Hamlet plans revenge
Claudius confesses murder
Fortinbras attacks kingdom
English literature has a funny and ironic way of repeating itself through many different pieces of work. In two completely unrelated pieces of work Their Eyes were Watching God and and The Black walnut Tree seem to find great importance around the idea of nature, and more specifically, trees. Through these trees the idea of identity is relayed to the audience. The two women in The Black walnut Tree know that the tree is a piece of their heritage and therefore, and extension of themselves as who they are. if they were to get rid of the tree, "What my mother and I both know is that we'd crawl with shame in the emptiness we'd made in our own and our fathers' backyard" (Oliver,1). In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie sees the pear tree as who she wants to become, who she feels she is in her young teenage years, "Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches. (Hurston, 11)."
Though written hundreds of years apart, we, as readers, find ourselves once again discovering the similarities of two supporting characters of two pieces of English literature. Polonius is Claudius's left hand man, a brute force to be reckoned with. Nanny is Janie's grandmother, the one who raised her for her entire life. The two characters treat their dependents like children, not as if they are literally their own, but they are trying to control their lives and command them to do what they expect without any argument. Polonius tells his daughter, Ophelia, that she "speaks like a green girl" (1.3.4) and won't allow her to marry Hamlet. And Nanny wants to marry Janie off because she believes, "you ain't no everyday chile like most of 'em...neither can you stand alone by yo'self" (Hurston, 15).
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Blog Post #17: Hamlet Act 5
For the song to play at Ophelia's funeral I chose If I Die Young by the Band Perry. I found this song to be very appropriate for Ophelia's death seeing as she does in fact die young not long after her father. In Ophelia's conversation with her brother, Laertes, she says to him, "Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven" (1.3.48). I saw the word "thorny" as being like a rose, beautiful and thorny. One of the very first lyrics of the song is "lay me down on a bed of roses". When Ophelia dies, she is wearing the white nightgown from days before, and is again buried in white much like when the song also says "and I'll be wearing white". Ophelia's death comes to her by water, and as the singer of the band Perry talks about how to bury her she sings "sink me in the river at dawn" where Ophelia will have "drowned, drowned" (4.4.182).
As we as the readers know, Ophelia is madly in love with Hamlet, and as he goes mad she goes mad as well. The song talks about a "boy here in town says he'll love me forever" much like how Hamlet has "of late made many tenders/Of his affection" (1.1.99-100). But it may as well be when the soul "lends the tongue vows" (1.1.117). In the midst of Ophelia's madness she sings her thoughts in the form of songs; "sweet lady, what imports this song?" (4.5.27). And as the song begins to end the singer sings, "maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing" as if trying to get her point across much the way that Ophelia has.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song,
Uh oh, Uh oh Lord make me a rainbow,
I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors
Oh, and, life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but sheburies her baby
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
As green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the loving of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing
Funny, when you're dead how people start listen'n
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn'
Send me away with the words of a love song
The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them,
The sharp knife of a short life oh
Well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best boys
And I'll wear my pearls
As we as the readers know, Ophelia is madly in love with Hamlet, and as he goes mad she goes mad as well. The song talks about a "boy here in town says he'll love me forever" much like how Hamlet has "of late made many tenders/Of his affection" (1.1.99-100). But it may as well be when the soul "lends the tongue vows" (1.1.117). In the midst of Ophelia's madness she sings her thoughts in the form of songs; "sweet lady, what imports this song?" (4.5.27). And as the song begins to end the singer sings, "maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing" as if trying to get her point across much the way that Ophelia has.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song,
Uh oh, Uh oh Lord make me a rainbow,
I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors
Oh, and, life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but sheburies her baby
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
As green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the loving of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life
Oh well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing
Funny, when you're dead how people start listen'n
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn'
Send me away with the words of a love song
The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them,
The sharp knife of a short life oh
Well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best boys
And I'll wear my pearls
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