January 31

In calss we spoke about act 2 scene 2. The major topics presented durring class were; the conversation between Polonius and Hamlet, Polonius's need to find evidence that Hamlet has gone "mad" from his love of Ophelia, Hamlets conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the play about "Aeneas' tale to Dido."
Durring the conversation with Hamlet, Polonius feels that he gains the evidence he needs to prove his suggestion right. Hamlet, knowing that Polonius is not as smart as him, decides that he is going to give Polonius what he wants, just to mess with him. On page 95 Hamlet says, "For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kisssing carrion-Have you a daughter?" Polonius responds yes. Hamlet states, "Let her not walk i'th' sun. Conception is a blessing, but as your daughter may conceive, friend, look to 't." On page 95, Hamlet is playing on the emotions of Polonius, knowing that Polonius believes he is right in thinking that Hamlet has gone mad over love. In class we compared the content of those lines on page 95 to the theory of spontaneous generation. Sponatneous generation- the uncovered meat spontaneously grew maggots because of the sun.
In class it was pointed out that Hamlet would tell as many stories as possible to make his madness seem more real, and to also confuse people on the reason why he has gone mad. In the conversation with his two childhood friends Hamlet tells them that he is depressed, because " Denmark is a prison." We discussed in class how Demark was Hamlet's " nutshell." Hamlet could see Demark as a prison because he had seen that there was more, and his living space had grown, but now he is made to stay in Denmark, so Denmark is his prison.
The players come into scene 2 and Hamlet asks them to tell him the tale of the Fall of Troy, but only certain parts. durring class we reflected on the characters of this tale; Priam the king of Troy, Pyrrhus a great and evil warrior, and Hecuba the queen of Troy, and what, or who these characters represent. For Hamlet, Priam represents his father, because he was a good king, and was murdered. Pyrrhus, represents Claudius because he is a murderer like Pyrrhus. Hecuba does not represent Gertrude, but more of what Hamlet believes that his mother should act like. Priam was brutally murdered by this visciuos warrior Pyrrhus. Hecuba was over whelmingly hurt by the lost of her husband, and she cryed so much and so loud that the gods heard her and began to weap. Hamlet feels that his mother did not mourn enough and should have been like Hecuba, and mourn more, because her husband was murdered by the hands of someone evil, and he was helpless like Priam.

Lydia P.