Hamlet Act 3

There are many different tragic events in act three of Hamlet. One of these moments is when Hamlet and Ophelia finally meet face to face when they are apparently alone in the hall.
This is a tragic moment as it is really the end of their relationship. Not only does Ophelia lie to Hamlet when he ask's her 'where is your father?' but she is working the whole 'operation' in her fathers favour. She is helping to try and prove that Hamlet is mad.
I think that Hamlet is aware that Polonius and the king are around and this is why he ask's Ophelia were they are, almost as if he is testing her. Once she answer's with 'he is in his room my Lord' Hamlet knows she has betrayed him and seems to be stung by this; this may be why he gets fairly hysterical soon after yelling at her to 'fetch thee to a nunnary'. I think that the readers are meant to feel sorry for Hamlet and Ophelia, one reason: because Hamlet is feeling betrayed by the woman that he loves most because she is helping the man that he hates most. Equally, I feel sympathetic for Ophelia as she has lost the man she loves to 'madness' and she is also unable to do anything about it. Her life his not her own to control.

Another point of this act that I find most tragic once again on Hamlet and Ophelia's part is the death of Polonius. I think that this is tragic as Polonius was not intentionally killed. Hamlet has slain the wrong person and will now have to suffer the consequence. Now that Hamlet has killed some one he is no longer able to decided not to go through with the revenge plot, he has gone past the point of no return. I think that this may be why the ghost also makes an appearance at this point, almost as if to reasure Hamlet that everything will be O.K and that he hasn't done anything wrong by taking Polonius's life.
This part of the act is also tragic for Ophelia for obvious reason's. It is not only her farther that has been murdered but it was by non other than the man that she loved. I feel that this is a very important key facter to the later point of Ophelias death. I think that Shakespeare added this part almost as if it is just an opening to show the audience that something greater and more malevolent is going to happen.

Hamlet Essay

Act III.4



I think that the act I have chosen is an essential part of the play Hamlet as it has various tragic incidents throughout.

For example, one of the first things that happen in this section is the death of Polonius. I feel that this is a very important feature as it is the first death that we, as the reader, 'witness'. This seems to me that it was meant to be a key feature of the play, perhaps to show the reader that something important has or is about to happen. It could also possibly symbolise that, although Hamlet so far had only been pretending to behave mad, he may have unwillingly actualy gone insane. I believe this as, undoubtedly, someone that willingly takes another persons life and feels no guilt or has no second thought about it is mentally unstable and, judging by how Hamlet reacts after he has murdered Polonius I would say he did not seem very bothered about it. Possibly the only thing that bothered him was that it was Polonius rather then the King. 'Nay, I know not. Is it the King?' 'Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!'
This moment is perhaps the beginning of Hamlets undoing. He can't go back on what he has done and now he must face the consiquence's of his actions; For example being sent to his death in England. We are already aware that the play is a tragedy so it is easy to feel the tension and mood of uneasyness that something horrificly bad is about to happen during this section..

Another tragic moment of this act is that we are able to see how Hamlet behaves towards his mother when they are alone for the first time. Although he is cleary angry and fustrated with his mother for what she has done, it seems to me that he still loves her in spite of it. He was already aware that he should not take revenge on his mother as he was warned by the Ghost to let her be, 'nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught.' However I feel that he would rather have shown her what she had done wrong anyway; to make her mistakes clear so she can seek some kind of redemption rather then experience such brutal revenge such as that that is fit for the king.
'Look here upon this picture, and on this, the counterfeit presentment of the two brothers.' Hamlet goes on to describe his father of a highly sort and then to bad mouth his uncle, shouting to his mother 'Have you eyes!' as he cannot understand how she cannot feel ashamed from being with a man of 'Grace' 'where every god did seem to set his seal.' to a man with a 'mildewed ear, blasting his wholesome brother' ' O shame, where is thy blush?'
Gertrude soon realises what terrible deed she has done 'speak no more. Thou turnest mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots...'
It seems a shame that a mother and a son should be torn apart by such conflict that is not even their doing, this is one of the many reasons, including the reason previous, that I believe this act is very tragic and this moment adds a very strong, tragic impact to the whole play initially.

