Live Life to the Fullest

The last few minutes of the scene gave the message that Hamlet was not happy with the life he had led up until now. "To grunt and sweat under a weary life," (line 77) This line conveys the message literally and Hamlet then continues to explain his melancholic feelings. Having such high social class comes with many safety precautions and responsibilities. These people cannot go anywhere unprotected, they many times cannot eat certain foods, and they always have backup somewhere near. This cuts them off from doing different and adventurous things. "The undiscover'd country from whose bourne... and makes us rather bear those ills we have then to fly to others that we know not of." (lines 79-82) They cannot expand their lives without conquering the land beforehand, and they cannot run away from their problems even for a little while.

Living your life like this becomes a habit. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." (line 83) I have personal experience in this area. When I lived in the states, there was no such thing as social classes (there was but barely noticeable.) Since we were very young, everyone always told us that we were all made as equals and that everyone deserves the same respect and service as the other. This is how I lived the first 15 years of my life. Then when I moved, I remember my dad made a point of telling us that social classes were huge here. I did not understand what he meant until I was emersed into the environment. Here, everyone goes around in bulletproof cars and have super secure houses and etc. No one ever goes to places that here are considered of low class. After living here for a year, I found myself in the same mind set. I now have social class clear in my mind, while before every was equal. I subconsciously don't go anywhere that is considered low class unless I need to, and I dont feel quite as safe everywhere I go like I did in the states.

Life is tough for everyone in every social class. The only thing we can do is learn to adapt and move on. I feel that Hamlet has had enough of these restrictions and that in this scene, he explodes. He wants to live his life to the fullest, or at least to the fullest he can make it. He has had enough of his life and feels that many people are being dishonest with him, even his dear Ophelia. He wants to move on with his life and change the daily routines he lives in.

Is Suicide the Only Way Out?

The second part of the scene, which stood out to me was when Hamlet said, "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, the pangs of despised love, the law's delay... That patient merit of the unworthy takes." (lines 70-74) From this part of the text, I can infer that Hamlet is in depression. He is debating suicide which in any case is a big sign of depression. In his soliloquy he states that no one should have to bear the hardships he has had to face in his life. He cannot find any way out of his troubles other than suicide.

Another reason, which I came up with, was that Hamlet had done something which he regretted with all of his being. His conscience does not leave him alone which makes him go crazy (literally). I am not sure, but I believe that he killed someone. It may have been out of anger or rage or any strong emotion which he could not control, but nevertheless he committed the crime and now must pay the consequences that follow. Hamlet feels that suicide would be the only way out because he cannot find a way to forgive himself. This alone is a problem people cannot live with. All people can relate to this aspect of the soliloquy and the play because all people at least once in their life have felt regret for something they have done. It is something you cannot get your mind off of until a period of time has passed. If the situation is grave enough, then it is capable of making a person go crazy, as is shown in the play "Hamlet."

"To Be or Not To Be."

The scene began with a soliloquy done by Hamlet in a room by himself. He begins with the simple words, "To be or not to be: that is the question." (line 56) Because he used a grave tone while saying this, we can infer that this line and scene is important. This line is actually quite popular. Before beginning the play, "Hamlet," I had heard this saying many times, but to be honest, I had no idea what it meant or where it came from. Now I am aware, but i'm still not quite sure what it means. While saying this line, Hamlet also annunciates and speaks very slowly as if he is trying to portray and express the importance of what is going on. He seems confused and has a decision to make. A decision which will change the path of his life, or in this case, the play. A decision of life or death. After watching a certain amount of the video, I decided to look up possible meanings to the line on google. The first website I found was extremely helpful. It had different interpretations of the line from different people along with an explanation as to why they interpreted it that way. The interpretation I agreed with, was one that basically described the soliloquy as a debate between life or death. In my interpretation, Hamlet thought that he had two options: death or life. Death would be a one-way ticket out of the hardships of life, but there was no telling if death if what came after death would be worse. No one can ever return once they choose that path; therefore, we dont have any documents or proof of what the afterlife will be like.

Another thing which helped prove my point and interpretation, is the camera position and angle. During the soliloquy, the camera has a close-up shot of David Tennant's (Hamlet's) face. it is also looking up toward him. These two things show that the person speaking is superior (hight of the camera in regards to the person) and the director wants you to listen and pay attention to what the actor is saying which would most likely be important (angle of the camera).

active/ passive voice

1. The statue is being visited by hundreds of tourists every year.

-Hundreds of tourists visit the statue every year.

2. My books were stolen by someone yesterday.

-Someone stole my books yesterday.

3. These books had been left in the classroom by a careless student.

-A careless student left these books in the classroom.

4. Coffee is raised in many parts of Hawaii by plantation workers.

-Plantation workers raise coffee in many parts of Hawaii

5. The house had been broken into by someone while the owners were on vacation.

-Someone broke into the house while the owners were on vacation.

6. A woman was being carried downstairs by a very strong firefighter.

-A very strong firefighter carried a woman down the stairs.

7. The streets around the fire had been blocked off by the police.

-The police blocked off the streets around the fire.

8. Have you seen the new movie that was directed by Ron Howard?

-Have you seen the new movie that Ron Howard directed?

