kathleenegr1′s Blog

After reading the last act of Hamlet I could not formulate any concrete opinions on how I felt the conclusion of the play went. My first reaction was “oh that was too predictable, all Shakespeere tragedies are the same. However, looking back, I think I’m just full of it and in reality I probably could have called that everyone would die but how/why they breathed their last breath I couldn’t have called.  

Gertrude’s death really irked me. I thought that more dialogue should have been devoted to her death because she was such a key character throughout the play. Caludius’ reaction was low even for him. I knew that he would always save his own skin before others but I believed that he genuinely loved Gertrude and I thought he might have done more to prevent her from killing herself or being killed. This wasn’t a disappointment though, because I really liked Caludius’ personality and this made him a more interesting character.  Claudius’ record was very impressive- every single death in the  play can be traced to something he planned or did.

I felt that the demise of Hamlet was acceptable, definitely the best death in the play. He closing dialogue was very appropriate. Hamlet has been one of my favorite characters throughout the play and the way he apologized to Laertes before the duel really bothered me. I feel that since he is blaming Claudius for all his problems anyway he shouldn’t have tried to take the blame at the end. I really can’t believe that a full blown Claudius-Hamlet verbal/physical smack-down did not take place. I was looking forward to some concrete fighting where Hamlet actually said everything he was feeling. The exchange they did have felt weak and then he had even more to be angry about.

The fact that Fortinbras got the last words in the play seemed very fitting. It showed that everything the family went through was essentially meaningless since the country and world will go on as if nothing happened. Power will be transferred and history will be forgotten. This fits in perfectly with Hamlet’s views that life is pointless since we will all end up getting eaten by the worms in the dirt. I kind of get the feeling that Shakespeare was a tad depressed while writing this.

Act IV

 In Act four Claudius proves himself to be one of the most manipulative cowards in literature. He seems unable to do anything without guarding his back and strategizing. Instead of risking losing support of his countrymen that care for Hamlet Claudius opts to send Hamlet to England to be murdered so there is no chance of him being blamed. This really disgusts me. In the beginning I favored Claudius over Hamlet because I liked the way he took actions and got things done but now I feel that he is too rat-like and too sneaky to praise. He is quite desperate to be rid of Hamlet for obvious reasons but I was still slightly shocked that he was strategizing and planning with Laertes to have Hamlet killed. I expected him to give Laertes permission to kill him obviously but I assumed he would still try to protect himself and leave the killing up to Laertes. I titled this post “Politic Worms” because Hamlet said these words in act four to the king and though they are discussing Polonious the phrase epitomizes Claudius perfectly.

This act was truly a steep felling action from the climax in that most of the characters seem to be falling a part. Laertes’ fury has consumed him because of Polonious and later Ophelia and revenge is all he can think about. I will be very disappointed if Laertes kills Hamlet because I don’t really care for him one way or another and he doesn’t seem like an important enough character to kill him. I really started to believe that Hamlets’ insanity was more than just an act in the beginning couple scenes of this act. Especially in the second scene in which Hamlet is talking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and calls them sponges to the king and later runs away. His maddnesss is too believable to just be an act and I think that is frusterations with his failure to get revenge have gone to his head. He is playing games now like how he wouldn’t reveal where he hid Polonius’ body. Ophelia’s deterioration was also played out rather quickly. I don’t think that Shakespere did her justice in her demise but the part in which she compared Claudius and Gertrude to flowers was very interesting (the significance of it im not sure however). Her death was very dissapointing and left me confused (as was intended) as to if she committed sucide or was weighed down by her clothes.

I chose this line as my title because I found it very intriguing. Hamlet is speaking to his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and is sort of ranting about the sadness and frustrations he has experienced since his fathers death. Here we see his suicidal attitude again as his compares humankind to dust deeming it as worthless. As I wrote about in my post for act 1, Hamlet’s depressive attitude bothers and annoys me. However as Mrs. Hazel predicted my animosity dwindled slightly towards Hamlet because I found his witty remarks to be the best part of the play thus far. The conversation between Polonious and Hamlet in which Hamlet calls Polonious a “fishmonger” was very enjoyable. I found it interesting while reading it but the scene was definitely enhanced with the video. The first day e watched the movie I was disappointed with the Hamlet casting because I felt that he was to old to make it seem realistic. As the film progressed my opinion changed dramatically.  The actor’s portrayal of Hamlet’s character with the witty looks and remarks is so perfect that I think it makes up for some physical attributes that may not match up.

Something from this act that really confused me is Claudius’ intention with Hamlet. At the surface it would seem that he is genuinely concerned for his well-being: sending for his friends, investigating his love for Ophelia. Yet knowing what cruelties Claudius is capable of good intentions is highly unlikely. Sending spies out to research your “son/nephew” would annoy anybody so I was a little surprised at the lack of anger Hamlet showed after discovering his “uncles/fathers” plan. I am still hoping for a heated blowout between Claudius and Hamlet without tricks or disguises in which they both say everything the have been keeping pent up inside but that sounds a little too simple for Shakespeare.

