Initial Reaction: In this scene, I want to focus on Polonius. He reminds me of all the overprotective fathers in the world. He tries to convince Ophelia not to trust Hamlet, and how he isn't right for her. He is very manipulative! Polonius finds Hamlet's behavior strange and concludes to to be a broken heart of a man who can't have what he wants. He wants to please the King and Queen in any way that he can to conspire with them to find out Hamlet's true feeling for Ophelia. He doesn't seem to want whats best for his daughter, and doesn't seem to have any interest in letting her find her love.
Character Analysis: Hamlet seems like a true gentleman in Scene II. He has true love for Ophelia but is acting like a "mad" man! He has just seen the ghost of his father, and he shouldn't be freaked out? Many people are after him, such as Ophelia's father, and he tries to break the love/trust they have for each other. Hamlet isn't mad because he has lost all of his joy and descended into
a state of melancholy in which everything appears
sterile and worthless. He is the hero in the story I believe, he has to fight to stay alive and live out his fathers' ghosts will, and revenge his killer. He does have flaws, he shows his emotions to easily, he is a helpless romantic, while writing Ophelia love letters. The character does not intentionally cause conflict, it just seems to follow him around, people are skeptical of him and how he is behaving and he is the center of attention.
Theme Analysis: The theme of Act II would be madness. Everyone is focusing on the madness of Hamlet, and what could be causing his mood and for him to be a “too much changed” son (II.ii.36). Everyone is wondering what could be causing Hamlet to act crazy, and they think it is because of Hamlet's love for Ophelia, which caused him to have a broken heart because Ophelia has denied him. Hamlet seems to be misunderstood in everything that he does.
*Spoilers*
ReplyDeleteIn the coming scenes, your opinion on his love for Ophilia might change a tad.
I fully agree with your theme analysis. Although I read the theme to be deceit, I now see how much of the second act was centered on the cause of Hamlet’s odd behavior. I especially enjoy your last line interpreting that Hamlet is “misunderstood in everything that he does.” Very well said! In fact, it seems that he is having difficulty defining his own course and morals during this act. He is constantly fighting himself on the issue of killing his step-father, teetering back and forth between murder and mercy, and seeks to prove or disprove the accusation of the apparition he witnessed in Act I.
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