Thursday, December 6, 2012
Acting in Hamlet
Think about the role of acting: Hamlet acting mad in an attempt to trick Claudius; player re-enacting the king's death to get at the truth; meanwhile, we have actors performing this entire play on stage. Explore the irony of how acting - pretending to be something you're not - can uncover truths.
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The satire within an act is where the art itself lies, not necessarily aiming at telling truths. For most people plays are there for entertainment, but they will acknowledge plays that render truths or are derived from reality. But whether an act uncovers truth is subject to its audience--if they can sense the truths. The play in Hamlet is a deliberate decision to test whether Claudius has murdered King Hamlet. For most people without any knowledge of the sin of Claudius may simply enjoy watching the act; however, it is not the same case for Claudius because he feels guilty when watching the play. Therefore the act is a touchstone or a "demon-detector" and only the presence of the sinner will it casts its magical power as if a strong beam of light penetrating his conscience. In other words, in spite of a same act, different viewers will receive and respond to it differently; truth thus varies from people to people as well.
ReplyDeleteThis happens all the time in acting, but not only in plays. People act different ways all the time to get information. For example when i want to get simple information such as what to order at a restaurant. I will act nicely to the waiter, and ask what is the best option. People act a certain way every day to learn more. This is especially true in gossiping. If i want information about something from a friend, i would immediately take their side so they would be more willing to tell me. This is a prime example of acting a certain way to get information. Acting is a great way to uncover truth, and Hamlet makes this clear in the book.
ReplyDelete"Put yourself in someone else's shoes." We've all heard this, and it actually holds more valuable advice than I think we give it credit for. Learning something from a different perspective, at least for me, helps me realize that everything has a different view. In history class last year, we were told to describe a tree stump that sat in the middle or the room. At the end of the activity, we realized several people had very different descriptions - the stump was not the same all around. If took a little while to understand that they had seen something different, but it then made sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Karl about gossiping and molding yourself for the desires of others. I think it also pertains to lying, where people create a fake personality, event, or situation to make themselves seem more relatable or to deceive someone. To an extent, acting can be bad, because it lets you hide in a different personality for a while, but it can also help you learn more by seeing things through this different personality.