The first act in Hamlet left be without a favorite character to cheer for.  Maybe its cheesy but i always need some underdog good-guy or even interesting villain to capture my attention. I think that possibly as the plot progresses Ophelia will become my ally because she seems fairly likable. I know for certain that i absolutely do not care for Hamlet himself. His monologues make me gag in fact. Yes, I understand his father died and his mother hooked up with his uncle in lighting fast speed after so I suppose his frustrations are valid but there is still something about him i can’t stand. I usually feel that way about the main character in Shakespeare though, they all seem a tad to dramtic for my likings. Actually I think in most novels my favorite characters are always minor ones, maybe i just dont like the way a lot of authors use the major characters to progress the plot. This is especially true in Hamlets case. So far between Uncle and Nephew im going with Claudius. I really like his attitude: he goes after what he wants. He wants the throne- murders the kings, he wants Gertrude- suduces her with no problem; he is really a guy who gets things done without coming up with long annoying, dramtic plans like Hamlets revenge is sure to be. The other characters so far havent evoked any particular strong emotions except i think that Polonius is a very needy rat-like man. So my blog post is sort of turning into a complaing rant but i actually like Hamlet very much so far. Disliking the protaginst gives it some flavor. I hate how i know its a tradgegy though, that really kind of ruins the ending. Oh well, I guess i can still guess how everybody is going to go.

Connection to the essay that explains how Peter Gabriel’s song “Mercy Street” on his album “So” is a tribute to Anne Sexton.

http://www.solsburyhill.org/essays/so.htm

I want to leave

Rupture the connections

Yet I will not take that step

I fear the consequences

My dancing shoes are dusty

 The light dazzles

But the fascination dwindles

Misinterpret the message and all goes off course

Alone once more

While writing this poem I referenced Anne Sexton’s poem “Wanting to Die” that she wrote in tribute to Sylvia Plath. I tried to represent the feeling of Sexton especially her depression. She confided to her physiatrist of faded excitement and not being able to find joy in things she once did so I tried to use this by mentioning the dusty dancing shoes.  Overall my poem, like Sextons, is, in a sense, a precursor to a suicide note, it is a confession of utter unhappiness and the conflict of giving in and being with those who have “crossed over” and remaining with the only the faded memory of past joy. I attempted to stray away from rhyme and meter patterns because that is common in Sextons. I actually chose the word dazzle before I relied Sexton used that word in “Wanting to Die,” so that was a sort of eerie moment for me. Writing like Sexton was very challenging because of her dark nature and strong opinions. When reading Sexton’s poetry it is obvious that it is very personal and almost like a diary entry so that was my mindset while writing thr poem.

When we started this project I was extremely intimidated. Technology has never been a strong point of mine and the thought of an entire project done on the computer was rather terrifying. I actually enjoyed this project more than I thought I would. Choosing Anne Sexton was a good choice for me because I like poetry that has a clear message. Getting to know Anne Sexton through her poetry was very enjoyable. Her confessional style of poetry was interesting because it felt like I was actually getting a taste of what Anne was really like. It was similar to reading a personal diary. The structure of the project was probably a little to relaxed for m. I would tend to wait too long before starting my blogging because I didn’t understand how much work was actually involved. I might suggest stressing the significance a tad more. Also sometimes it was a little hard to get a feeling for what you ere looking for but I am sure that in future classes you will be able to show them previous blogs so that will help so they now what a good blog looks like and what a crappy blog looks like.

http://camillehegr1.edublogs.org/2009/03/28/sadness-my-sad-but-concrete-attempt-to-master-kenyons-style/#comment-11

http://maddieegr1.edublogs.org/2009/03/23/adrienne-rich-and-margaret-atwood/#comment-16

http://nicoleegr1.edublogs.org/2009/03/09/sylvia-plath-biography-of-a-poet/#comments

http://www.thingsmeanalot.com/2008/06/transformations-by-anne-sexton.html

“Confessional poetry is the poetry of the personal or “I.” This style of writing emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is associated with poets such as Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and W.D. Snodgrass. Lowell’s book Life Studies was a highly personal account of his life and familial ties, and had a significant impact on American poetry. Plath and Sexton were both students of Lowell and noted that his work influenced their own writing.” 

When searching “confessional poets” Lowell, Plath, Snodgrass and Sexton are the names that constantly appear. The connections between the poetry of Plath, Sexton and Lowell are remarkable. Robert Lowell taught a poetry workshop in the summer of 1959 that both Plath and Sexton attended it is very obvious that these women were influenced immensely. The similarities between these three poets are shocking;

Plath, Sexton and Lowell were all institutionalized. Both women committed suicide.

