Hamlet-Act 1

Act 1

Francisco and Barnardo are standing guard outside the palace. Francisco goes to bed, Barnardo continues to stand guard. Marcellus and Horatio join him, and suddenly the ghost of the late King Hamlet appears then disappears. The ghost has apparently appeared two nights previously. Horatio explains to Marcellus why the security has been so tight in Denmark lately: King Hamlet of Denmark battled with King Fortinbras of Norway. King Hamlet killed King Fortinbras and got all of his land. However, Fortinbras, the late King Fortinbras’ son, has gotten together a force to try and get the land back. (It is later found out that they are stopped from doing this.) The ghost appears again, and then promptly leaves. The men decide to inform young Hamlet (the late King Hamlet’s son) of the appearance of the ghost and see if he will try to speak with it.
Claudius is married to Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Claudius was brother to the late king Hamlet. Hamlet does not approve of their hasty marriage. Hamlet speaks to Barnardo, Marcellus, and Horatio about the ghost and agrees to try speaking to the ghost. The men go and await the ghost’s arrival. Hamlet suspects that if the ghost is dressed in armor, there must be something that is wrong.
Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet. He tells her to be careful with her emotions and not give herself to Hamlet for he does not believe Hamlet’s intentions toward her to be good/honest. Laertes leaves on a journey/trip. Polonious speaks to Ophelia as well about Hamlet and his “affections” toward her. He tells her to stay away from Hamlet. Ophelia agrees that she will do as he says.
Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet are all awaiting the ghost to appear. The ghost appears, and Hamlet asks the ghost what its purpose for showing itself is. The ghost wants Hamlet to follow him, but Horatio and Marcellus hold him back. Hamlet protests and is released, and the ghost and he walk away together. Horatio and Marcellus follow after them.
The ghost and Hamlet talk, and the ghost tells Hamlet his reason for appearing. He wants Hamlet to know that he was murdered by his brother, King Claudius, and he wants Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet promises to do this. When he meets up again with Horatio and Marcellus, he tells them what happened, and then makes them swear not to tell anyone about it. They swear they won’t. They all return to the palace.

Machiavellianism

Look up the term and discuss how it relates to the play.

Machiavellianism is when a person does something, perhaps immoral, to achieve or to retain political power. In Hamlet, Claudius is guilty of machiavellianism. He kills his own brother in order to take his place as king. Claudius also seduces his brother's wife and marries her. These are immoral acts that Claudius committed to gain political power.

"to be or not to be"

Hamlet's soliloquies comprise an important portion of the reading. Discuss why they are important and what function they serve, based on your readings so far. Also, identify and discuss themes that were presented that do not appear on your pretest focus.

Hamlet's soliloquies are important because they provide insight into Hamlet's innermost thoughts and feelings about life, love, revenge, murder...etc. It's only during these speeches that we hear about any of those subjects because everything is very hush hush in Hamlet. The soliloquies enable Hamlet to speak freely, as opposed to when he is in the company of other characters and must keep secret his thoughts. The soliloquies tie in to a big theme that is used throughout the entire play: the theme of speaking the unspeakable. Hamlet never confronts Claudius to ask or accuse him (Claudius) of killing his father. Hamlet uses the players to act out the play that symbolizes Claudius murdering his (Hamlet's) father. This still isnt a direct use of words, though. It's after that performance that Claudius is suspicious that Hamlet knows of his big sin, but still, there is no exchange of words that express this suspicion. Things are kept very secret, very hush in Hamlet.

Beowulf-Key Facts, Symbols and Motifs

Key Facts, Symbols and Motifs

Setting: Denmark and Geatland
Motifs: Monsters; mead-hall (Herot)
Symbols: the golden torque (golden cup), feasts/banquets (bring Grendel to Herot)

Themes:

• establishing identity (what is its importance?)
• the difference between a good warrior and a good king
  

Beowulf-Principal Characters

Principal Characters

• Beowulf-Geatish hero, kills Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon; main character of the book
• Grendel-demon/monster that terrorizes Hrothgar's kingdom for many years; killed by Beowulf
• Hrothgar-king of the Danes, awards Beowulf with treasure, has lost many people to Grendel and has suffered from this
• Unferth-Danish Warrior, jealous of Beowulf, but later realizes that he is inferior to Beowulf
  
