Scribe 12/13

Today was the last class period before the final!
In class we finished reading Hamlet. Here is a brief summary of Act 5 scenes 1 and 2.

Act 5 Scene 1
- Hamlet and Horatio go to the graveyard where a gravedigger is digging Ophelia's grave
- Hamlet and the gravedigger contemplate death using comedy
- when the funeral starts the priest does not perform his job the right way and this angers
Laertes
-Hamlet and Laertes get into an argument which sets the stage for scene 2
-this scene provided some comic relief with the presence of the gravedigger and his sarcastic remarks
-the comic relief is used to lighten the mood of the play at this point

Act 5 Scene 2
- Hamlet has stolen a letter from Claudius to the English and has rewritten it so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will be killed
- Claudius sends Osric to tell Hamlet that he and Laertes will have a fencing match and Hamlet accepts
- When the match starts, Claudius offers Hamlet a drink (poisoned), but Hamlet does not accept it. The queen then drinks the poisoned drink.
- Laertes cuts Hamlet with a poisoned knife, and then they accidentally switch knives, and Hamlet cuts Laertes.
- Hamlet then uses the poisoned knife and wine to kill King Claudius
- The queen, king, and Laertes all die
- Hamlet tells Horatio to live on to tell Hamlet's story and shortly after Hamlet dies
- Fortinbras arrives and is disgusted at the scene - he orders a funeral for Hamlet

The significance of all of this will be discussed at the final fishbowl. Come prepared to lead, discuss, or live blog with your questions and comments.
We will have a short essay response the day of the final as well.

Don't forget to turn in your papers by Friday AM. NO EXCEPTIONS. Attach the rubric.
If you have not blogged on Ms. Howell's question, do it soon.

Andy, the donuts and OJ were good.

by Levi K.

Scribe 12/11

Today we had visitors from the board of education come view our fishbowl discussion over Act 4 in Hamlet. Everyone did a really nice job displaying the benefits of challenging the traditional educational environment with technology, higher-level discussion, etc..GOOD JOB EVERYONE!!

Topics/Questions discussed in the fishbowl discussion and over blogging:
-Ophelia’s death= accidental or suicide
-Was she pregnant?
-Shakespeare’s opinion of women…weak and wicked?
-Is Ophelia sane or insane? And is the lack of sanity used as an excuse for problems?
-Relationships in the play (father/son) and the lack of trust
-Why HASN’T Hamlet killed Claudius yet? What’s the difference between Hamlet’s character and Laertes and Fortinbras?
-ghost was called into question again
-Fate vs. Freewill presence in Act 4
-Claudius and Laertes plan Hamlet’s death..motivation?? betrayal to Gertrude??
-The importance of King Hamlet to Hamlet in the play..is he starting to question whether his father is everything he made him out to be?
-Can Gertrude see the ghost? How is she involved in this situation?
-Hamlet…thought about the aftermath of his decisions?

-Don’t forget to answer the question for Act 4 on the blog!
-PAPERS due on FRIDAY PEOPLE!!!
-Act 5 people- get ready for fishbowl for final

LAST MONDAY OF REGULAR CLASS FOR FIRST SEMESTER!!!!
by Amy K.

This Isn't Your Ordinary Act Four Question

Instead of having the act 4 group create another blog question, I thought we could continue the conversation started by Mrs. Howell regarding how your education is different. What changes have you seen? How does the fishbowl or constructivist methodologies work for you? What benefits have ou experienced.

Additionally, since Mrs. Howell is a school board member, part of her job is to show the community that what we are doing (constructivist, fishbowl, technology) is beneficial to you as well as show how it has helped and changed your learning. How could you explain this to the community of Centennial?

Hamlet Fishbowl Act 4

Hamlet Fishbowl Act 3

In act 3 we see Hamlet kill Polonius when he screams for help. After killing Polonius, an innocent man, will it be easier or harder for Hamlet to kill Claudius? Take into consideration the ghost and his new appearance, his mother and what she came to terms with in their talk, and his possible insanity.

Scribe 12/4

Today in class we had a great fishbowl on Act III in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. I took notes in the class, and I'll just post those, they do tend to jump around, but it is the order that the conversation took, so hopefully the help.


