Mr. Sullivan, my 12th grade English teacher, made us dress up in Burger King crowns and sword fight with paper towel tubes to make sense of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Here at the American School in Guadalajara we are going to use the internet instead. In the posts below, follow us as we seek to understand why this really is the greatest play in the English language.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Act V, 1
Hamlet’s interaction with the gravediggers is one of my favorite scenes in al of literature.What does it reveal to us about Hamlet?
Also, knowing me as your teacher all year, why do you think I like it?
I think that you like it because of a few things. One, because it uses a sort of sarcastic humor with a lot of double meanings, and i think that most English teachers appreciate both of those types of humor because they are more intelligent than just "potty jokes." I also think that you like it because it changes some type of stereotypes that society creates. For example, a gravedigger isn't typically as smart or smarter than a prince. Most of the time, they will portray the gravedigger as an idiot who the prince easily outsmarts. But, this time they sort of turned the tables. That, is why i think you like this scene.
Hi Mr. this time at definitely not posting at 3 00 am LOL. I think that the reason you like this scene so much its because its really controversial and it would also be kind of awkward if it happened in real life. I also think that you like how both Hamlet and the grave digger use the language specially the grave dogger that proves that a poor person can still be smart and how he uses his language to play around with Hamlet that all trough-out the play has been shown to us as a smart character that is able to use both his language and improvisation to manipulate people or to trick them. I think that the scene in real life would be somewhat like Ms. Heinze getting played over or someone making her look silly, someone like an 8th grader that you love so much Mr.
i think you like the scene because it places someone in a situation where tipically the speaker would not be very smart,but he is. also the one who was supposed to be smart end up not being as smart as the other person. it reveals to us about Hamlet that sarcasm is liked and used because roles were switched lucia
Carlos I believe you like this scene because of a few reasons. First, throughout the play, Hamlet is the only one who happens to be intelligent, or a "mastermind", but having the gravedigger show he is also more than he appears makes the audience understand the complex attitude of the gravedigger. His responses are what you might call stupid, or a game, but for the gravedigger to answer such words, he had to be a wise, intelligent man. Nobody would suspect the gravedigger to be such a retired, yet observant fellow. His words have more philosophic meaning than literall meaning.
Diego Torres What this scene tells me about Hamlet is that he is not that clever as we thought so, since a grave digger, a person with absolutely no education, outsmarted Hamlet in their conversation. In think you really like this scene because you feel it is really ironic that a grave digger, someone usually classified by society as a non intelligent person without education, could actually played with the mind of a high class educated prince. I think you also like this scene because the grave digger is another example of Shakespeare's complex characters. In that really short scene that the grave digger appears you could already know many things about him which prove that Shakespeare really liked to create a series of complex character which make all his plays as if they were real.
I liked the gravedigger scene a lot! I think that Hamlet's interaction with the gravediggers shows us that Hamlet is a little arrogant. I think he was unsettled by billy crystal's intelligence. I dont think that Hamlet was used to being challenged in that manner. I think that you like this scene mainly because of the character that billy crystal portrays. In the scene while he is surrounded by people that are royalty and yet the whole time he seems content and in a way amused with the fact that there is much more than meets the eye with him. Its like he knows something that no one else in the world knows. Its hard to explain but he carries himself with an air of unearthliness.
Hamlets interactions with the gravediggers is shakespear's way of telling everyone that no matter what birth status yo have or in what position you are we are all human and can be in the same level of intelligence. The gravedigger outsmarted the educated prince. It's also stated that at the end of your life it doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are because you will end as dust next to everyone else.
Fernando Carmona Period:7 I think that Mr. Gerber likes the scene where Hamlet interacts with the graveiggers because he enjoys how a person with poor education makes a difficult dialogue for Hamlet. I tink Mr, Gerer likes how this person is being difficult for the prince with all of his studies and astucy.
What this scene represents is how we will all eventually end in the same place, and it isn't money that makes a person but intelligence. Hamlet comes upon a gravedigger which proves to outwit Hamlet and use the same clever tone as him.
I think that you like this scene, because it proves the classical stereotype omf money wrong. Usually you would expect the nobility to be the intelligent while a grave digger which has a lousy job to be the complete opposite. Still in this secne it rpoves the complete opposite, the grave digger is perfectly capable of fooling Hamlet with his intelligence.I think you also like it because of the double meaning tone as well as the joy that Billy Crystal has towards his job, searching for the positive side nstead of the flaws.
Well as I heard in class that you explained you like the scene because it reminds of you when you play with people. I remember as well that it reminded you of an uncle in wichhe was not educated but was very smart. I also follow it really interesting that the grave digger indeed is as smart as Hamlet wich i think you probably enjoy as well the idea of intelligance of a main character with a not important one is interesting.
when hamlet interacts with the gravedigger a great scene takes place. Firstly because both hamlet and the gravedigger are really intelligent people that both think that they are making a fool out of the other one. So their conversation ends up being a very rich, sarcastic, humoristic and metaphoric with a lot of double meaning that makes a really memorable part of the play and that is why i think you like it so much.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI think that you like it because of a few things. One, because it uses a sort of sarcastic humor with a lot of double meanings, and i think that most English teachers appreciate both of those types of humor because they are more intelligent than just "potty jokes." I also think that you like it because it changes some type of stereotypes that society creates. For example, a gravedigger isn't typically as smart or smarter than a prince. Most of the time, they will portray the gravedigger as an idiot who the prince easily outsmarts. But, this time they sort of turned the tables. That, is why i think you like this scene.
