Play Review: The Tragedy of Prince Hamlet

“To be or not to be.”

   Hamlet is a tragedy play made by the well known writer, William Shakespeare. The play was written between 1599 to 1602and is the longest play that Shakespeare has written. It is about the son of the late king, Hamlet, wanting to avenge his father’s death by killing his own uncle. The play starts with the guards on duty, namely: Barnardo, Horatio, Marcellus, and Francisco seeing a ghost that resembles the late King Hamlet. Meanwhile, after the king dies, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius becomes the kin and marries Queen Gertude, the mother of Hamlet. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet swears revenge.

   But it is in Hamlet’s character that delays him. He enters melancholy and sudden madness; which leads to the king and queen to ponder on it and give him Ophelia as his wife, but Hamlet refuses it and sends her to a nunnery.

   Madness and confusion are two of the most prominent themes of the play. And it is in this very theme that the quote arises; “To be or not to be”. A confused Hamlet ponders on the thoughts on killing the king and in life and death. He feels that he needs to kill the king as if it was his duty.  It means ‘To live or to die’. It is said that Hamlet does not fear death but he fears damnation; for ending a person’s life is a sin. But he is confused for he feels that killing Claudius is a sin, but he feels that it is a filial duty that he must complete.

   What made me notice this beautiful play was because of its theme: confusion.

   I am a teenager, which means that it is in this stage that we often find ourselves pondering on the question of which we should be, or how should we act in order not to be judges by the cruel eyes of the society. We are confused on what the ‘jury’ tells us to do and on what we want to do and what we want to be.  And the quote, ‘To be or not to be’ just made my eyes widen and relate to it. It is a question that every living soul that walks the earth has asked their selves. It is like asking to choose between dream and duty, between heart and mind, and between rational reason and impulse. It is like being an heiress or an heir, being confused on whom to choose – the one you love or the one that will make your business flourish. And in relation to being a college student, it is also like choosing your course; would you choose your dream, or would you choose the one that our parents told you to take and be practical?

   All these things made me like Hamlet. It is an excellent play. And it makes you ponder and think deep on how deep a sin can be, on how confusion can drive you mad, and on what life means.

Written by Marie Chriselle C. Tangonan
Photo credits: http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.607992452727574127&pid=15.1&P=0

Poem Review: Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

Annabel Lee is the last poem completed by Edgar Allan Poe before his death. Annabel Lee is a well know poem of Poe’s that may refer to many women in his life, but scrutinizing some of Annabel lee’s line we infer that this poem talks about his wife Virginia Clemm, Poe’s wife, who he married when she was still in a young age and died a couple of years before him because of a disease.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulcher

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

Went envying her and me—

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

Reading a few stanzas we can know that love is a huge theme in his poem. It promotes undying love that even the death of his loved one won’t stop him for loving her, and truly death won’t tear them apart and no one can stop him. While the main theme of this poem is love it doesn’t only address to the sweet happiness you gain from it, it digs deeper to the dangerous fragments of this affection he had, the way love can torture and destroy you leaving you all alone.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

   Of those who were older than we—

   Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in Heaven above

   Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

It somehow talks about envy, like the angels are not happy, that’s why they made something that causes the death of dear Annabel Lee.

What is it with this poem that attracts me? Maybe the 4 years in high school that we have tackled this poem or maybe the catchy lines that makes me ponder on it more. This poem tells us that love on any forms has no boundaries, even death. Death can’t stop us from caring, loving our beloved ones or even forgetting them. Death can’t change our dreams and hopes and is a challenge we can surpass.

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling— my life and my bride,

 In her sepulcher there by the sea—

 In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Review written by: Venice Majella Napo

Photo credits: https://www.etsy.com/listing/74071598/annabel-leeedgar-allen-poes-muse

Les Miserables - A review

          

  I was never one who enjoyed reading classical novels but Les Miserables by Victor Hugo was an exception for me. Les Miserables is a novel set in the time of the French revolution, a truly dark time for France. Hugo will take you back in time and put you in the shoes of different characters, different points of view. The novel starts off with the story of Jean Valjean, and how he ended up as 24601 for stealing a loaf of bread. Aside from Jean Valjean, Les Mis is also filled with stories of Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Eponine, Javert and the Les Amis to name the major characters of the novel.

            These characters, though they are many, all contribute to the picture that Hugo is trying to paint with his book. Jean Valjean is the face of sacrifice in the story. He stole a loaf of bread and ended up in jail for the son of his sister who was starving to death. He also sacrificed a lot in his later life for the little girl Cosette. Fantine, just like Valjean, also represented sacrifice. She, as a single mother, did everything to provide for her daughter, Cosette. Cosette was the face of purity in the novel. Through all the violence that happened in the story, she remained untouched and untainted by all the bloodshed and unfortunate events that happened around her. Marius represented uncertainty, which I am quite sure that it is something not unusual in a time of uprising. Marius was torn between Cosette and his friends in the Les Amis. Love against Revolution and Friendship. Eponine showed selfless love which was directed towards Marius. Even though Marius loved another, Eponine still loved him the same and was even able to die for him. Javert was the face of justice. He was a man who built his life based on law. The Les Amis, last but not the least, represented the majority of the French population in the time of the revolution. They were young revolutionaries who were idealists and had high hopes for the future of their beloved land.

           

Les Miserables, just like any other novel that is taken up in English classes, is also filled with metaphors and symbolisms that will surely make the reader think deeply and philosophically about the novel. This is one reason why I loved the novel. It had a lot of room for thinking and analyzing. Another reason why I am very fond of this novel, and quite possibly my favorite reason why I am passionate with this particular novel, is that I am able to identify myself with the characters especially Eponine. Eponine, throughout the novel, had an amazing development. She started out as a spoiled brat, a daughter to two thieves and a girl who made Cosette’s childhood miserable but when she finally grew up, everything about her changed. She was changed by her love for Marius. She was no longer the selfish, spoiled little brat but a brave, selfless woman who was ready to do anything for the man she loved. I identify with her in such a way that I also would like to think that I am a changed person because of love.

Les Miserables is both timeless and timely. It is a classic novel that voices out the past while also shaping the present and future. It is a novel that will always overcome the test of time because it is beautiful and remarkable, two traits that renders a story immortal. 

Review written by: Ma. Angela Villanueva

Photo credit: http://pixgood.com/les-miserables-book-cover.html