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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Techniques Needed for Success on the AP Exam
In preparation for the AP Exam, utilize your knowledge of Hamlet to identify and analyze two specific examples of imagery used in the play.
Slanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree gum; and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams. All which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir, should be old as I am if, like a crab, you could go backward.
In this excerpt from Shakespeare’s dark tragedy, the reader gains insight not only into the madness of Hamlet but also the maniacal and controlling nature of Polonius. Ophelia’s father, at the behest of Hamlet’s uncle and usurper of the throne, Claudius, has entered into a conversation with the Prince to ascertain his mental state and confronts a seemingly lunatic who paints powerful images of cynicism. Using personification, Hamlet transforms slander into “old men with gray beards” with “wrinkles”, suggesting senility to the reader’s mind. Further, he comments on their eyes “purging thick amber”. The adjective “amber”, a color and material that connotes slowness, age, and fossilization, attacks Polonius as an ancient and overbearing sycophant of Claudius. Hamlet’s image is replete with comments on aging and the process of decay, bringing to mind a individual so old that the body could be confused with a corpse. To end with a final flair, Hamlet gives a non-sequitur at the end of his strange but powerful monologue.
Act III, Scene iii, Lines 2289-2299
The single and peculiar life is bound With all the strength and armour of the mind To keep itself from noyance; but much more That spirit upon whose weal depends and rests The lives of many. The cesse of majesty Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw What's near it with it. It is a massy wheel, Fix'd on the summit of the highest mount, To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things Are mortis'd and adjoin'd; which when it falls, Each small annexment, petty consequence, Attends the boist'rous ruin. Never alone Did the king sigh, but with a general groan.
Rosencrantz, in his boisterous and flamboyant attitude, attempts to dispel Claudius qualms about disposing of his nephew, Hamlet. In this simple but effective conceit, he compares Hamlet’s madness as an illness that not only affects Hamlet himself, but that also undermines the health of the land. Using the image of a wheel fixed on a mighty hill and rigged with many cogs, Rosencrantz convinces Claudius that Hamlet must be done away with for the good of the kingdom.
There are several instances of imagery in Hamlet. For example, Hamlet’s discovery of Yorick’s skull is no doubt a sensory experience. Since the death of his father, Hamlet has had an obsession with death, its meaning, and who is at risk for its plague. By uncovering Yorick’s skull, a jester friend of Hamlet’s, Hamlet has a realization that death is a uniform theme in the human experience; it is common, and we all must face it. As Hamlet must literally face death in all its grotesque, he accepts the inevitable cycle, in which, each body no matter what life it housed will decay and return itself to the earth. In this moment, Hamlet experiences a great maturation.
HAMLET No, faith, not a jot. But to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it, as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam—and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer barrel? Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, Might stop a hole to keep the wind away. Oh, that that earth, which kept the world in awe, Should patch a wall t' expel the winter’s flaw! But soft, but soft a while.
Another account of imagery includes the ghost. The ghost, who appears to be Hamlet’s father, makes several appearances, in which he advises Hamlet on seeking revenge. As Ophelia points out, Hamlet and the ghost have certain similarities. She describes him as “loosed out of hell” (like his father’s purgatory spirit?) This parallels with Hamlet’s ghost like presence at certain times in the play, in which he his merely gliding along wondering if his life is “to be or not to be”. The repetitious image of the ghost shows Hamlet’s haunted and uneasy struggle with his father’s death.
OPHELIA: My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced, No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle;(90) Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, And with a look so piteous in purport As if he had been loosed out of hell To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
Bracey: Your analysis of "amber" and the textual evidence you integrated to tie Polonius to your example was very well thought out. Also, the final, imagery ridden symbol of the wheel served as a proper representation of Hamlet's death.
Anna Cait: The crucial description and symbolism of Yorick's skull was an integral theme in the novel that entailed Hamlet's obsession with death. Great job Anna Cait!
In Shakespeare's Hamlet imagery is utilized to foreshadow and emphasize Hamlet's emotions and realizations. In the scene placed in the graveyard, Hamlet holds Yoricks skull in his hand and looks it in the eyes. His connection to the skull leads to a realization of the defiant meaning of death. Hamlet essentially comes face to face with death, finally determining that all die, and no matter who you are, death is finite. The graveyard also shows a bit a growth and aging in Hamlet, whereas literally those who age lie in the ground.
Imagery can also be found in the gardens. Hamlet sees the world as a garden, but not in its beauty and blossoming. He sees it as "rank" and the overgrowth as overbearing. There is irony in the imagery. Instead of picturing a peaceful garden, we ironically imagine Hamlet in a chaotic twist of vines and dead flowers, or ruined. The Garden of Eden can be related as well because the temptation stains or ruins the garden leading to man's end and downfall, which Hamlet sees in the world. We all die and after this reality we are all the same in this "rank" world.
