Meditative Journal - Looking at Characterization, Blocking, and Tone

Overview and Directions:  As we read and performed scenes from Hamlet, we studied several film adaptations, taking note of the varied interpretations, and how each actor and actress makes decisions that will impact the others and the meaning of the play as a whole.  Therefore, every performance of Hamlet is different. Today, we will view the following scenes from Act III, Scene i of Romeo and Juliet.  Compare and contrast the scenes in your meditative journals, and share your reflections in our class discussion.

Read the following speech from Romeo and Juliet Act I, Scene i. How does Lord Montague feel about his son?

MONTAGUE

Many a morning hath he there been seen,

With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew.

Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs;

But all so soon as the all-cheering sun

Should in the furthest east begin to draw

The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,

Away from the light steals home my heavy son,

And private in his chamber pens himself,

 Shuts up his windows, locks far daylight out

 And makes himself an artificial night:

 Black and portentous must this humour prove,

Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

Notice the tone and intent of the characters in these two film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet (1968) Death of Mercutio

Romeo and Juliet (1996) Death of Mercutio

Romeo and Juliet (1968) Death of Tybalt

Romeo and Juliet (1996) Death of Tybalt

SCENE I. A public place.

Enter MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, Page, and Servants

BENVOLIO

I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire:
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl;
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.

MERCUTIO
Thou art like one of those fellows that when he
enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword
upon the table and says 'God send me no need of
thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws
it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.

BENVOLIO
Am I like such a fellow?

MERCUTIO
Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as
any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as
soon moody to be moved.

BENVOLIO
And what to?

MERCUTIO
Nay, an there were two such, we should have none
shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! why,
thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more,
or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast: thou
wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no
other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what
eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel?
Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of
meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as
an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarrelled with a
man for coughing in the street, because he hath
wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun:
didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing
his new doublet before Easter? with another, for
tying his new shoes with old riband? and yet thou
wilt tutor me from quarrelling!

BENVOLIO
An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man
should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter.

MERCUTIO
The fee-simple! O simple!

BENVOLIO
By my head, here come the Capulets.

MERCUTIO
By my heel, I care not.

Enter TYBALT and others

TYBALT

Follow me close, for I will speak to them.
Gentlemen, good den: a word with one of you.

MERCUTIO
And but one word with one of us? couple it with
something; make it a word and a blow.

TYBALT
You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you
will give me occasion.

MERCUTIO
Could you not take some occasion without giving?

TYBALT
Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo,--

MERCUTIO
Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an
thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but
discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall
make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!

BENVOLIO
We talk here in the public haunt of men:
Either withdraw unto some private place,
And reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us.

MERCUTIO
Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze;
I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I.

Enter ROMEO

TYBALT
Well, peace be with you, sir: here comes my man.

MERCUTIO
But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery:
Marry, go before to field, he'll be your follower;
Your worship in that sense may call him 'man.'

TYBALT
Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford
No better term than this,--thou art a villain.

ROMEO
Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting: villain am I none;
Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.

TYBALT
Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw.

ROMEO
I do protest, I never injured thee,
But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love:
And so, good Capulet,--which name I tender
As dearly as my own,--be satisfied.

MERCUTIO
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Alla stoccata carries it away.
Draws

Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?

TYBALT
What wouldst thou have with me?

MERCUTIO
Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you
shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
ears ere it be out.

TYBALT
I am for you.

Drawing

ROMEO
Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.

MERCUTIO
Come, sir, your passado.

They fight

ROMEO
Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!
Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath
Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:
Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!

TYBALT under ROMEO's arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with his followers

MERCUTIO
I am hurt.
A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.
Is he gone, and hath nothing?

BENVOLIO
What, art thou hurt?

MERCUTIO
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough.
Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.

Exit Page

ROMEO
Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much.

MERCUTIO
No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church-door; but 'tis enough,'twill serve: ask for
me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I
am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o'
both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a
cat, to scratch a man to death! a braggart, a
rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of
arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us? I
was hurt under your arm.

ROMEO
I thought all for the best.

MERCUTIO
Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses!
They have made worms' meat of me: I have it,
And soundly too: your houses!

Exeunt MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO

ROMEO
This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper soften'd valour's steel!

Re-enter BENVOLIO

BENVOLIO
O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead!
That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds,
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.

ROMEO
This day's black fate on more days doth depend;
This but begins the woe, others must end.

BENVOLIO
Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.

ROMEO
Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!
Away to heaven, respective lenity,
And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

Re-enter TYBALT

Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,
That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company:
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.

TYBALT
Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,
Shalt with him hence.

ROMEO
This shall determine that.

They fight; TYBALT falls

BENVOLIO
Romeo, away, be gone!
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.
Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death,
If thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!

ROMEO
O, I am fortune's fool!

Due Friday, October 4th (By the end of the block) - Reflections on "Hamlet" Act III

Overview and Directions:  I would like to give you the opportunity to engage with the text.

1)  Classwork - In groups of no more that four, take parts and read the Hamlet, Act III aloud.  We already read much of it together, so you should be experimenting with voice movement and block (staging). On your feet!  Read the text as many times as you can to master the lines and explore the mysteries.

