Response to Course Materials #4

    So. Much. Hamlet. That is about all we have done since the last course materials response post. The first exercise was read the play aloud in class. At times, I really struggled to understand what was going on, but it helped when we would have a mini discussion right after each scene. After taking a week or so to get through the play, we began watching it. The first version we viewed was the Tennent version. This was a more modern take on the antiquated play. Watching the film made me dislike Polonius even more than I did when just reading it. He is so nosey and is interested in everyone's business all the time. I enjoyed the symbolism of the bare feet, as well as seeing some of the key scenes. At first I was not a fan of Ophelia in the Tennent version, but I think she did a great job in the scene where she goes crazy. The next film we watched was the Branagh version. The first scene we viewed was the ghost scene, and the ghost was creepy. His piercing blue eyes gave me chills. It was interesting to compare the two films. In the fencing scene, there are many people observing the fight in the Branagh version. In the Tennent version there is just a select group of people. Unfortunately, I missed the last two clips, but I did hear from classmates that Hamlet and Horatio had a special relationship. I did not pick up on this from reading, but there are many ways to interpret it. This week we will be wrapping up our discussion and then it is winter break!