The graveyard scene is an example of imagery as the vivid description of the scene emits an eerie tone. The imagery of the graveyard is used to convey emotions of loss, despair, and depression. These emotions plague Hamlet eventually leading to his suicide. The description of Hamlet conversing with the skull shows his isolation from society and mental disillusionment.
A second example of imagery in Hamlet is Hamlet’s father’s ghost. The ghost drives the central action of the plot as well as the universal theme of revenge. After witnessing his father’s apparition, Hamlet becomes obsessed with death and right vs. wrong. This obsession experienced by Hamlet effects everyone around him as relationships are severed and lives are lost.
@ Kelsey: Your analysis of Hamlet's realization that death is inevitable was a good point to make! GREAT JOB! :)
@ Cassie: I particularyly liked your comment on Hamlet's conversation with the skull. It was a good obseravtion that this conveyed his "isolationfrom society and mental disillusionment". AWESOME!!
Imagery is a very important literary technique that we have learned about this year. It is the use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. It is effective in writing because it can be used to covey an idea or thing indirectly without the author having to directly say it. In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, imagery is used throughout the play in numerous ways. It is first seen in Act one Scene four when Hamlet is having a conversation with Horatio, before his ghost encounter.
Hamlet: The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold. Horatio: It is a nipping and an eager air. Hamlet: What hour now? Horatio: I think it lacks of twelve.
These words back and fourth are more than just a conversation. The statements are to set up the scene. Shakespeare wants the reader to get a mental image of a cold night. He also wants them to know that it is after midnight, which is often related to or known as the bewitching hour. When Horatio describes the air as eager, it gives the idea that something is about to happen.
A second example of imagery is in Act three Scene one.
Hamlet: To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end
This quote is an important use of imagery because it is a representation of the major theme of internal questioning and repression, used throughout the play. It is on of the most famous quotes in the play because of the fact that it is hamlet directly addressing his pondering about what is right and what is wrong. He does not know what actions he wants to take or how to productively and successfully accomplish them. Imagery is used when he says, “to be or not to be.” The author wants the reader to be able to get an idea of Hamlet’s internal conflict and how it is outwardly affecting his thoughts and actions.
Hamlet: Act II, Scene ii, Lines 1300-1306
ReplyDeleteSlanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their eyes purging thick amber and plum-tree gum; and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams. All which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir, should be old as I am if, like a crab, you could go backward.
In this excerpt from Shakespeare’s dark tragedy, the reader gains insight not only into the madness of Hamlet but also the maniacal and controlling nature of Polonius. Ophelia’s father, at the behest of Hamlet’s uncle and usurper of the throne, Claudius, has entered into a conversation with the Prince to ascertain his mental state and confronts a seemingly lunatic who paints powerful images of cynicism. Using personification, Hamlet transforms slander into “old men with gray beards” with “wrinkles”, suggesting senility to the reader’s mind. Further, he comments on their eyes “purging thick amber”. The adjective “amber”, a color and material that connotes slowness, age, and fossilization, attacks Polonius as an ancient and overbearing sycophant of Claudius. Hamlet’s image is replete with comments on aging and the process of decay, bringing to mind a individual so old that the body could be confused with a corpse. To end with a final flair, Hamlet gives a non-sequitur at the end of his strange but powerful monologue.
Act III, Scene iii, Lines 2289-2299
The single and peculiar life is bound With all the strength and armour of the mind To keep itself from noyance; but much more
That spirit upon whose weal depends and rests The lives of many. The cesse of majesty Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw What's near it with it. It is a massy wheel, Fix'd on the summit of the highest mount, To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things Are mortis'd and adjoin'd; which when it falls, Each small annexment, petty consequence, Attends the boist'rous ruin. Never alone Did the king sigh, but with a general groan.
Rosencrantz, in his boisterous and flamboyant attitude, attempts to dispel Claudius qualms about disposing of his nephew, Hamlet. In this simple but effective conceit, he compares Hamlet’s madness as an illness that not only affects Hamlet himself, but that also undermines the health of the land. Using the image of a wheel fixed on a mighty hill and rigged with many cogs, Rosencrantz convinces Claudius that Hamlet must be done away with for the good of the kingdom.
