Figurative Language Faves

2/14/2013

Figurative Language Assignment:

1. Choose one particular example of figurative language (metaphor, simile, image, personification) that you enjoyed from Act I of Hamlet.
2. Share the example, using proper citation format (if you're not sure how to cite Shakespeare, look it up! There are many resources available on the web, including Purdue Owl).
3. Write a brief reflection on why you enjoy this example, and briefly analyze what themes or issues are illuminated by this particular piece of figurative language.

Due: by midnight tonight (Tuesday, Valentine's day)

Bonus Question!!! Mystery Image (above): What is portrayed in
this image? How might it be connected to any of the themes we've seen in Hamlet?
Discuss in comments if you wish. All will be revealed in class on Monday.

16 Comments

Jamie Gullikson

2/14/2013 01:29:23 am

"Thus was I, sleeping, by a brothers hand... cut off even in the blossoms of my sin... with all my imperfections on my head." (Scene 4)

The line, "sleeping, by a brothers hand," is very poetic. It reminds me of childhood, an older sibling taking care of the younger one almost. This could possibly be a recurring theme of perversion of childhood. Which is more than likely seeing as the book is about Hamlet avenging his father's murder. Also the line, "cut off even in the blossoms of my sin" carries the same theme. Flowers are seen as lively and bright, they thrive in the spring and summer, the seasons of youth. The "cut" could mean death of simply perversion or corruption. This metaphor gives the sense of errie darkness which is most likely going to be common in a play full of ghosts and revenge. Finally, the imagery of the "imperfections on [his] head" speaks to the human condition. Before we die, religious people give a last confession in order to go to heaven, confess to all the sins and be forgiven. Hamlet's father was not able to do that, so he was going to go to Hell. This idea plays toward a theme of the darkness of reality. He was killed by his brother, a perversion of family ideals, and punished for not following holy rites, perversion of religion. From these metaphors and images, I conclude that this is most likely going to be a book filled with disturbing ideas and darkness.

Connor Sheehan

2/14/2013 01:31:53 am

“My father’s brother, but no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules” (Hamlet 1.2.154-155).
Hamlet is deeply burdened by the death of his father. And to make matters even worse, his mother marries his uncle soon after her husband’s death. If anyone were to be placed in this same situation, they would be obviously angered as Hamlet is. I particularly liked this quote because Hamlet is giving his mother and uncle what they deserve. The quote emphasizes Claudius’ betrayal of King Hamlet. Claudius can never replace the great Denmark and Hamlet is showing this through his figurative language. The quote evokes the theme of betrayal and of corruption in the head of the kingdom. Though Claudius has become king, he will never gain the respect of Hamlet.

- The mystery image is of an apothecary (doctor). They wore the ridiculous masks in fear of catching the plague from their patients. The image could reflect the theme of corruption amongst the nobility. Hamlet knows of Claudius' terrible deeds in murdering his brother. Hamlet is like the apothecary in trying to shield himself from the corruption that is taking place around him.

Jamie Gullikson

2/14/2013 01:34:46 am

The figure above portrays a plague doctor. They wore these costumes to prevent themselves from being infected. Their costumes consisted of heavy fabric on their body and a mask on their face. The mask had two glass eye openings and a conical covering of the mouth. This "beak" was filled with scented objects in order to ward of the putrid smells of illness.
It could be connected with Hamlet in the connotations of human suffering and death. When I think of the two, I think of Hamlet's father's death. He had almost an attack of leprosy and that is similar to the bubonic plague. Also, just the sheer darkness and sadness that is connected with the costume connects with the dark themes surrounding Hamlet such as perversion of youth and truths of reality.

Kyle Barboza

2/14/2013 01:39:06 am

“Fie on’t! ah fie! ‘tis an unweeded garden,/ That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature/ Possess it merely” (Hamlet 1.2.136-138).
This quote captivates the utter disgust Hamlet has for his mother’s actions. He is outraged that she has married his uncle so soon after his father had died. He feels it is disrespectful not only to his father, but his mother as well. He compares their actions to an unweeded garden, as if to say their marriage was completed unprepared and can only bring forth poor bearings. I like this quote because it brings marriage into a term of normalcy. It defines not what marriage should be, but what it should not be. It leaves the reader wondering what the appropriate measures would have been while also highlighting the wrongness of it all. The themes of unnatural behavior and love are both brought out with this quote.

