Hamlet Scene

Act 3: Scene 1

By: Daniela Cepeda & Alejandro Botero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWjfaXHHKvI

Reading Log: Act II: Scene 1

October 21, 2015


The main action of this scene is that Polonius asks his servant, Reynaldo,  to spy on Laertes to inform him about his reputation in Paris. He says that Reynaldo should casually address the Danish living in Paris and extract information about Laertes reputation, even if he has to lie to do so.  After Reynaldo leaves, Ophelia comes in and says that Hamlet came to her, looking pale and puzzled. She is very worried about his state and Polonius tells her that the prince's reaction is due to his love towards her.

As I was reading this scene, I had the impression that Polonius, as well as other characters, seem to search for the bad in others and create plans to prove these feelings. In this scene, Polonius is doing a plan to spy on his own son and seems to be very wary about his reputation. Why does he care? Is he affected by his sons reputation? Why does he seem so eager to find this out? What will he do if he does find out that Laertes is not fulfilling his expectations?When Ophelia comes in, she is panicked and concerned about Hamlets state, but Polonius says all the prince's troubles are apparently caused by his love for Ophelia. How could this be true if she seems very concerned about him to? I would understand that this could be a reasonable conclusion if Ophelia ignored the prince completely, which seems unlikely due to her explosive and obvious concern towards him. Despite all this, Polonius seems ignorant or indifferent about his children's feelings. He prefers personal convenience and appearances than to accept their happiness.

This scene's significance seems to have to do with the idea that appearances are misguiding and tend to hide the truth. Polonius seems "concerned" about Laertes, but instead of confronting him and doing this with direct communication to help him personally, he decides to send a spy to do his work. Does he really care about Laertes, or the appearance he might be giving? Maybe this is due to the impression people will have on Polonius himself as Laertes father... maybe affect his own status? Hamlet, also demonstrate this idea of misguiding appearances. At this point, he is frustrated about his fathers death and the various complications he has had lately. We also know that he is supposed to avenge his father. Maybe the reason he goes to Ophelia in the first place is to mislead peoples impressions about the cause of his grief (mad love for her), instead of the real reason (avenge his father). 

The New Classic

After watching the Hamlet trailer, I felt a heavy feeling of intrigue. As mentioned during the clip, Hamlet is the "most celebrated drama in the English language". I definitely feel that the whole video was purely dramatic and the music did not necessarily go with this dramatic sense. The soundtrack seemed very happy compared to what was shown in the trailer. This made the video as a whole seem a bit strange to me, specially because of the typical narration of an old man in the background saying facts about the "classical" movie.

There is a clear emphasis in the internal conflict, since Hamlet says "to be, or not to be", followed by many other scenes of sadness, sex and murder filled with emotion and evident tension between the characters. I don't know what the conflict is about yet, but I am excited to start reading Hamlet and I hope to understand all of its internal drama and feeling, specially because this is one of the classics you are expected to read in order to be considered, in some places, educated.  The elements that I found more appealing apart from the music and voice over was the excessive tension that never left any of the scenes in the trailer. This left me with curiosity about the plot of the book, specially because the video doesn't really tell you anything about what Hamlet is about directly, it only shows a brief introduction to the characters and the actions they take throughout the book.

The Enlightenment

As I finished reading The Awakening, I feared that Edna would never really be free of herself. I also feared that the novel was coming to an end. Reading the last page felt only like a shock, it stung a little. Edna swam off into the ocean, not thinking of anything but the soft touch of the waves and the strength that let her move away from what seemed to be the "reality she was supposed to be living". The shore grew farther away from her, and as she swam, her legs became tired, as well as her hopes and desires, I believe. She sank, as she thought of her family, of Robert and of her young girl memories. 

I felt a knot in my throat when I closed the book. I think that this is the dreariest ending I have ever read. I, for some weird reason, believed that Edna would have a happy ending. A great part of me wished and new that she deserved one. But now looking back, I can see that even Edna realized she could never really have what she wanted in the world she lived in. She would never be with Robert, and her desire for him would soon vanish. She would soon find someone else and so on, forever in solitude. "There was no one thing in the world she desired"(212), except Robert, which one day would "melt out of her existence, leaving her alone."(212) There was no path to what she wanted, and she even realized that what she longed was not permanent and therefore she would never be free and accompanied, she would only be in loneliness for the rest of her life. 

