Blog #17: And the Beat Goes On... Even if the Characters Don't

                            

                                                            "My Wish" Rascal Flatts

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

yeah this is my wish

I know Hamlet doesn't approve of such a light take on death, because I heard him ask Horatio before Ophelia's burial, "Has this fellow no feeling of his business, that' a sings at grave-making?" (5.1.49).  Well, no matter. "Custom hath made it... a property of easiness" (5.1.50), and "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts perfectly describes everything that I want to say to my son.  

The song has a very sincere and hopeful tone.  Even though Hamlet refers to me with disgust-- he even went so far as to cry, "Wretched queen, adieu!" (5.2.297). after my death-- he is still my world.  "...O my dear Hamlet... (5.2.274).  I hope that if he were to ever hear this song, he would realize this.  The line in this song, "I hope you know somebody loves you..." doesn't only refer to my love for my son, but also what he and Ophelia shared.  "...I though thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid, And not have strew'd thy grave" (5.1.192-193).  I wanted to see Hamlet be happy with Ophelia, but now that possibility is gone.  Even after her death, I hope that Hamlet remembers his love the way that he forced me to remember the grace of the King in my chamber.  I've done my best to keep my word to Hamlet after that night, even if it mean defying my husband.  At Ophelia's grave, when Claudius called Hamlet mad, I said, "For love of God, forbear him" (5.1.220).  And when Claudius told me not to drink to my son's fortune, I refused with, "I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me" (5.2. 255).  Little did I know that that sip would be the end of my life.  

All that I really want Hamlet to do after I pass is actually a line in this fabulous song, "I hope you always forgive..."-- mostly forgive me.  I thought I saw a glimpse of his returning love when he leaned over the balcony during the middle of his joust to ask, "How does the queen?" (5.2.272), but I'll never know.  Rascal Flatts has a vision for the receiver of this song that is similar to mine: "My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold...".  I tried to send this message to my son with my toast.  "Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows: The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet" (5.2.252).  I continued to insist on this, later saying again, "Come, let me wipe thy face" (5.2.258). 

Through this song, I just want my dear son Hamlet to know that I did my best, that I did everything I could, and that everything I did was all for him.

Blog #15B: Character Instagram Selfie

Queen Gertrude would be the character in Hamlet to commit the "bathroom selfie" crime.  So many times, people will post a great picture of themselves, but remain oblivious to the toilet seat in the background, ruining their photograph.  I thought it might be more appropriate to parallel the filthy toilet seat, with King Claudius's filthy act of murder, which sits right under the Queen's nose.  Gertrude's fatal flaw is that she is so concerned with the things she can see-- like Hamlet's depression and keeping King Claudius happy-- that she often remains unaware of the rotten state of Denmark.  At the beginning of Hamlet's game of charades, the new King asks Queen Gertrude why Hamlet is so depressed, and she answers, "I doubt it is no other than the main;/ His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage" (2.2. 56-57).  All of Denmark can tell that Hamlet is unhappy with his mother's hasty marriage, yet she sends his old friends to check up on him, and when Hamlet confronts the Queen in her bedchamber, she acts as though she truly has no idea what is making him so mad.  She asks her son, " What have I done, that thou dar'st wag thy tongue/ In noise so rude against me?" (3.4.40-41).  It seems as though, the Queen's flaw isn't only oblivion, but also forgetfulness.  In the selfie, she forgot to crop out the murder taking place in the background, just like Hamlet thinks that she has forgotten her loyalty to King Hamlet Sr.

  

Blog #15: To Be Or Not to Be & Analysis of Form and Mise En Scene

Claudius told me that he overheard Hamlet talking to himself again, proposing ridiculous paradoxes while in his suicidal state.  "To be or not to be-- that is [apparently his] question..." (3.1.64).  He said that he was worried about our son, because Hamlet talked with such vivid imagery about his troubled life.  "...The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ and, by opposing, end them" (3.1. 66-68).  Apparently, the poor boy talked about the hardships of life with great ethos-- almost like he knew them himself.  And he compared the world to a "...sea of troubles..." (3.1.67) and death to an "...undiscovered country from whose bourn/ No traveler returns..." (3.1.87-88).  Just listening to Claudius tell me the story made my heart drop to my stomach, because I can remember plenty of times where I've worried about the "...dread of something after death..." (3.1.86).  Even though Hamlet's rant was full of passion, I can't ignore the reason in my mad son's speech.  "To die, to sleep--/ To sleep, perchance to dream" (3.1.72-73).  His oppositions show how he ponders reasons to live versus to die, what happens after death, and why death is so feared.  I waited in fear for Claudius to tell me that my one and only son had decided to take his own life rather than "grunt and sweat" in this one, but he didn't.  He said that Hamlet did nothing more than come to a few conclusions: life is harsh and people don't fear death itself, only the uncertainty of what comes after.