2)  Homework - Compose a comprehensive blog response using the study questions in your response. Answer at least one question from each scene, along with one of the review questions.  In short, ANSWER FIVE OF THE QUESTIONS BELOW.  Use direct quotations from the text.  I look forward to your responses.

Study Questions for Act III

Scene 1

1. According to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, how has Hamlet received their inquiries?
2. Describe Polonius’ and Claudius’ plan.
3. Identify and explain one of the metaphors Hamlet uses in his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
4. According to Hamlet, why don’t men kill themselves?
5. What does Hamlet mean when he says, “Those that are married already/all but one shall live”?
6. Where does Claudius want to send Hamlet and why?
7. Explain the irony in Claudius’ line: “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

Scene 2

1. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do during the “play?”
2. If Claudius reveals no guilt, what conclusion will Hamlet make?
3. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia before the “play” begins?
4. What correction does Ophelia make when Hamlet speaks of his father’s death?
5. What does Gertrude mean when she says: “The lady doth protest too much” and why would Hamlet think this is significant?
6. What does Hamlet call the “play?”
7. How does Claudius react to the play?
8. What is Hamlet’s reaction to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s questions?
9. Why does Hamlet say, “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.”

Scene 3

1. What is Polonius’ plan now?
2. Name the allusion in Claudius’ soliloquy.
3. What does Claudius reveal about himself in his soliloquy?
4. Why can’t Claudius ask for forgiveness?
5. Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius?

Scene 4

1. How does Hamlet treat his mother?
2. Who does Hamlet think is behind the curtain?
3. What does the ghost remind Hamlet about?
4. Hamlet gives Gertrude some specific advice—what is it?
5. Explain the pun in Hamlet’s last line, “This man shall set me packing.”

Review

1. Has Hamlet reached the point of no return? Why?
2. King Claudius has resolved to do what (besides send Hamlet to England)? What does this reveal about his character? 

Meditative Response: The Many Faces of Hamlet

Overview and Directions:  Every performance of Hamlet is different, due to the many interpretations of character. Please view the four interpretations of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech.  In a blog response, discuss which you feel is the most effective, least effective, and why.  Refresh the page in order to read and respond to your fellow classmates.


Hamlet (III. i. 64-96)

To be or not to be – that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep –
No more – and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to – `tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep –
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.

1) 1948 - The timeless performance by Laurence Olivier.

2) 2000 - Ethan Hawke's Hamlet drifts into a Blockbuster video. Notice which section he walks
through.

3) 1996 - Kenneth Brannah's Hamlet speaking a mirror image of himself (Note: Hamlet's Uncle Claudius and Polonius are hiding behind the glass).

4) 1990 - Mel Gibson's Hamlet - Notice the choice of location and the intensity of the performance.

Due Thursday, September 26th - "No, I am Your Father!"

Overview: In Act II, Scene ii, Hamlet is given new life when an acting troupe comes through Elsinore. Hamlet tells Polonius to "let (the actors) be well used; for/they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the/time: after your death you were better have a bad/epitaph than their ill report while you live (II.ii.1597-1599).

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.

Due Monday, September 23rd - Petrarch's Sonnets

Overview:  The sonnet, as a poetic genre, began in Italy in the thirteenth century, and, under the later influence of the Italian poet Petrarch, became internationally popular. Petrarch established the basic form of the so-called Petrarchan sonnet Also called Italian sonnet: 14 lines divided into two clear parts, an opening octet (8 lines) and a closing sestet (6 lines) with a fixed rhyme scheme (abbaabba cdecde). Often the octet will pose a problem or paradox which the sestet will resolve. Petrarch also established the convention of the sonnet sequence as a series of love poems written by an adoring lover to an unattainable and unapproachable lady of unsurpassed beauty. The Petrarchan sonnet convention, in other words, established, not merely the form of the poem, but also the subject matter.  I posted "Sonnet 292" below for today's lesson.  Enjoy.

Directions:  Please choose a sonnet by Petrarch (see link below).  Cut and paste it into your post, and analyze it using the terminology we learned in class (see "The Poetry Cheet Sheet" below).  Most importantly, include a detailed personal analysis of the poem in your post.

Petrarch's Sonnets

Today's Lesson:  "Sonnet 292" from the Canzoniere

translated by Anthony Mortimer 

The eyes I spoke of once in words that burn,
the arms and hands and feet and lovely face
that took me from myself for such a space
of time and marked me out from other men;
the waving hair of unmixed gold that shone,
the smile that flashed with the angelic rays
that used to make this earth a paradise,
are now a little dust, all feeling gone;
and yet I live, grief and disdain to me,
left where the light I cherished never shows,
in fragile bark on the tempestuous sea.
Here let my loving song come to a close;
the vein of my accustomed art is dry,
and this, my lyre, turned at last to tears.


The eyes I spoke of with such warmth,

The arms and hands and feet and face

Which took me away from myself

And marked me out from other people;

The waving hair of pure shining gold,

And the flash of her angelic smile,

Which used to make a paradise on earth,

Are a little dust, that feels nothing.