• Wiglaf-helps Beowulf fight the dragon, very loyal to Beowulf; proves himself to be worhty of taking Beowulf's place as king
• Welthow-Hrothgar's queen; she is wise
• Grendel's mother-another demon/monster that resides in the swamplands; is also killed by Beowulf
  

Beowulf-Plot Overview

Plot Overview

Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, has ruled his kingdom well, and the kingdom has prospered. However, their celebrating and songs of success angers Grendel, a supposed demon and monster that dwells in the swamplands around the kingdom. Grendel kills and terrorizes the kingdom for years until Beowulf, a hero and leader of the Geats sails to Denmark to kill the monster Grendel and end Hrothgar's kingdom's suffering. Beowulf is accepted into Hrothgar's kingdom and a feast is held to celebrate. Unferth, a great warrior, is suspicious of Beowulf's greatness and claims that Beowulf's stories of his heroic acts are possibly false or over-exaggerated. Beowulf responds by boasting about the time he killed nine sea monsters while racing against Brecca for five days. There is cheering and celebrating in Herot that night until Grendel arrives, and Beowulf rips/cuts Grendel's arm off. Grendel dies, and the kingdom thinks they are safe again. However, Grendel's mother seeks revenge for her son's death. She goes to Herot and kills one of the king's right hand men. Beowulf goes to the swamp intent on killing Grendel's mother. He battles with her, and finds a mighty sword on one of the walls where she (Grendel's mother) dwells. With this mighty sword, Beowulf decapitates Grendel's mother's head. The suffering in the kingdom has subsided. Heaped with gifts of thanks, Beowulf and his band of Geats head back to Geatland where he presents his many gifts and treasures to his king, Hygelac. Through the years, Hygelac dies, then his son, and the crown goes to Beowulf. Beowulf rules the Geats, and they prosper. When Beowulf is an old man, a thief steals treasure from a cave where a dragon resides guarding the treasure. The dragon is mad about the treasure being stolen and burns and brings destruction to the Geats. Beowulf goes after the dragon, although old, and cuts the dragon in half. However, Beowulf is injured, and the dragon's venom begins to kill him. Beowulf's loyal friend, Wiglaf, tried to help Beowulf battle the dragon, although he couldn't do as much as Beowulf. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to gather treasure from the cave so that he may die with it. He also tells Wiglaf to bring gold and treasure to his people. Beowulf is cremated, then buried with treasure.

