Proposals for the three re-creative pieces

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Act3, Scene 1, Lines 30 [onwards]
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have just left after reporting back to the King on Hamlet's behaviour. Here, I propose to include a new scene where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a quite conversation between the two of them, where they discuss what they have been told to do, (to spy on Hamlet). Rosencrantz is arguing that what they are doing is ok, that Hamlet was never a close friend in the first place, and the fact that they get some sort of reward in the end if he follows the Kings orders. However Guildenstern feels the opposite. He is a weaker character and therefore does what Rosencrantz tells him to, but he argues that they should re-consider spying on Hamlet before something bad happens, (foreshadowing).
Commentary
By inserting this piece, it will give to fairly insignificant characters a chance to express what they actually feel, giving them an opinion and motives etc. It should give an insight to the audience about their personalities, and it should distinguish between the two, which is good and which is evil. It should also evoke the question of what is moral, and a dilemma between the two characters, which also will help to define what types of roles they will take in the play.

Polonius
Act 3, Scene 4, lines 1-13
Polonius is hiding behind the arras in Queen Getrude's closet, listening in on their conversation. I propose to insert a soliloquy by Polonius. The audience should here his speech after Hamlet has said "No, by the rood, not so", at this point, Polonius will interject with his soliloquy, saying how he could have been wrong about his theory that Hamlet was insane, and perhaps that he was just grief stricken. Then Polonius 'fantasises' that what if the King was behind the death of the late King? What if Claudius had a plan all along to become the King? This is when Polonius 'figures out' what's been going on. While Hamlet and Gertrude continue talking, audience will see Polonius talking to himself, not paying any attention to the conversation between Gertrude and Hamlet. That is when he hears "Help, ho!" and is brought out of his thoughts, and killed.
Commentary
Polonius is portrayed as a doddery old man, who speaks nonsense. However in this scene, I would like the audience to see his 'true colours', a moment of intelligence, showing that perhaps in his youth, he was once a very intellectual man. This could be backed up by the fact that when Polonius talks, he is often very philosophical, perhaps showing he was a very clever man. This also makes his death more of a tragic loss. In this re-creative piece, I also wanted the idea of fate to become more of a theme in this tragedy, the idea that everything happens for a reason and is pre-determined, because when Polonius finally understands what is going on, he is slain before being able to do anything about it, suggesting that the death and fall of the monarchy must happen.

Ophelia
Act 2, Scene 1, lines 105-onwards.
Ophelia has just been told to stay away from Hamlet by her father, Polonius, and she obeys. When Polonius leaves, she hangs back for a soliloquy in which she tells the audience how she feels repressed as a woman and as an individual, how she hates having to obey higher-powered people, how she feels about Hamlet and her worries and fears of never marrying and becoming a single lady (spinster). She toys with the idea of disobeying Polonius, and telling Hamlet how she feels about him, then she contradicts herself, saying how un-lady-like that would be. The theme of her soliloquy would be her disobeying of some kind, then talking herself out of it.
Commentary
In this soliloquy, there would be tones on feminism and gender oppression and inequality. It would give Ophelia a proper speech, and it would show a character insight about how she feels. However, the main thing is that I wanted Ophelia to sound like Hamlet, as in the soliloquy she constantly talks herself in and out of things, which mirrors Hamlet's personality for instance, when he talks himself into taking revenge on Claudius, then puts on a play just to make sure he did kill his father. Or when he talks about killing himself, then talking himself out of it because he'd go to hell.

The Recreative Piece

To be a bit different, I thought that I'd expand on one of the idea's we discussed last lesson- Did Gertrude kill Ophelia? I have done a better soliloquy for Gertrude after Hamlet leaves her after the bedroom scene, but I thought this was more entertaining to read. Well, in a way. Here goes.

4.7.158
(OPHELIA is sitting on the bank of a river which flows behind the castle of Denmark, dipping her bare feet into the water. Rue is clutched in her hands, she is singing quietly)

OPHELIA: Oh to be a Queen, a loving King for a husband, a blue-blooded child, but now left fatherless, worthless..What shall become of me now?
[ENTER QUEEN]

QUEEN: Sweet Ophelia, are you feeling any better my dear?

OPHELIA: The water is quite cold Madam, quite cold.

QUEEN: (Aside) The poor girl, she is definitely gone. (To OPHELIA) My lady, why don't you come back into the hall? You can warm up, the air is biting. I will ask for a meal-

OPHELIA: Then what Madam? What more could you possibly want from me? Leave me, I beg you.

QUEEN: Now, Ophelia..

OPHELIA: I know what has been happening! You, the wretched King, even my father. You've all been scheming! Turning Hamlet against me, I could've helped him! How could I have disobeyed you? I could've helped him. You turned him against me! All of you nasty, scheming royalties!

QUEEN: How dare you! Did you get taught nothing? You are not to speak to me like that! I am your Queen!

OPHELIA: Of course, Madam.

QUEEN: Damn your insolence! We took you under our roof!

OPHELIA: No, you took my father under your high. chandeleared ceilings! And for what? To make a mockery of him! To destroy his kindness, to use his daughter in a wicked game, to murder him! What am I now, my lady? Nothing. You robbed me of my father! You stole away my lover!

QUEEN: Your lover! Silence yourself child!

OPHELIA: Yes, my lover! We were to be married, to allow our child to grow up with protection and love! We wanted to restore this family from the sham it is now!

QUEEN: Your child? Ophelia..

OPHELIA: The water is cold, Madam. Very cold.

