The Academy Of Denmark

If I was told to put the story of Hamlet into a different time and place I would envision it some time in the 21st century, when Hamlet has graduated from high school and is leaving for collage. Characters such as Hamlet, Ophelia, Barnardo and Francisco, Horatio, Marcellus Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and other like them would all be recently graduated students from the Academy of Denmark, the most prestigious high school in the nation generating hundreds of thousands in revenue every year. Ophelia, being Hamlets high school sweetheart has even decided to follow Hamlet to the collage of his dreams so that they could be together. But Laertes being the protective older brother and star quarterback he is an object of Hamlet and their relation ship. The whole city knows of Hamlet and everything involved in their lives because everyone who is anyone has graduated from this academy. The story would begin with Hamlet opening the door to the dorm room of the collage of his dreams. As he steps in, he receives a call, a call that would lead to a set tragic of events, a call that his father, founder and dean of the Academy of Denmark has passed away. With the call comes news that his mother will be wed within hours to his uncle, Claudius and that he being the next in line will ascend the “throne” and become dean of the academy. And so the story would begin.
Act 1 Scene 1
As Bernardo and Francisco, two rebellious, troublesome brothers, empty their lockers and prepare to leave for collage they encounter their old friends Horatio and Marcellus. They all decide to take one last walk though memory lane on the beautiful campus of the academy and reminisce over all the mischievous things they did which resulted in suspensions received in the dean’s office. As they begin their walk a gust passes over them, minutes later the silhouette or a man passes before them and as they turn the corner the boys find the deceased dean of school standing before them saying “Fear what is to come, for we are all in trouble.”
And Scene.

To be the best soliloquy or not to be

For this post I had to find two videos showing different portrayals of Hamlet in his famous “To be or not to be…” (3.1.64-99) speech.
The first video I chose was...

And the second was….

Please watch them both. They are really interesting.

One similarity I noticed was that in both of these videos the actors speak in a soft quite voice making for a scary and eerie scene. I thought both actors did a great job showing Hamlet as a man lost and confused, struggling with the decision to commit suicide or not. I also found that both actors made it seem as if Hamlet was just thinking out loud rather than talking to himself. Both actors did a great job portraying Hamlet as the confused man he is.
While in both of the clips Hamlet seems disheveled, I felt that in the first video Hamlet was shown more accurately with his scruffy beard and ragged dark clothing. I felt that in the second video Hamlet seemed to poised to be having suicidal thoughts. I also thought that in the clip featuring Mel Gibson the setting was quite different. Although Hamlet is supposed to coincidentally run into Ophelia moments later, I think that Hamlet would not speak of such controversial things in public where other like Claudius and Polonius can watch and hear him, making the first clip better.
Although I feel the first video was set in a better place, I thought that the use of props such as the dagger made the scene much more dramatic in the second clip. I also felt that by using the mirror it made the scene much more personal, almost as if Hamlet is judging himself and taking a closer look on his life and what he has to live for in the mirror. I really enjoyed how different and unique this scene was from all the others.
Overall, I think that the best clip would be the first clip with Mel Gibson. While the second clip had a unique and different approach to the scene, by using the mirror and other props, I still feel that the first clip portrayed Hamlet more accurately. The first clip is more of what I envisioned this scene to be, Hamlet alone, thinking amongst the dead. I think that this scene with Mel Gibson is more of an accurate and true to how Hamlet is portrayed in the book.

Edit, Then Edit, And Then Edit Again!!!!

The Original

Chudleigh begins the poem with a tone of frustration over how women are shown to be nothing more than housemaids but, being a women herself and having no say in the matter, she carries a voice of obedience, simply stating her thoughts on marriage. She quickly makes her thoughts on a wife’s role evident in the first line of the poem when she says, “wife and servant are the same” (Chudleigh 1). Almost instantaneously, she is acknowledging women to be lesser than their male counterparts. Through her tone we can see that it is clearly upsetting to the speaker that men have such an overwhelming power over women. The speaker says nothing to negate this statement demonstrating a tone of frustration over the matter, but still a voice of obedience. Later in the poem her dissatisfied attitude is again brought to light:  “when she the word obey has said/and man by law supreme has made” (Chudleigh 5-6). The speaker again recognizes the statement but does nothing to address it, once again representing the speaker’s obedient tone. At this point in the poem the speaker has only demonstrated her anger with the status of wives. She has remained obedient and has said nothing more that what is expected of her. As the voice of frustration and obedience continues, the tone ultimately evolves and begins to question men as well as marriage.

