1984 Story Board

Hamlets Delay

It is hypothesised that Hamlet had many reasons for his delay in taking action; however, one particular theory makes the most logical sense and in which has the most evidence leaning in its direction: Hamlet meditated when he ought to have acted. It can be proven correct by a simple line such as And this the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er the with the pale cast of thought (III, I, 85-86). Other evidence would be from the character foil of Fortinbras and Laertes with Hamlet; which it outlines Hamlets characteristics. There are also other theories that suggest another reason for Hamlets delay which can be disqualified because of hit-and-miss ideologies. After taking a look at one theory and its reason for not working, the wrong answer actually helps back up the solid theory.

Hamlet has to deal with his father’s death and his mothers too soon marriage to his father’s brother. After the ghost of his father comes from the grave, he tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered him and that Hamlet must avenge his death. With this task daunting Hamlets mind he says And this the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er the with the pale cast of thought (III, I, 85-86). Hamlet is saying that what if this does not work, and then what happens next is unexpected. He is worried about the consequences of his actions if he were to kill Claudius. Hamlet thinks very critically about the situation and why he must do this. This is shown during Hamlets soliloquy while Claudius is praying. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now I’ll do’t: and so he goes to heaven: and I am so revenged. That would be scann’d (III, III, 74-76). The key word in this is scann’d for it means that the current situation should be considered carefully. The phrase summed up means that Hamlet could kill Claudius right there because he was praying: the perfect time to strike; however, if Hamlet were to kill him then Claudius would go to heaven. Hamlet could not let Claudius go there, and as angry as Hamlet was, Hamlet thought that he should think this thoroughly through as possible. After Hamlet was done analysing the situation he ends up going to see his mother and leaves Claudius to pray. Thus Hamlet meditated when he ought to have acted.

When you compare Hamlet with Laertes and Fortinbras in a sense of archetypes, Hamlet’s logical side is more apparent. Fortinbras is the chief. He is thoroughly determined to accomplish his goals, is tough and is born to lead. When his father, the King of Norway, died Fortinbras wanted to reclaim his father’s land that his father had lost to Denmark. He planned to regain this land as quick as he could so he assembled an army and took action of his plan. Laertes is classified as the warrior. A warrior acts with honour. When Laertes found out that his father and sister died, he wanted to restore their family honour and he reacted fairly quickly and would do anything to succeed. Hamlet on the other hand, is the philosopher. Here the philosopher acts calmly, only believes in hard facts and thinks issues out thoroughly. The philosopher does not act out, and if he were too he would analytically verbally act out. When compared to Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet is defiantly not the type of person to act out physically and is more likely to let his opportunity to pass while he is still contemplating every aspect of the situation.

Several numbers of people believe in different theories for Hamlet’s delay in reacting to the situation. Another theory suggested is that Hamlet was delayed because of external obstacles. This theory can be rejected in that there is one huge issue with it: he is the Prince and thus he had a great extent of power. Sure the King had a number of guards around him the majority of the time, it is still excusable because Hamlet could have ordered them away and the guards would have to comply with his orders. Even if the guards were around Claudius the vast amount of time, there are still some moments in which the King was by himself. The prime example would be when Claudius was in the church. It can be suggested that he was alone because he had confessed his involvement of killing his brother while having an affair with his wife. Claudius would not have risked any person to hear his crimes. In theory and evidence, the external obstacles would not have been an issue for Hamlet but rather suggest that Hamlet does not act upon incidences but thinks about them.

Hamlet meditated when he ought to have acted. It is as simple as that. Hamlet’s character type supports this theory because he is no warrior or chief, he is a philosopher in which he thinks things through and does not act upon issues physically. Sure throughout the play Hamlet does slay Polonius thinking that it was Claudius, and does end up killing Claudius in the very end but it was not a truly successful mission. If Hamlet did not hesitate to take charge of his father’s revenge then there would not have been as many casualties but he did succeed in his task, no matter the misfortune of others and his ultimate death himself.

Personal Responce: Honor and Certainty

Life is full of surprises. They can be good or bad sudden changes but are a part of who we are today, and can change one self’s honor and certainty in a flash. Grade 12 is full of choices, responsibility and stress. Yet we, the students, stay and push our limits to exceed our norm for a better future. It is this nameless “future” that is the unknown for the majority of fellow students, and its uncertainty puts us into overdrive to put some certainty in this busy world. The only thing that keeps a person moving on is his or her self honor. The next step in life is post secondary which is worrisome because you leave most things you know and enter a whole new world. This change is tough but, honor is one thing that always pulls a person through the rough times. Sure all you think is that “okay, I have rent to pay and I now I have to make the best of this ambiguous life”. However I think that the uncertainty is important to people to experience every once in awhile. Personally, I think the uncertain is the certainty of life as it cannot be always predicted. For all we know life could end tomorrow or in thousands of years. Honor is something that an individual must acquire on a personal level for it is not something a person can give to another. It is such a huge part of a person’s soul that there is no way to define it for a general group of people because it is different for every single person in this world. For this assignment we had to choose which reference (out of three) which we could relate most, and for me, it was the picture called 120 km/h by Jan Saudek. I don’t relate to it yet but hopefully I will in the future. The reason for this is because the young person is sitting on a crossing gate, seemingly to be perfectly balanced and with no desire to do anything but watch the train pass. It seems like the person is certain that he does know what he should do with his life because he is relaxed and at peace and so this person is acting upon his honor. Honor is respect, admiration, reputation, and pride that one has for his/her own self. If one loses their honor and certainty then they struggle to regain them. I would assume that a person would try to restore them by doing the right thing for themselves, whether it be apologizing to someone or even to make up for his or her own mistakes. I do not know much about honor or even certainty; but that is alright because I am still young and have not experienced much in this world to merely understand the full concept of restoring honor. As for certainty, well there is hardly any certainty amongst the population because life changes constantly, thus creating the wonderful world of uncertainty.

Mine honor is my life: both grown in one; Take honor from me, and my life is done.

–William Shakespeare

Thinkexist. (1999-2010). Honor Quotes. Retrieved January 13, 2011, from Thinkexist.com: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/honor/

Laertes the Pawn Archetype

Cast

Laertes - Shicara

Warrior - M'Lynn

Outcast - Doulton

Director - Justine and Hannah