Modern Day Hamlet

If I were to imagine what "Hamlet" would be like in a different time and place, I would imagine what it would be like right now in Southern California. I would expect it to be a rich family in Orange County. In the family, there would be Old Hamlet and Gertrude in their 40s and Hamlet as a 16 year old boy. They own a lot of money that just gets passed down from generation to generation, laying on Gertrude's side. Old Hamlet's brother, Claudius wants the wealth so he tells Gertrude lies about Old Hamlet to get her to divorce him. After she divorces him, Old Hamlet, outraged at Gertrude and Claudius, moves away to New York to make money in the stock market. He gets no custody time with Hamlet. Claudius puts the moves on Gertrude to get her to marry him so he can secretly get all the wealth from the family. Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet live in a huge house with a tennis court in the backyard, while Old Hamlet lives in an apartment because he invested all his money in the stock market. When Hamlet finds out about what Claudius did, he becomes very angry and plots ways how to take revenge on Claudius and split up Gertrude and Claudius. Because he is only a teenager, he whines and complains a lot and doesn't get very much "relationship advice" respect from Gertrude. He becomes very dramatic and drama takes over the play instead of revenge.

Act 1 Scene 1 is where the guards along with Horatio and Barnardo await the ghost at midnight and finally see him. Now imagine in modern day southern california how this would translate out. Old Hamlet's old neighbors (friends of Hamlet's) live in New York and saw him walking by in Times Square. They couldn't believe it so they called Horatio and Barnardo, Hamlet's best friends from middle school, to come to New York to see if they could find him because he looked very troubled and different. So they flied out and they are waiting at Times Square late at night, when the neighbors saw him two nights previous. There are lights everywhere and because it is a weekend, the streets are filled, loud, and busy even though it is late at night. They finally see him, and they stop him. He tries to just ignore them and keep going but Horatio speaks up to stop him and asks questions like why are you here just like how in the play he says "what art thou that usurp'st this time of night" (1.1.54). Old Hamlet just stares at him finally recognizing him and only says "send Hamlet here." He then walks away and disappears into the crowd of people.

Later on, Hamlet will see his father and will be told to take revenge and sabotage Claudius and Gertrude's relationship. Does Hamlet succeed or doesn't he? Imagine for yourself the rest.

To be or not to be

For this week's post, I'll be comparing and contrasting these two interpretations of Hamlet's famous soliloquy "To be or not to be."In the first video, Hamlet was alone and he seemed very depressed and down. He looked and sounded as if he had nothing to live for and was questioning why he is even still living. This is how I imagined the scene the way Hamlet acted when I read it because he talks as if he has nothing to live for and questions if his life is even worth living. I thought of this scene as Hamlet's suicide scene because he contemplates taking his life. In this first video, all the colors are very dark as well. This adds to the depression and sad mood. He wears very casual clothing showing me that he has no reason to look nice and wear fancy clothing because he has nothing to live for. Lastly, in the video, I noticed that the room he was in did not seem too fancy or interesting. It looked bland.

In the second video, there was definitely a different feel and perspective about the soliloquy. He seemed upset, but not as upset as I imagined or as in the first video. To me, just from the look in his eye and the way he acted, it seemed like he was more focused on revenge than actually being depressed and truly not having a reason to live. I agreed with this setting and the clothes he was wearing than the other video. He was wearing a fancy suit, which I would imagine a prince would wear. He was in a fancy, vibrant, and rich house/ room, and the overall lighting of the room was light and not as dark as the other video. To me, I don't know why, but I kept thinking that he was thinking more of using the knife for revenge as opposed to for himself.

Overall, I preferred Hamlet's actions and the way he was portrayed in the first video better. However, I preferred the setting in the second video better because it seemed more realistic to what I expected. In the first video, the fact that he seemed SO depressed like he just had nothing to live for was what made me prefer the first one. In the book, "To be or not to be" (3.1.64) translates to is it better to be alive than dead. To me, the first video captures that better.

Revised Paragraph

The symbol of water changes throughout the story as her decision changes from a positive symbol to a negative symbol. As she thinks of the positives of going away with Frank, she thinks how “She was to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Ayres”(Joyce 21). Later on, she says how he would “save her” (Joyce 23). Joyce uses the water and the boat symbolize how she would leave overseas and escape from her home. The boat and the water would save her from her father’s wrath, and she would find a better home in Buenos Ayres. At the end of the story when the time comes to go away with Frank, she cannot go and suddenly changes her mind to think that Frank “would drown her” (Joyce 23), instead of saving her. The water suddenly changes from symbolizing a way to escape and get saved to what would make her make the wrong decision. Frank changes from a way to escape and take her away from home into the new world into to someone who will take her away from her home, which would be making the wrong decision at the end. From the beginning until the end of the story, she is never confident with her decision, which is shown through how much she changes her mind on whether she will go or not. Joyce uses the symbol of water to represent the changes in her decisions and how unconfident she is about staying or leaving. People should be confident with their decisions and make sure that they don’t let objects change drastically to change their decisions.