My opinion on Ophelia

After watching the final scene of Ophelia in Hamlet, the scene with her tragic death, I have come to the conclusion that one main purpose of Ophelia's character is simply to add more 'love' tragedy to the play. All though there is much tradegy already through out the play I think that Ophelia's is one of the greatest out of them all.
People may disagree and opinions may vary, but I personally don't think that Ophelia is an extremely important character to the plot. As she is not an Extremely important character, although that is not saying that she has no relevance, it is almost as if her purpose in the play is simply for her tragic love loss and death. This may be why the scene in general has quite an extreme impact on the viewer.
I felt very sorry for Ophelia during the play as she never really had a chance to decide her own path in life. It seemed to me as though her father, Polonius, wanted to control her every move, especially when it concerned Hamlet. Although she loved Hamlet madly, she was forced to not only ignore his letters but to help her father and the king eeves drop on him. She has no control over this or what happens to Hamlet. He is taken away to England when she is seemingly unaware and then previously to have not known that her love murdered her father. It is no surprise to me that after all her turmoil she mentally takes a turn for the worse.

Hamlet acts One and Two

By the end of act two Hamlets character has changed exponentially considering how he was at the beginning of act 1. From the calm, collected yet slightly depressed man, he gradually changed into a self loathing, weary man, morbidly dominated by anger.
In act one, Hamlet is depressed over his father's death, or more so that his father has died and is all too soon replaced not just by anyone but buy his own brother. After seeing the ghost of his father and once he hears the tale of how his father died he seems relatively happy to be given the oppertunity to avenge him. However his glee soon changes into obsession for revenge and Hamlet is soon consumed by it.
Hamlet is conserned at first as to whether or not he has actualy seen his fathers ghost or the 'devil in disguise'. He makes a plan to not only act insane but to create a play symbolising his fathers poisoning so that he may see if the new king shows any sign of guilty recollection.
Once the king does flinch at the sight of the play, Hamlet is assured that the gost is real and the king is gilty. The whole essence of this act is a very tragic one indeed, the themes of love, death, hate and guilt are all very strong points that make the play tragic for Hamlet.

In act 2 Hamlet seems to be feeling happier about his secret plot for revenge. However, I feel that Hamlet has become so involved with his plan that he doesn't realise how crazy he is behaving with out meaning to seem insane. Hamlet is so obssesed with his revenge that he is even willing to sacrifice his relationship with Ophelia, he proves this when he denys his actions towards her and tells her to 'go to a nunnery' as he is aware that the king and Polonius are listening in on the conversation. Ophelia has betrayed him unwillingly and although he is clearly upset, as his eyes well-up, he is still intent on the king thinking that he is mad. He also proves he has unwillingly gone mad as he murders Polonius whilst thinking and hopeing it were the king.

Chapter 9

Narrative Style:

This is the last chapter of the Novel. The chapter after Gatsby's death. The first part of this chapter is about Nick trying to arrange the funeral for Gatsby, thus still showing that Nick was genuinely a true friend of his. To connote with this, the first line of the chapter is 'After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that night and the next day...' it is almost as if Nick is recollecting at the very moment we are reading it, like we are actually sat with the character in a room and he is telling us his story or rather Gatsby's.


Characters/Characterisation:

We find out that Tom and Daisy have left town 'She and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them.' It's bad enough that Gatsby has died but now it's almost as if Fitzgerald is trying to erase everything about him including his past; not only Fitzgerald, but it seems his characters are aswell. No one came to Gatsby's funeral even people that where meant to be his friend. It's almost as if they want to forget about him quickly, this being why they did not attend his funeral.

We find more out about the sad truth about Jay Gatsby's past or rather 'James Gatz' as that was his real name. It turns that that although Gatsby seemed to have a real lonely and miserable life he actually did have a family that loved him dearly and were greatly effected by his death.

I believe Fitzgerald tries to get a point across that money cannot buy happiness. It seems that everybody who has wealth is either lonely or miserable. Even Gatsby's friends couldn't get 'mixed up in it' meaning Gatsby's death so he didn't attend his funeral. It is sad that these people would rather make sure that their name and reputation is safe rather than be respectfull and go to the funeral. 'The hair in his nostrils quivered slightly, and as he shook his head his eyes filled with tears.' His friend, Meyer Wolfshiem, is clearly upset about the whole ordeal yet still refuses the invite.

