Hamlet: A Play in a Play

Today, we had watched the second movie, entitled “Hamlet” that was a play written by a famous playwright, William Shakespeare. It was a great movie, although we faced difficulties in understanding Shakespearean language. However, for students of EDU 3217, it was an educational movie to let us understand more about theatre in Elizabethan Era, as well as expose us to Shakespearean language.

For this posting, I will not discuss about the synopsis of the movie. Instead, I will discuss how this movie helps me in my study about theatre, as well as William Shakespeare’s style of writing.

First of all, I noticed that people in Elizabethan Era enjoyed theatre. When a group of traveling actors came to Elsinore, the people were so happy and welcomed them warmly.

The next thing that I noticed in “Hamlet” was all actors are males. It was so funny to witness the male actor acting as the queen.

William Shakespeare’s language may be tough to understand, however, he is undeniably a witty playwright. I noticed that he likes to use opposition of ideas to describe something, convey messages and advices, as well as create humour. Some of the meaningful quotes are stated as below:

• Neither a borrower nor a lender be
  


• To be or not to be
  


• In second husband let me be accurst!
  None wed the second but who kill'd the first.
  


• QUEEN GERTRUDE :
  Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.
  
  HAMLET :
  Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue.
  


• I must be cruel, only to be kind:
  Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.

I like William Shakespeare’s style of writing. In fact, I feel that he is a witty playwright with a great sense of humour. “Hamlet” may be a tragedy, but it is also embedded with comical element. It seemed as though we were watching a comedy! Only when characters were dying one by one, I realized that I was watching a tragedy. We had a good laugh when King Claudius and Prince Hamlet talk about Polonius, who is killed by Hamlet.

KING CLAUDIUS
Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius?

HAMLET
At supper.

KING CLAUDIUS
At supper! where?

HAMLET
Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain
convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your
worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all
creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for
maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but
variable service, two dishes, but to one table:
that's the end.

KING CLAUDIUS
Alas, alas!

HAMLET
A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a
king, and cat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.