Honestly, I enjoyed every part of Hamlet! I must admit
that I am usually not the biggest fan of Shakespeare and his works simply
because I fail to comprehend his language. To me, Hamlet was well written, and the
class involvement made it easier and more fun to understand. Not only was it
one of Shakespeare most exciting pieces of literature, it was also extremely
entertaining. During the story, he always kept you on your feet about what was
to occur next. He also made you thoroughly think about each and every character
that he presented in the novel. Hamlet was the ultimate love, revenge, and
family story, gone wrong.
I must strongly compliment your way (Mrs. Watkins) in
the strategy you used to teach Hamlet. The reading of the book and the watching
of the play helped tremendously! I was finally able to understand the literary genius,
and actually appreciate his works rather than get confused and miss important
parts of the play. The study guides in between the scenes, mixed with the class
discussions definitely helped improve my understanding of the novel. Because I was
able to understand everything, I was able to find a like for it. I thought the
twitter project was so cute! You allowed us to give our “modern” twist and this
gave
us our own personal connection. If the
book was taught differently, I probably would’ve missed key parts of the play,
making certain scenes extremely vague.
The movie that we watched portrayed the play
perfectly in my opinion. Kenneth Branaugh's interpretation was an excellent
one. Although there are some conspiracies within the play, for example, if
Hamlet had a relationship with his mom and if Ophelia had one with Laertes, the
Branaugh portrayed it fit all of my interpretations. Too add he excelled in the
way he portrayed Hamlet. To me, he portrayed Hamlet exactly as Shakespeare
would have. There was so much passion and believability in the scenes,
especially scene 4. Hamlets rash decisions where nicely presented, making me
believe and feel the passion behind Shakespeare’s literary talents.
But, one class conversation I wish we have established
was determining the truth behind Hamlets “madness.” Is he truly mad? When
seeing Ophelia, you begin to second guess if it is feigned or true. Other than
that, I loved Hamlet and the way we went about learning it as a group. I admire
your creativity as well Mrs. Watkins. You thought of creative ways for us to
relate and understand the play, making the play favorable to me. Hamlet is
definitely my favorite Shakespeare work so far. I hope that when reading more of
his literary pieces, it is explained, discussed, and taught just like you did
for Hamlet.