The Revision

Chudleigh begins the poem with a tone of frustration over how women are shown to be nothing more than housemaids but, as powerless women, she obediently states her thoughts on marriage. She quickly makes her thoughts on a wife’s role evident, when she says, “wife and servant are the same” (Chudleigh 1). Instantaneously, she acknowledges women to be lesser than their male counterparts. Through her tone we can see the speaker’s frustration over the command men have over women. The speaker fails to negate the statement, which demonstrates frustration and helplessness over the matter. Later in the poem her dissatisfied attitude again comes to light:  “when she the word obey has said/and man by law supreme has made” (Chudleigh 5-6). The speaker again recognizes the statement but does not address her anger over a women’s role, which further displays the sparker’s frustration. By now the speaker has only demonstrated her anger with the status of wives. She has remained silent and has said no more than what is expected. As the voice of frustration continues, the tone slowly evolves and begins to question men and further marriage.

Acting is not Always Easy

After reading Act 1 Scene 5 in the book and developing my own thoughts and ideas of how Hamlet would react to seeing his dead father as a ghost, it was time to watch some clips of this scene in recent movies. After watching Kenneth Branagh’s discussion of this scene and watching the clip from the movie itself, I found several things to be odd in the way the actor portrayed Hamlet.

I imaged Hamlet to be scared and overcome with emotions when first seeing his late father. I had expected a great deal of emotions to overcome Hamlet. I thought that he would begin to cry and be overwhelmed with emotions after being told the truth of his father death. But, the movie does not display this well, at all. I feel that in the movie, the actor that plays Hamlet does not properly depict the character in the way, I think, Shakespeare intended.  The actor does not really have much screen time to properly show all of the emotions, I believe, the character would have. I feel that the only time the actor truly shows Hamlet’s emotions is when he says, “My uncle!” (1.5.48) in response to finding who is responsible for the king’s death. Hamlet and the scene as an entirety seemed almost fake to me.

Branagh’s discussion and opinion on the scene provides yet another perspective. I agree with many of his views and find them to be incredibly helpful in forming my own opinions on how Hamlet was portrayed. One point Branagh makes that I did not take into consideration was how difficult it would be to portray Hamlet and all the emotions that would overcome him, without the actor have gone though a similar experience. With that in mind, the character’s actions still did not convince me of Hamlet’s shock and fear, but do cause me to sympathize with the actor and acknowledge that this is a difficult role to play. Later in the discussion, Branagh does agree with me, saying that the actor does portray Hamlet well when finding that his uncle is responsible for his father’s death. Overall, Branagh does provide many helpful points and opinions on this scene. Had his thoughts been incorporated into the movie they may have possibly helped in portraying Shakespeare’s intentions more clearly.

Branagh's discussion
Movie Clip

The First Glance at Hamlet

Hamlet is yet another play written by the renown, William Shakespeare.  The play begins with the sighting of a ghostly figure resembling the recently deceased king. This story continues by introducing the people who will later become the main characters of the play. By the end of Act 1 Scene 2, Shakespeare has introduced Claudius, the new king, Gertrude, the queen, and of course, the prince of Denmark, Hamlet himself.
As I just stated, Hamlet’s father, also known as King Hamlet has recently passed away.  His now widowed mother, Gertrude, has remarried less than a month after her husband’s death. Not only has she been quick to betray her late husband by remarrying, but she also continues to insult his legacy by being pledged to the king’s own brother, Claudius.

My first impression of Hamlet was that of a man lost and in pain. Hamlet seems to be furious with the world and more importantly his family. As Hamlet morns his father’s death, his mother continues to celebrate her marriage to Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. His mother questions him for wearing such dark clothing, or as Shakespeare says a “knighted color” (1.2.70).  Hamlet responds by saying that it is customary to wear “suits of solemn black” (1.2.81) when in mourning. Saying that she too should be continuing to mourn the death of her husband. Shakespeare emphasizes this dark clothing to show Hamlet’s depression and sadness over his father’s death while his mother celebrates her marriage by wearing “inky cloth” (1.2.80). Gertrude has betrayed both the late king and Hamlet.  Hamlet is clearly suffering from his mother’s marriages and feels abandoned but he does not display this to his mother or the king. Once Hamlet is alone and his inner thoughts are revealed, we can finally see his true reaction to this unusual circumstance. Hamlet is in shock that his mother can so easily disregard his father’s death and their marriage. He wishes that she had never remarried, let alone married another member of their family. Although Hamlet is going through such great pain and suffering he does not express this frustration with his mother. He says that he must “hold [his] tongue” (1.2.164) to avoid any further heartache which may be revealed as the play progresses.