Themes:

• Sorrow
• Lonelyness
• Guilt
• Death

Settings:

Gatsby's house is one of the area's that the chapter is set. The giant empty halls of Gatsby's home only echo the true emptyness of Gatsby's life. Now that all the party guest's have left and the music has ended, much like Gatsby's life has, it is only now that Nick realises it for what it is. Although Gatsby was surrounded by the joy and life of his parties he still constantly felt alone. This could, once again, be what Fitzgerald wants to get across that not only money can't buy happyness but apparently it cannot buy you real friendship or loyalty either.

Chapter 8

Narratie Style:

As usual the chapter is shown from Nick's point of view. This is fairly strange as a segment of the chapter is telling us about how Gatsby first met daisy. Even though it is Gatsby's memory, it is still Nick telling us about it, or rather Nick informing us about what Gatsby had previously told him. I think that Fitzgerald wrote the chapter in this way so that we would still be conscious of the fact the Gatsby and Nick are friends and there for do speak to each other other than the times we hear about in the novel. I believe it is just a way for Fitzgerald to remind us that they have become quite close and are genuine friends.

Characters/Characterisation:

This chapter is, once again, mostly about Gatsby's infatuation with Daisy. However, it is the first time that we read about how they met and what they felt as if it were happening at the present time. We know that Gatsby has a very very strong attraction towards Daisy and it is now that we finally see where it all began. From the first moment Gatsby meets Daisy he thinks she is 'extroadinary' he 'didn't realise how extroadinary a 'nice' girl could be.' This just shows that Gatsby's feelings towards Daisy are not only real but apparently eternal. Nothing will ever stop Gatsby from loving her. This may be an important factor as it could symbolise the danger that is to come, Gatsby's profound feelings for Daisy will inevitably get him into trouble; even more so than the damage that has already been done, that being Myrtles death.

We find out about when and why Daisy left Gatsby for Tom and how Gatsby was determined to belive that she never loved Tom. ' I dont think she ever loved him'.
I feel that this chapter is kind of a way to sum-up Gatsby's life. Fitzgerald informs us about all of Gatsby's past, I think he does this so that we can finally settle our quarelles about how we feel about Gatsby. Throughout the novel we are constantly challenging ourselves as to whether or not Gatsby is a good or bad character and I think that after reading this chapter the readers would have determind that he was a good yet sad character and will feel sorry for him. I know that by the end of this chapter I felt very sympathetic for Gatsby.


Themes:

• Love
• Sadness
• Death

Settings: At first the novel is placed in Gatsby's house until later following Gatsby's death. The time of year seems to be autumn as there are quite a few leaves around and in Gatsby's pool. the fact that it is autumn could be to symbolise the fact that Gatsby's end is near. Gatsby will fall just as the leaves do. Autumn is also usually a cold time of the year when everything is coming to an end. This also suggest's that something bad is sure to happen.

Chapters 6-7

Chapter 6

Narrative style:

In this chapter, after alot of eager anticipation, we find out alot about Gatbsy's past. By telling us more about Gatsbys past, it makes him seem more human to the reader. He isn't some kind of 'god like' character anymore he is just a somtimes fortunate person with a rough past.
Nick is reflecting on his past memories of Gatsby. Since he remembers an awfull lot about Gatsby and since he refers to him rather fondly it is clear that Gastby made quit an impression on Nick. It also shows that Nick did really like Gatsby, enough so to remember alot about him.



Characters/Characterisation:

We see how Nick is caught in the conflict between Gatsby and Tom. They are both silently quarreling over Daisy. Tom is suspicious of Gatsbys connection and relationship with her and Gatsby seems to be biting his tongue and fighting the urge to blurt out his affair with Daisy.

"'I know your wife,' continued Gatsby, almost aggressively.
'That so?'"
This shows how even though they are acting politely towards each other it is very obvious it is just a front, proberly in order so as not to risk 'hurting' their reputation by being rude.

