Hamlet Essay: Method to the Madness

       If there is one thing that rings true of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," it's that the play is filled with twists and turns and craziness of all kinds that somehow ends up making sense in the end. Polonius says so himself with his line, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." Though he is directing the line towards Hamlet, it is easy to connect it to the play as a whole.

Literature Analysis #3

The Stranger by Albert Camus

 

Hamlet Act IV

-Claudius wants to get rid of Hamlet because he fears he will eventually expose him
--Hamlet is outraged at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; approaches them as a true king for the first time

Hamlet: Insane or Lucid?

       Though Hamlet may have several sporadic, "crazy" outbursts, he's far from being a madman. In fact, it could be argued that he's one of the sanest characters in the play. Not only does Hamlet prove to have a conscience from the start, but he also (for the most part) handles the situations that arise in a very mature and thought out manner. His parental figures and supporting characters involved, however, do not do the same. Now maybe Hamlet isn't exactly "sane," but he sure does seem that way in comparison with any other characters in the play.

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet/Class Notes

-The idea of saying something doesn't just describe it, but rather forms a reality in the world; moments and understandings
-Hamlet's soliloquies are him talking to himself in the moment and thus coming to expectations and realizations

Hamlet Act III Scene i, ii, iii and iv

-Characters: Queen Gertrude, Guildenstern, Roesencrantz, King Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia
-Devotions visage= outward show of devotion; by looking like they're doing the right thing, they can convince people they're doing good
-First time hearing of Claudius feeling guilty
-Hamlet's big "to be or not to be" soliloquy