9. My car is in the garage being fixed by a dubious mechanic.

-A dubious mechanic, in the garage, is fixing my car.

10. A great deal of our oil will have been exported to other countries by our government.

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

The Thought of Prisons Makes Me Sad

To be honest, I did not listen to the full hour of the recording. It was too long! I had hot chocolate waiting for me! but I did listen for a good while and I believe I got the point. First of all, thinking of people in prison makes me sad. Why are they there, How long will it be until they can reunite with their loved ones, how is this affecting their children or wives or close relatives if any, will their futures be ruined forever? So many questions, which I fear all have terrible answers.

I started the recording and listened for about 10min. Then I stopped it and went to go drink my hot chocolate. It was soooooo good by the way. before going back to the recording I started thinking why would they put a bunch of criminals to act out Hamlet? Does Hamlet have a relationship to crazy people who do much harm to others? Then I thought, "well no-duh Vanessa!" Hamlet is full of murderers, people who have the gaul or downright desperation that they need to marry their in-laws about a month after their husband dies! The play is simply full of people with psychological problems. The thought of having a prison act it out was genius!

The sadness and madness could be felt through the actors (prisoners) words! Maybe it was just my imagination and pity that I was hearing but I could feel the anger and revenge felt and being portrayed. I felt the desperation and despair in the scenes. I think that this maybe the approach I will take when I perform my version of the scene with my group.

Using my own Knowledge and Experience

To begin, I am so glad that we are finally touching a subject in class, which I can relate to very much! The play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, has so many small qualities that a normal person watching the play does not notice; therefore, he/ she cannot appreciate them. On the other hand, having danced and performed in front of big audiences since I was 4 allows me to have a different perspective and insight when it come to the fine arts.

The first scene, David Tennant's version of Act 2 scene 2, shows much more acting than in Kenneth Branagh's version of Act 1 scene 2. This for a play or a performance of any kind is vital. An artist (not the literal painting type) must be able to make what he/ she is doing look easy even if it is dancing on pointe for 3 hours straight without a break, or performing a play with 23874029384092384029384 lines like in a soliloquey. They must be able to convey their love for what they are doing. This is the beginning of how to connect with an audience. As if that were not enough, an artist must also adapt a separate feeling (the feeling being portrayed in the script, or in my case the dance) and express it so well, that the audience feels that feeling while they are watching. This, I feel, is the hardest part of being an artist. you must maintain your character at all times. You cannot take a break and slouch for a second or lose your smile when supposedly something great has happened to you in the play.

David Tennant did a very good job with this in his version. He not only showed the emotion he was supposed to be feeling, but he also knew how to use his stage. The emotions I felt while watching were confusion, frustration, and anger. His facial expressions never took a break. They continued to change with every knew emotion or question he asked/ felt. He paced constantly, which is what people tend to do when they are frustrated. He even threw himself onto the floor at one point which only made him captivate the audience even more! Overall, I felt that this version was very well done; but of course, this is from a performers point of view.

Kenneth Branagh also did a good job performing his scene. He showed anger and disappointment because of the recent events which had happened. He moved around his stage and used it to his advantage, but not as much as the previous scene. He annunciated every word as if he wanted the audience to feel and connect to his anger and fury. This scene was also much less modern. While watching the play, I imagined that this must have been what it looked like back in those times. The props and setting used helped the play in the sense that it helped the audience connect to the time period in which this play was taking place. This scene was also very well done but I liked the first scene much more.

Routines

In Krapp's Last Tape, I also noticed another factor that seemed small and insignificant at first, but then it made another portion make sense. This piece of evidence came after I had already made my previous inferences of mental disorder or alcohol. The only thing different about this, is that this piece of evidence led me to eliminate the thought of mental disorder as a whole.

During the tape, Krapp showed another trait that most people have. He showed many signs of routines. First, he ate a banana. Then he ate another banana in the same way as the first. Then he went to the back room to bring the books. Again he did the same thing in the same way. This was the first time i thought of this coincidence. Lastly, when he played the recorder, it was his voice. The voice was telling him of what he was doing. It told of his habits, what he ate, what he did, and etc. This is what made me come to my conclusion that his routine of alcohol is what made him such a drunk in the film.

Mental Disorder or Alcohol?

While watching "Krapp's Last Tape," I felt very awkward and confused. This elderly man seemed to be suffering either from a mental disorder or from the influence of alcohol. In the beginning, he tries to eat two bananas but becomes frustrated with himself at how hard it is for him. This was the first piece of evidence that led me to those conclusions. Later, he began to make multiple trips from a back room, and he brought curious items to a table.

The man opened one of the books and began to read aloud what it had written inside. It had a set of directions. Another clue that led me to these inferences was how he read the directions. He showed difficulty in reading and pronunciation. He slurred words and read at a very slow pace. This is often times a symptom of alcohol, but it also could simply be a medical condition of the mind. This was not the last sign of brain troubles shown in the clip. The next sign came after he pressed the play button on a recorder for the first time. My guess is that the noise from the recorder was so load that it scared him or caused him to react violently by throwing all that was on the table onto the floor.

After this, I knew forsure that he had to suffer from some sort of brain damage. A person simply does not act this way normally. While the tape played, I noticed that it said something about wine which confirmed my hypothesis about alcohol.