"To the Ladies" Tone Analysis Essay

The Change and Evolution of the Author’s Tone in “To the Ladies”
Lady Mary Chudleigh, the author of the poem “To the Ladies”, is able to use tones including sarcasm, obedience, and pride to create a more charismatic poem while simultaneously displaying the stages the speaker takes to ultimately question marriage. While the poem introduces women as submissive, essentially only existing to serve men, the speaker later provides a tone of experience from what could possibly be her own marriage. Her knowledge allows her to administer advise to women on their own marriages. As the poem progresses the speaker’s tone evolves, ultimately mocking men of their so-called power. By the end of the poem the speaker’s voice encourages women to take control and be confidant in who they are by avoiding marriage. Chudleigh uses tones such as frustration, obedience, sarcasm and confidence, to empower wives to question the necessity of marriage and convince women to grasp their own independence.  
Chudleigh begins the poem with a tone of frustration over how women are shown to be nothing more than a housemaid but, being a women herself and having no say in the matter, she carries a voice of obedience, simply stating her thoughts on marriage. She quickly makes her thoughts on a wife’s role evident, when in the first line of the poem she says, “wife and servant are the same” (Chudleigh 1). Almost instantaneously, she is acknowledging women to be lesser than their male counterparts. Through her tone we can see that it is clearly upsetting to the speaker that men have such an overwhelming power over women. The speaker says nothing to negate this statement demonstrating a tone of frustration over the matter, but still a voice of obedience. Later in the poem her dissatisfied attitude is again brought to light when it says “when she the word obey has said/and man by law supreme has made” (Chudleigh 5-6). The speaker again recognizes the statement but does nothing to address it, once again representing the speaker’s obedient tone. At this point in the poem the speaker has only demonstrated her anger with the status of wives. She has remained obedient and has said nothing more that what is expected of her. As the voice of frustration and obedience continues, the tone ultimately evolves and begins to question men as well as marriage.  
As the poem continues, a tone of sarcasm, a voice somewhat insulting men, begins to unfold.  This new attitude towards men and marriage is first exhibited when the speaker says, “him still must serve, him still obey/and nothing act, and nothing say/but what her haughty lord sees fit” (Chudleigh 17-19). The use of the word “haughty” is an underlying remark towards men, ridiculing them and their so-called power. Through her tone the speaker is able to discreetly belittle a man’s superiority to women. She is able to insult overly controlling husbands, tarnish a man’s pride and encourage women to question the authority their husbands have over them.  Once more the speaker’s sarcastic voice is shown when she says,” who with the pow’r, has all the wit” (Chudleigh 20). Chudleigh again questions a husband’s authority, essentially saying that a husband would never posses such satire if he did not have all the control. The speaker’s scornful tone towards men and their power, allows women to question the power their husbands have over them. Through her sarcastic voice the speaker possess the ability to empower women to continue questioning their husbands’ authority and ultimately raises questions on their marriage as an entirety.
 Ultimately, Chudleigh is able to use the speaker’s confident and empowering voice to advise women to abstain from marriage and the control of men. The speaker now begins to clearly demonstrate her prior experience through the confidence we can see in her voice. In the poem she blatantly says, “ and all the fawning flatt’rers hate” (Chudleigh 22). The speaker is so confident in herself and her outlook on marriage that she feels comfortable encouraging women to avoid possible suitors. The confidence in her voice clearly comes to play when she says, “value your selves, and men despise” (Chudleigh 23). Once more the speaker is talking directly to women, voicing her opinion and showing women that they are entitled to their independence. The speaker uses her confident tone to force women to question the necessity of marriage and ultimately says, “you must be proud, if you’ll be wise” (Chudleigh 24). The tone of experience and confidence is clearly depicted in this line. The speaker uses her confident voice to empower women to question marriage and find their own independence.
In the poem “To the Ladies” Chudleigh uses tones of frustration, submission, sarcasm and confidence to voice her opinions on the independence of women as well as marriage. Her approach towards her audience and the changes in her tone, walk women through the stages of taking hold of their independence. Chudleigh is able to use the speaker’s voice to instill a hope of freedom in a woman’s life. Chudleigh teaches us to question the things we might not agree with in life, either marriage or anything else we may encounter. Ultimately, the author’s tone in the poem, “To the Ladies” empowers us to be proud, confident and independent people.

Revised Introduction and Outline

My revised introduction and outline for my essay.

Brilliant writers such as Lady Mary Chudleigh, the author of the poem “To the Ladies”, are able to use a variety of tools including tone to emphasize specific excerpts of the text and create a more charismatic poem. While the poem introduces women as submissive, essentially only existing to serve men, the speaker later provides a tone of experience from what could possibly be her own marriage, allowing her to administer advise to women. As the poem progresses the speakers tone evolves, ultimately mocking men of their so-called power. By the end of the poem the speakers voice encourages women to take control and be confidant in who they are by avoiding marriage. Through her tone, Chudleigh creates a more relatable poem and is able to empower women to be independent.

