Hamlet Behind Bars

In 2002, the radio program "The American Life" made an hour long show on a very particular performance of Hamlet's Act V. The show begins with a small compilation of Hamlet death scenes performed in different parts of the country and then introduces the place where the extraordinary performance was excecuted: Missouri Eastern Correctional Center.

This is a high security prision where criminals are motivated to participate in a different prodution of Hamlet. The director, a woman called Agnes, has been producing individual acts since December of 1999 (it is illegal to congregate prisioners for the 4 hours that last the entire play so she breaks it up in acts every six months)

The play and the actors have a win-win interaction since the emotions portrayed by the actors fit perfectly those intended by Shakespeare. They are people who have felt desire for revenge, hate, assasin impulses and who have committed crimes worse than the ones in Hamlet. Their past allows them to personify the characters perfectly and give the play accuracy and vividness.

On the other hand, the play gives them contact with the literary world, as well as it demonstrates them that violence is not the only was out and proves them that even though many of them don't have a high school degree, they are still smart and capable people.

Sanity Within Insanity

Is Hamlet really crazy or does he use his insanity as a tool to justify his actions? Accoriding to Samuel Taylor, the answer to this question lies on the equilibrium bewteen he impression of the external world and the interpretations of ones own mind.

In Hamlet's case, Taylor explains, there is an overbalance in his intellectual ide, which makes him a "creature of pure meditation". This also affects his external world impressions since they enter his mind and are instantly modified by his outstanding brain, which impedes him from acting quickly. 

The ultimate consequence for his lack of  determination is decribed by Taylor:

He mistakes the seeing his chains for the breaking them, delays ction till action is of no use, and dies the victim of mere circumtance and accident"

According to this, Hamlet is not really insane since his intelligence remains untouched and he still conserves his basic human needs (in contrary to Macbeth who becomes crazy and starts losing sleep, hunger, etc...). On the contrary, Hamlet only appears to be crazy to the outside world since his external perception is altered by his inner conflict of thoughts.

Hamlet: The Early Definition of Psychoneurosis

Ernest Jones' essay explains how Hamlet's phsycological state is a connection between his mind and thoughts when he was an infant, and the ones he has as an adult. His unconsciousness (or "id" as it was later named by Sigmund Freud) stores emotions and desires that Hamlet developed during his childhood. These reserved feelings are what drive Hamlet's insanity and act upon his head without him being aware of them.

The abhorrence he feels towards his uncle is, according to Jones, a consequence of Hamlet's jealousy of the affection he and his dad used to receive from his mother (when he was an infant, Hamlet felt jealousy to his dad who captured his mother's love) As Hamlet grew older and the Queen married another man, his envy was directed to his uncle. This controversial perspective leads us to a very important question. Why does Hamlet insist in revenging his father if he viewed him as competence to win his mother's heart?

Jones states that his desire for revenge comes from the barbaric nature of his uncle's crime:

...[E]ndeavour to fulfil his father's demand for vengeance is that to Hamlet the thought of incest and parricide combined is too intolerable to be borne."

His inner mental struggle between doing "good" or "evil" is currently known as psychoneurosis, which was previously defined by Hamlet's story since he's portrayed as a character that is neither a heroe nor a villain, but rather a simple human.

Hamlet's Complex

In Sigmund Freud's interpretation of Hamlet, he draws a fascinating parallel between Oedipus Rex and Hamlet. Through this comparison, Freud expresses how Hamlet's true self (his being) is repressed by the rest of the characters. This repression of feelings innevitably leads him to insanity. This is also the case of Oedipus, whose destiny was unsuccessfully intervened by his parents. This also lead him to "neurosis", as stated by Freud.

In relation to the story's plot, Oedipus' incentuous actions are being contrasted with Hamlet's secret intentions. His incapability of murdering his uncle and revenging his father symbolize the sympathy he feels towards "the sinner" (his uncle), since occupying his father's position was something he desired since little. This is exemplified by Freud through the following sentence:

Thus the loathing which should drive him on to revenge is replaced in him by self-reproaches, by scrupules of conscience, which remind him that he himself is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to punish"

In addition to his own analysis of the play, Freud opposses Goethe's elucidation of Hamlet's state of mind, which states that Hamlet's actions are limited by his excessive intelligence, which makes him a doubtful, analytical and paralysed man. To contradict this statement, Freud gives two examples of how Hamlet is capable of acting according to his impulses, but that his state of mind (defined as neurasthenic) prevents him from accomplishing his main goal.

