Write a series of three or four reflections that demonstrate

how your response to Hamlet has changed and developed

during the process of your critical study. Base your
reflections on detailed reference to the text.

R1: Act 1
R2: Act 2 + 3
R3: Act 4 + 5

Reflection One
During the first act the ghost of King Hamlet was present, Hamlet
was angry with his mother and new husband, his uncle, and Hamlet
learns about how his father was murdered. Throughout the act,
there are many question s that arise from each scene. Scene one
poses questions such as whether or not the ghost is real or an
allusion set up by someone. Scene two has Hamlet’s first soliloquy
within it and raises not questions but more interpretation errors.
There are many ways that lines can be interpreted and each person
can interpret them differently. Scene three shows Ophelia with her
family and how they are lecturing her about her feelings for Hamlet.
Scenes four and five are with Hamlet and him seeing the ghost of
Old King Hamlet, throughout these scenes Hamlet learns of the
truth behind his father’s death and also about who his uncle truly is.
With only reading the first act it is hard to make a decision about
what is real and what’s not, what a line means and what truly is. At
this point in time it is hard to have an opinion about the play as a
whole, but within the first act the play seems to be a story about a
hurt boy who only keeps getting hurt.

Reflection Two
Act two is very centered upon Hamlet’s love for Ophelia and how
that this may be the reason for his transformation. However, the
audience knows better having witnessed Hamlet’s soliloquy’s about
how angry he is about not only his mother marrying his uncle, but
more so about his uncle killing King Hamlet. Act three is more about
the revealing of King Claudius as a murderer through watching the
players act out what supposedly happened to King Hamlet. Upon
figuring out that Claudius is indeed guilty, Hamlet starts planning his
revenge. Act three is also the act that holds the first murder of the
play, other than that of King Hamlet, which happened before the
play started.
At this time it is easier to place an opinion upon the play because
more has been learnt about it. We have learnt more about the
character of Hamlet and where exactly his mindset is, about King
Claudius and how cold he actually is, and even about Queen
Gertrude. It is easier to see how much Hamlet had loved his father
in the degree of revenge he is willing to receive in order to make it
better. Hamlet is willing to commit murder in order to get revenge
for his father’s death. There is also witness of love in the way that
King Hamlet tells Hamlet not to harm his mother as much as he
should harm Claudius because although she may have married
Claudius, she is not to blame for his death. The play Hamlet can be
also seen as a love story, not only a Shakespearean tragedy.

Reflection Three
Acts four and five are the most crucial acts within the play. They are
the acts where everything becomes known and unravels. Act four
holds the craziness of Ophelia, the extradition of Hamlet to England,
and Ophelia’s death by drowning. Act five is of course the most
eventful with the burial of Ophelia, the graveside brawl, the fencing
duel between Hamlet and Laertes, and the death of all characters
except Horatio. Act five also holds a lot of truths. The truth behind
Hamlet’s love for Ophelia becomes known, as does also the truth
behind King Hamlet’s death. Claudius had also conspired to kill
Hamlet, which Laertes confesses in the same breath that he forgives
Hamlet for accidently killing his father, Polonius.
At the end of the first act many questions were posed and at the
end of the fifth act different questions are asked. Was Hamlet truly
mad? Did Gertrude sincerely love Claudius? Did Claudius love
Gertrude? Many question asked and all answers left to
interpretation.
Upon finishing the play the opinion of the audience varies greatly,
because once again, most of it is left to interpretation. But in my
opinion, Hamlet is seen as a Shakespearean tragedy, but it is also a
story of revenge, guilt and most of all, love. It was hard to see the
point of the play, but with the death of the characters, the hidden
message can be seen as one of love and truth. Love people the way
you wished to be loved. Tell the truth before it is too late to do so.