Kyle Barboza

2/14/2013 01:43:23 am

The image above is of a plague doctor. This picture ties into Hamlet through the father's death. The father was poisoned with something that made him quite ill. He developed leprosy-like symptoms, another plague.

Logan Gerchman

2/14/2013 06:34:32 am

"Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,/ And for the day confined to fast in the fires,/ Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burn and purged away" (Act 1, Scene V).

This passage caught my attention for it vividly illustrates the pain that King Hamlet experiences in his afterlife. He does not idly wait around till night, but "fast in fires". Fasting is not a typically comfortable act. I picture King Hamlet in a sickly state, constantly starving and too weak to barely function. All the while he is suffering from starvation, his sins are being "burnt" away. I like how it depicts what it takes to repent for sins. It takes fasting and flame to purge them. I really get a feel for that pain through the figurative language used in this passage.

The above image depicts a doctor during the time of the Plague. They wore thick clothing and herb filled masks to protect themselves from getting infected by the plague. These masked figures can be related to King Claudius. He has done a great evil in killing his brother, but no one would expect it for he is always wearing a jovial smile on his face-- a mask. Like the masks of the plague doctor's are used to cover up illness, his mask covers up his wicked act, which ironically was infecting someone with illness.

Kiley Jolicoeur

2/14/2013 08:10:40 am

"The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead / Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets: / As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, / Disasters in the sun" (I.i.3) I like this example because it reminds me of Julius Caesar (since JC preceeds Hamlet, I feel as though Shakespeare did this on purpose...). The mention of the ghosts stalkling the streets of Rome relates to the way in which Hamlet's father has returned as a ghost; the space images relate to "the heavens" and thus to the divine right of the king. These images of unrest mirror the upset in the royal family.
The image is a plague doctor. It is connected to death, Fear, and unrest. All of these things are major points In the play. Also, the plague doctors wear masks to "protect" themselves. King Claudius is wearing a mask of innocence as he pretends as though he knew nothing of the circumstances of his brother's murder.

Kelsey Liljedahl

2/14/2013 08:58:48 am

"with solemn march/ Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walk'd/ by their oppress'd and fear-surprised eyes" (Hamlet 1.2.). I chose this quote because the imagery shows that Hamlets ghost father is upset about something--more upset than angry. Using the world solemn shows that he is a ghost in pain. He trusted Claudius but was viciously betrayed. The above quote also illuminates how shocked Marcellus and Bernardo are to see Hamlets father. They probably were questioning why he traveled to the two of them out of all people. I am questioning why he wouldn't have traveled to Claudius first--it would have scared him, maybe make him feel guilty enough to confess. Perhaps he is too hurt by the betrayal to even look Claudius in the eye. However, because the ghost travels to Bernardo and Marcellus first--Hamlet has friends to help him with his fathers arrival and with the revenge plans that have to go forth. It is nice that Hamlet is not the only one who knows about the ghost--that might send him over the edge into suicide.

Sea Phillips

2/14/2013 10:11:20 am

"And Curd, like eager droppings into milk, The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine;" (Hamlet, Act I, Scene V)
Shakespeare utilizes an absolutely horrific and obscene sense of imagery to create both a scandalous picture, but also a morbid setting. The imagery is repeated throughout Hamlet, most often to generate obscene settings or events, or to add to the morbidity of a happening. The Description of the former kings chemical andranatomy was a morbid one and only increased the darkness of the story. This repetition of dark, or saucy imagery seems to prelude much more morbidity and scandal to come.

The image is that of a pre-renaissance plague doctor, the mask being though to help protect them form infection. the mask also has much misguided popularity with the modern steampunk movement. (misguide because the mask fell out of use before the Victorian era, the prime time period for steampunk modelling.) (Steampunk is AWESOME by the way.....) The masks were also used by missionaries and doctors visiting leprosy colonies and a similar version is still used by the doctors who maintain leper colonies in northern India.

