We did not finish as much of Hamlet as I thought we'd get through in today's class. Rather than being a disappointing result, I feel like our discussions about men and women and relationships and the differences in expectations by gender was quite intriguing. This discussion was prompted by the remarks made to Ophelia from both Laertes and Polonius. It seems that Hamlet has been making some promises to Ophelia that he may not be able to keep. Thanks for sharing your thought and feelings so openly and honestly!
Speaking of intriguing, we spent a little time at the beginning of class talking about the popularity of this play. Why is it that Hamlet is so popular? We made a list:
-it keeps you wanting more
-it's suspenseful
-it's humorous
-you want to know what happens next
-it pushes the envelope
-it's edgy
-Hamlet's a teen
-full of drama
-it's foreboding (good word!)
-it includes supernatural elements
-it's intriguing
Maybe we'll add to this list if we see more reasons why this is such a great play. We'll finish Act 1, scene 5 next class.
