Prompt revision 4/21/13

1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

            Throughout John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, George Milton proves to be a character who may be classified as evil or immoral on the basis of his actions, such as being selfish in his dream of owning a farm, using his friend Lennie to his advantage, and shooting and killing his best friend. However, as Steinbeck portrays George as one who is caring unconditionally for his friend and hopeful about the future, readers are more inclined to react more sympathetically towards him. 

            George Milton is one who is selfish and individualistic. In the intro of the novel, we see George telling Lennie his dream of owning his own farm. This dream sounds to be a bit selfish as he thinks of owning the farm himself and being his own boss with Lennie. At no point does he mention sharing pay or living happily with Lennie because he likes Lennie. This shows how he is only thinking of himself which daydreaming of this future. Concurrently, the portrayal of George being an idealist pushes the reader to think of George in a more sympathetic light as we know that he has endured much hardship, yet maintains his faith and hope. It is clear that George is willing to work hard for his dream and doesn't expect it to be handed to him. The reader cannot keep from rooting for the unlikely hero in the hopes that those who try hard will get what they want in the end, despite his selfish ways.

            George uses Lennie throughout the book to his advantage. Lennie's mental disability allows George to manipulate him to his advantage. George says that Lennie can stay with him when he buys his own farm because otherwise George would get bored. In addition, Lennie's strength will prove to be useful in the future. This shows that he is using Lennie, not as a friend, but as a person to be there to talk to and do manual labor. George reveals in a conversation that he at one point had made fun of Lennie. Lennie also used as a guard. When Curly is upset and Lennie, George orders Lennie to fight Curly back. It can be inferred that this action was partially due to George's strong distaste of Curly. By using Lennie's physical strength to his advantage, the reader gets a sense that George is manipulative. However, Steinbeck shows that George is also caring about his friend, showing that he will always stick with Lennie, even when he got them kicked out of the old town they were in, Weed. This unconditional bond that the two share is highlighted throughout the book and seems to be the driving force for the both of them. The reader understands George and sees that he is willing to sacrifice his time and effort to support the one person who has stayed by his side the whole time. This leads the reader to care more about George and see that he is truly a good person.

The ultimate immoral act that George commits in the novel is the murder of his best friend. As the reader learns more of the deep connection between the friends, we are shocked by the novel's finale as George shoots Lennie in the back of the head. The murder of anyone can be considered immoral, but one of a best friend is unthinkable. At the same time, the reader is able to understand that it is George's love for Lennie that pushes him to kill him. He wants to put Lennie out of the way of Curly and his gang. By even telling the story of their dream before shooting him, he allows Lennie to go in a happy state. Readers are more inclined to be sympathetic toward George by this sweet, yet tragic ending to the novel. 

Summary and Analysis of Ceremony

Summary: 

  The book begins with Tayo at home on the Laguna Reservation. Tayo recalls a horrifying memory of being order to kill a Japanese soldier and only being able to see the face of his uncle Josiah in the face of the Japanese soldier. One flashback describes the story of the medicine man, Ku'oosh coming to visit Tayo and trying to cure him. During his journey, Tayo has many flashbacks about the war and times the in bars when he is with Harley and the other soldiers who returned to the reservation. Aunty tried to keep Tayo and Rocky separate however they became close friends and the summer after they graduated from high school. They enlisted in the army together. Tayo also reflects on his identity of being half-white. He is often concerned about what the other people think of him! His uncle Josiah had an affair with a woman named Night Swan. She was always mysterious but helped Josiah a herd of cattle from her cousin. From his childhood with Josiah, he remember a story about the importance of the fly in Laguna culture. Ku'oosh told Tayo that he should go see another medicine man, Betonie who is a member of the tribe. And his goal is to perform a ceremony to help Tayo free himself of the memories of the war. Betonie tells him stories and legends from Laguna culture, with the help of Shush. 

