Clarification Questions
1. Is Polonius curious or concerned about Laertes when he orders Reynaldo to spy on him in Paris? Does he not trust him or his own advice he gave to Laertes?
2. Is Ophelia telling Polonius the honest truth?
3. Why does Hamlet refer to Denmark as a "prison"?
4. Why does Shakespeare include a lot of spying in Act II?
5. Will Hamlet's plan to reenact his father's murder in the play backfire?
#3's Answer - Hamlet is saying that he is trapped in his own meloncholy. With his mother's marriage to Claudius and the fact that the ghost persuades him to avenge his father when he claims that Claudius is his murderer, Hamlet feels he is carrying a lot of burdens, which makes him feel imprisoned. Another explanation is that avenging his father is his new responsibility and purpose instead of deciding his own destiny in life. This could be compared to a kind of prison sentence.
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Personal Response
Act II is entertaing considering the fact that it includes a bunch of undercover work and concealment. Polonius goes behind his own son's back by asking one of his servents to spy on him in Paris and make note of his whereabouts, informs the king and queen his opinion about why Hamlet is so filled with madness, and the king and queen summoning two friends of Hamlet to figure out his problem and notify their majesties about the situation. The story is becoming very interesting and suspensful. I personally am enjoying it and can hardly wait to see what happens next.
Carli: Answer to #5
ReplyDeleteI don't know for sure If the play will actually backfire, but I think he's not going to get the reaction from his uncle that he wants. He's expecting to be able to tell from his uncles reaction if he murdered his father. I don't think he's gonna get that. His uncle was obviously clever enough to get away with the kings murder, and fool everyone in Denmark. So I think he's too clever and smart to give that away so obviously.
John's repsonse to Q #2
ReplyDeleteI don't think Ophelia is being completely honest Polonius. This is one of those deals where she has been caught, but she's going to lie and scheme to get out of it no without regard to who she has to take down to make sure she isn't punished. She understands that what she has done goes against what her father had forewarned her, but she sees that blaming this on Hamlet could be her likely way of escape from her father.
Slade's Response to Q #4
ReplyDeleteI think Shakespeare incorporated so much spying in his work to show the tragic reality of life. Being that when people act in secrecy, bad things are brought to light and more people are hurt than initially intended. This is shown even more in Act 3 when Polonius is killed by Hamlet.