The Beginning of The End

 
The book ends in a peculiar way since its last paragraph seems to be somehow different and disconnected from the story. On one hand, the story itself ends with the father's death and the son continuing his voyage with some people that claim to be good guys as well. Right after this happens, McCarthy closes the novel with the following paragraph:

Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them
standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in
the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional.
On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its
becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made
right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they
hummed of mystery." (pg 286 - 287)

I was fascinated by this last paragraph, both by its form and content. In terms of its form, I appreciated  the beauty of the language, which symbolized the underestimated beauty of the world we live in. The content of this last section also absorbed me because it marks a contrast between today's world and the one of the story. The world we live in today can still be saved by humans, if they become responsible and considerate with their actions.The book's ultimate message is portrayed through this final passage, which exemplifies how humans are exposing themselves to their destruction, but it also helps us reflect by showing that there's still time to change.

How Lucky is Lucky?

 Since I started to read "The Road" I wondered how the characters felt by being one of the last habitants of the earth. Did they feel blessed or cursed? As the sory advanced, I found the response to my question.

When the man and the boy encounter the old man walking down the road, they iniciate a conversation discussing their history and future, as well as their existance and purpose. McCarthy shows through the folloing quote how the old man questions the man about his place and importance in the world:

Suppose you were the last one left? Suppose you did that to yourself?
Do you wish you would die?
No. But I might wish I had died. When you're alive you've always got that ahead of you.
Or you might wish you'd never been born.
Well. Beggars cant be choosers." (pg 169)

After this conversation, the story moves on and the characters finally arrive to the coast, which represented hope for survival since it was easier to travel by. When they got there, dissapointment struck them since the landscape was nohing like they expected. The ocean was dark and cold, and the sand was gray and ashy. Fortunately, they found an abandoned boat that had food and clothes supplies, which saved them from freezing and starving. During these scenes, were the characters unexpectedly found  food and shelter, I thought the characters must feel very lucky for escaping death one more time. Contrary to my opinions, after the man found the food in the boat, he expressed the following:

That good luck might be no such thing. There were
few nights lying in the dark that he did not envy the dead." (pg 230)

The previous exemplifies how frustration build up in the man's heart, leading him to become ill and facing the fact that he was going to die. Moments before his death, he has a conversation with his son in which he reasures him that there are more good guys out there and that he should continue the journey since he was carrying the fire. During their final dialogue, luck is mentioned as a shield that will aid the boy to his destination:

You need to go on, he said. I cant go with you. You need to keep
going. You dont know what might be down the road. We were always lucky. You'll
be lucky again. You'll see. Just go. It's all right." (pg 278)

Through the previous examples, it is seen that in the character's perspective, luck was not being able to find food or escaping the bad guys. For them, luck was a tool that helped them move along the way, since it insipired hope and strenght to struggle. The man realized that even though he sometimes felt unfortunate and damned, his real luck was to have his kid by his side and to be able to prepare him for a life without his care and company.

Life Switch

In Estefania's post, "Ever is a Long Time - Close Reading" she analyzes the following quote:

Turns out the light and is gone. Ever is a long time. That ever is no time at all"(28)

 She says that the previous refers to the hope that lives in human's hearts and their desire to accomplish their dreams. Then she explains how the concept of time is subject to different interpretations since time can appear to run slowly or briskly, depending on the situation. I think her interpretation of the quote was very interesenting since it was very different from mine.

For me, the quote refers to human existence itself. "Turn out the light and is gone" shows how humanity may fall into oblivion in just a fraction of a second. "Ever is a long time. That ever i no time at all" means that once humans become extinct, time will stop exising and eternal rest would be the only thing ahead of them.

This sentence highlights the importance death has on the novel, as well as showing how the apocalyptic human actions can bring terrible consequences.

Seasons

In literature, as well as in life, each season has unique symbolism which is reflected by the different emotions and impact they have on the characters. Spring is represents the person's birth and childhood, since it is time when the leaves and flowers begin to bloom. Then comes summer, which symbolizes the jolly, exciting and fresh youth. Afterwards is autumn that exemplifies through its falling leaves and dying trees the period of middle age of a person, when they start to seek the end of their life. Finally comes winter, which symbolizes death and old age since everything is dead and covered with snow.

This symbolism plays a substantial role in The Road, since both of its characters are looking for a place to escape winter (death). They are currently submerged in a transition stage where they are slowly moving from autumn to winter, which is described by this poem. Through the following conversation, McCarthy shows the denial the man has towards death, meanwhile the boy is starting to accept it as their innevitable destiny:

You think we're going to die, dont you?

I dont know.

We're not going to die.

Okay.

But you dont believe me.

I dont know.

Why do you think we're going to die?

I dont know.

Stop saying I dont know.

Okay.

Why do you think we're going to die?

We dont have anything to eat.

We'll find something.

Okay.

How long do you think people can go without food?

I dont know.

But how long do you think?

Maybe a few days.

And then what? You fall over dead?

Yes.

Well you dont. It takes a long time. We have water. That's the most important

thing. You dont last very long without water.