We are also introduced to two new characters, Mr Sloane and a 'pretty woman' with him. The fact that the woman isn't given a name shows that she is not a necessary nor important character. Her only purpose is to remind us of how popular Gatsby's is especially with woman.
Mr Sloane's character also doesn't really have any real importance as he doesnt play a very big role. He seems very lazy and laid back, the only time he seems to do anything is when the oman he is with takes an intrest in Gatsby. The fact that he doesn't really do anything up until that point makes the situation seem to excel greatly when he finally does become more active. Fitzgerald may have done this to show how worried and panicked the man became as soon as Gatsby started to become a problem; as he becomes so worried it lets us know how easy it seems for Gatsby to 'steal' woman away from other men.
We also find out more about Gatsby and Daisy's past relationship and how Gatsby became infatuated with her so.

Themes:

• Love
• Hate
• Anguish
• Friendship

Settings:

The chapter takes place at Toms house and at a dance. The fact that it is held at Toms house gives the reader a feeling of slight suffocation. Gatsby is getting dangerously close to Tom's woman and is also in Toms 'Terratory', his home. It's almost as if Fitzgerald wants the reader to get the feeling that Gatsby is replacing Tom.

Chapter 7

Narrative style:

As usual the chapter is told from Nick's point of view. This makes sense as Nick is really the only character that has an insight to all of the other characters. Also, it once again allows us to see how Nick really feels about Gatsby and his fondness of him.

Charcters and Characterisation:

Gatsby seems to be acting strange in this chapter as he hasn't been seen in a while and had 'dismissed every servant in his house'.

We finally see the truth behind how Tom and Gatsby feel about each other and which one of them Daisy cares more about. It's important that we feel the tension between all of the characters as it inevitably leads up to the scene when Daisy knocks over and kills the woman Tom is having an affair with. It is also when we see how bad Gatsby's morbid attraction towards Daisy had gotten considering he waited outside Daisy's house gazing into her window. 'I want to wait here till Daisy goes to bed. Good night,old sport.'

We also see another side of Tom as he becomes upset bordering distraught when he finds out that Myrtle has been killed.

'The god damned coward!' he whimpered. 'He didn't even stop his car.'

This shows that even though Tom always seems to be an arrogant pig, he is still only human and does feel for his companions.

Nick also seems to be growing weary of all of the other characters. 'I'd be damned If I'd go in; I'd had enough of all of them for one day, and suddenly that included Jordan too.' Nicks relationship with Jordan is beginning to see cracks, and now after this one chapter it seems that the whole novel is taking a turn for the worst and each character's life seems to be tumbling down.

Themes:

• Infatuation
• Love
• Hate
• Death
• Fear
• Grief
• Sadness

Settings:

The weather is really hot showing that maybe the story itself has gotten to 'boiling point'. The conflict between Gatsby and Tom finally explodes and everything is laid out. It's as if the weather is symbolising all of the characters emotions.

My Opinion of Nick

After reading the novel 'The Great Gatsby' I feel that the character Nick is portrayed as a lonely yet judgemental sort of person. For example, when it comes to describing the other characters of the story, Nick always seems to give a negative sort of opinion. He appears to describe everyone as either stuck up, 'with her chin in the air' or not a trustworthy character, he proves this when he says that he is suspicious of Gatsby after Gatsby offers him a job. As Nick is constantly telling us about the faults of the other characters it leaves us with no time to ponder about Nick's potential faults.
I think that, for me, Nick seems to be quite lonely because, even though everyone around him is having some kind of dilema or crisis, the fact is that they still actually have someone to have a dilema with or about. Nick doesn't seem to have anykind of bond with anybody except Jordan. He does eventually end up with Jordan for a brief amount of time even though it still inevitably ends up bad and they both end up alone. Nick shows some resentment towards the fact that he is alone as he always seems sour whenever it comes to the relationship of somebody else. he is left aloine to contemplate his solitude often throughout the novel.

Great Gatsby chapters 4 and 5

Chapter 4:
Narrative Style: The narrative style of this chapter is different to all the other chapters. For example, instead of having the usual point of view from Nick part of the chapter is written from Jordans point of view '(said Jordan Baker that afternoon...)'. That paragraph really stands out to the reader as it is out of the ordinary and makes us,as the reader, pay even more attention, almost as if its subtly telling us something important is going to happen. It also helps give us an insight to Jordans character as we are hearing the story from her pov.