  Soon Tayo starts to feel better, however Betonie assures him that the ceremony is not yet complete. Then Tayo goes on a search to find Josiah's cattle to returns home soon after. And on his search, he finds house with an woman in it but realizes that the woman is somehow part of the ceremony by recognizing a star pattern Betonie had described. He then leaves and locates the cattle inside the fenced ranch of a rich white landowner. However the cattle run away and Tayo spends the night looking for them. Just as he is about to give up a mountain lion comes and he follows that track to find the cattle. On the way down the mountain, Tayo meets a hunter, who lives with Ts'eh. Although he feels better coming home with the cattle, he know that the ceremony is not over because of the drought. Robert tells him that Emo is spreading rumors about him and as he runs away to find Harley and Leroy, he realizes that they have joined forces with Emo already. As he running away, he found himself in a Uranium mine and if he spends the night there then the ceremony will be complete. After he reports to Ku'oosh and to complete everything, he spends one last night in Ku'oosh's house to finish off the ceremony. 

Author: 

  Leslie Marmon Silko is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. Being a mix of Mexican and Laguna Pueblo, she may have experienced some internal conflict surrounding being a person of mixed heritage.  

Setting: 

  This novel takes place in the American Southwest, in and around the Laguna Pueblo reservation. It is a few years after the end of World War II. Some parts of the novel   takes place in the jungle of World War II. 

Characters: 

Tayo: A half-Laguna and half-white soldier who returns to the Laguna Reservation from World War II. He searches for his identity as he struggles to find a balance between part white and part Laguna cultures. 

Rocky: Tayo's older cousin who raised like a brother with Tayo. Rocky was involved in a lot of white culture such as playing football and going to college. He did not engage in many Laguna traditions. Tayo looks up to Rocky. 

Josiah: Tayo's uncle who is calm and gentle. Josiah acted as a father like figure to Tayo while he was growing up. He helped Tayo understand Laguna culture by telling him stories. He also had a relationship with a woman named Night Swan before Tayo left for the war. Once Josiah died, Tayo felt lost and without guidance. 

Aunty: The sister of Tayo's mother. During Tayo's childhood, Aunty is very unwelcoming towards Tayo as she fears what other people in the village will think of her and her family. 

Grandma: Aunty and Josiah's mother. Grandma is old and doesn't talk very much. 

Ku'oosh: A Laguna medicine man who comes to help Tayo when he is sick after returning from the war.

Betonie: A medicine man from another tribe that Tayo goes to see to be cured. Betonie believes that ceremonies need to evolve as times change.

Shush: Betonie assistant who and is associated with the bear boy of legend.

Ts'eh: a mysterious woman who Tayo meets while searching for Josiah's lost cattle. She and Tayo become lovers.

Emo: Another former soldiers, and Tayo's rival since childhood. Emo is strongly associated with the evil witchery in the story.

Night Swan: A mysterious woman who was the lover of Josiah and lives in a town near the reservation. She is kind and welcoming to Tayo. But after Josiah's death, she goes away from the reservation. 

Author's Style: 

  This style mimics Tayo's perception of the world-distant. The plot skips around as it randomly jumps between memories and the present. There is a lot of figurative language, metaphors and similes used throughout the book. 

Important Quotes: 

"Jungle rain had no beginning or end; it grew like foliage from the sky, branching and arching to the earth, sometimes in solid thickets entangling the islands, and, other times, in tendrils of blue mist curling out of coastal clouds. The jungle breathed an eternal green that fevered men until they dripped sweat the way rubbery jungle leaves dripped the monsoon rain. It was there that Tayo began to understand what Josiah had said."

“The only way to get change is not through the courts or — heaven forbid — the politicians, but through a change of human consciousness and through a change of heart. Only through the arts — music, poetry, dance, painting, writing — "can we really reach each other,” 

Theme: 

        One must never forget their origins. Keeping traditions and cultures alive with the changing times is essential not only for the order of life, but also for the health of all.

Summary and Analysis of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 3/11/13

Author: Tom Stoppard
Originally born in Czechoslovakia, but later relocated to Britain. He became a journalist, dramatic critic, and eventually a playwright.

Setting: Elizabethan Era, in the middle of nowhere, Hamlet's court, a boat.

