Page 832, #9

The soliloquy that reaches out to me the most is "too too solid flesh". What really stands out about this soliloquy is the dramatic, angry tone that Hamlet carries out throughout the soliloquy, and how that tone miraculously disappears after he hears the crack of the door open. Moreover, his language is very repetitive throughout the soliloquy, implying that he is unable to let go of the past. His language also expresses an anger towards all other people in his life, and a possible urge to be dead. Thus, in this soliloquy, Hamlet feels his meaning and purpose in the world is completely and utterly worthless.

Page 830, #14

Hamlet expresses that Denmark is a 'prison' because of the situation he has been put in. He finds nothing good in his life because of his overwhelming depression, but he wants people to believe that he is not depressed, so he states that there is nothing bad in life either. His anger is justified by the horrible events that have happened to him, but he does make these emotions over the top.  Hamlet suggests that this madness will not go away. Moreover, he may act out some of his emotions to the public, but I do believe that his private internal emotions are very true.

Page 830, #7

Hamlet's sudden mood change is a natural reaction to his anger, however he covers up his anger with strategic words. He is truly angry at the situation that he has been put in, with his father's death and his mother's sudden remarrying, but he does not want to express weakness to the community he lives in. Thus, his internal reaction is one of anger and sadness, but his external reaction is one of strength and strategic language.

Page 830, #4

Laertes and Polonius both object to Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet, warning her to be aware of her surroundings and to not get hurt by the possibility of Hamlet choosing someone else as a girlfriend or wife. Laertes and Polonius' most convincing argument is warning Ophelia to defend her purity. Their advice reveals that both Laertes and Polonius are very worried about Ophelia, as well as very protective of her. Moreover, Ophelia tends to become oblivious of her own decisions, as she is always abiding to her brother and father's advice. Laertes and Polonius may believe that women in general do not realize their surroundings and can get put into a position where they can be completely ignored or oblivious, therefore they are protecting Ophelia by warning her for her future.

A joking friend or a depressed maniac? The two sides of Hamlet

William Shakespeare defines each character in Hamlet by giving individuals different patterns of speech. Shakespeare allows all characters to shine through their different tones and word choice, which ultimately creates an engaging and easy to follow scene for readers and watchers. However, unlike the rest of the characters, Hamlet stands out as a complex character living life through two different personalities: as the comic and the heavy-hearted man. His overpowering raw emotions ultimately force the reader to question the validity of his relationships with other people -- including Ophelia and Horatio -- as well as if Hamlet will present anger and depression to his friends and family in the future. Therefore, Hamlet creates an untroubled face in which he presents to his fellow peers, contrasting to the pure emotion that he preaches while alone.

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons"

T.S. Elliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" illustrates the lack of confidence that a modern man faces through every thought and step in life. The whole poem creates a mediocre yet depressing setting through Elliot's diction; however, one line truly stood out to me, being: "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons". The character of Prufrock is obviously attempting to try and pull himself together, but this line illustrates his inability, as well as his suspicion of whether or not he really belongs in the world he lives in. As a man who does not receive any attention and fantasizes about women's arms, Prufrock is unable to make another step in his life, thus he measures out his achievements in life with one of the smallest and most insignificant things in life -- coffee spoons. Not only are coffee spoons something that every person sees every day, they also remain unnoticed in a world full of hustle-and-bustle. Therefore, the character of Prufrock feels as unimportant as coffee spoons, thus believes that his place in the world is not important to anyone around him, or even to Prufrock himself.

"Coy Mistress" mini essay

Andrew Marvell writes with a clever sense of diction in his poem "To His Coy Mistress". The choice of words that Marvell decides to utilize creates an interesting tone shift from the beginning of the poem to the end, allowing the poem's meaning to change through each stanza. Marvell starts off the poem with serene and comforting words, initially wooing the reader to make him or her believe that the poem is a soothing love poem. Thus, Marvell goes on into depth about how eternal and beautiful his love is for the "coy mistress". However, in the 2nd stanza, the diction changes the tone and point of the poem, as Marvell states: "then worms shall try / That long preserv'd virginity, / And your quaint honour turn to dust, / And into ashes all my lust." After successfully luring in the reader, Marvel cleverly changes the tone of the poem by utilizing words that are everything but serene. This effect, however, is not caught by many readers because the serenity and the soothing sound of the 1st stanza so efficiently lures the reader in, causing the reader to lose his or her focus from the diction and tone of the poem. Moreover, Marvell continues to change the tone by adding even more harsh words, such as "prey", "devour", "tear", and "rough" in the 3rd stanza. Such jarring words juxtapose the initial tranquil and engaging 1st stanza, changing the meaning of the poem from love being eternal to time is running out. Therefore, Marvell masterfully creates a shift in tone throughout the poem by carefully selecting intimate, meaningful words.

To His Coy Mistress

The aspect of Marvell's poem that stands out the most is his pivoting tone through the poem , more specifically as he states "Had we but the world enough, and time" but later firmly corrects himself, stating "But... Times winged chariot hurrying near". Without a close reading, the reader is unable to catch the fact that in the first stanza, Marvell starts the poem off with the word "had', and such a "tuned-out" reader may classify the poem as a sweet love poem. However, the poem truly changes its tone and its meaning after the word "but" in the beginning of the second stanza. What originally seems like a soft and sweet poem pivots into a poem having a harsh and vicious tone.