Hamlet Review

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Hamlet Soliloquy 4.4

How all occasions do inform against me, (35)
And spur my dull revenge! What is a man,
If his chief good and market of his time
Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.
Sure, he that made us with such large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not (40)
That capability and god-like reason
To fust in us unused. Now, whether it be
Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple
Of thinking too precisely on the event,
A thought which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom (45)
And ever three parts coward, I do not know
Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;'
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't. Examples gross as earth exhort me:
Witness this army of such mass and charge (50)
Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd
Makes mouths at the invisible event,
Exposing what is mortal and unsure
To all that fortune, death and danger dare, (55)
Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honour's at the stake. How stand I then,
That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd, (60)
Excitements of my reason and my blood,
And let all sleep? while, to my shame, I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot (65)
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent
To hide the slain? O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!

NOTES

[Source: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/studentresources/a/allinform.htm  Amanda Mabillard, B.A. (Honors) is a freelance writer specializing in Shakespeare, Renaissance political theory, theatre history, comparative literary history, and linguistic topics in Renaissance literature.]

inform against ] Accuse me.

market ] Employment.

discourse ] The power of reason. God gave human beings the ability to reflect on life's events.

Looking before and after ] Our intelligence allows us to analyze past experiences and make rational judgments about the future.

fust ] Grow mouldy. Hamlet is saying that God did not give us the power of reason for it to go unused.

Bestial oblivion ] The forgetfulness of an animal. Our capability to remember separates mankind from other animals or "beasts". But Hamlet forgetting Claudius's deeds is clearly not why he delays the murder.

craven scruple ] Cowardly feelings.

of ] From.

event ] Outcome.

quarter'd ] Meticulously analyzed (literally, divided into four).

Sith ] Since.

gross ] Obvious.

mass and charge ] Size and cost. Hamlet is referring to the army led by Fortinbras, prince of Norway. Hamlet wishes he had Fortinbras's courage.

puff'd ] Inflated.

Makes mouths at the invisible event ] Shows contempt for (or cares not about) the uncertain outcome of battle.

Rightly to be great...stake ] Truly great men refrain from fighting over insignificant things, but they will fight without hesitation over something trivial when their honour is at risk. "True nobility of soul is to restrain one's self unless there is a great cause for resentment, but nobly to recognize even a trifle as such as cause when honour is involved" (Kittredge 121). Ironically, "Hamlet never learns from the Captain or attempts to clarify what the specific issue of honor is that motivates the Prince of Norway. In fact, there is none, for the play has made it clear that Fortinbras's uncle, after discovering and stopping his nephew's secret and illegal revenge campaign against Claudius, encouraged him to use newly levied forces to fight in Poland...Since no issue of honor is to be found in Fortinbras's cause, Hamlet, through his excessive desire to emulate the Norwegian leader, ironically calls into question whether there is any honour in his own cause" (Newell 143). [Mr. Cook adds: or, perhaps, Hamlet’s mind has once again moved from the particular (Fortinbras and his army) to the abstract (consideration of what defines greatness). It seems Fortinbras and his army are not important in and of themselves but in how they “inform against” (indict, critique, etc.) Hamlet’s inaction.]

twenty thousand men ] In line 25, it was 20000 ducats and only 2000 men. It is undecided whether this confusion is Hamlet's or Shakespeare's.

blood ] Passions.

trick of fame ] Trifle of reputation. But is not Hamlet jealous of Fortinbras and his ability to fight in defense of his honour? "Fortinbras is enticed by a dream, and thousands must die for it. Hamlet's common sense about the absurdity of Fortinbras's venture shows the pointlessness of his envy" (Edwards 193).

Whereon...slain ] The cause is not significant enough to consume the thousands of men fighting over it, and the tombs and coffins are not plentiful enough to hold those who are killed (continent = container).

1.        (Make connections!) In a paragraph compare what Hamlet says in lines 36-49 of this soliloquy to what he says in lines 91-96 of his “To be or not to be” soliloquy (below).