Plot:

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are lost, flipping coins mindlessly. The coins come up as heads repeatedly. They debate probability and chance while they question time and how long they have been there. They have no recollection of how they got there or what they were doing. They meet a troup of actors who have resorted to putting on sexual performances because they are having difficulty making money. Guildenstern uses their coin flipping to make a bet with the player. The player loses. He offers to give up Alfred as payment in place of money, but Guildenstern asks for a play.
Realizing that they were there because they were sent for by a messenger, they find themselves in Elsinore. They witness a scene of Hamlet where Hamlet and Ophelia argue. The tragedians perform The Murder of Gonzago, with the player narrating. The player explains that language is not sufficient to get the point across. Rosencrantz stops the rehearsal and realizes that the "spies" onstage are dressed exactly as himself and Guildenstern. The spies slowly die as they talk about fake death versus a real death. The stage goes black. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem dazed and confused as they try to discover which way East is. The stage goes black again.
They awake to find themselves on a boat at sea. Rosencrantz puts coins in both hands and asks Guildenstern to choose which hand has the coin. Guildenstern guesses correctly multiple times before realizes that there are coins in both hands. They realize that they have a letter from the King. The stage becomes dark again as Hamlet blows out a candle and replaces the letter with his own.
Pirates aboard the ship and Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet jump into barrels before the lights dim out.


Significant Characters

Rosencrantz: A kind hearted friend from Hamlet's childhood. He is often seen in the play with Guildenstern. He is often confused about who he is and what he is supposed to be doing throughout the play.

Guildenstern: Rosencrantz' companion and Hamlet's childhood friend. He is not afraid to manipulate people in order to benefit himself, which can be seen with the coin toss with Rosencrantz and the Player. He often tries to reason what his purpose is.

The Player: The leader of The Tragedians, he is confident and intelligent. He tries to get money for himself and the others in his troupe, but due to the hard times, has difficulty doing so.

Tragedians: Desperate for money, they stoop to sexual acts. They show the lengths that people will go to to survive and the desperation that humans must come to as pawns in life.

Point of View: 
The play is written in third person and focuses on the actions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Significant Quotes:
Life is a gamble, at terrible odds—if it was a bet you wouldn’t take it.
This quote reflects a significant motif in the play: the comparison of probability and chance to fate. It raises the question of how much our actions truly affect the true outcome. It also shows that we as humans have little say in our role in society and ultimately life. We are merely pawns and players in the game that we call life.  

 
Symbols:

Coins-- throughout the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are seen flipping coins. Stoppard is essentially highlighting the motif of probability and fate. By demonstrating the coin almost always landing on heads, Stoppard shows that the laws of probability are not always correct. Not everything can be explained with such laws.

The Actors-- the actors represent desperate and poor people in the world. The actors are players in the play. They are acting as pawns. Essentially, the are just tools that the Player seems to control. Seemingly brainless and stooping to any level necessary, they are just a part of a larger game-- the plays that the act in.


Theme:

Life is complex and unexplainable. People play a minimal role in the overall picture of life and are foolish in their endeavors. 
As the play Hamlet questions the meaning of life, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead questions the roles that humans play in life. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern struggle to answer this question, as well as the question of what it means to be alive/dead. Their constant questions regarding their identity or their stumbling and inarticulate answers show that they are confused and mentally dim when answering this question. The inapplication of the laws of physics as well as the laws of probability shows that unlike science or math, no laws cannot be applied to math, and life itself is an unanswerable question.

Prompt Revision 2/17

1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

                

          Although there are many memorable and monumental scenes in the novel A Picture of Dorian Gray, none are as revealing as the scene with Sibyl and Dorian in the greenroom. Although Dorian starts out the novel as an innocent, good looking, and sweet boy, associations with Lord Henry changes his views and innocence. The scene with Sibyl and Dorian in the greenroom marks the first incident where Dorian does not behave as gently and sweetly as he had previously in the novel.