Themes in Gilgamesh

The Hero’s Companion: Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s dearest companion, his equal, his soul-mate. “He turned to Enkidu who leaned against his shoulder and looked into his eyes and saw himself in the other, just as Enkidu saw himself in Gilgamesh. In the silence of the people they began to laugh and clutched each other in their breathless exaltation.” (pg. 24, Gilgamesh) They both do everything together as a team from the time they become friends up until Enkidu dies. Enkidu is very in tune with nature, more so than Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is more in tune with the ways of being courageous and powerful; the ways of society as well. In this way, the two balance each other out really well when they become a team. The purpose of a sidekick or a companion to the hero is to have that someone that will watch out for you and you to them. You take care of each other; you protect each other. One may be more experienced at one thing, the other at something else to form that balance that Enkidu and Gilgamesh share. In companionship, Enkidu and Gilgamesh become the best of friends, each other’s equal. Enkidu is a highly esteemed helper to Gilgamesh.
Love: Gilgamesh and Enkidu share a love in their friendship. They are so much like each other; they are “soul-mates.” The whole reason Gilgamesh goes looking for immortality is to bring Enkidu back to life because without him, Gilgamesh feels no further purpose in his life. He grieves for him all the time, and wants him to be alive again. This dedication to his friend shows his love for him. Also, the two always have each others’ back when they are fighting Humbaba, and also later when they are fighting against the Bull of Heaven. They look out for one another. “Don’t be afraid, said Gilgamesh. We are together. There is nothing we should fear.” (pg. 28, Gilgamesh)
Loss of Innocence: Enkidu loses his innocence and becomes a man after he sleeps with the prostitute. However, in becoming a man, Enkidu loses himself a little. His animal friends shame him, and he leaves the life he has always known to go to Uruk where he meets Gilgamesh and leads this new life up until he dies. When he is dying, he talks about how he used to know life in everything and how his life before the prostitute had been a simple, familiar, comfortable one. He feels he is dying in shame because he is now a man who sees death in things. “He became bitter in his tone again: because of her. She made me see things as a man, and a man sees death in things. That is what it is to be a man. You’ll know when you have lost the strength to see the way you once did.” (pg. 49, Gilgamesh) This is even a little parallel to Christian belief dealing with loss of innocence in that once you lose your innocence, a part of you is stripped away that you can never get back.
Intervention of the gods; gods relationship with mortals: The gods intervene two major times in Gilgamesh. Once when Ishtar and Anu send the Bull of Heaven down on Earth and after Gilgamesh, and another time when the gods send a great flood down on the mortals. Ishtar and Anu send down the Bull of Heaven because Ishtar wants man to suffer on account of Gilgamesh refusing her love. “But a little hunger will replace their arrogance with new desire. Then Anu acceded to her wish. The Bull of Heaven descended to the earth and killed at once three hundred men, and then attacked King Gilgamesh.” (pg. 45, Gilgamesh) The gods also send down the huge flood when men begin to search for immortality and defy their natural conditions. The gods send the flood to exterminate mankind and to show that only gods are to be immortal, not men. The flood is meant to put men in their place; to teach a lesson.
View of the afterlife; pessimistic and optimistic: In Gilgamesh, there are both pessimistic and optimistic views on immortality. Gilgamesh tends to take a more positive view on immortality. He thinks it would take care of any fears about death for him. He also thinks that if he can find out the secret of immortality, he can find a way to bring Enkidu back to life. So, Gilgamesh’s view on the afterlife is more that life shouldn’t end, at least not for himself and Enkidu. However, we also hear Utnapishtim’s view on the afterlife and immortality, and his view leans more towards pessimism. He never desired to be immortal like the gods, he was chosen to be immortal, and he doesn’t want to be. He is lonely, and he has suffered great losses. He even tells Gilgamesh that he envies him his freedom as a mortal man. “I think compassion is our God’s pure act which burns forever, and be it in Heaven or in Hell doesn’t matter for me; because Hell is the everlasting gift of His presence to the lonely heart who is longing amidst perishing phantoms and doesn’t care to find any immortality if not in the pure loneliness of the Holy One, this loneliness which he enjoys forever inside and outside of His creation. It is enough for one who loves to find his Only One singled in Himself. And that is the cup of immortality!” (pg. 74, 75, Gilgamesh)
The Common Flood Story: Utnapishtim’s story about the flood is very similar to and parallel to the story of Noah’s Arc. The gods decided to send a great flood down on men because men were searching to be like the gods; searching for immortality and defying their natural or human conditions. For this, the gods see it fit to remind men of their place on Earth, and that’s when they send the floods. Utnapishtim is warned about the flood by Ea, though, because he is a man not desiring immortality. Therefore, when the flood is over and Utnapishtim and his family survive the flood in a giant boat built by Utnapishtim for the duration of the flood, the gods “choose” him to be like the gods and make him immortal merely because he had no desire of it in the first place. “The war god touched my forehead; he blessed my family and said: before this you were just a man, but now you and your wife shall be like gods. You shall live in the distance at the rivers’ mouth, at the source. I allowed myself to be taken far way from all that I had seen. Sometimes even in love we yearn to leave mankind. Only the loneliness of the Only One who never acts like gods is bearable.” (pg. 79, Gilgamesh) It is after the flood that the gods decide to make Utnapishtim immortal because he survived the flood, and he does not desire immortality.
Legacy: Gilgamesh leaves behind his sorrows and returns to Uruk a new and wiser man than he was before. He looks at the walls his people have built around the city; their accomplishments. “He looked at the walls, awed at the heights his people achieved and for a moment-just a moment- all that lay behind him passed from view.” (pg. 92, Gilgamesh) This makes him look more towards the future rather than living in the past as he had been. The wall will serve as protection for his people. The wall was built during his life, and will be left behind after him to the kings that will rule after him.