QUEEN: You're with child? Ophelia no! How could you? Tell me this is not the truth but some ramblings from your recent loss of sanity!

OPHELIA: Leave me.

QUEEN: Damn you! You're tainted! You're a devil's advocate! You're-!

OPHELIA: I said, leave me now please dear woman. I've had enough of you for the day.

QUEEN: (Lunging for OPHELIA, pulling back her hair and dragging her to the ground as OPHELIA screams) You're a sinner! You must be punished!

OPHELIA: (Laughing) Kill me like you killed my father!

QUEEN: To hell with you! Sinful little girl, to hell! (QUEEN with noticeable effort pushes OPHELIA into the river which is full of pond weed, debris and other water plants)

OPHELIA: Madam, I cannot swim! (Laughing, as she sinks under)

QUEEN: (Watches OPHELIA drown) Such a shame... Dear girl, I would have so loved a daughter, especially such a beautiful daughter like you, Ophelia.. (Picks up the Rue, as her breath becomes normal again. She throws the plant onto Ophelia's dead, floating body.) Goodbye, Ophelia. You will have a Christian funeral. (QUEEN looks around, before running back towards the hall) [EXIT QUEEN]


Well, that's that then. Apologies for it's shockingness. This has definitely made me realise that I will not be doing a re-creative piece for coursework. Standard essays for the win.

Gertrude

My immediate impression of Gertrude was that she was the innocent victim, the mother who was only trying to do what she thought was right. Now? I think she's a randy old goat. Although it is argued that she didn't know anything about Claudius's plot to gain the throne, she decided to marry Claudius to keep society in balance and to protect her son Hamlet's future secure. However, after much deliberation, I think that not only did she think all of this, but she always though of herself. Although there is no evidence in the text to support Hamlet's accusations that she is very involved and active with Claudius, the subtle suggest of possible incest (which [to my EXTREME horror] we saw on the DVDs,) show that she may very well be very active with her new husband. So, why did she marry Claudius? Perhaps she was doing it for the right reasons, or perhaps she was lonely, and needed a man, the closest thing to her late husband was his brother- therefore they married.

However, she does seem like she is very loyal to her son. "What should I do?" She says, asking Hamlet to tell her how to make him feel better. To me, Gertrude seems like a weak woman, she is easily submissive and goes after her desires. However, as she is the queen, I thought that perhaps she does try to be a more powerful female figure, such as when she gives her short speech to him, but does fail, as Hamlet retorts back to her, putting her back in the place an Elizabethan woman belongs. (Not in the kitchen, in a metaphorical place.)

The Presentation Of The Ghost in Act 1

The Ghost is that of the late King of Denmark, who appears before Hamlet at midnight, while the current King Claudius is getting drunk; "And as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down".
There are two ways in which the Ghost should be portrayed as. For example, in the early 60's version of Hamlet, Olivier directed the Ghost to be quiet and barely visible. The audience could therefore see the Ghost as upset or weak, evoking sympathy towards him. In my opinion, this is not how the late King should be perceived.

it could be argued that the Ghost could be the tragic villain in Hamlet. Tragic villains have such characteristics such as the ability to manipulate, which the Ghost demonstrates by saying; "If thou didst ever love me...". Villains also have the power of words and wit. Although the Ghost describes Claudius to have "Wicked wit that has power", he himself uses his words and wit to manipulate Hamlet into seeking revenge; "So thou art to revenge".

In typical tragedies, the villain usually has no motive to cause mayhem, yet it could be argued that the ghost of the late King does have a motive, to deem him free from the hell/purgatory of which he is now resigned to; "When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames".The King died a sinner- he did not have a death bed in which to repent from, therefore is deemed to suffer for his sins. Another point for the idea of the Ghost's motive, is that he wants to restore society. His son Hamlet was next in line for the throne once the late King died, however his uncle, Claudius became King instead. This could be Karen Numan's idea that something must be 'contrary to nature' to be a tragedy. Another idea which supports this idea is that the Ghost tells Hamlet "'Tis natural to revenge", however to commit murder is not natural.

In the 2009 version of Hamlet, the late King's ghost is shown to shout his words, powerfully, with gestural grabs and embraces with his son. In the text, there is little said about how the late King was in his life, apart from being well admired by both Gertrude and Hamlet, however Hamlet's encounter with the spirit suggests that they were close. I think that this performance of the Ghost is a more realistic and accurate portrayal of the Ghost.

What is noticeable in this scene, is how similar the words spoken by Hamlet and the Ghost are. Both say that the marriage between Gertrude and Claudius is incestuous, and how 'seeming' the Queen is; ("Seems madame, seems."). This could suggest that the Ghost is not real, but just a figment of Hamlet's madness. In the previous scene, Hamlet was thinking about suicide which indicates a point of breakdown in him. When Hamlet hears the accusations made by the Ghost that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet states "O my prophetic soul!" which suggest that he already knew or suspected Claudius of murdering the late King. Perhaps the Ghost is just a projection of Hamlets subsiding sanity, which he projects for closure of his grief, and as an excuse for seeking revenge on Claudius. However, one could argue that the Ghost is real. Evidence for this is that both Marcellus and Horatio the guards saw the Ghost twice on the hour of midnight. When the guards first told Hamlet of the sighting of the Ghost, he was skeptical about it. This subject is much debated.

In conclusion, my first impressions of the Ghost in Act 1 are that he is an angry spirit projected by a moment of insanity on Hamlets part, who manipulates him into seeking revenge. However, I disagree with the idea that he is a tragic villain, as he is not real.