Sunday, March 1, 2009
acting within acting
Hamlet is a play within itself. All the characters are putting on acts over their true selves. Essentially the play is about acting, which is what a play is. Hamlet and Ophelia both develop insanity, although Hamlets insanity is feigned. Ophelia's insanity develops when she finds out that her father has been killed. Hamlet reenacts the murder of his father in the form of a play that he puts on to the king. Even though Hamlet has clearly stated to the king that he knows that he killed his father, the king acts as if nothing is amiss. The queen realizes that Hamlet is calling her out for being a tramp and she reacts by ignoring it. Polonius understands the circumstances but does not take a stand and call the king out. It is ironic that he is the only one who could of proved the kings crime when Hamlet is the one who killed him. Hamlet is not insane although thats what he wants people to believe, Ophelia is completely insane although she would like people to believe her not to be.
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2 comments:
"All the characters are putting on acts over their true selves."
Danny,
I like this idea of the role acting (or feigning--or disguising one's true self) has in the meaning of he overall play (keep in mind Polonious' advice to Laertes: "This above all, to thine own self be true"). Coupled with Hamlet's advice to the players, this could provide good fodder for your essay--though you need to figure out what Shakespeare's intent is in all this.
all the characters are acting and that is what also happens in real life. There are a lot of fake people out there; not pretending to be something else, just covering up themselves.This play is really then representing real life. I dont know, I think shakespeare might be trying to make a statement about that, and uses royalty to embelish that. maybe...
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