        

Laurence Olivier's take on Hamlet's soliloquy takes places on a cloudy day, on a cliff above the sea.  A spiraling view of the scene with non-diegetic music leads the viewer into the scene of Hamlet's contemplation.  A long shot of the sea below the cliff, mixed with diegetic sound from the waves emphasizes the high drop and danger presented with the setting for Hamlet's soliloquy.  The camera then angles to provide an extreme close-up of the back of Hamlet's head, zooming into his brain like an x-ray.  By using editing to layer a picture of a brain and the waves shows the viewers the danger that is on Hamlet's mind.  The music ends while Hamlet, clothed in black to symbolize death, begins his lines with his eyes closed is shown  through a medium shot, lying on a rock on the top of the cliff.  The sound is still non-diegetic, because Hamlet is thinking, and not yet talking.  He pulls a dagger out of his costume, which intensifies his thoughts on death and life.  Suddenly, Hamlet's eyes jolt open and he begins to physically speak the remainder of the soliloquy.  As this continues, he drops the dagger into the sea and turns to walk away from the camera, and down the steps to the side of the cliff.  Non-diegetic sound once again comes from the dark sound of the music as the screen fades to black.   The entire scene is in black and white, which further draws upon Hamlet's  thoughts of death.

I've heard so many stories about Hamlet's depression in past weeks, that I'm not quite sure what to believe.  Yes, I know.  The most logical way to find the truth would be to just ask Hamlet what's really bothering him, what he really said, but of course my wayward son isn't too chummy with his dear old mother right now.  So, I asked around Elsinore, and a few versions have turned up.  I hate to admit it, but I think I believe Laurence Olivier's version the best.  Between the spying Claudius, Polonious, Rosencratz, and Guildenstern have done, it seems to me that Hamlet would go so far as to actually almost take his life.  Thankfully his thinking was for the better this time and he decided against it.  I almost had the nerve to believe Kenneth Branagh's rumor.  It's true that Hamlet has been roaming the halls lately, mumbling nonsense, but through all of my research, it seems that he's been very careful not to let anyone know what's bothering him.  I just don't think he would take that risk in our home.  Mel Gibson's story was even less convincing, because Hamlet admired his dad's manliness.  So why would he plan his own suicide in front of his dead father?  Out of all of the outrageous stories I heard, Ethan Hawke's took the cake.  Hamlet hasn't even left the estate since his dad passed, I'm quite sure that a stroll to Blockbuster is what prompted him to ponder the afterlife.

      

Blog #14: Revenge and Espionage

"People who really love each other don't have secrets" (The Good Shepherd).  Despite Miriam's double life as an undercover Soviet Operative and her affair with Edward Wilson, she is one of the most moral characters in the movie, The Good Shepherd.  After graduating form Yale, Edward Wilson, is recruited by the CIA.  As the grows more loyal to the organization, his training as a spy takes over, leading him to distrust everyone, drive apart his marriage, and overlook his ideals. 


Maybe fate pushed me to watch this movie after recruiting Hamlet's friends "...to draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,/ so much as from occasion [they] may gleam,/ whether aught to [them] unknown, afflicts him thus..." (2.1.15-17).  Like Edward Wilson, they seemed so eager to start their espionage-esque work. And I, believing that I had once again done right by my son, thanked "...Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz:/ [beseeching them] to visit/ My too much changed son" (2.1.34-36).  Like Miriam said, "People who really love each other don't have secrets" (The Good Shepherd).  So why was I so willing to go behind my son's back to find the root of his madness?  "But, look, where sadly the poor wretch comes reading" (2.2.168).  He paces around these halls like a caged animal, yet he won't say one word to me.  I know he's watching too.  Was I so obsessed with my job as his mother that I deciding it was okay to throw away his right to privacy?  I don't want to be Edward Wilson, giving up his ideals to keep his job.