Hamlet Act III Fishbowl
- Lit Crit, "Hamlet most famous play in English language"
Avenge father's death

- Moral integrity? What moral lessons in Act 3?

- P 125 line 159 Since we're married we should be loyal to each other

- Claudius can't pray, he doesn't mean it

- P. 149 line 243-44 own up to actions, clean conscience won't bother you

- "Words without thoughts never to heaven go" No meaning behind words, not actually repenting, not accepting that did something wrong

- Claudius knows its wrong, but isn't sorry

- Hamlet preparing to kill King; is this moral?

- P 162, puts sword away, because it is morally wrong? Not revenge unless it equals sin, if caught in prayer he will go to heaven, wants him to go to Purgatory or Hell?

- Hamlet is working to destroy the respect of Claudius

- Hamlet wants Horatio to watch Claudius, because he knows he bias. Doesn't act immediately against Claudius, to make sure he really did it.

- Hamlet committing sin, no matter what

- Catholics believe that you must repent as you sin, if not repentant before death, get stuck in Purgatory

- Wants to catch Claudius sinning to expose Claudius, and to feel less guilty than if killing him praying

- Hamlet believes that God is allowing him to kill people, particularly Claudius, but says God lets him kill Polonius

- P 179 Hamlet's father is no longer wearing armor What does the ghost want to tell or show Hamlet?

- Hamlet might just be actually crazy at this point, only imagining his father, especially because no one else can see or hear the ghost

- Father no longer is prepared for battle, and trusts that Hamlet will take care of Claudius

- Ghost tells Claudius to be nice to mother

- Seems like ghost would show himself to mother, to reveal that Hamlet is on his side and to get her on Hamlet's side

- P 59 ghost criticizes Gertrude for falling in love over gifts and wit, calls it incest

- Ghost is Hamlets sub-conscience, comes out to call out Hamlet's wrongs, forces him to stick to the task

- Ghost wants Gertrude to come to remorse without him showing himself to her, to know she did something wrong not told she did something wrong

- Ghost wants Hamlet to be on the right path

- Why does ghost want heaven to judge Gertrude but not Claudius, wants him killed

- Ghost wants son to do well on earth

- King Hamlet thinking of Denmark

- Kings put in power by God, GodJrants Hamlet jr. to take the throne, so won't judge him until that time

- King Hamlet notices Fortinbras is just building armies

- Is Claudius sorry for what he did, or sorry because he was caught

- The stabbing of Julius Caesar by Brutus is similar to Hamlet's stabbing of Polonius (Polonius played Caesar in the play and was stabbed by Brutus)

- Polonius was a jerk to Hamledoesn't so Hamlet doesn't really care if he kills him

- Polonius innocent?

- Would Hamlet have same reaction had he killed Rosencrantz or Guildenstern?

- Hamlet so obsessed with his task of killing Claudius, wouldn't mind if he killed anyone

- Compares sin of killing Polonius with Gertrude's sin of marrying her husband's brother

- Embarrassed with the killing, but turns it against mother to say basically say that she cannot change the subject or get away with what she did.

- Hamlet compares Polonius a rat, lowers his level of respect and honor

- Hamlet a Tragic Hero?

- Doesn't do anything to help people, only cares about his task, only with what he is supposed to do

- Hamlet is not driven enough to be a Tragic Hero, he always second guesses what he does

- "Blindly running into the unknown." (Matt Weber).

- Hamlet starts out second guessing, but eventually becomes more bold and driven, taking actions blindly, such as killing Polonius




Also don't forget, those who didn't write the Canterbury Tales paper need to finish the book early and write their thesis. Show Smith your thesis so she can approve it, and the paper is due on Friday, December 15th

Scribe 12/1

Happy December!
Today...
-The homework is for the people to work on their paper. If you have not talked to Smith about your thesis, you also need to go in and see her. The paper is due December 15. Also, fishbowl group 3 needs to get ready for monday.
-We watched the Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh movie version of the scene where the actors are acting out the play in front of the King and Queen.
-We then read Act 3 scene 3 and 4
-No further reading, but come prepared to discuss during fishbowl.

Hamlet Act 3 Blog