For Wednesday: Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act Two

The “Rainbow” Group should answer TWO of the following. In case you've forgotten, the group consists of Cody G, Mariana E, Kate C, Tim V, Savanna T, Skyler H, Callie C, Taylor J, Jaren S, Kyle F, .Babette R 

REMEMBER: Reading Shakespeare is tricky if you're not used to it. USE THE NOTES on the side to help you. Also, you don't have to understand every word, every speech. Just get the gist and try to pay attention to Hamlet's language: can you tell when he's being serious, and when he's being satirical? When does he make fun of people? When does he make fun of himself? When do we see the 'real' Hamlet? Or is he always acting? 

Q1: All of Act One is in verse (iambic pentameter, like the Sonnets), but in Act Two, when Hamlet enters in scene 2, he talks in prose throughout the entire act (as does everyone around him). You can tell it’s prose because (a) each line has more than 10 syllables, and (b) the lines aren’t indented, but run to the end of the page. Why do you think this is? Why would Hamlet, a prince, insist on speaking prose, which is usually a “low” language of the common people? Also, why does everyone around him, including Polonius, also speak in prose? Hint: could it be some sort of act?

Q2: Hamlet has another famous speech at the end of the Act where he compares himself unfavorably to an actor: “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I…” Why does he, a prince, envy an actor? What can the actor do that he can’t? And why might this be a meta-moment where Shakespeare (a playwright) is marveling at the power of actors (and the theater)?

Q3:  Polonius seems quite willing to exploit his daughter and expose Hamlet’s follies to the King and Queen. Why is this? What does he hope to gain from showing them Hamlet’s love letters? And why does Ophelia (who may be in love with Hamlet) go along with this? Couldn’t she have refused?

Q4: Two of Hamlet’s old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, arrive to keep watch on him for the king. Hamlet knows they’re dong this, but plays along. However, he probably talks too much. What does he reveal about his state of mind and his character in this passage? In other words, how does Shakespeare show us what’s really going on in his mind when he’s acting “mad”?