Activity 1.3
Prince Hamlet:
Although the play begins with Old Hamlet already having been murdered, it is obvious that before his father’s death Prince Hamlet lived a very comfortable and stable life. He had his mother, and his father whom he adored and admired greatly. We know that he was very close to Ophelia, that he went to university to study, and that he was very fond of drama. When his father get’s murdered, his entire reality begins to unravel. Firstly he is appalled by the fact that his mother re-married his uncle not even two months after his father’s death. This alone destroys everything that Hamlet used to live by. Claudius is nothing like his father, yet his mother is now willingly with him. He also accuses them of being incestuous. We can see that he is utterly shocked. Also, he does not understand why everyone has finished mourning so early, while his pain is greater than he can express. Then, when he finds out about the murder, things begin to unravel even further. He can now blame someone for destroying everything that was real to him – Claudius. He simply cannot cope with what has happened to him, he loses almost all sense of decency, and vows to have revenge against the man who ruined it all. He eventually becomes completely disenfranchised with man. He no longer pays attention to the woman he once loved, he kills Polonius, and gets sent away by the King… In the end, he is killed by a plan devised by Laertes and Claudius, not before getting his revenge.
Queen Gertrude:
In Queen Gertrude’s reality, what is important is a happy family. She doesn’t understand why her son would be grieving so greatly when he now has a new father to replace the one he just lost. Her family was in tatters for a bit and she made it better by re-marrying another man, making it “whole” again. She does not understand nor share Hamlet’s pain, and does not believe to have betrayed her deceased ex husband. This leads to her loosing any respect from her child, agreeing to have her son sent off to England where he could have been killed, and drinking from a poisoned drink which killed her.
King Claudius:
In King Claudius’s reality, he has killed his brother, taken his throne and his wife, and although he wishes to simply forget about the bad things and move on to being a good king and a good father/uncle to Hamlet, he cannot help but feel that Hamlet is a threat. In his reality, if he does not do something to stop or get rid of the Prince, something terribly wrong will happen. He attempts to have him killed in many ways, by plotting his death in England, by poisoning his drink, and by poisoning a blade. The outcome is that he ends up accidentally killing his wife, and dying at the hand of Hamlet – drinking his own poison. Ultimately, he is the main reason for most things that go wrong in the play.
Polonius:
In Polonius’s reality, all that matters is serving the royal family, and caring for his children (which I believe to still be of secondary importance to serving the throne). He does not want his daughter to be with Hamlet because he is a prince and needs to marry someone of better blood. He believes that the reason behind Hamlet’s madness is his having forbidden Ophelia to see him. His willingness to please the king leads to his aiding in breaking his daughter’s heart, and ultimately getting himself killed. He was so eager to help find out more about Hamlets madness that he was stabbed when spying upon him and Gertrude.
Laertes:
In Laertes’s reality, Hamlet is not to be trusted in the case of his sister. He does not believe that he truly loves her, and therefore tells her to be weary of him. When learning of his father’s death and poor burial, he immediately blames and plots to overthrow the king. When finding out that his father’s true killer is Hamlet, and that his beloved sister has gone crazy due to her father’s death, he plots to kill Hamlet in a battle that was supposed to only be false, with a poisoned blade. In the end, he dies at Hamlet’s hand the same way he killed Hamlet.
Ophelia:
In Ophelia’s reality, Hamlet truly does love her but she must obey her brother and father. She goes against her heart, agreeing not to see her lover and being used by her father and the king to find out what is wrong with Hamlet, betraying him as well. She ends up believing that Hamlet has gone mad. She loses the man she loves, and goes completely insane due to a failure to cope with her father’s death. This also leads to her own death; a possible suicide.
Fortinbras:
Although his father lost fairly to Old Hamlet, Fortinbras is not at all happy with this outcome and attempts to invade Denmark as a way to avenge his father’s death. He almost get’s in serious trouble with his uncle, the new King, and finally gets what he wants in the end –because all the heirs to the throne are dead in Denmark, he claims his right to the kingdom.
The Importance of a Family Unit in Society
Truly functioning family units are of vital importance to society. They provide a place of love, comfort, safety, and much more for a growing child, who will eventually be part of society and affect it in one way or another. Some may believe that most things are innate inside of us, but I believe that things are a product of nurture much more than nature. The type of family unit that you have will almost always affect the person you become when you’re older. The majority of the time, most of the things you learn come from your family. If you are used to abuse, violence, neglect, etc. than this may be the things you come to expect from those around you. If your family unit teaches you good morals and values, then you have higher chances of becoming a better individual. There are always exceptions, but I believe this in most cases to be true.
The type of people we want in society are those who care for others, strive for better things, are honest, respectful, and much more. These are the kind of values you learn in a family unit. Every single person in society comes from some sort of family unit or other, therefore, these have a large impact on society. There are often misconceptions about what a functioning family unit is – many people believe it to be the nuclear family- but I beg to differ. There have been plenty of single parents, adoptive parents, etc. who have successfully created wonderful members of society.
All in all, when people are treated well and taught how to treat others well, they tend to do it. This is why, if functional, a family unit can lead to a very happy and successful society.