I.      When Chudleigh begins to introduce women she displays them to be nothing more than a housemaid, seeming to have no say in the matter.

a.     “Wife and Servant are the same”

b.     When she the word obey has said, And Man by Law supreme has made”

II.     As the poem continues a different tone, a voice somewhat insulting men, begins to unfold of

a.     “Him still must serve, him still obey, And nothing act, and nothing say, But what her haughty Lord sees fit”

b.     “Who with all the Pow’r, has all the Wit”

III.  Ultimately Chudleigh is able to use the speakers voice and prior experience to advise women to abstain from marriage and the control of men.

a.     “And all the fawning Flatt’rers hate:”

b.     “Value your selves, and Men despise”

c.      “You must be proud"

To the Ladies poem

From Spades to Scribes

This is my introduction paragraph on one of the stories we have read so far this year.

Authors, such as Seamus Heaney the writer of the poem  “Digging” are able to use a variety of tools including symbolism to display the main ideas in their texts. Symbols are able to create opportunities for a different or greater meaning in the words. They allow for the author to demonstrate their idea without making and explicit statement. Heaney is able to use symbolism to demonstrate that one must not always follow in their family’s footsteps but instead find and create their own paths.

Link to Digging

Out of its Time

Have you ever wished to be someone else, some place else or even to exist in some other time period? In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Miniver Cheevy” we find just that man.

In one of the first lines of the poem Robinson writes, “he wept that he was ever born.” Miniver is clearly unhappy with his life and as the poem continues we gain more incite into the reasons behind his sadness.

Later in the poem, we find that he “mourned romance” and that he also “loved the old days,” but “cursed the commonplace.”  Miniver despises this era in which he exists. He fantasies over the past, making it nearly perfect and expecting it to be leaps better than his time. In the poem it says that he “missed the medieval grace.” He missed something from the past even though he had never lived in that time period. Over and over we are reminded of Miniver’s hatred modern and contemporary thoughts.

Near the end of the story, we find that Miniver became so depressed and unhappy with his life that he eventually drank himself to death, something I found particularly unbelievable. Ultimately I believe that Robinson is telling us that we should be happy with what we in out lives and live our lives to their full potential.

Miniver Cheevy Poem http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174244

Barbie Doll, Barbie Fall

Irony is a word people typically associate with the exact opposite of what is expected.  Irony can be presented in several different forms, weather it be verbal or comical or sarcastic, it impacts our outlook on the story. Authors are able to use this tool to display their main idea without directly telling the reader.

People like Marge Piercy, the author of “Barbie Doll,” are able to use irony to manipulate our expectations and ultimately deepen the plot. For example, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Barbie Doll? Is it beauty? Do you think of perfection? Do you see it as happiness? I know, I do. This is exactly what Piercy wants and expects. She is able to manipulate this image of a perfect Barbie Doll and also provide the reader with false expectations of a perfect story where everything goes according to plan.

Piercy introduces this verbal irony early in the poem saying “a classmate said: you have a great big nose and fat legs.” Someone that is physically unattractive is not usually called and seen as a Barbie Doll.  This image that every girl sees, this beautiful picture of a Barbie Doll, has now been distorted by Piercy’s words.

Later in the poem, we are again shown irony when we find that this woman tried so hard to be one with society and to be beautiful that she “cut off her nose and her legs.”  Which ultimately resulted in her death. At her funeral many people said “ Doesn’t she look pretty?”  This is absolutely crazy! This woman is lying there, dead because she tried to be the exactly like Barbie Doll that society expected.

In the last line of the poem it says, “to every women a happy ending,” but this story certainly did not end happily. Piercy again uses her verbal irony, now nearly sarcastic, to show what people are willing to do to conform to what society defines as beautiful.

Link to Barbie Doll

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/barbie-doll/

The Fatal Knot

Hi everyone. My name is Kimya and this is my new blog for school. Hope you enjoy my first ever post!

My favorite text form the summer reading is “ To the Ladies” by Lady Mary Chudleigh. I love how this poem is able to excite me as a reader and force me to look deeper into each line and obtain its true meaning.  Although it was difficult at first to find the meaning behind the words, deciphering the poem later provided me with a rush of adrenalin and enticed me to continue on my search. I particularly enjoyed the diction used throughout the poem. Line three for example says, “ for when the fatal Knot is ty’d.” The use of the word fatal is contradictory to what one would expect marriage to be, a positive impact on life, but instead the speaker appears to have a negative outlook on marriage.  The word fatal can also reassemble the death of women through marriage. Again showing marriage to have a negative impact on a woman’s life. I found this to be surprising because I had always expected a woman’s wedding and ultimately her marriage to be the best day of her life, and for the couple to live happily after in their union.  But this was clearly not the case in “ To the Ladies.” The speaker seems to tell this story from experience and does her best to instill confidence in women by saying, “ Value your selves, and Men despise.” I found it shocking that she is telling women to not get married especially in the time period that this poem was written in. She is empowering women to take pride in their independence.  Writing this poem was certainly an audacious move by Chudleigh, ultimately giving me a new perspective on women in the 1700s.

To the Ladies Poem Link