  They each struggled with mental illnesses  which can be seen in their poetry. Each took great risks in choosing the subject matter for their poetry. They shocked a society and were sometimes criticized for it. “The confessional poetry of the mid-twentieth century dealt with subject matter that previously had not been openly discussed in American poetry. Private experiences with and feelings about death, trauma, depression and relationships were addressed in this type of poetry, often in an autobiographical manner. Sexton in particular was interested in the psychological aspect of poetry, having started writing at the suggestion of her therapist.”

Personally I feel as if Sexton and Plath share more characteristics that the rest of the confessional poets.  The two women obviously had a close relationship with each other and even dedicated poems to each other. The most recognized is Anne’s poem she wrote as a tribute to Sylvia after she took her life titled, “Sylvia’s Death.”  In this poem Anne speaks of the death she “wanted so badly and for so long,”

She also mentions that they discussed cures for their issues and Anne appears to be upset that Slyvia did not wait for her as they were partners throughout their struggles.  One year after Sylvia took her life Anne was inspired to write another poem titled “Wanting to Die,’ that mentions a women waiting for her where suicides meet alluding the death of Sylvia.  Both women were feminists of their time who addresses misconceptions of empowered women like in Sextons poem,” Her Kind,” and Plath’s poem “Witch Burning.”  Each poem depicts the common stereotypes on women. While reading poetry by Plath or Sexton I honestly could not say the author without looking. Their diction, style, subject matter, and even titles are remarkably similar.

While searching for scholarly support for my own conclusion on the intertextuality between Anne Sexton and the “major masters,” ended up being more difficult than I imagined. My frustration grew as I scrolled through pages upon pages on the vast similarities between Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. Frankly- I get it. Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and the other confessional poets were a great little cult-like group who wrote about similar things in a similar fashion. I guess scholars just get to hyped up on that to dig deeper into where the confessional poets, as a whole, were influenced.

Automatically when I thought of the masters and Sexton Dickinson popped into my mind because of their similar subject matter. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was not the only person who recognized this; “It’s appropriate to mention her similarities to Dickinson, another female New England poet who wrote in unconventional ways about personal subjects, religion, and mortality.”  Both Sexton and Dickinson used poetry as a way to express their feeling they otherwise would have kept inside. These women were both confined to the limits society set on them and their questioning emulates their frustrations. Emily Dickinson question regarding death in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” mirrors those Anne was provoked by while writing “The Truth the dead know,” However, subject matter is pretty much where their similarities end. Their writing style and use of language is on complete different poles.

After thinking of Dickinson I thought of other masters who were somewhat confessional and used “I” as the subject in their poems while struggling to find connections I stumbled across a literature map of Anne Sexton. It was very intriguing; as I opened the page Anne Sextons name appeared in the center as other poets’ names fluttered towards and way from it. When it stopped moving those names that had similarities with Anne Sexton were close and those with fewer connections were further away. To no surprise at all Sylvia Plath was in the closest proximity to Anne’s name. The abundance of information on the relationship between those two women is almost frustrating when trying to find other influences. However this map appeared to be somewhat successful because Ezra Pound’s name appeared a decent distance away. The map provided a clue for my own personal investigations. Ezra Pound is known for developing the Imagist style of writing which has been defined as; “Imagist poems deliver a clear and understandable image in a musical rhythm.” Although many would disagree, I believe that Anne Sexton should be considered (somewhat) of an Imagist poet. Her poetry typically has one prominent image that is engrained in the readers mind (these images are somewhat controversial at times like her poetry that explores incest).  However, Ezra pound’s imagist poems are somewhat extreme compared to Anne’s. For example,  “Although short, “In A Station Of The Metro” conveys Imagist style of “one-image poems.” . This one-liner is able to convey a sharp defined image with only fourteen words. Comparing Ezra to Anne was not nearly as challenging as I anticipated.  I choose to look at Anne’s The Kiss and Ezra’s The Bath-tub. Both poems are relatively short descriptions of simple things.  In both poems the descriptive images are of everyday objects; “delicate boxes of Kleenex,” (The Kiss) and “bathtub lined with white porcelain” (the Bath-tub). The poems both discuss sexuality; “Before today my body was useless,” (The Kiss), “the slow cooling of our chivalrous passion” (The bath-tub). Reading these poems I feel as if the narrator could be the same person reflecting on a past sexual encounter although the Tone of The Kiss seems to be more eager while Ezra’s is somewhat reflective on possible disappointment. Ezra’s longer poems such as “Nicotine,” have remarkable similarities to Anne’s poems particularly The Addict.” Both poets seem to have a dependence on some sort of drug and the way they praise the relationship they share with their drug is uncanny. “Nicotine,” is an excellent example of a Pound poem that evokes multiple images yet still conveys one message, which is characteristic of all Sexton poems.