DRJ#1

Initial Reaction:   The story itself I find very entertaining.  It actually reminds me of some sort of trashy daytime tv show.  Fortunately, I don’t have any real life situations or predicaments like Hamlet has to deal with, murder, revenge, incestuous relationships etc.  I did have an ex who said she saw a ghost before but that’s why she’s an ex, I believe she was a little crazy.

Character Analysis:  For the character analysis I chose Hamlet’s uncle and king of Denmark, Claudius.  This guy is a real piece of work. He murdered his brother, Hamlet senior, so he could not only be king but also marry the queen Gertrude, who it appears to have been unfaithful before the murder.  I believe Claudius to be the antagonist, but it takes two to tango so to speak, so Gertrude has some blame as well.  However, I feel Claudius is the antagonist because he has the most to gain and obviously caused the conflict on purpose by killing Hamlet’s father.

Theme Analysis:   A theme that can be seen over and over throughout the first act is time/ mortality.  For example, in act 1 scene 2 approx line 89 Claudius says to Hamlet, “But you must know your father lost a father, that father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound in filial obligation.”  This creates the image of a life and death,  generation to generation, which brings about feelings of mortality.  Also the roster and it’s crow marks the night to day transition which also symbolizes mortality and time.