Michellllllle

2/14/2013 10:50:11 am

“For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour, / Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, / A violet in the youth of primy nature” (Shakespeare 1.3.6-8).
This passage comes when Laertes is warning Ophelia about Hamlet’s true ways and instincts. He is saying that Hamlet is a great manipulator of women in that he makes them fall in love with him, then his true motives are revealed (Rochester, much?) and he, in truth, never wanted to marry them in the first place. This particular example is kind of humorous in that it tells of Ophelia as Hamlet’s “fashion” or “toy” and it says that Hamlet is just another violet in its prime—his love has no value. This reveals a theme of Hamlet’s corruption and the inability for others to trust him based on his inner struggles. It was metaphorical and a very interesting way of characterizing Hamlet and the relationship he would have with Ophelia.

Moon Flower

2/14/2013 11:04:34 am

"The chariest maid is prodigal enough, / If she unmask her beauty to the moon" (Hamlet.1.3. 36-37).

I chose this quote because I have a particular affinity for the moon. And I also liked the way Laertes chose his wording as to warn his sister Ophelia of the dangers of un-veiling herself to Hamlet. He was subtly inferring that she should remain a virgin until marriage because he believes Hamlet would take advantage of her because he has this power as prince. Although by using words such as "unmask" and "chariest maid" he softens the blow. "chariest maid" gives the feeling of a gentile and pure maiden, that were she to be unmasked would be a disgrace, a "prodigy". An issue at this time in history was that all the power a woman had was in her purity until marriage, and Shakespeare hints at this in the siblings monologue.

Kallie Moulton

2/14/2013 11:44:48 am

"The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown" (Hamlet 1.5.44-45). This passage reveals the scandal surrounding King Hamlet's death. The serpent the ghost is referring to is not the snake that supposedly bit him, but his true killer who is of course, Claudius. Not only does this passage play a big roll in revealing the plot, it also reveals a lot about Claudius' character. Until now Claudius had come across as innocent and acted as though he cared about Hamlet's well being. However, since the serpent is viewed as being an enemy as well as sneaky and dangerous, the personification here emphasizes Claudius' deceitfulness. I chose this passage because I think it paints a very clear picture of Claudius' character.

Kallie Moulton

2/14/2013 11:48:24 am

Alden Gagnon!

2/14/2013 12:36:58 pm

"The funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish the marriage tables" (Hamlet 1.2.193-194). Here Hamlet is emphasizing the quickness of his mother's marriage to his uncle King Claudius. I enjoy this line because Hamlet is speaking his mind to his friends, and the brutal honesty impresses me. Hamlet claims the funeral meats barely had time to cool before being used for the wedding of the new king. While this is an exaggeration, the hyperbole gives us a sense of the disturbing quickness with which these two people (incestuously and sinfully) married. It helps us understand that circumstances may be iffy and suspicious surrounding King Claudius and Gertrude and the kingdom of Denmark. This illuminates the play's themes of the evils of sin and sexual impurity, as well as illuminating a light on Hamlet's bitter and increasingly tortured mind.

Allie

2/14/2013 12:47:03 pm

*Regarding the plague doctor mask: most plague "doctors" were second-class physicians who had relatively no previous training. They were simply payed decent money for their job to tend for desperate, dying people, walked around with scary wax-covered cloaks, and wore even scarier black, metal beaks filled with supposedly protective spices and incense. The plague physicians connect with the theme of death in the book because they were among the dying and dealt with morbid issues every day. Though the idea is disgusting, people of the middle ages were strongly focused on death and the afterlife--they saw it as a way of getting out of what they saw as a terrible, grungy world. More importantly, most of these so-called-doctors were phonies, people who did not have proper training/any knowledge to truly help those who depended on such aid. This strongly ties with themes of Hamlet, because the plague doctors--much like King Claudius and other greedy, shallow members of nobility--were willing to fake their way and deal with any sort gruesome death surrounding them simply to gain power.

Aldinini Kriptinoshi link

2/14/2013 12:50:54 pm

Shakespeare makes great use of his word choice long syntax structure to give the audience a clear image in their head as well as an emotional impact. This is highly apparent when the ghost described the death of Hamlets father. Shakespeare could have simply said he was poised and died. By saying that he was poisoned with a “leprous distilment” (I.V.68) and how is spread “swift as quicksilver” (I.V.70) it lets us see what Shakespeare was thinking when he wrote this. We can clearly see a body covered in a “vile and loathsome crust” (I.V.76) as opposed to a rotting body. Both are repulsive, but one is much more penetrating to the mind and gives us a clear impression of how hamlet felt when he heard the story of his father’s death. This lets us feel why Hamlet is inching closer to insanity.

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