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry, (95)
And lose the name of action.—

2.        (Make connections!) In a paragraph explain how this soliloquy is similar to the “O What a rogue and peasant slave” (2.2.576) soliloquy. (Think about the role that Fortinbras plays in this speech and that the First Player plays in the earlier speech: “What would he do,  / Had he the motive and the cue for passion / That I have?”)

3.        (What’s your opinion?) Hamlet contrasts his own cowardly thought with the actions of Fortinbras. Do you think Fortinbras is a good role model for Hamlet? In other words, should Hamlet be more like Fortinbras or not? Explain your answer in a paragraph. Use evidence from the play and this soliloquy to develop your answer. (Like Hamlet, you might be able to argue both “yes” and “no”.)

Hamlet 3.1 Speech and 3.2 Mouse Trap Performances

Click here and then scroll down to see the Branagh, Gibson, and Hawke performances of Hamlet's famous 3.1 speech. Below those performances you'll find the three versions of the Mouse Trap.


[Here are the choices of Mouse Trap argument prompts:

Which “Mousetrap” is most dramatically powerful for you as a viewer? Explain and support with evidence.

Which “Mousetrap” is most effective for Hamlet’s purposes? Explain and support with evidence.

Which “Mousetrap” best expresses the themes in Shakespeare’s Hamlet? Explain and support with evidence.]

Hamlet over Vacation

Click here form 2.2 soliloquy directions, text, notes, and other resources.

Understanding Mond's Argument

1. Today in class you created a couple versions of Mond’s thesis.

G-block

Control of science, religion, art, thinking, emotion is necessary and happiness.

Happiness is necessary for the stability of civilization. Scientific truth, religion, artistic truth, and passionate emotion are not permitted because they interfere with happiness and stability.

C-block

In order to maintain stability people need to be happy and cannot undermine others’ happiness; people don’t need emotional, religious, artistic, or scientific truth.

Artistic truth, scientific truth, strong emotions, and religion are irrelevant to happiness, which is the most important thing to master in order to maintain community, identity, and stability in the World State.

Perhaps you have created your own version including the important concepts.

2. Tonight choose a long passage from chapter 16 or 17 (other than the one on 227-228) in which Mond develops and supports a part of this thesis.

In an open response explain how Mond develops and supports the thesis in the passage. Use specific quotations in your explanation.

We’ll share these responses tomorrow.

Brave New World 146-216

Roles:

Choose from these perspectives: John the Savage, Helmholtz Watson, Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, the Director (also called the DHC and Tomakin), a Delta  (Khaki-wearing) child in Linda’s room in the Park Lane Hospital for the Dying, a Delta adult waiting for soma at hospital, a policeman who helped subdue the crowd at the soma riot, or another perspective that you think would yield interesting perceptions of John.

Chapter 10 narrating character: ____________________________________

Chapter 11 narrating character: ____________________________________

Chapter 12 narrating character: ____________________________________

Chapter 13 narrating character: ____________________________________

Chapter 14 narrating character: ____________________________________

Chatper 15 narrating character: ____________________________________

Audience:

Mustapha Mond who wants to know what happened after John got to London and wants to understand why it all happened that way.

Format:

The format will be a paragraph (5 to 7 sentences) on the events (and interpretation of the events) in each of the six chapters (chapters 10-15). (When you pass it in on Monday you’ll have six paragraphs and 30+ sentences.) You can write the paragraph as if the character is speaking to Mond or is submitting a report to Mond. (See above.) Each report should include information from the chapter that the narrating character would know and should also include the narrating character’s interpretation of (or reaction to) what happens.   

Topic:

What happened after John got to London and why? (What does John do? Why does he do it? How does it affect others, especially the narrating characters?) Show that you’ve read and that you’ve understood the significance of what you’ve read.

Brave New World Discussion 99-145

What do you learn about the Savage Reservation, John, and Linda? How is all of this significant in relation to the World State? How do feel about the characters and place? What questions do you still have?