            The transition from Dorian being gentle and in love to a man absorbed in lust and looks makes the scene important to the rest of the novel. The reader sees a sweet young boy who resists Lord Henry's teachings of corruption change into someone who hates himself for following Lord Henry's words so diligently. Dorian, who had previously told Lord Henry that his love for Sibyl made him forget all of Lord Henry's teachings, throws away Sibyl and her pleas without a second thought. He had fallen in love with her for her acting, but just as quickly fell out of love with her when her acting faltered one night. Him pushing her away as she approaches him shows that he is not only upset with her bad acting, but thoroughly disgusted with her. Her pleas are meaningless to Dorian. Dorian looks down on her as if she is worthless to him. This is shown as she gets down on her knees to plead, "She crouched on the floor like a wounded thing, and Dorian Gray, with his beautiful eyes, looked down at her, and his chiseled lips curled in exquisite disdain" (Wilde 90). This huge leap in emotions shows the reader how he does not care for her any longer despite her pleas. His treatment of her changes so drastically that it further highlights this transition from innocence to corruption.

 As a result of the scene with Sibyl and Dorian, Dorian's portrait shows change from a smile to a slight grimace. Not only does Dorian experience the first change in the picture from this moment, he also realizes that he cannot be aged or changed from his actions. This new discovery influences the rest of his actions in the novel, making the scene with Sibyl even more influential. It truly makes the scene more effective as it marks a turning point for the rest of the novel.

Response to Course Material 2/10/13

            After successfully writing an in-class essay for this class' final on the double meanings in Hamlet, I feel like I really understand the multiple interpretations of the text. Now when I see or hear references Hamlet, I know the true meaning behind the text. I hadn't realized how much the basic story line of revenge from Hamlet has been influencing literature since its release.
          Doing the exercises of writing paragraphs to describe the moods of a picture have been helpful for me to use things like syntax or imagery more effectively. I realized that I often stick to using details or diction to describe posts in the "Close Readings" that we have to post monthly. These exercises have shown me other devices people use to convey meanings in their writings without explicitly stating what they have to say. It's nice to see how the other people in the class feel about the topics as well.

Prompt Revision 1/20/13

           In Anthony Burgess' dystopian novel Clockwork Orange, Alex is forced to become a product of a governmental experiment. He is confronted with the question of conforming to what the government wants him to be and what he has always been. Burgess uses the violence of youth to highlight the problems in the new futuristic city, while showing insight to whether or not people can change from their past behaviors to new ones.

          In the beginning of Burgess' novel, Alex is portrayed as a violent and ruthless towards his victims. He is superior to others as he beats, steals, and rapes people throughout the beginning of the novel. In a particularly disturbing incident, Alex beats a man and rapes his wife in front of him, forcing him to watch. Alex, clearly finding pleasure in the pain and suffering he causes others, feels superior as his boys continue to rob the house. In a later discovery, he is told that the wife that he had raped later died. The lack of compassion that Alex feels when hearing this news shows the audience the type of gruesome person that he truly is. As a violent person in power, Alex is able to be seen as selfish. It helps portray Alex as a heartless and sadistic person at the beginning of the novel.

         Later in the novel, Alex is used as a governmental experiment called the Ludovico's Technique, where violent images are shown to Alex as he is given a drug that makes him feel nauseated and sick. He begins to associate the sickness with the violent images, making him sick whenever he is a witness to violent crimes. This use of violence, something that had once made Alex feel empowered and in control, now cripples him and is used as a weapon against him. This leaves him defenseless against enemies. Burgess effectively uses violence as something that can be used for and against Alex, showing Alex's struggle to be what the government wants him to be and what he has always known. His defenselessness pushes him to beg the man that he had once beat to take care of him, ironically leaving him at the mercy of those he had once been in control of. The violence is used effectively in the plot to create a turn of events. It shows the power switch in the novel. It creates sympathy for Alex, despite his horrific actions in the beginning of the novel. Readers recognize the pain that Alex experiences and begins to wonder if the experiment truly pushes Alex to change his ways now that violence is used against him.
           Seeing that the violence that Alex had always known and embraced to be so deep in his core, the audience questions the society that he lives in. Prostitutes, drugs, and violence all openly roam the streets and Alex, representing the youth as a whole, indulges. Seeing the problems in the society from the violence Burgess shows, it raises questions regarding society and the violence surrounding it. In this way, Burgess and his use of violence is successful in using the violent youth in Alwx'a society to raise questions about the problems in society.

