is going on. Hearing the characters actually speak helps to better understand what's being said and what's going on. When we read from the book, we may miss certains puns or jokes that are going on, but the movie helps to tie it all together. The only problem I have with the movie is that some of the acting is pretty crappy. Even though the director left certain parts of the movie out, I still enjoy it. The director seemed to assign different emotions to certain characters at different points in the movie that don't necessarily fit with the book, but I still think it's pretty good. I guess if I absolutely had to choose between the movie or the book, I'd have to go with the movie.

Purpose of Plays/Art = to Point Out Society's Flawed Nature?

I both agree and disagree with Hamlet's opinion of the purpose of plays and/or art. I know that in many cases, plays and art do a stupendous job of pointing out society's flawed nature, but at other times, it seems as if it does anything but. Take for example the play "The Nut Cracker"; while one could come up with some ideas as to how the play points out flaws in society, I do not think that the main purpose of the play is to point that out. The play is about a young girl who falls asleep with her new nut cracker, given to her by her grandfather, and finds herself in a fantasy world with her now real life nut cracker. Nowhere in the whole play is the sole purpose to point out flaws withing society. On the flip side of the coin, we have such things as musical art. Take for example Tupac Shakur; many of his songs and poetry dealt with problems in society. In the song "Dear Mama", Tupac says,

"Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair

No love for my daddy 'cause the coward wasn't there

He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger

Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger

They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along

I was lookin for a father he was gone

I hung around with the thugs, and even though they sold drugs

They showed a young brother love

I moved out and started really hangin

I needed money of my own so I started slangin"

Pac does a great job of explaining a flaw of today's society, that flaw being single-parent homes where mothers are left to raise the children all on their own. So once again, I both agree and disagree with Hamlet.

How Much of a Threat Does Claudius Consider Hamlet?

I think Claudius considers Hamlet a formidable threat, because it seems that he is a little too overly concerned about Hamlet and why he has gone crazy. It is perfectly natural for a parent to be concerned and try to figure out what is causing this change, however I think Claudius goes a little overboard. It seems that no matter what is going on around him, he wants to know about Hamlet. A great example of this is in Act 2, Scene 2, when Voltimand brings news that Fortinbras does not want to fight him anymore, but rather wants safe passage through so they can go fight the Polish. Instead of tending to this important business, Claudius tells Voltimand, "at our more considered time we'll read, answer, and think upon this business"(81-82). If Claudius does not consider Hamlet much of a threat, I do not see why he would have blown off national matters in order to tend to personal matters. Hamlet is a big enough threat to Claudius to cause him to abandon his responsibilities and duties as King. I do not believe that Claudius knows Hamlet saw his father's ghost, however it seems he believes Hamlet knows a little more than he would like.

I do believe that Hamlet was truly in love with Ophelia. My reasoning behind this lies in Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 118-122, when Polonius reads Hamlet's letters that he has written to Ophelia aloud. In the letter, Hamlet declares, "But never doubt I love(119)" and just two lines ahead, he tells her, "But that I love thee best, O most best, believe it." Now, it is quite possible that this is Hamlet's crazy side and he really doesn't mean what he says, because we all know that he has been acting a little "Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs" since discovering how his father truly died. However, I do believe that Hamlet wrote the letter with a clear mind and meant everything that he said to her. So, if we were to make an educated decision as to whether or not we think Hamlet truly loved Ophelia, then based on Hamlet's own words, I would have to assume he still loved Ophelia.