Joyce uses the symbol of water as a way of escaping from her home to then a way that will kill her. As she thinks of the advantages of going away with Frank, she thinks how “She was to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Ayres”(Joyce 21). Later on, she says how he would “save her” (Joyce 23). Joyce uses the water and the boat symbolize how she would leave overseas and escape from her home. The boat and the water would save her from her father’s wrath, and she would find a better home in Buenos Ayres. At the end of the story when the time comes to go away with Frank, she cannot go and suddenly changes her mind to think that Frank “would drown her” (Joyce 23), instead of saving her. The water suddenly changes from symbolizing an escape to symbolizing confinement. Joyce uses this water symbol to show how she is never confident in her decision. The drastic change from escape to confinement proves her little confidence. 

Ophelia Portrayals

In "Hamlet" by Shakespeare, in the third scene of act one, Ophelia is portrayed as a sassy sister and daughter. She seems like the stereotypical girl teenager. She dates this guy and her brother and dad try to stop her from dating him because they think he will break her heart and he is not right for her. When they try to tell her, she just listens and says that she understands, but really she will just keep dating him and doing the same thing. Ophelia seems to match this category perfectly to me. Her sass shows when she says "do not, as some ungracious pastors do,/ show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,/ himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,/ and recks not his own read" (1.3.51-55). Ophelia is being sassy when she comments how he should do as he preaches. She says don't go to France and go crazy while you tell me not to go crazy and be cautious with Hamlet.

In the first video, the actress portrays Ophelia very accurately to me. she seems sassy to her brother, in a friendly way. She listens to him, but doesn't believe him and thinks in the mindset of "I'll do what I want, you don't know what's best for me." She seems like an older teenager and like her and her brother can have an actual talk. But we see from her actions how they interact well, but she doesn't want to act as he says she should. She listens, but she doesn't show she is at all interested in acting how he says. When Polonius comes in, she gets more defensive. She says how Hamlet says he loves her and means it. She is loud and tries to defend her loving Hamlet. 

In the second video, the actress portrays Ophelia much differently. She looks much younger and much more innocent. She seems more helpless. She seems like the type of girl who you could affect her opinions and ideas very easily. She acts innocent and looks up to her brother and father. She also gets distracted easily, making her seem younger as well. The two actresses clearly portray Ophelia differently, one portraying her as older and able to make her own decisions and stuck in her ways. The other portrays her as mindful and actually listening. She is young and innocent and easily able to have her opinions changed. 

Hamlet First Impression

After reading scene 1 and 2 of the first act of "Hamlet," I just feel bad for Hamlet. He has clearly lost someone he cares deeply about. You can tell he feels shaken up. He seems kind of out-of-it and not all there.

Towards his mother and uncle, he acts rather peculiar. He acts as if he doesn't respect them, but he acts polite and as if he respects them to not be rude. He seems to be almost over them because he is angry that they aren't mourning over his father's death and how they are blowing it off as no big deal. Hamlet tells Horatio how "the funeral baked meats/ did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables"(1.2.179-180). He is mad how they moved on so quickly and didn't even take the time to mourn and remember his father. They just blew it off as no big deal and how "Thou know’st ’tis common. All that lives must die/
Passing through nature to eternity" (1.2.72-73). She says how death is common, and it happens all the time. He wants to mourn about his father with his widow mother who should be crying her eyes about. But, for some reason, she isn't. Hamlet doesn't understand it, and therefore it angers him that his deserving father is not getting the recollection and mourning. It also bothers Hamlet how his mother would just remarry right after the death of her husband. She acts as if he wasn't special to her, but Hamlet knows he was.

To his new parents, Hamlet acts very nonchalant, not too caring, and willing to obey. For example, when they tell Hamlet not to leave, but to instead stay with here with them, he does not fight it. He just simply says"I shall in all my best obey you, madam" (1.2.120).Although it seems like he lost some respect for them, he still acts polite and obeys their orders as his parents. Overall, my first impression of Hamlet is a person who really loved his father and is very sad about his loss. He seems like a grudge may come to form against his parents who didn't mourn over their loss and remarried right away without shedding one tear about Hamlet's father dying.