There are several instances of imagery in Hamlet. For example, Hamlet’s discovery of Yorick’s skull is no doubt a sensory experience. Since the death of his father, Hamlet has had an obsession with death, its meaning, and who is at risk for its plague. By uncovering Yorick’s skull, a jester friend of Hamlet’s, Hamlet has a realization that death is a uniform theme in the human experience; it is common, and we all must face it. As Hamlet must literally face death in all its grotesque, he accepts the inevitable cycle, in which, each body no matter what life it housed will decay and return itself to the earth. In this moment, Hamlet experiences a great maturation.
ReplyDeleteHAMLET
No, faith, not a jot. But to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it, as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam—and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer barrel?
Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.
Oh, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall t' expel the winter’s flaw!
But soft, but soft a while.
Another account of imagery includes the ghost. The ghost, who appears to be Hamlet’s father, makes several appearances, in which he advises Hamlet on seeking revenge. As Ophelia points out, Hamlet and the ghost have certain similarities. She describes him as “loosed out of hell” (like his father’s purgatory spirit?) This parallels with Hamlet’s ghost like presence at certain times in the play, in which he his merely gliding along wondering if his life is “to be or not to be”. The repetitious image of the ghost shows Hamlet’s haunted and uneasy struggle with his father’s death.
OPHELIA:
My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle;(90)
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
Bracey: Your analysis of "amber" and the textual evidence you integrated to tie Polonius to your example was very well thought out. Also, the final, imagery ridden symbol of the wheel served as a proper representation of Hamlet's death.
ReplyDeleteAnna Cait: The crucial description and symbolism of Yorick's skull was an integral theme in the novel that entailed Hamlet's obsession with death. Great job Anna Cait!
In Shakespeare's Hamlet imagery is utilized to foreshadow and emphasize Hamlet's emotions and realizations. In the scene placed in the graveyard, Hamlet holds Yoricks skull in his hand and looks it in the eyes. His connection to the skull leads to a realization of the defiant meaning of death. Hamlet essentially comes face to face with death, finally determining that all die, and no matter who you are, death is finite. The graveyard also shows a bit a growth and aging in Hamlet, whereas literally those who age lie in the ground.
ReplyDeleteImagery can also be found in the gardens. Hamlet sees the world as a garden, but not in its beauty and blossoming. He sees it as "rank" and the overgrowth as overbearing. There is irony in the imagery. Instead of picturing a peaceful garden, we ironically imagine Hamlet in a chaotic twist of vines and dead flowers, or ruined. The Garden of Eden can be related as well because the temptation stains or ruins the garden leading to man's end and downfall, which Hamlet sees in the world. We all die and after this reality we are all the same in this "rank" world.
The graveyard scene is an example of imagery as the vivid description of the scene emits an eerie tone. The imagery of the graveyard is used to convey emotions of loss, despair, and depression. These emotions plague Hamlet eventually leading to his suicide. The description of Hamlet conversing with the skull shows his isolation from society and mental disillusionment.
ReplyDeleteA second example of imagery in Hamlet is Hamlet’s father’s ghost. The ghost drives the central action of the plot as well as the universal theme of revenge. After witnessing his father’s apparition, Hamlet becomes obsessed with death and right vs. wrong. This obsession experienced by Hamlet effects everyone around him as relationships are severed and lives are lost.
@ Kelsey: Your analysis of Hamlet's realization that death is inevitable was a good point to make! GREAT JOB! :)
ReplyDelete@ Cassie: I particularyly liked your comment on Hamlet's conversation with the skull. It was a good obseravtion that this conveyed his "isolationfrom society and mental disillusionment". AWESOME!!
Imagery is a very important literary technique that we have learned about this year. It is the use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. It is effective in writing because it can be used to covey an idea or thing indirectly without the author having to directly say it. In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, imagery is used throughout the play in numerous ways. It is first seen in Act one Scene four when Hamlet is having a conversation with Horatio, before his ghost encounter.
ReplyDeleteHamlet: The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold.
Horatio: It is a nipping and an eager air.
Hamlet: What hour now?
Horatio: I think it lacks of twelve.
These words back and fourth are more than just a conversation. The statements are to set up the scene. Shakespeare wants the reader to get a mental image of a cold night. He also wants them to know that it is after midnight, which is often related to or known as the bewitching hour. When Horatio describes the air as eager, it gives the idea that something is about to happen.
A second example of imagery is in Act three Scene one.
Hamlet: To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
This quote is an important use of imagery because it is a representation of the major theme of internal questioning and repression, used throughout the play. It is on of the most famous quotes in the play because of the fact that it is hamlet directly addressing his pondering about what is right and what is wrong. He does not know what actions he wants to take or how to productively and successfully accomplish them. Imagery is used when he says, “to be or not to be.” The author wants the reader to be able to get an idea of Hamlet’s internal conflict and how it is outwardly affecting his thoughts and actions.