Directions: Choose a small selection of dialogue from a movie/play and pair it with a scene from Hamlet. Compare and contrast the ideas in the passage. Think about movies that present a father and son relationship. You may need to post your responses in two, due the length. Look at the example below as a guide in your exploration. You may use YouTube links in place or in addition to dialogue.
I look forward to your responses!!!!
Mr. Pellerin's Super Cool Example
From Star Wars: Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Darth Vader
There is no escape! Don’t make me destroy you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You’ve only begun to discover your power! Join me, and I will complete your training! With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy.
Luke Skywalker
I’ll never join you!
Vader
If only you knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke
He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Vader
No, I am your father.
Luke
No. No! That’s not true! That’s impossible!
Vader
Search your feelings; you know it to be true!
Luke
No!
Parallel Scene from Hamlet, Act I, Scene v by William Shakespeare
Ghost
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire:
Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.
Exit
Hamlet
O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else?
And shall I couple hell? O, fie! Hold, hold, my heart;
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee!
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee!
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,
That youth and observation copied there;
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmix'd with baser matter: yes, by heaven!
O most pernicious woman!
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
My tables,--meet it is I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;
At least I'm sure it may be so in Denmark:
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word;
It is 'Adieu, adieu! remember me.'
I have sworn 't.
My Analysis
In the case of Star Wars, Luke was under the impression that his father was a great Jedi. This is true, but he did know that his father is alive in the form of Darth Vader. In Return of the Jedi, Obi-wan Ken-obi will explain that they are two separate entities. When Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, “The good man who was your father was gone.” It is Luke’s destiny to confront his father and kill him.
Similarly, Hamlet is confronted with the ghost of his father. While Vader is seen as evil, King Hamlet is seen as a hero. Both fathers are placing a great deal on the shoulders of their respective sons. Like Hamlet, Luke initially does not believe he should comply with his destiny. Hamlet is also unsure and will put on a play to "catch the conscious of the king" (II.ii.1680).
Ultimately, Luke confronts Vader and saves him by allowing his humanity to come through. Vader kills the Emperor to save Luke’s life. His spirit is seen alongside Yoda and Obi-wan at the end of Jedi. Will Hamlet be able to confront his uncle? Will Hamlet’s father return to aid his son, or is Hamlet on his own from this point further? While Luke had Yoda, Leia, Han, C-3P0, R2 and a host of others, Hamlet only has Horatio.
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire:
Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.
Exit
Hamlet
O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else?
And shall I couple hell? O, fie! Hold, hold, my heart;
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee!
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee!
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,
That youth and observation copied there;
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmix'd with baser matter: yes, by heaven!
O most pernicious woman!
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
My tables,--meet it is I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;
At least I'm sure it may be so in Denmark:
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word;
It is 'Adieu, adieu! remember me.'
I have sworn 't.
My Analysis
In the case of Star Wars, Luke was under the impression that his father was a great Jedi. This is true, but he did know that his father is alive in the form of Darth Vader. In Return of the Jedi, Obi-wan Ken-obi will explain that they are two separate entities. When Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, “The good man who was your father was gone.” It is Luke’s destiny to confront his father and kill him.
Similarly, Hamlet is confronted with the ghost of his father. While Vader is seen as evil, King Hamlet is seen as a hero. Both fathers are placing a great deal on the shoulders of their respective sons. Like Hamlet, Luke initially does not believe he should comply with his destiny. Hamlet is also unsure and will put on a play to "catch the conscious of the king" (II.ii.1680).
Ultimately, Luke confronts Vader and saves him by allowing his humanity to come through. Vader kills the Emperor to save Luke’s life. His spirit is seen alongside Yoda and Obi-wan at the end of Jedi. Will Hamlet be able to confront his uncle? Will Hamlet’s father return to aid his son, or is Hamlet on his own from this point further? While Luke had Yoda, Leia, Han, C-3P0, R2 and a host of others, Hamlet only has Horatio.