Dust, Water, and Night in “Eveline”

In James Joyce’s “Eveline,” Joyce uses the symbols of dust and water to show the crucial decision[A1]  of leaving home that Eveline has to make. The symbol of dust demonstrates the time passing her by without change showing her resentment for change. The evasive night represents the decision she struggles to make, and the many factors that affect this tough decision.  The water symbolizes the changing of her decision and as the time comes to make this decision at the end, she drastically changes her mind to stay.  Joyce uses the symbols of dust, night, and water to help us understand the challenge faced by many to struggle to make an important decision and how difficult it can be to venture out and leave home.

Joyce uses the dust at Eveline’s window to symbolize her static lifestyle, which gives light on her dislike for change making her decision more difficult. At the beginning of the story, Eveline “[looks] around the room, reviewing all of its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years, wondering where on earth all the dust came from” (Joyce 20). She thinks back to the all the years she spent in this house doing the same thing, dusting. Joyce mentions all the dusting she had done once a week to symbolize how her life has been passing her by, spending her years dusting, nothing more, just dusting. The fragment about wondering where the dust came from reiterates the idea that her life has been passing her by without change for so many years. She lives the same life for countless years with the absence of change demonstrating her inner resentment to change. [A2] Her inner resentment to change affects her decision making her want to stay. Later on in the story, as the time to make her decision nears, she “[sits] by the window, leaning her head against the window curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne” (Joyce 21). She just sits at the window, wishing that the time would never come where she would have to make her decision. Normally, when people smell something bothersome such as dusty cretonne, they became irritated or get bothered by it. Joyce shows that nothing can bother her or get her mind off of this decision she must make. The odour of dusty cretonne symbolizes this idea of  how she cannot be bothered by anything else other than this life-changing decision she must make. The only thing on her mind is this tough idea of venturing out into the world without anyone to protect her.  Venturing out alone into the big world is a thing that many young adults struggle with. They are afraid because they have had the same routines and same things their whole life, but now everything is about to change as they leave. Eveline struggles with this idea as the night invades her thoughts.[A3] 

Night symbolizes invading her time left to keep things the way they are and the past that affects her decision. As her decision nears, “she [sits] at the window watching the evening invade the avenue” (Joyce 20). Figuratively, Joyce uses the evening taking over the avenue to demonstrate how, as the dreaded time nears, it tears her apart because she runs out of time. Instead of being excited or happy about the decision coming closer, it attacks her because she is torn on whether to stay or go. In her bitterness for change, she describes the night as “invading” with a negative connotation rather than something more positive, such as “filling”. In general, people see everything in a negative way when they dread something coming in the near future because time runs out. As she contemplates staying or leaving, “she [remembers] the last night of her mother’s illness” (Joyce 22). The night symbolizes her mother’s death and the thoughts that pertain to her mother. This brings back sad thoughts about mother. With these thoughts includes a promise to her mother, that she would “keep the home together as long as she could” (Joyce 22).  This promise greatly affects her decision because she does not want to be treated like her mother was, but she also wants to keep her promise and keep her life the way it was, without change. [A4] She gets influenced because she values her promise to her mother. As the story progresses, the night does not become the worst symbol affecting her decision, water does.

The symbol of water changes throughout the story as her decision changes from a positive symbol to a negative symbol. As she thinks of the positives of going away with Frank, she thinks how “She was to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Ayres”(Joyce 21). Later on, she says how he would “save her” (Joyce 23). Joyce uses the water and the boat symbolize how she would leave overseas and escape from her home. The boat and the water would save her from her father’s wrath, and she would find a better home in Buenos Ayres.  At the end of the story when the time comes to go away with Frank, she cannot go and suddenly changes her mind to think that Frank “would drown her” (Joyce 23), instead of saving her. The water suddenly changes from symbolizing a way to escape and get saved to what would make her make the wrong decision. Frank changes from a way to escape and take her away from home into the new world and changes to someone who will take her away from her home, which would be making the wrong decision at the end. [A5] From the beginning until the end of the story, she is never confident with her decision, which is shown through how much she changes her mind on whether she will go or not. Joyce uses the symbol of water to represent the changes in her decisions and how unconfident she is about staying or leaving. [A6] People should be confident with their decisions and make sure that they don’t let objects change drastically to change their decisions.  

Joyce uses symbols of dust, night, and water to demonstrate the challenge of venturing out into the world and leaving home. The reason her decision is so tough for her in the story is because she has never left home before, and she is scared to leave and go out into the world. Joyce uses these symbols to help us understand the true struggle for some to leave home for the very first time. Add personal connection, a modern perspective. Just a suggestion, the eldest kid who helps his single parent raising a family has to make the decision to go to collage or not. The “individual” struggle of the modern “Eveline” to tie the knot.  

