Hamlet

• Son of a Danish "King of the Jutes“ (warlord)
• Middle Ages
• Father assassinated
• Coup, not a secret murder.
• Superstition = insanity spread through spirit
• Son pretended to be crazy
• Nickname "Amlothi", crazy person.
• Kills & usurps uncle
• Ruled successfully - nickname stuck
• Married Scottish princess Herminthrud (Hermutrude).
• Eventually killed in battle.
• Buried in Denmark in a field called "Ammelhede" ("Hamlet's Heath")
• Herminthrud married Viglek, the man whose army defeated and killed Hamlet.

• Protestant Reformation
• Renaissance: intellectual skepticism
• Wittenberg

• What is the meaning of the various interpretations of the ghost given by the characters?
• How does the play set up our expectations and then overturn them?
• What kind of thought or worldview do the characters represent? Notice what kind of speeches the characters give.

• Question of identity
• Perception vs. reality
• What does it mean to be human?
• Mortality & suicide
• Does life have meaning?
• Head vs. heart

posted by Jeffrey @ Wednesday, March 22, 2006 0 comments

Blindness Sight

• P4: “…I never saw the man” – Oedipus speaking of Laius


• P14: Oedipus to Tiresias “…blind as you are in eyes and ears and mind…”; Tiresias to Oedipus: you are saying that I am blind, but you are the one who will be blind (figuratively & literally)


• P15: Tiresias “You have your sight and do not see what evils are about you, nor in what home you are dwelling.  Do you know from whom you are?”


• P11: Oedipus to Tiresias, “…thou cannot see the city but know what pestilence visits it.” It is a terror to know


• P46: Oedipus blinds himself – he learns the truth, but does not want to face it, so he is still blind to his fate. Blinds himself so he will not have to face the truth about himself.


• P13: Tiresias, “My offense you censure, but your own at home you see not and yet blame me.”


• P6: “So shall you see me as of right, with you, avenging this country and the God together.”


• P20: Senator, “I do not know.  I have no eyes for what my masters do, but here he comes…”


• P25: Senator, “A blind surmise arose, out of mere babble; but even what is unjust inflicts a sting.”


• P12: Tiresias, “…because I do not see thy words, not even thine, going to the mark”


• P27: Oedipus, “I am sore afraid the prophet was not blind, but you will make more certain…”


• P47: Oedipus, “…blind as I am, with kindness, oh my friend”

• General: Oedipus is one man in multiple roles that should be filled by different people (husband-son; father-brother; brother-in-law-nephew)


• P30: Servant says Laius was attached by a band of thieves; it was actually only Oedipus: “One cannot be the same as many…”


• P11: “He was said to have been killed by footpads” (note possible play on Oedipus’ name)


• P14: “Creon, the trusted friend / who has suborn a sorcerer like this”


• P7: Chorus is saying the plague is caused by the entire population of Thebes, but it is actually caused by Oedipus (scapegoat)


• P3: “For in your case his own particular pain comes to each singly; but my heart at once groans for the city, and for myself, and you.”


• P16: Tiresias, “And to your fathers who begat you”… “this day shall give you birth and death in one.”


• Tiresias, the murderer is both a native and a stranger, able to see yet blind, taking place of multiple relationships


• P23: “City! My City!” – “The city is mine too, not yours alone…”


• P36: “What, did not Polybus beget me?” … “How my own sire no more than nobody?”


• P42: Oedipus acknowledges the multiplicity of his relationships


• P38: Oedipus calls himself a child of fortune – multiple mothers

posted by Jeffrey @ Tuesday, February 07, 2006 0 comments

Note Source Assignment

posted by Jeffrey @ Thursday, February 02, 2006 0 comments

Oedipus: Tragic Flaw

Tragic Flaw

Weakness of character that contributes to the character’s downfall

Pride – thought he could change his fate Krista, Sarah, Courtney

• P21: To Creon – Oedipus says that Oedipus will not be found a murderer
• P3: To Thebes – everyone could be guilty, but Oedipus is not
• P?: Thought he could change is fate by running away from Corinth
• P16: To Tiresias – Oedipus takes pride in his ability to solve riddles & doesn’t care if it is his ruin
• Refuses to believe that he is not the prince of Corinth
• Kills Laius (smites) out of pride because Laius would not give way

Anger Chris, Perry, Aaron

Carelessness – did not do enough to avoid his fate Angie, Katie, Dana

Impulsiveness/rashness – acts on emotion Andrew, Kristin

Ignorance Kyle, Daidre

posted by Jeffrey @ Wednesday, January 25, 2006 0 comments

Oedipus: Fate vs. Guilt

Oedipus is Guilty

• He’s guilty because he tried to change his fate – by trying to avoid his fate, he makes his fate come true
• Killed a man
• Kills Laius out of pride & anger
• Slept with his mother
• Pride: Tells the people to solve the problem themselves, not to look to the gods.
• Stubborn blindness: gets mad at Tiresias; Tiresias calls Oedipus blind; insists on pursuing the issue after Jocasta urges him to stop; blames everyone else for his problems; P 18 I: Oedipus is criticized for trying to flee from his prophecy

Oedipus is a victim of fate

• Oracle is infallible: “With what doom art thou sent?”
• Apollo is called invincible
• P 18 I: Oedipus is criticized for trying to flee from his prophecy
• Kills Laius out of self-defense
• Laius did not appear as royalty – Oedipus didn’t know he was killing a king
• Tried to get away – to avoid performing his fated evil
• Jocasta tells Oedipus that her baby was killed
• Jocasta & Laius try to avoid fate by killing Oedipus, but failed
• Everyone involved tried to avoid fate, but were not able to
• Oedipus fulfills his prophecy in complete ignorance

posted by Jeffrey @ Monday, January 16, 2006 0 comments

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus

posted by Jeffrey @ Monday, January 09, 2006 0 comments

Work

posted by Jeffrey @ Wednesday, January 04, 2006 0 comments