Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Act 2- Personal Reaction- Erika Kehrt


I didn’t think Act 2 was all that bad; however, I liked act 1 better. I thought that act 2 scene 1 was kind of irrelevant because all it talks about was Polonius sending someone to Paris to spy on Laertes and Ophelia professing to her father Hamlets strange behavior towards her previously that day. The only reasoning I could think of why Shakespeare placed act 1 scene 1 in Hamlet was to continue the theme of Appearance and Reality and also to relate the idea of Hamlet’s insanity to his love for Ophelia. Furthermore, I was kind of surprised when Ophelia told her father of Hamlet’s strange actions because I predicted in the previous response to act 1 that I thought Ophelia was just telling her father what he wanted to hear; however, she was really going to go behind his back and spend time with Hamlet. Now I am starting to wonder if I was wrong because I did not expect her to tell her father if he came and saw her, and on top of that let him read the letter he wrote her.

Act 2 scene 2 felt like it dragged on a little. I started to zone out when Hamlet was talking to the actors. And it was kind of hard to follow because I didn’t really understand what they were talking about. However, I started zoning back in when Hamlet was conjuring up his plan to reveal King Claudius’ true self. I found it really clever the way he intends on revealing if the king is the true murderer or not. I have a feeling act 3 will be a very pivotal act within Hamlet and be a turning point. In Hamlets last soliloquy it illuminates his true hatred towards the king, and alludes to the fact that he will seek revenge, although the audience does not know how yet.  

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