Edna, without doubt is selfish to some extent. Though, in my opinion, this selfishness in not brought in by herself, but society and her "determined role," has triggered her "extreme" decision making. I agree that she lived an unhappy life and that everything she did before realizing she was being used as a "toy" by society was making her miserable. Robert played a great role in this twist. That is one of the reasons that he is so important to her. As she explores her own desires and contemplations about her past, she also decides to look at the future. Edna feels that she can build her own life and change her path as much as she wants without responsibility. This, to some extent seems childish. Her moral position is constantly challenged by society, as she is continually reminded of her duties and the implications her actions will have on her children, to which she responds that she "would give up [her] life for [her] children; but [she] wouldn't give [herself]"(94). Edna also realizes the real implications that freedom has on her own hopes, and that moving away from her problems only brings new ones. The "independent" idea she has of her own upholding  is not compatible with her society. Robert says he loves her, but his feelings are evidently not enough to endure the societal troubles breaking a marriage would bring him. The moral consequences Edna supposedly would be able to surpass are clearly clashed by this important aspect of her dreamed life. Her contemplations of her perfect life are only accompanied by solitude, and self expression is only a small irrelevant part of her existence in this society. Her paintings are a way of expression that she uses constantly to in-frame the people of importance to her, like Arobin, but never seem to have an impact on the world around her. 

In the end, Edna goes back to a realization mentioned at the begging of the novel, where she says she felt like "one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul.”(67). To me, this is the essence of her life. She is inspired by her freedom, which she cannot use to her satisfaction because she can never share it with the people she wants to, and soon has to awake with the twisted cruelty of her own created reality, which soon had to be ended with the clarity that freedom is determined by the obstacles set forth by yourself, but can be lead away by unreasonable dreams brought forth by impossible love and childish inspirations that bring you back to the beginning. I think that, after all, Edna's freedom imprisoned her own passions, and drowned her hopes which were built on an unstable base of irrational love and fake impressions. 

Perambulations (130): to walk through, about, or over; travel through;traverse.

Insanely Surprising

After reading the article, "Women and psychiatry", I was startled at the severity of male chauvinism in the 19th century. The society was determined by fixed roles for males, who had to be the fathers of the household, and the females whose "place was in the home". If women did not match these classifications, they were taken away to an asylum, and treated with psychoanalysis and tranquilizers. This seems completely outrageous to me, and many feminist and normal woman in the 19th century protested against these acts. 

This makes me think that maybe Edna, from The Awakening, might be starting a path that might lead Mr. Pontellier to take her to an asylum, "It sometimes entered Mr. Pontellier's mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself."(75). It would not surprise me at this point of the book if he did do this, since she had a drastic change of attitude towards herself and her usual lifestyle. She does not accept the role of  a "loving mother and a dutiful housewife", as described in the article. On the contrary, she is moving away from these stereotypical roles and "grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before."(36) She has also started speaking up to Mr. Pontellier, which was something uncommon in those times. 

Edna also talks about her discontent and has had several outbreaks. She did not find color in her life until she met Robert, who brought back meaning to her existence.  When he left, she started missing him, but became rebellious and started to do new activities and exploring new grounds. It was clear that she was discontented with her life, like when she heard Mademoiselle Reisz play the piano and "saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair. But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body. She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her."(33-34) 

The article mentions tranquilizers like diazepam and other drugs that were given to "stabilize" insane woman. Some became addicted, which feminists believed to be a cause of discontent in woman's lives. Edna is a perfect example of this dissatisfaction. 

Edna was desperate to find her way. Currently, she is still doing so. I wonder if she is taking these medications, or had to be treated in an asylum before. At the beginning of the book, they say that she is ill, and has to take her medication. Could this "illness" be linked to some sort of earlier outbreak that lead others to think she was insane? 

Karaoke Assignment

For this karaoke assignment, I chose the song "Lean on", by Major Lazer. The meter of this song is iambic tetrameter. It demonstrates several end rhymes, like "remember" and "other". It also has eye rhymes, like "gun" and "on", or "old" and "road". 