                      

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 [A1]Possibly what “crucial decision” ?

 [A2]Expand more on this idea, I think

 [A3]I like the transition

 [A4]How in what way is she really influenced

 [A5]Possibly make Frank’s argument stronger, like not only “take her away from her home”, but simply help her out of the fire and into the frying pan?? Or like , give it a lot more “evil and regretful” feel

 [A6]Add transition?? 

Eveline Essay introduction and outline

In James Joyce’s “Eveline,” Joyce uses the symbols of dust and water to show the crucial decision that Eveline has to make. The symbol of dust demonstrates the time passing by her without change showing her resentment for change. The night invading her on the night when she must make her decision represents how she does not want to have to make this struggling decision. Joyce uses the indecisive girl to help us understand the challenge faced by many to struggle to make an important decision.

I. The dust at Eveline’s window symbolizes her static lifestyle, which gave light on her dislike for change making her decision more difficult.


a. “She looked around the room, reiewing all of its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years, wondering where on earth all the dust came from.”


b. “Her time was running out but she continued to sit by the window, leaning her head against the window curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne”


II. Night symbolizes invading her time left and the past that affects her decision.


a. “She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue”


b. “She remembered the last night of her mother's illness; she was again in the close dark room at the other side of the hall and outside she heard a melancholy air of Italy”

Symbolism in Eveline Introduction

In James Joyce's "Eveline," a girl experiences the struggle of making a crucial decision. This decision could change her life forever. Joyce uses symbols such as dust, night, and water. Joyce uses the symbols of dust, water, and night to help us understand the challenge faced by many of struggling to make an important decision.

Living in the Past

Why would someone want to be born in the past? Well, I believe there are a few reasons stemmed into one main one reason. Someone who loves history would want to live in the past just like Miniver said he did. He says how he "loved the medici" and "dreamed of thebes and camelot." In my head when I read this, I thought of a boy who is just in love with history and can't get enough. The type of boy who has a passion for learning the past and just wishes he could have been there to experience it. I wonder however that if he was born possibly a hundred years later if he would have wished to be born the time he was now, just because he loves history.




In life, I think that there are three kinds of people, people associated with past, present, and future. People associated with the past love history or get caught up in the past. There are people who live in the present and try to make every moment count to its fullest. These people to me are most content with the way their life is. The people who love the future normally love technology and cant wait for the future to come. I think I'm a person who lives in the present because i like to make the most out of every moment and make every moment count.

Irony

Barbie Dolls, those dolls that as a child all girls looked at as the perfect girl. The most beautiful thing that they imagined they would hopefully become as an adult.

In Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll," irony is used to get across the main idea that people judge too quickly on appearance versus whats inside, reality. When I read "Barbie Doll," I kept thinking about how this girl was a typical girl who was smart, strong, and beautiful, but with a few flaws. These flaws are pointed out, and she forgets the positive things about her.

Irony, referring to how something is not what it seems, has two main types, dramatic irony and verbal irony. Dramatic irony refers to the discrepancy between what the speaker says and what the poem means. Piercy names the story "Barbie Doll," and right away, the reader thinks of a tan, blonde haired girl with beautiful blue eyes. Ironically, Piercy writes that she was however "healthy" and "tested intelligent," not necessarily pretty and beautiful like the barbie dolls depicted in real life. Piercy uses verbal irony when she says that in her casket, with her "turned-up putty nose" and thick legs, she was finally thought of as pretty. Ironically, once she is dead, then she is pretty without the two flaws that were part of who she was...

Indecisive Eveline

Hello everyone, my name is Jacob, and this is my blog. In my blog, I will write about my thoughts and opinions about literature that I encounter throughout this year. I'll analyze the literature and convey my ideas out in this blog. Feel free to comment any responses or comments you have. I hope you enjoy!




My favorite work that I read this summer was "Eveline" by James Joyce. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story kept me wanting to read more. I kept wanting to read more because I never knew what her final decision would be because she changed her mind so much. Joyce did a fantastic job of displaying Eveline's character to be an indecisive young woman who is very passive and lets other people drive the boat. This left my hanging as a reader wanting to know more because I never knew what evidence would come up to sway or change her decision. Near the end of the story, Eveline comments how he "would save her," which at this point made me believe that she would go away with him. Barely a paragraph or two later, she changes her mind and says how he would "drown her" when it came time for her to go with him. It resonated with me as when the time comes to make a big decision, fear and the unknown can sometimes make you change your mind on the spot at that very moment...