Presentations

I think the presentations were really insightful on themes and perspectives in which I had never perceived Shakespeare's tragedies from. Jose's presentation was especially insightful though in stirring up a topic that I thought I knew a lot about, Hamlet. What I found most interesting about his presentation was that, he quoting a scholar, said that Gertrude married Uncle Claudius merely to not fall more deeply in love with Hamlet. Before this I had always seen the incestuous love as one sided coming only from Hamlet towards his mother. But as I continued thinking about this inference it does seem that her hasty marriage was not because she was 'whore' but because her desire to avoid beginning a relationship with Hamlet, her son. My question is though, if Hamlet motives were based upon jealousy towards the Uncle more than through the death of his father, did he ever really love Ophelia as a lover or was it limited to a strong friendship?