Act V Response

I have never had the greatest relationship with Shakespeare. Over the past few years when reading his works, I always struggled. His writing was always quite difficult for me to understand, even with my former teachers’ explanation. So when we began to read Hamlet, I assumed that my experience would be the same: difficult and boring. Luckily, my experience was unlike I expected, as I did particularly enjoy Hamlet.

In my opinion, watching Kenneth Branagh’s movie version of Hamlet whilst reading the actual play was a brilliant idea. Actually being able to visualize the action that was taking place was enjoyable, and I didn’t have any trouble understanding the characters’ reactions and feelings. Also, having them in conjunction opened it up for me to actually be able to appreciate Shakespeare’s writing. Without having to ponder what was taking place in the play, I was able to wonder more about Shakespeare’s metaphors and similes, and the true meanings behind his words.

Furthermore, I felt that the blogs and mini-projects we did after the acts did slightly help me to better grasp and question the story. The first two blog entries we did were the favorites, as it gave me the ability to take the story in my own hands. I got to create my own reality for the characters, and also learned a bit more Shakespearean language. I don’t quite remember the mini-projects that we did, but I do remember not liking the “To be or not to be” parody, as I’m not the biggest fan of poetry.

To close, Hamlet was the first Shakespeare play that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. I was bored by Romeo and Juliet, and left confused throughout Julius Caesar. But this play left me with different feelings. I thought it was thought-provoking and full of great twists. But perhaps without watching the play without reading it, I wouldn’t have felt that way. Whatever the reason for my liking it, my experience with Hamlet was a positive one, and makes me curious about Shakespeare’s other works.