Hamlet, by C. Coronado (1976), aka “The Naked Hamlet”

You can watch the C. Coronado version of Hamlet here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQyrk04jCxo&feature=BFa&list=PLC9235044C898343C

It’s split into 8 parts that you should be able to see lined up along the bottom of the screen. If you turn on youtube’s autoplay feature, it should jump from one part to the next automatically. Please let me know if you have any problems, though.

There will be a writing assignment for you to do on your blogs tomorrow. Check again later for that assignment.

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Hamlet, Act IV

Here are the main things to take from Hamlet, Act IV:

• Claudius finds out that Hamlet has killed Polonius and, with the help of Rozencrantz and Guildenstern, tries to find where he hid the body (Scenes I-III).
• Claudius writes a letter to England with instructions to execute Hamlet when he arrives there and gives it to R & G, who leave for England with Hamlet (Scene III).
• Hamlet finds out that Fortinbras is sending an army to Poland to reclaim a small patch of land. Inspired by Fortinbras’ determination over something so small, he renews his own determination to kill Claudius (Scene IV).
• Gertrude is visited by Ophelia, who has lost her mind over the death of her father (Scene V).
• Laertes returns from France after hearing about the death of his father. He initially blames Claudius and wants to kill him, but Claudius manages to calm him down for the moment (Scene V).
• Ophelia returns and greets her brother, although she has still clearly lost her mind (Scene V).
• Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet saying that he stowed on board a pirate ship and is returning to Denmark (Scene VI).
• After finding out that Hamlet is returning to Denmark, Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius, and the two make a plan for Laertes to take revenge on Hamlet. Laertes will challenge Hamlet to a fencing duel, but Laertes’ rapier will be poisoned. And, just in case that fails, Claudius will have a glass of poisoned wine on hand to give to Hamlet when he gets thirsty from the duel (Scene VII).
• Gertrude reveals that Ophelia has fallen into a river and drowned, presumably as a suicide (Scene VII).

Be sure to watch Scene V, taken from the Tennant version version, which shows Ophelia’s madness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI3SMQ4iMRE

Ophelia’s madness and death have captured the imaginations of several artists, as you can see on pages 1701-1703 in the BIL. Here are two others, from the 19th century:

Ophelia (1894), John William Waterhouse (1849-1917). Source: http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/jww/paintings/7.html

Ophelia (1851-2), John Everett Millais (1829-1896). Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Everett_Millais_-_Ophelia_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

For your blog, I want you to write about why you think Ophelia’s madness and death have been such fascinating subjects for artists. How is she portrayed in these paintings? In the film? How do these visual portrayals compare to your own imagining of Ophelia?

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Scenes from Hamlet, Act I

Act I, Scene II: Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet (David Tennant version)

Act I, Scene II: Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh version)

Act I, Scene III: Polonius (Mel Gibson version)

Act I, Scene III: Polonius (Ethan Hawke version)

And, for something completely different:

Monty Python’s Hamlet

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The Genius of the Crowd

Here is a link to the text of Charles Bukowski’s The Genius of the Crowd: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-genius-of-the-crowd/

And here is a clip of Bukowski reading a shortened version of his poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gifEn61dZBc

And here is a fan-made video that adds animations and background music to his poem: http://vimeo.com/31802865

Enjoy!
After taking in the poem, respond to the following questions:

1. How is The Genius of the Crowd similar to Whitman’s I sing the body electric? How do both establish a rhythm in spite of not having  a fixed form?

2. Bukowski does not use many specific images in this poem. How does this affect your understanding of the poem? What would change if he added specific images?

3. In the last line, Bukowski makes an allusion to the death of Socrates through his mention of hemlock. How does this allusion add to the meaning of the poem? (You may need to research Socrates if you aren’t aware of this story.)

4. This is a didactic poem. What is it trying to teach? Do you agree?

5. What is your response to open form poetry in general? Where do you draw the line between poetry and prose?

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Goblin Market

Here is the link to the full text of Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174262

It’s a long poem so give yourself plenty of time to read it. When you’re finished, write a few sentences in response to each of the following prompts:

1. Write a short paraphrase of the poem.

2. What sort of diction does the poem use? Who do you think is the intended audience?

3. How does Rossetti use repetition and rhyme? What sorts of alliteration do you find? How does her use of alliteration affect the tone of the poem?

4. How does Rossetti use figurative language? What images does she create using similes and/or metaphors?

5. What do you think the goblins’ fruit symbolizes?

6. What themes can you identify in the poem?

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Cask of Amontillado

http://poestories.com/read/amontillado

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Links to O’Brien and Boyle

Tim O’Brien, How to Tell a True War Story http://englishresources.wikispaces.com/file/view/How+to+Tell+a+True+War+Story+by+Tim+O%27Brien.pdf

T.C. Boyle, Carnal Knowledge http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7S5-EyF9HJwJ:online.morainevalley.edu/websupported/SherylBundy/Carnal%2520Knowledge.rtf+&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox

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55 Miles to the Gas Pump

For your blog entry for July 3rd, I want you to respond to Annie Proulx’s very short story, 55 Miles to the Gas Pump. I want you to answer the question, is this a funny story? Be sure to back up your argument either way. One thing to think about is how she uses irony.

If you do not have the textbook, you can read the story online here:

http://biblioklept.org/2011/01/22/55-miles-to-the-gas-pump-annie-proulx/

On a final note, while there are many sites out there that offer analyses of this story, I ask that you provide your own, original response without consulting any of these.

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