Characters/Characterisation:
In this chapter we are introduced to many new characters, most being Gatsbys colleagues; all of whom seem to be very dispicable characters from Nicks point of view. All they seem to do is 'gamble' or end up killing someone or rather themselves. 'Who afterward strangled his wife', 'who killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train'. this shows us the kind of dangerous people that Gatsby is associated with and makes us even more unsure of the character Gatsby himself.
We also find out that Nick and Jordan are finaly aware of each others feelings. We are reassured of them liking each other when the kiss in a park. 'I drew her up again closer, this time to my face'.

Themes:
There is obviously a theme of love in the chapter from Nick and Jordan. There is also a slight feeling of dread after finding out about Gatsbys friends and the kind of suspicious activities they get up to.

Settings:
Most of the chapter is set in a cafe that Nick is at, it is also based in the park the Nick and Jordan visit. Having a contrast between the dark empty cafe and the open wild life of the park helps define the mood that is set in both places between the characters.

After reading chapter four it leaves me with even more question and doubt about how trustworthy Gatsby is. I think the fact that Fitzgerald has described the kind of people Gatsby hangs around with is his own way of trying to manipulate our opinion on him, especially as Nick doesn't much like the other characters either so we hear a biased opinion on them. Since we hear about the horrid things the new characters have participated in, it leaves us in anticipation for something bad to happen to the characters of the novel.

Chapter 5:
Narrative style: The chapter stays with Nick as the narrator. Since it is in Nicks point of view we see clearly, although in a biased way, the scenario of Gastby and Daisy's meeting.

Characters/Characterisation:
We see another side of Gatsby in this chapter. He is very worried and nervous about meeting Daisy which not only shows us that he cares alot about her but cares alot about what she thinks.
Nick seems to get irritated very easily with the situation,especially with Gatsby. He is possibly bothered about the relationship Gatsby and Daisy share or shared, and the fact the his relationship with Jordan seems slightly complicated.

Themes:
Grief is a theme shown between Daisy and Gatsby, Daisy is 'mixed up' and upset about the complicated situation she is in with Gatsby and cry's. However, she blames this on simple things such as the fact that he has nice shirts. 'It's just...just i've never seen such lovely shirts'
Suspicion is also shown when Gastby ask's Nick to work for him, Nick is concerned and suspicious about what kind of work Gatsby is involved with.

Settings:
It is raining through out the majority of this chapter showing that something bad is about to happen and helping to set the depressing mood of the chapter.

This chapter shows

The Great Gatsby chapters two and three

After reading chapter two and three or 'The Great Gatsby', I think one thing that really stuck out to me was the way the characters at the party were described. For example, although Nick decribes what the two girls wearing the yellow dresses at the party are wearing; he fails to mention what anybody else is really wearing. he also fails to really tell us the names of any party guests.
Nick refers to a few of the guest as 'Mr Mumble'. obviously their names are not really Mr Mumble it is just showing how uninterested Nick is with them. He cares so little about them that he doesn't even bother to ask what their real names are, let alone actually listen properly to them in the first place.

It is decribed that Nick is at a party held at Gatsbys home. The way Fitzgerald describes the party makes Gatbsy home luxurys seem all the more great. For example, Nick mentions Gatsby's 'Rolls-Royce' and his many 'servants' not only helping us as readers to get a good image of what the party is like in our head, but it also allows us to gather some background history and lifestyle of what Gatsby is like.There are many people at the party even though none of them actually know Gatsby. There are people that make rumours such as 'he killed a man' and that 'he was a German spy' thus proving further that they don't specifically know anything about Gatsby. These rumours also start to create a picture in the readers mind, leaving them to wonder wether this image of Gatsby is true or false. The whole chapter leads up to meeting with Gatsby, however when it actually happens it is quite sudden as Nick doesn't even realise he is talking to him. The way Fitzgerald has laid that out in the chapter leaves the audinece thinking ' is Gatsby just an ordinary guy?' 'do I like him as a character?'. I think this is a very effective yet strange technique that Fitzgerald has used intentionally to make the reader feel this way.

