My Polonius Performance Choices

I am acting as Polonius in Act II Scene 2 Pg 754. I started acting in the scene with an apologetic tone towards the King. It seems my character wishes to please the King in any way possible throughout the play. I shifted tone when Polonius, in my opinion, began to sound overconfident. He states "Hath there been such a time-- I would fain know that-- that I have positively said "'tis so" when it prov'd otherwise?" And he continues "Take this from this if this be otherwise: if circumstances lead me, I will find where truth is hid...." Polonius is also a conniving character and in this particular part of the scene he is indeed scheming and so my choice to act mischievous I feel is an appropriate one. An alternative to my acting style would be to act a bit crueler and maintain a viciousness throughout the scene.

#9 & 7

9. Act III Scene I Line 56: At this point in the play, Hamlet has truly become obsessed with avenging his father and is plagued by "madness." In this soliloquy Hamlet ponders death and questions whether it might be easier to die. The imagery that Shakespeare uses to convey such a message is easily found within this text. The "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," the "sea of troubles" the " thousand natural shocks," and mention of "flesh" and "grunting and sweating" are all images that carry negative weight. Diction is of course important " oppressor's wrong," "the insolence of office," " the sleep of death" and the "mortal coil" are all choices made by Shakespeare to reinforce Hamlet's state. Hamlet states and repeats here "to die: to sleep." He is implying that death may be the only way he can actually rest and find peace. This is a powerful soliloquy.

7.Honesty & Deception: Honesty and Deception is a conflict that is ever present in Hamlet. From the beginning, the audience sees Claudius being dishonest and essentially deceiving the general public and his family about the death of the king. He pretends to be in mourning when really he is eager to move on and obtain more power. Polonius is a character in the play who is constantly playing tricks and deceiving others. Finally Hamlet also pretends to be mad in order to carry through with avenging his deceased father. He is, however honest with himself and with his true friends before he begins his plot. It is clear that honesty and deception play key roles in this play.

Hamlet's "Antic Disposition"(#7 & 14)

7. Hamlet tells his companions he is likely to put on an "antic disposition" to inform them of his strategy. Hamlet is confiding in Horatio and Marcellus. In a way, him confiding in them is a natural reaction to his anger and grief after receiving the news from his father's ghost. He certainly wants to include his friends in his scheme in some way- it would be difficult to have to go through it completely alone.

14.Hamlet is implying that he knows that his friends have been sent for by his "uncle father" and "aunt-mother." He claims that there is nothing good or bad in his current circumstance but that over-thinking would make it seem one way over the other. Hamlet's statement is meant to reveal to his old friends that he has everything under control. I agree with his belief. He has a clear strategy to avenge his father and his "madness" is part of the plan. In the second quote Hamlet is in a way confessing that he is not actually mad. He states "when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw" which is a way of stating that he still has his wits about him. He is capable of seeing things for what they are. His "antic disposition" is one of convenience.

Advising Ophelia

Both Laertes and Polonius object to Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet because they feel Hamlet's high status and position to the state is incompatible with Ophelia's. They both claim that it would be nearly impossible for Hamlet to actually love her. Laertes is more gentle with Ophelia and offers her the typical and caring brotherly advice; however, Polonius is more stern and more brash with Ophelia in relaying caution. It is almost as if Polonius is trying to scare her into agreement. Both Laertes and Polonus seem to place women beneath men. It is interesting because status(including class and station) play big parts in their arguments. It is clear they feel no one should overstep their boundaries.

Burning desires fortified by the flames of speech: an exploration of Claudius and Hamlet

Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragic tale of murder, sorrow, and revenge. From the beginning of the play the different intentions of the characters are evident. Claudius and Hamlet both have very different yet extreme goals. Claudius is a power driven, conniving, and generally mean character while Hamlet is a character obsessed with avenging his father. Shakespeare uncovers their various desires through their distinct speech patterns. Through diction, punctuation, syntax, and repetition, their individual intentions are revealed and reinforced. The speech patterns certainly contribute to the success of the plot and the play, raising the emotional stakes. This makes it more exciting for actors and audience members alike.

Prufrock

Something that I found interesting in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is the third stanza in which we see the introduction of a "yellow fog." The use of personification is really intriguing. Elliot states that the yellow fog "rubs its back upon the window panes" and "rubs its muzzle on the window panes" and "licked its tongue and let fall upon its back" and finally "curled once about the house and fell asleep." The characterization of the yellow fog as a living being (as a feline creature most specifically) is extremely unique and absolutely catches the attention of the reader. The mention of a moving fog is spooky and could be said to add to the eerie nature of these beginning stanzas- there is mention of fog, evening, soot, and chimneys, October nights, and a general haziness. The tone that is set by this stanza prepares the reader for the rest of the poem quite well.

Coy Mistress - Shifting tones as crucial to the central claim

In Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" the subject of the poem is easily discovered: Seize the day, embrace the present beauteous states of life before it's too late. In each stanza Marvell employs a distinct change in tone to strengthen this point. In the first stanza the tone is a more light-hearted one. We find a lot of uplifting and more positive and gentle language. For example he speaks of rubies, the tide, and a growing love. The nature of the senses are explained in a delicate way. For instance "thy forehead gaze" and "two hundred to adore each breast." The first stanza is all about a present love, one which is growing and adored. The tone of the second stanza is a drastic change from the first. The first word "But" signals this important shift. Language starts to deteriorate as Marvell makes the point that nothing (beauty, love, virginity) lasts forever. There is a mention of deserts, a beauty that "shall no more be found," of a vault, worms, a "quaint honor" turning    "to dust", and finally ashes and the mention of a grave. Marvell states that "none there do embrace." He has taken the reader on an emotional roller coaster at this point. We land at the final stanza beginning appropriately with "Now therefore" which seems to be an urgent resolution. Marvell brings in both tones from the preceding stanzas. He states "while the youthful hue sits on thy skin like morning dew and while thy willing soul transpires at every pore with instant fires now let us sport us while we may." So here we see a mention of a gentle "youthful hue" alongside with a "fire" which is a direct merging of the two tones. The urgency of seizing the day comes with diction such as "Prey,"  "time devour" and "tear our pleasures with rough strife." Marvell's last sentence is a fitting way to end his poem as he encourages the reader to take advantage of all the aforementioned bright qualities of life before its too late. Carpe Diem. It is clear that Marvell's use of tone completely strengthens and reinforces his central point and the poem would absolutely be weaker without these shifts.

A One-liner

"Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run." The last line in the poem is an appropriate ending, for it sums up Marvell's entire poem "To His Coy Mistress."Basically, Marvell is talking about embracing the present state of love, lust, and beauty because nothing lasts forever. All of these things will ultimately deteriorate. And so in this case the "sun" about which he speaks represents all of these things-the brighter and more vibrant things in life. He implores us to seize the day, taking advantage of these relatively temporary but powerful elements while we can.