          Using violence as a tool for exposing character growth and governmental problems, Burgess is able to explore the ideas of whether or not people can change from their ways and the effect of violence in the youth of the futuristic city. From comparing and contrasting Alex from the beginning of the novel to the end, readers are able to create their own conclusions regarding Alex as a maturing human. Without violence, readers would have a harder time seeing the flaws in the society Burgess created as well as the growth that Alex experiences through his trials with and without violence.

Hamlet Summary and Analysis 1/21/2013

Shakespeare: A famous English poet and playwright who lived in the time period of 1564- 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon and London. He was part owner of the traveling play group known as the King's Men. He had three play writing eras, in which he wrote comedies and histories, tragedies, and tragicomedies (romances).
 Most of his plays were performed in his famous theatre, called the Globe.

Setting: The play is set in Elsinore in the Kingdom of Denmark, somewhere in the late 16th or early 17th centuries.

Plot: The play opens with three soldiers on watch. The ghost of old Hamlet is seen roaming the exterior of the castle in the same suit that he was killed in. Horatio, Hamlet's friend from college, tells the guards the story of the power-hungry struggle between Fortinbras of Norway. Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras and took his land. Young Fortinbras has been preparing to retake the land that Norway had lost from this battle. Horatio tells Hamlet that the ghost of his father has been roaming Elsinor, and Hamlet wishes to see his deceased father's ghost. The ghost leads him to a secluded place and tells young Hamlet that he was killed by Claudius, the new King of Denmark who married Gertrude. The ghost tells Hamlet to avenge him by killing the man who married his wife and took over the throne. Hamlet originally trusts the ghost, but then begins to doubt him.
           Meanwhile, Laertes, Polonius' son, is making preparations to return to France. Polonius offers advice to him before he leaves. Polonius is killed as he tries to hide in Gertrude's curtain in her closet by Hamlet. Hamlet decides to stage a play detailing the events of his father's murder to watch his mother and Claudius' reactions. Claudius seems to react negatively, and later decides he needs to ship Hamlet off to England in order to get rid of him before he becomes too dangerous. He enlists in the help of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to help kidnap Hamlet and send him to England. Pirates attack the ship and Hamlet is kidnapped again. He escapes and returns to Elsinore after arranging the death of his friends.
          Ophelia loses her sanity and passes out symbolic flowers out to those around her. She drowns in what is debated as suicide or an accident. Laertes, in mourning both the deaths of his father and sister, converses with Claudius, who convinces him to take part in the murder of Hamlet. Laertes hastily agrees, and later regrets the decision as Hamlet apologizes for his actions. In the battle, both Hamlet and Laertes are cut with a poisoned sword. The queen drinks the poisoned wine intended for the winner of the battle. Claudius is murdered by Hamlet. All end up dead, except for Horatio, who is convinced by Hamlet to stay alive to retell his story. Fortinbras arrives at the castle, and gives Hamlet the proper King's burial.


Characters: 

Hamlet: As the son of Old Hamlet, he is the heir to the throne of Denmark. Once a happy college student, he returns to Elsinore and sees the ghost of his murdered father. This prompts him to swear to avenge his father by killing Claudius. Although in love with Ophelia, her coldness towards him prompts him to call her a whore multiple times. His long solilioquys questioning life and the meaning of it seems to suggest that he is suicidal. In the end of the play, he decides to leave his fate to the hands of God and accepts his impending death. He battles Laertes and dies to a cut with a poisoned sword. He is the only character to be given a King's burial at the end of the play by Fortinbras. He was once friends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but he arranges to have them killed after they try to betray him. He is also friends with Horatio.

Claudius: A power-hungry, scheming, and manipulative King of Denmark. Brother to Old Hamlet. He kills his own brother by pouring poison into his ear while he is sleeping. He attempts to convince Hamlet to stay in Elsinore in order to be able to keep an eye on them. He marries Gertrude, creating controversy regarding incest. He shows signs of remorse, but not regret, because he says he enjoys the gains that he has made from his sinful actions. He schemes throughout the play to kill Hamlet, using Laertes as an assassin to kill Hamlet.  In the end of the play, he is stabbed by Hamlet and denied a King's burial, despite being the King of Denmark.