And yet I live, for which I grieve and despise myself,

Left without the light I loved so much,

In a great storm on an unprotected raft.

Here let there be an end to my loving song:

The vein of my accustomed invention has run dry,

And my lyre is turned to tears.

Gli occhi di ch'io parlai sì caldamente,

et le braccia et le mani e i piedi e 'l viso,

che m'avean sì­ da me stesso diviso,

et fatto singular da l'altra gente;

le crespe chiome d'òr puro lucente

'l lampeggiar de l'angelico riso,

che solean fare in terra un paradiso,

poca polvere son, che nulla sente.

Et io pur vivo, onde mi doglio e sdegno,

rimaso senza 'l lume ch'amai tanto,

in gran fortuna e 'n disarmato legno.

Or sia qui fine al mio amoroso canto:

secca è la vena de l'usato ingegno,

et la cetera mia rivolta in pianto.

The Poetry Cheat Sheet 

Tone: This is the attitude of the speaker of the poem. You always have to consider the tone of the speaker even if you’re not specifically asked to analyze it. Tone relates to many of elements below. It’s a “big-picture” or “umbrella” concept. (You should have a “bank” of words in mind: angry, happy, carefree, bitter, sympathetic, sad, nostalgic, ironic, satirical, etc.)

Repetition: Poets often rely on repetition. This can be words, phrases, sounds, images, ideas. If a poet repeats something, it takes on more meaning.

Diction: This refers to words. What words does the poet use? Does he repeat any specific words? What connotation do the words have (positive, negative)?

Syntax/Structure: Do the sentences within the poem or stanzas have a recognizable structure? Does the structure or pattern change at a specific moment?

Imagery (sensory details): This refers to the images of the poem, especially those that appeal to many senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell).

Sounds: Sound is often conveyed in poetry. Look for rhyme and repetition, and things such as alliteration, consonance, and assonance (which are repetitions of specific types of sound).

Metaphors/Similes: Comparisons are often used to support imagery, but they can also be used to anchor a poem, to convey a poem’s main message. Any time a poet compares something to something else, you should take note of it.

Irony: This is HUGE in poetry. If something is said or happens that is unexpected, it’s ironic. If it’s sarcastic or satirical, it’s ironic. If you can recognize irony, you’re golden.

Allusion: This is a literary or historical reference. It is not as common on the AP exam, but you should know what it is and how it works.

Rhythm/Rhyme: This is covered with other elements above. This just refers to the recognizable pattern of a poem that gives it a sense of rhythm and flow.

Also:  Sestet (six line stanza), Octet (eight line stanza), Quatrain (four line stanza), couplet (two line stanza)

Due Monday, September 16th - "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, Act I, scenes iv and v

Overview:  In class, we read, performed, and viewed William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act I, scenes iv and v.  Now, I would like you to re-examine the text using study questions, below.

Directions:  Attend to one or more of the following questions using 2-3 direct quotations/passages from the text.  If the question is merely asking you about a plot point, please go further and think about the how and why attached to the question.  Further, make psychological and metaphorical connections to the ideas we expressed in class.  When you come into class, we will read each other's responses, respond on the blog and discuss as a class.  I look forward to your thoughts and insights.

Study Questions for Exploration

When Hamlet sees the ghost, how does he react?

Summarize the ghost's description of the murder.

What does Hamlet write in his journal ("my Tables") after his conversation with the ghost?

To what does Hamlet (and the the ghost) make the others swear?

What does Hamlet tell the others he may do if he thinks it meet?

How do Hamlet's last sentences serve to diminish the sense of resolve with which he seems to approach the obligations he has assumed in the rest of the act?

Due Friday, September 13th - "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, Act I, scenes i and ii

Overview:  In class, we read, performed, and viewed William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act I, scenes i and ii.  Now, I would like you to re-examine the text using study questions, below.

Directions:  Attend to one or more of the following questions using 2-3 direct quotations/passages from the text.  If the question is merely asking you about a plot point, please go further and think about the how and why attached to the question.  Further, make psychological and metaphorical connections to the ideas we expressed in class.  When you come into class, we will read each other's responses, respond on the blog and discuss as a class.  I look forward to your thoughts and insights.

Study Questions for Exploration

The first line of the play is "Who's there."  Could there be something metaphorical about this first line?

The first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?

In brief, why is Denmark in a state of Military alert as the play opens? How does this help justify Claudius' actions at the beginning of the play?

What do we learn of Horatio's character from the guards' attitude towards him?

In Claudius' first speech, what impression is he trying to give to his listeners?

What do Hamlet's first two speeches reveal about his attitude towards his uncle, the new King?

Paraphrase briefly Hamlet's speech which begins, "Seems, Madam ..." and ends with "suits of woe." What metaphor dominates the speech and helps to define a theme of the play?

In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?

How does Hamlet react to the arrival of Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo? Is his behavior truly indicative of his state of mind?

What does Hamlet's reaction to the story of the ghost reveal about his courage and willingness to take action?