"We do things on stage..."

"...that are supposed to happen off. Which is a kind of integrity, if you look on every exit being an entrance somewhere else." 

So says the "Player King" in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  In class today we discussed some of the ways reading the text of this play, or any other, is much different than the experience of seeing it performed.  As you finish reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, what one or two scene(s) would you most like to see performed?  Why?  

Image from a production staged at Montgomery College:   www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/spdnth/theatre /thstart.htm

And the award for best supporting character goes to...

Hamlet is the title character, our protagonist, and the tragic hero.  Most of the play is focalized through his perspective, and the audience gets information almost at the same time as Hamlet himself.  This orientation and narrative technique often causes the audience to identify and sympathize with Hamlet.  But every other character is also essential to the play, and one of the reasons Shakespeare's work endures is due to the richness of all his characters, even secondary and minor ones.

Choose one character other than Hamlet and argue for his or her importance.  What elements of the plot turn on this character?  What narrative elements does this character bring to the table?  What do we gain from his or her unique perspective?  How does this character help us understand what we otherwise would not?  As always, remember to use specific textual evidence to support your argument.  If a prior comment touches on your character, be sure to engage your classmates' ideas and build upon them.

Hamlet, The Movie

  

Several film versions of Hamlet exist, and they vary greatly.  Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 version stars Mel Gibson as Hamlet, Alan Bates as Claudius, Glenn Close as Gertrude, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia.  In 1996 Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in a full length version, alongside Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Julie Christie as Gertrude, and Billie Crystal as the first gravedigger.  Have you seen a film version of Hamlet?  How well do you think this play would translate to the big screen?  


Imagine you are a director and given unlimited time and money to make your own version of Hamlet.  Who would you cast in the main roles, and why?  Discuss at least four characters, and why you would select these actors and actresses. 


What challenges do you foresee as a director?  What opportunities does a film provide that a play does not have?  What, if anything, do you anticipate being "lost in translation"?  How would you compensate and innovate as a director?  


In class discussions we continually return to the ambiguity of Hamlet.  (For example: Does Hamlet love Ophelia?  Is he mad?  Is there really a ghost?  Were Gertrude and Polonius in on the murder plot all along?, etc.) As a director, how would you deal with these ambiguities?  What is your unique spin on this great narrative work?  


Remember a successful post will acknowledge earlier comments.  Does your ideal cast share any members with a classmate?  Do you disagree with someone's casting choices, or agree for different reasons?

"This is my son, my own Telemachus"

Today in class we ended our unit on The Odyssey with a wonderful discussion on Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Ulysses."  One aspect of the poem we didn't address is the portrayal of Telemachus.  What strikes you as important or significant about the second stanza of the poem? 

This is my son, my own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the scepter and the isle---
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill
This labor, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and through soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centered in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone.  He works his work, I mine.

How does this stanza fit in with the poem as a whole?  What do we learn about how Ulysses views Telemachus?  What kind of father is Ulysses?  What kind of king?  What sort of ruler or son is Telemachus?  What sorts of ruler or leader does the poem privilege?  In what way does Tennyson's poem comment on the father/son dynamic at play in The Odyssey?  Does knowing the story of The Odyssey influence your interpretation?  How or how not?

(As always, don't feel like you need to address all these questions in your post.  They are meant to provoke a discussion.  A successful blog post will quote from the poem(s) as evidence, and refer back to and comment on the posts of others making similar points.)

"Books are the most patient of teachers" -Charles W. Eliot

Due to its enduring popularity, generations of ancient Greeks listened to parts of The Odyssey many times over the course of their lives.  One common reason to retell stories cross-generationally is didactic (teaching or providing moral instruction).  Now that you have finished reading the entire work, to what extent do you think The Odyssey is didactic?  What practical lessons or insights does The Odyssey provide into how to lead, follow, build, sail, cook, farm, raise livestock, worship, hunt, etc.?  Alternately, what can one learn about cultural expectations and ideals regarding gender, leader/follower relationships, parent/child or wife/husband relationships, religion, sailing, hosting, being a guest, courting a spouse, or any other interpersonal relationship? 

Choose one small textual moment that you think may serve a didactic purpose.  What do you think it is teaching ancient and contemporary audiences?