Gertrude: Queen of Denmark and married to Claudius. She is the widow of old Hamlet. She seems to care for Hamlet and later turns to him for advice. She is accidently poisoned by Claudius whens she drinks the poisoned wine intended for Hamlet.

Ophelia: A beautiful, youthful, and naive love interest of Hamlet. It is suggested that she is abused by Hamlet and pregnant. Laertes and Polonius both tell her that Hamlet's love for her is disposable; She is only useful to him as long as she is young and beautiful. Knowing this and the fact that Hamlet is prince, she takes both her father and brother's advice to avoid the young man that she loves. In doing this, she is often called a whore by Hamlet. She is suicidal and loses her sanity towards the end of the play. She drowns but is still given a burial because her family insists on it.

Horatio: Hamlet's loyal friend from his College days. Horatio gives advice to Hamlet and is always loyal to him throughout the play. He often serves as the communicator between Hamlet and the rest of the characters, as seen when Horatio informs Hamlet of his father's ghost or when he retells Hamlet's story to King Fortinbras. At the end, he even contemplates suicide in order to be by Hamlet's side, but instead goes on to tell Hamlet's tale.

Polonius: An arrogant man who tends to use his children for his own benefit. Father of Laertes and Ophelia. He is Lord Chamberlain of Claudius' court. He is killed by Hamlet while sneakily hiding in a curtain.

Laertes: Impulsive son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. He is a foil to Hamlet. He spends most of the play in France. Incest seems to be hinted at between Laertes and Ophelia.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Courtiers who were once friends of Hamlet. They betray Hamlet. They are assumed to have been murdered.

Point of View: Hamlet is a play, so there is no single character that the story is told from the perspective of.

Tone: The play has a dark, omniscent tone to it as characters search for deeper meanings. The murders and blood in the play give it a nearly violent tone as well.

Imagery: Shakespeare uses imagery of the dead and decaying to show the depression and negative view on life. This can be seen very clearly in his famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy. It also gives insight to the changing atmosphere surrounding him.

Important Quotes:

"Something is rotten in the State of Denmark" 
Act 1, Scene iv (67)

This quote shows the possibility that the ghost of old Hamlet is a dark omen for Denmark. Although Hamlet views the ghost as the spirit of his deceased father who has unsettled business to attend to.

"Sir, I cannot you make you a wholesome answer; my wit's deceased."
Act III, Scene ii (296-298)

This quote shows the question of whether or not Hamlet is actually mentally insane or if he is faking it. In this quote, he is speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who betray him in the play. Throughout the play, viewers wonder whether or not the intelligent Hamlet is manipulating those around him behind the appearance of insanity, or whether the suicidal thoughts and manipulative people around him are making him crazy.

Theme
What is the significance of death?
Throughout the play, Hamlet contemplates suicide. He wonders whether or not suicide is unhonorable, what the meaning of life is, and the spirituality behind it. All of Hamlet's problems, including his love life, his family, and responsibility of avenging his father begin to eat away at him. Some even say it eats away at his mental health. Hamlet questions whether or not suicide would end all of these problems, or if it would continue to haunt him in his afterlife. He questions the meaning of life in his long soliloquy as he observes the unhappiness and dishonor in all those around him. His loss of faith in Ophelia and Gertrude along with the revelation of his father's murder shows him the sadness and unhappiness that comes along with life. In the end of the play, Hamlet seems to accept his death, leaving it in the hands of God.

Response to Course Materials 1/13/12

Reading Hamlet in class and watching several different movies of the play has been the bulk of our course material since the last "Response to Course Materials" post. Reading the play in class didn't really help me aside from Ms. Holmes' insight on key points on the play, like Ophelia handing out flowers, the significance of rue, incest, and the fight scene. Certain aspects of reading Hamlet are difficult to understand because of the words and norms used in Shakespeare's time period. Reading plays such as Hamlet with double meanings behind words and phrases has really helped me to pay more attention when reading. It was also interesting to see how directors are able to put their spin on Hamlet's sanity or his gentle/violent personality. Seeing interpretations like this showed me that each person may feel differently about the play.