ReplyDeleteDominic Sena
Period 7
i forgot to put it on the first post
Hi Mr. this time at definitely not posting at 3 00 am LOL. I think that the reason you like this scene so much its because its really controversial and it would also be kind of awkward if it happened in real life. I also think that you like how both Hamlet and the grave digger use the language specially the grave dogger that proves that a poor person can still be smart and how he uses his language to play around with Hamlet that all trough-out the play has been shown to us as a smart character that is able to use both his language and improvisation to manipulate people or to trick them. I think that the scene in real life would be somewhat like Ms. Heinze getting played over or someone making her look silly, someone like an 8th grader that you love so much Mr.
ReplyDeleteJuan Gutierrez
i think you like the scene because it places someone in a situation where tipically the speaker would not be very smart,but he is. also the one who was supposed to be smart end up not being as smart as the other person.
ReplyDeleteit reveals to us about Hamlet that sarcasm is liked and used because roles were switched
lucia
Carlos
ReplyDeleteI believe you like this scene because of a few reasons. First, throughout the play, Hamlet is the only one who happens to be intelligent, or a "mastermind", but having the gravedigger show he is also more than he appears makes the audience understand the complex attitude of the gravedigger. His responses are what you might call stupid, or a game, but for the gravedigger to answer such words, he had to be a wise, intelligent man. Nobody would suspect the gravedigger to be such a retired, yet observant fellow. His words have more philosophic meaning than literall meaning.
Diego Torres
ReplyDeleteWhat this scene tells me about Hamlet is that he is not that clever as we thought so, since a grave digger, a person with absolutely no education, outsmarted Hamlet in their conversation.
In think you really like this scene because you feel it is really ironic that a grave digger, someone usually classified by society as a non intelligent person without education, could actually played with the mind of a high class educated prince.
I think you also like this scene because the grave digger is another example of Shakespeare's complex characters. In that really short scene that the grave digger appears you could already know many things about him which prove that Shakespeare really liked to create a series of complex character which make all his plays as if they were real.
I liked the gravedigger scene a lot! I think that Hamlet's interaction with the gravediggers shows us that Hamlet is a little arrogant. I think he was unsettled by billy crystal's intelligence. I dont think that Hamlet was used to being challenged in that manner.
ReplyDeleteI think that you like this scene mainly because of the character that billy crystal portrays. In the scene while he is surrounded by people that are royalty and yet the whole time he seems content and in a way amused with the fact that there is much more than meets the eye with him. Its like he knows something that no one else in the world knows. Its hard to explain but he carries himself with an air of unearthliness.
Andrea Jarero
Hamlets interactions with the gravediggers is shakespear's way of telling everyone that no matter what birth status yo have or in what position you are we are all human and can be in the same level of intelligence. The gravedigger outsmarted the educated prince. It's also stated that at the end of your life it doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are because you will end as dust next to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteFernanda Morales
Fernando Carmona
ReplyDeletePeriod:7
I think that Mr. Gerber likes the scene where Hamlet interacts with the graveiggers because he enjoys how a person with poor education makes a difficult dialogue for Hamlet. I tink Mr, Gerer likes how this person is being difficult for the prince with all of his studies and astucy.
What this scene represents is how we will all eventually end in the same place, and it isn't money that makes a person but intelligence. Hamlet comes upon a gravedigger which proves to outwit Hamlet and use the same clever tone as him.
ReplyDeleteI think that you like this scene, because it proves the classical stereotype omf money wrong. Usually you would expect the nobility to be the intelligent while a grave digger which has a lousy job to be the complete opposite. Still in this secne it rpoves the complete opposite, the grave digger is perfectly capable of fooling Hamlet with his intelligence.I think you also like it because of the double meaning tone as well as the joy that Billy Crystal has towards his job, searching for the positive side nstead of the flaws.
Mauricio Ortega
Period7
Well as I heard in class that you explained you like the scene because it reminds of you when you play with people. I remember as well that it reminded you of an uncle in wichhe was not educated but was very smart. I also follow it really interesting that the grave digger indeed is as smart as Hamlet wich i think you probably enjoy as well the idea of intelligance of a main character with a not important one is interesting.
ReplyDeleteErick Gutierrez
when hamlet interacts with the gravedigger a great scene takes place. Firstly because both hamlet and the gravedigger are really intelligent people that both think that they are making a fool out of the other one. So their conversation ends up being a very rich, sarcastic, humoristic and metaphoric with a lot of double meaning that makes a really memorable part of the play and that is why i think you like it so much.
ReplyDeleteEduardo Becerra
Closed.
ReplyDelete-Mr. Paul