Okay.

But you dont believe me.

I dont know.

He studied him. Standing there with his hands in the pockets of the outsized

pinstriped suitcoat.

Do you think I lie to you?

No.

But you think I might lie to you about dying.

Yes.

Okay. I might. But we're not dying.

Okay." (pg 100 - 101)

Withering Road

McCarthy shows the readers how the world and life in "The Road" are slowing disappearing through the following:

The names of things slowly following those things into oblivion. Colors. The names of birds.
Things to eat. Finally the names of things one believed to be true. " (pg 88)

 The first sentence indicates how the names of certain things (and the things themselves) are being forgotten by humanity. The lack of color symbolizes how the world has fallen into a monotonous and monochrome cycle of death and depression. The names of the birds exemplify how humans are losing touch with nature and how they barely care about anything but themselves. Food is a direct example that reflects the hunger and scarceness of supplies humans are facing due to their abuse and greed. Finally he mentions the "names of things one believed to be true", showing how they have become wary individuals who are used of doubting and mistrusting people's actions and intentions.

More fragile than he would have thought. How much was gone already? The sacred idiom shorn of its referents and so of its reality. Drawing down like something trying to preserve heat.
In time to wink out forever." (pg 89)

The excerpt above is a continuation of the previous quote, which states how the man never thought forgetting those important details was possible. He ponders how much things have already dissapeared and he haven't even noticed. Afterwards, he makes reference to how language (words) make futile attempts of preserving those concepts, even though they are gone already and nobody really cares about them. Finally he predicts how everything in the world will end up vanishing if humans continue behaving the way they do.

The Price of Luck

In Cormac McCarthy's interview with Oprah, he mentions several things that are also shown through the book.  He says that he has never cared too much about money, because for him the most important thing is to do the things that make you passionate. In the book, this is reflected trhough the fact that the characters never talk about money, nor care about becoming powerful or superior. They are only struggling to survive and to reach a better future.

Another important aspect disscussed in the interview is McCarthy's luck. He starts the topic by saying that when he was younger he lived in Kentucky and he had a job housesitting (because he was homeless and broke). One day, he heard someone knocking on the door, and unexpectedly, received a check from a foundation worth 20thousand dollars. Oprah asks him if he considers himself lucky, and he responds that in the world's "luckiness" can be seen as a bell graph, where people move either to the "lucky" or "unlucky" side through their life. He says that currently he felt on the lucky side, but that he has never done anything to deserve it, so things may change in any moment.

This relates to the book's character's life, since in some scenes they appear to be unfortunate and cursed, but on the other hand, they face many situations where they survive mainly due to luck. For example, after they though they were going to starve to death, they found the bunker with food and supplies inside:

He stood the lamp on  the step and went up and took the boy by the hand. Come on, he said. It's alright.                                                                                                                         What did you find? I found everything. Everything. Wait till you see." (pg 138 - 139)

Death Route

As the characters continue to struggle for survival, they face different situations that make their arduous journey almost unbeareable. Death becomes a really important subject of disscussion between the son and the father. For example, after they both escape the well-mantained house were prisioners were being kept, the father asks his son to kill himself if the "bad guys" catch him:

If they find you you are going to have to do it. Do you understand? Shh. No crying. Do you
hear me? You know how to do it. You put it in your mouth and point it up. Do it
quick and hard. Do you understand? Stop crying. Do you understand?
I think so.
No. Do you understand?
Yes." (pg 113)

This conversation, and the fact that the father abandoned the people that were about to be killed reflects how death has caused a tremendous impact on the man. First of all, its clear that his only priority is to keep his son and himself alive. The rest of the people have lost importance in the man's life since he has lost hope in humanity.

On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened
and burnt. The smell was hideous.
Jesus, he whispered.
Then one by one they turned and blinked in the pitiful light. Help us, they
whispered. Please help us. Christ, he said. Oh Christ.
He turned and grabbed the boy. Hurry, he said. Hurry." (pg 110)

The experience of watching these people left the boy and the man shocked and traumatized. After that, the boy continuously asks the man if they are going to die soon and begs him not to lie to him. He also wants to know if they will end up doing the same things as the "bad guys" in the masion did. The dad takes his role as a protective figure to the child, and asures him that even though conditions are tough, they will make it through and continue to be the good guys:

We wouldnt ever eat anybody, would we?
No. Of course not.
Even if we were starving?                                                                                                   We're starving now.
You said we werent.
I said we werent dying. I didnt say we werent starving.
But we wouldnt.
No. We wouldnt.
No matter what.
No. No matter what.
Because we're the good guys.
Yes.
And we're carrying the fire.
And we're carrying the fire. Yes.
Okay." (pg 128 - 129)