The poem I used for the lyrics was "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died", by Emily Dickinson. The meter of the poem is "common measure". There are approximate rhymes like "see" and "be". 

Revelation

This reading of The Awakening was very unexpected. Robert has apparently decided to leave to Mexico, after spending a very nice livelong day with Mrs. Pontellier. She is informed by her friends about his journey, as he took the decision to part away without telling her a single word beforehand.  I found this very amusing, since my predictions were that Edna and Robert would have some sort of hidden love relationship in a place where no one could find them. 

In this reading, all these thoughts were emitted. I literally never expected this to happen. Mrs. Pontellier keeps denying to herself that she has a special attachment towards Robert. When he announced that he was leaving, Edna reacted instantly and "sardonically",(p.84) avoided saying goodbye to Robert, which he finally did himself. When he parted, they seemed very moved and when she says that she was hoping to see him in the city, he agrees and blurted out "perhaps thats the-".(p.89) I think he meant to say, "perhaps that is the reason why I want to leave, since I am so willing to see you that I am afraid to fall in something with you". 

The fact that the only thing that Edna talks about is Robert, as she said that his "going had some way taken the meaning out of everything"(p.91), seems like a revelation to me. What surprised me the most was that after this change, Mrs. Pontellier seems to be finding her role in her own life. She does not follow her routine and cancelled her usual reception that Tuesday, by which Mr. Portlier scorned at her that evening. He left, disgusted at the food and by everything around him, which seems as a usual reaction from him at this point, and leaves Edna alone at the table. She did not mind at first, though later breaks a vase with frustration. 

Even though she did not have to do this, I feel that she is finally having some control over her own life.  Edna also mentioned earlier that she never wanted to "sacrifice herself for anyone but herself"(p.94), but in the end that is exactly what she has been doing all her life. The fact that Edna has never gone out of her routines, done anything to make her life better, or created some sort of affection towards someone (except Robert), makes it clear that she has been dedicated to everything but herself. 

After these acts, I predict that she will decide her way and ignore most of her husbands thoughts. I frankly hope she does. It seems like she is so lost inside her ignored frustrations, known only by her subconscious self, that if she does not do something to release her true self and feelings, she will affect everything she is. 

Sardonic: characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering

It's Just The Awakening

I have just started reading The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, and after examining the first few pages, I safely concluded that this story will definitely touch various feminist topics, as well as an introduction to life in the 1880´s. 

Edna Pontellier, the wife of Mr. Leonce Pontellier, seems to be the stereotypical devoted house wife: passive, bored, unspoken and a bit reserved with her husband and his life. She is expected to listen, but not to be heard, and to do as she is told. Though, she shows an inner frustration when she bursts out crying alone in the porch after a long, solitary day.

Mr. Pontellier, on the other side, appears to be the typical dominant male in those times, desperate to leave his family whenever possible. He absolutely ignores his wife thoughts, wishes or needs: "You are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage." (p.15). I was surprised when he was described as the "the best husband in the world"(p. 24), since he was never eager to be around, and preferred to go to play billiards or amuse himself when he was not at his brokerage business. He, instead, would send gifts, which almost seems to be the only reminder of his presence in his wife and children's life.

This routine-like characteristic, as well as other marital or personal issues are definitely concerning Edna, though Mr. Pontellier seems completely indifferent to these burdens. Her only companion is Robert Lebrun, a young and charming character, that is still pretty mysterious at this point of the book. But, what is his role in Edna´s life?

All this time, I have wondered why he is so amused by her. They seem to be very interested towards one another and spend a lot of time together chatting incessantly about everything that happens around them. Has anything more happened between them? Will it happen? At one point, he described his earlier devotions to other woman and that they were "flames" (p. 30), and "sleepless nights"(p. 30), which made me think that he might be hinting further interests towards Mrs. Pontellier. She, on the contrary, seems quite scared about his true colors and whenever he is too close to her, she "repulses"(p. 31) him. However, at the end of the reading, he invited her for a swim and she does not decline, but states that she followed "two contradictory impulses which impelled her" (p. 34). These impulses might hint that she is probably thinking about Robert in a different way? Why would she think that the correct thing to do was to reject his offer if she did not think something un-proper would happen later on if she did go with him? 

Impel: erge or force an action