I went to the balcony to get some fresh air, but I overheard my "spies" talking with Hamlet.  "My lord, we were sent for" (2.2.269), said Guildenstern.  Hamlet said, "I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery,/ and your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather" (2.2.270-271).  I can't believe my cover was blown so easily! What will Hamlet think of me?  It's for the best, that he knows the truth; no more secrets have to run in our family. But now I'll never know what's been bugging my son.

My secrets were revealed, but what about his? I pray that all the other mothers out there never have to endure what I have today,
Queen Gertrude

Blog #13: Hamlet Blog Assignment #1

Too close for comfort?

Am I a bad mother?  An unfaithful wife?  My son, Hamlet, seems to loathe me for my decision to marry his uncle (my brother-in-law).  Maybe it's just the way of his generation.  The children these days; they all clothe themselves in all black and resent the world.  I can tell that Hamlet has become quite the rebellious type.  His sarcastic and passionate remarks are not fit for a young prince.  And so soon after his father's death he wants to run off to Wittenberg to study?  I had to beg to him to stay, pleading, "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet:/ I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg" (1.2.118-119).  Thankfully, the boy came to his senses and agreed to remain home.  I don't know what has gotten into him these days.

I can tell how upset Hamlet is by his father's death.  I can't blame the poor boy for still mourning after almost two months.  He truly loved his father and this lack of a male figure in his life also led me to remarry. Claudius and I tried to reason with him, saying, "Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,/ passing through nature to eternity" (1.2.72-73) and "But, you must know, your father lost a father;/ That father lost, lost his..." (1.2.89-90), but I could see the ice hidden beneath those teary eyes.  It's my nature as a mother to notice such things.  His sorrow frightens me; it's quite normal to mourn the loss of a loved one, especially when the soul was as good and kind as the late King, but he seems to be taking his father's death to an extreme.  Earlier today, I heard him speaking to himself, "O, that this solid flesh would melt,/ Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!/ Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd/ His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!" (1.2.129-132).

Suicide?! Oh, my dear boy!  I want to do what is best for my son.  I would give up my soul for my one and only child, if the need arose, but I feel so conflicted.  If Hamlet truly loves his dear, old mother, shouldn't he want me to be happy as well?  It's not unreasonable for me to have fallen for my husband's brother.  I can tell that Claudius truly loved and cared for his brother, but he truly loves me as well. The words he spoke at our wedding, showed both his affection for me and his brother.  "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighing delight and dole,-/ Taken to wife: nor have we barr'd/ Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone/ With this affair along" (1.2.12-16).  Claudius has stolen my poor widowed heart.  He was there for me in the time after my husband's death, giving me the attention and vows of love that I needed.  I understand the corruption my son, Hamlet, sees in our hasty union.  Others may view it as controversial as well, but I loved King Hamlet, and now I love King Claudius, I see no casting aside of my morals in this decision.

I know that Claudius will make a fine King for Denmark.  He has already been a steady character in Hamlet's life, but I still worry that the change in his role will affect young Hamlet negatively.  My heart draws me towards the charm and seduction that Claudius has to offer, but my mind and motherly instinct beckon me to support my son no matter how reckless his words may seem.

All I wish for is a happy home,
Queen Gertrude 

Blog #12: Hamlet Character Research

In my blog, I have chosen to focus on the perspective of Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark.  I have chosen this character, because of the various roles she has in William Shakespeare's play.  As King Hamlet's widow and young Hamlet's mother, the audience would expect great sorrow at the loss of her husband and a father figure for her son.  A large amount of situational irony rests on the fact that she remarries to Claudius, the new king, and her late husband's brother, shortly after becoming a widow.  I found this extremely interesting from the perspective of one of the themes of the play, moral corruption.  Although Young Hamlet and the Ghost of Hamlet, Sr. both show disgust towards the decisions of Queen Gertrude, she cannot help but continue her vanity and satisfy her shallow needs through her marriage with King Claudius.  This quality of lust for materials and over-indulgence of oneself is a moral corruption, because it draws away from other characteristics of people.  For example, the Queen's loyalty is overlooked until later in the play, because of her vanity. As this quality is so often found in celebrities, it will be easy for me to show throughout my character tasks.

Source:  http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis/gertrudechar.html