But even though the dad keeps telling the son that they are not dying and that they can endure the situation, he knows death is slowly coming upon them, and therefore, has a dream about it:

He was beginning to think that death was finally upon them and that they should find
some place to hide where they would not be found... He'd seen the boy in a
dream laid out upon a coolingboard and woke in horror. What he could bear in the
waking world he could not by night and he sat awake for fear the dream would
return" (pg 129 - 130)

The Ignition of Life

After the dad killed one of the "bad guys", his son becomes distant and depressed. Also, tension builts up among them, as shown through the following:

Take me with you, the boy said. He looked as if he was going to cry.
No. I want you to wait here.
Please, Papa.
Stop it. I want you to do what I say. Take the gun.
I dont want the gun.
I didnt ask you if you wanted it. Take it." (pg 70)

They continue the journey, but as soon as they realize that their food and items were stolen and that the only things left from the man were his guts, they decided to camp in a bridge. While they were camping, the father decides to collect wood and start a fire. The way McCarthy describes the shape and vitality of the fire makes it appear as a symbol of life and hope:

He took the lighter from his pocket and struck the wheel with his thumb. He used gasoline in the lighter and it burned with a frail blue flame and he bent and set the tinder alight and watched the fire climb upward through the wicker of limbs. He piled on more wood and bent and blew
gently at the base of the little blaze and arranged the wood with his hands, shaping
the fire just so." (pg 72)

Some pages ahead, the fire also plays an important role in the story. When the characters are sleeping in the abandoned city and they hear a dog barking, both of them felt scared, hungry and disoriented. In that moment, fire is shown as a symbol of power and a protecting shield:

We're going to be okay, arent we Papa?
Yes. We are.
And nothing bad is going to happen to us.
That's right.
Because we're carrying the fire.
Yes. Because we're carrying the fire." (pg 83)

The element of fire can also be seen to an exception of the monochromatic life both characters are living. The dazzling colors of the flames and the warmth they produce reminds them that they are still alive and they have a purpose to fight for. Their discontent with their lifestyle is reflected in the following phrase:

The names of things slowly following those things into oblivion. Colors. The names of birds.
Things to eat. Finally the names of things one believed to be true. More fragile than
he would have thought. How much was gone already?" (pg 88)

Def-i-ni-tions

In Camille's post "Words." she defines several words and their context to help the reader understand the usage and meaning of them. I agree with the post's first statement, about how Mccarthy has a "huge vocabulary", since he uses specific and consice vocabulary throughout the novel. I think that the reason of this precise and minimalist language is that he portrays the character's unique situation and vision of the country in an also unique form. Even if destruction seems to have taken over, each landscape and circumstances lived by the characters differ from each other. These can be seen as the "synonyms" of the story, which in a literally level seem to mean the same, but in the symbolic one, they have slight differences that make them matchless.

I find the way Camille defines the words very adequate and interesting. She starts off by presenting the context in which they are found (quote) followed by a definition in her own words. Finally, she expresses her opinion towards their significance and the impact they caused on her. Through this format, she avoids making a boring, monotonous and dictionary-like post,but instead , she accomplishes her objective as a writer of attracting the readers to read and enjoy her material.

"With Silence Favor Me" - Horace

There are several things from Natalia Chaves' post "No words. Too much to say." in which I agree and others in which I disagree. First, she mentions how there is a distance between the son and the father, since their conversations are always short and simple. I disagree with this because I think that the fact that their dialogue is plain and concise indicates how the son trusts his father completely and never questions his decisions. McCarthy shows their close relationship through the following quote:

He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of
God God never spoke." (5)

In Natalia's last paragraph she explains the importance of the scant dialogue as a way to see how the characters have been through painful situations which have dehumanized them and transformed them into plain and stoic individuals. I agree with the previous statement because it is evident how destruction and chaos have made a terrible impact in the book's characters and the way they interact with others.

The: (article) normally used before a noun / Road: (noun) a way or course between two or more points

"Tattered gods slouching in their rags across the waste." (52)

Tattered: (adj) old, torn, in bad conditions.

 All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's
heart have a common provenance in pain." (54)

Provenance: (noun) origin or earliest roots of something

Following a stone wall in the dark, wrapped in his blanket, kneeling in the ashes like a penitent." (54)

 Penitent: (noun) a person that shows regret for doing wrong.

She would do it with a flake of obsidian. He'd taught her himself. Sharper than steel." (58)

Obsidian: (noun) volcanic rock formed by the solidification of lava. 

He came forward, holding his belt by one hand. The holes in it marked the
progress of his emaciation..." (63)

Emaciation: (noun) extreme thinness caused by malnourishment

When it was a bit lighter he rose and walked out and cut a perimeter about their siwash camp looking for sign but other than their own faint track through the ash he saw nothing." (68)

Siwash: (adj) related to indian's lifestyle.