April
28
ELA B30: Ap 28 Hamlet Act IV ends / questions…
- We reviewed a bit the question of where in the play Hamlet’s fate was sealed – was it at the death of Polonius or was it when he had opportunity to kill Claudius but fails to…. or was it way back when he followed the Ghost and was then tempted by a devil that has set him on this course to his death? Whoo.. too many possibilities!
- The students copied from the board the notes written there that label what each flower Ophelia passed around symbolized at the time. These flowers have meaning and show her true feelings towards the people int he play. This would be a really good exam question, hint hint!
- We tried to continue with reading / listening to our audio of the play but the speakers weren’t acting properly so we continued on with me doing the reading. I stop and explain, over and over as I read, so it is very unlikely that anyone can be lost at this point in the play… unless they are not on task during our classes. Following along and listening while you’re here is more important than just being here. To make this point clear, I told the students at the end of class that there may or may not be a quiz tomorrow to test their comprehension.
- We discussed the questions for this Act and will be able to move on to our final Act tomorrow.
Hey, Ms. Waldner, I just wanted to re-phrase what I was trying to say in class, because no one really understood. lol, and its been bugging me.
The question was about whether Ophelia was upset because of her father’s death or because of something else.
After writing down the meaning of the flowers that Ophelia was handing out, especially to the King and Queen, it occured to me that she had looked into the adultery and wickedness of the two more than anyone else in the castle (except Hamlet and Horatio). I think this is because she understood the meaning behind the play Hamlet had written. (Remember, she asked Hamlet if the players were going to explain what they had just acted out, and he said he wasn’t going to tell her. Then she said that she was going to watch and figure it out for herself.) Then, Hamlet disappeared and she may have put two and two together. This could be why she was upset, and why she was insulting everyone with giving out the flowers, and not being able to give anyone the flowers of innocence.
I don’t know, of course its probably a question that’s up for interpretation, and we haven’t finished the play yet. Your nagging questions are becoming some of my own!!
Nic! Yay! I’m a nag, you’re a nag, everywhere a nag, nag! lol
I am sorry I didn’t give you the opportunity to correct your meaning during class. I’m sure I was taken off the topic by one of those pesky Currie boys who seemed to be tossing theories around with you. I understand your meaning now. Perhaps Ophelia was piecing things together. What else would she be doing with her time since she wasn’t in any of the scenes. Understanding the meaning behind the flowers and who they were given to definitely leads a reader to believe she understood people for their true selves, so she must have had reasons. That’s so great that you are reading the play so carefully as to remember she said she’d figure it out for herself.
I had to laugh in your last comment when you made a joke about the “nagging questions” and, truth be told, I have never taught Hamlet with these nagging questions but it’s pretty cool to distinguish these questions as bigger ones that you can be aware of but not necessarily have a concrete answer right now.
I’m glad you were able to clarify what you were thinking. Let’s be sure to see what the class thinks tomorrow, okay?
Oh, no that’s okay, I just got thinking about it. And Graeme says that you must be talking about Jarrett! lol in my opinion they are all more than pesky…. yes that’s right all you Currie boys!!