Nearing the end of chapter three there is a car accident. It seems very strange and random for Nick to tell us about it as it has no real significance. We don't know any of the characters and no one is really hurt. As it appears to have no significance it leaves me questioning whether it will have some later in the chapter and this is just Fitzgeralds way of telling us that.
It also appears that Gatsby calls Nick 'Old sport' alot of the time. However, when he does call him this it seems to be rather forced, almost as if for some reason he is making himself refer to Nick as it to seem friendly. This may also have something to do with a previous character saying that Gatsby seems to ' care alot about what people think'. Leaving me asking myself the question, why?.

The Great Gatsby chapter 1

We have been reading 'The Great Gatsby' in class and this is what I think of the story so far, my review for chapter 1.

So far I am quite interested in the story. I like to read alot, naturaly, and this novel is the sort of book I quite like to read. When we began chapter 1, we were introduced to the narrator of the story Nick. Nick seems to be a light hearted, sarcastic kind of guy as he if often making jokes or rather sarcastic remarks about what the other characters say to him.
For example, when his cousin Daisy tells Nick that he 'reminds her of a rose' he retorts 'This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose'. The audience are aware that, obviously, Nick is not like a rose but it adds blunt humour to his character and gives us an idea of what his personality is like.
Other characters, such as Daisy, Tom and Miss Baker are also well percieved. Daisy seems to be fairly 'ditsy', '"What'll we plan?" she turned to me helplessly: "What do people plan?"' Tom appears to be a bit of a shovanistic pig who loves himself. For example he didn'nt approve of Daisy calling him 'hulking' because it's not a very attractive word so he doesn't want to be assotiated with it.
Finally, Miss Baker seems to be quite a pesimistic, nonchalant character, almost as if she if bored with everything in her life because she has everything '"We ought to plan something" Yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed'. This makes it sound as if she just lazily mopes around the place all of the time.
I think the setting in the novel is also described very well. F.Scott Fitzgerald really goes into detail about the surroundings. For instance, the area surrounding Nick, once he sits outside has 'wings beating in the trees and a persistant organ sound as the full belows of earth blew the frogs full of life.' This places a very piecefull image in the readers head to show how cool, calm and empty the area is.
So far, I think that one of the main themes for the novel is more than likely going to be love, however I'm not entirely sure as we havn't properly got to meet Gastby yet. As his name is in the title, I think the main plot will obviously revolve around him. I think, judging by the blurb and what I have read so far, it will be about him overcoming many obsticals in his life and in himself in order to be with the person he loves; or rather in order to get them to love him. I feel Nick will play an important part in helping him and also helping his cousin Daisy sort out her relationship with her husband Tom.

What I think is a good read...?

O.K well I've read (or am reading) alot of books lately, but I suppose if I was to try review or 'sell' one (as Don put it) I would choose 'To kill a Mocking Bird' from the author Harper Lee.

I was recomended this book by my old english teacher and, although the novel wasn't anything like what I had thought or expected it to be, I wasn't disapointed with the outcome. I'm sure that any one who happens to read this blog has more then likely already read the novel but if not I strongly recomend it.

The story is based in older times and it follows the story of a little boy named Jeremy Finch, most commonly known as 'Jem', and his little sister Jean-Louise Finch, most commonly known as 'Scout'.

Their father, Atticus Finch; a man left alone after his wife has died, is a Lawyer and ends up being given a hard time by the fellow townspeople as he finds himself defending a black person in the court of law. Your probally wondering why the townspeople give Atticus grief for this but in the time that the novel is based black people were considered to be lower then white people.

However, It's not just Atticus that is effected by this as his children, Jem and Scout, find themselves being bullied at school because there 'daddy defends niggers' and although they try to ignore the comments and rumours, sometimes the stress takes it's tole and they find themselves in quite a bit of trouble; especially young tomboy Scout.

Aside from that point in the story, the kids also try and find the truth about 'Boo' Radley. Many whispers have been heard about awful things that have happend in the Radley house and Jem and Scout, along with Jem's best friend and Scout's later discovered boyfriend Dill, decide to hunt down the truth.

You follow this dynamic trio through the hardships of school life, growing up and how ultimately life can take a serious turn for the worst from the simplest twist of events.

I really enjoyed reading the novel and am sure to read it again. I thoroughly enjoyed the structure of the story itself, and the characters that appear through out it. Once again, I would recomend reading it ^_^