Blog #29

Blog #28

This is an image of the panels that are going to be on the background of the different scenes. I helped Erika move the panels to the stage so that the other people could put the feet on them so they would stand.

This is an image of Adriana and I setting up all the lava lamps. We opened the new ones and picked the 4 best ones to have in Jeannie's office and we put away the lava lamps that were extra. We made sure the 4 we chose worked and that the plug worked too.

This is an image of the list of props and costumes for every character in our play. I helped Luna to tape these in the guys' dressing rooms so that everyone knows what they need for every scene.

This is an image of the props table for our class. I helped Camelia and Adriana to set this up so that on the day of the play and during rehearsals everyone knows where everything is and so that everything is organized.

Blog #27

Post your thoughts about specific character interactions, lines, actions and more in the play.

What stands out to you? Why?

What stands out to me is how much work is involved in creating a play/production. Usually people just see the final performance but they don't know about all the work backstage and behind the final product. I'm impressed at all the work people have been doing to get this project done the best it can be. Also all the communication that has been going on between groups and all the team work.

What Acts or Scenes?

The scene that stands out to me is Act I Scene II when all the students introduce each other. This scene really stands out because almost everyone is rhyming when they introduce themselves and its the first scene that the audience gets to notice this is a musical and everyone is different from Tyler, or that's what he thinks. It is also a funny scene and makes the audience laugh. I also like the scene where "The Boys" fight Tyler by dancing around him.

What lines? Actions? Interactions?

I like when the coach starts talking to Tyler and then suddenly just starts yelling at him and being mean, also how she starts singing "Nobody Cares". I also like when Clem talks to Oliver and teaches him how to get people's wallets. What also stands out is the way "The Boys" try to act "tough" and are similar to the ones in "Grease."

(Aside from "be louder..." or "where does this go?") What constructive feedback do you have for actors, directors, managers, props, sets, etc. based on what you have seen?

I think the actors should watch the movies or TV shows their characters are based off to really see what their character is like. This will help them to really be their character and it will help the audience better notice what each character from our play was based off. They should also practice saying their lines in front of the mirror to see how they are showing their character.

Blog #26

Post three photos of the work (or screenshots) that you have created over the past week for our exhibition. Think of the rehearsals, the costumes, the sets, everything!

1) Organized list of props and joined them together with the costume list so Camellia could have an easier time tracking who has brought in what.

2) Helped tape off the main commons so the actors had an idea of how much space they would have up on stage at the actual Theater, which will be used for practicing.

3) Helped tape down markings of where props should be going during the scenes like chairs, tables, boxes, etc. on the main commons.

What are you most proud of so far?

I'm very proud that my partner and I are able to communicate with all the different groups/jobs and just anyone and be able to help them whenever they need help. I think communication is really important in every project and a lot more important in this one because we are basically working as a class and not as individuals. I feel like my partner and I have really good communication between us and with everyone and are able to easily talk to them about what they're working on and what they need to do and keep them on track.

What are you excited about in our exhibition?

I'm really excited to see how people will react when they go into the Potiker Theater and seeing that its the real deal because even if we showed the class pictures, that doesn't compare to actually going into the Theater and getting to see how huge it really is. I'm excited to see how our final work/exhibition will turn out. I really hope it will be great and that people enjoy watching both of our plays. I'm excited to see my classmates perform on stage in front of a huge audience.

Blog #25

I will do my site visit most likely on Friday December 9th.

Answer the following, following your internship site visit.


Survival


* Where is your internship?

Kensington Veterinary Hospital, 3817 Adams Avenue San Diego, CA 92116

* How did you get there?

My dad gave me a ride

* How long did it take?

15-20 minutes

* What did you eat for breakfast?

Cereal

* What food, coffee, or other survival options are nearby?

Subway, Vons

* What can you eat for lunch in a normal day at internship?

I will bring lunch from my house because they can provide a refrigerator there.

* Where will you sit, stand, be, or work when you are internship?

I will mostly be at the computer room or observing the work around the hospital

* Where are the bathrooms?

It's right when you come in to the right

People

* Who is your mentor and what is he or she like?

Her name is Gabriela Ramirez and she is very nice and friendly

* What stands out most or seems most interesting about your mentor?

She really loves her job and loves to tell people about it and teach

* Who are your other coworkers?

Jackie, Angelie and other veterinarians

* What stands out most or seems most interesting about your future coworkers?

They all enjoy doing their work and are ready to teach

Work

* What is your internship project likely to be?

Maybe a PSA or information video that helps the veterinary hospital

* What skills will you use at your internship?

Computer and communication skills

* What are you likely to learn at internship?

Wheter or not to become a veterinarian also what it takes to be veterinarian and how to treat animals and talk to their owners

* What will you create at your internship?

Probably a video that informs people

Thoughts

* What might present a challenge at internship?

The animals not willing to cooperate

* What is surprising about your internship?

That they let me see cats and other animals get surgery

* How will you stand out at your internship?

I will always be positive and ready to do whatever I am told and ready to learn

* What will you do to make the most of this opportunity?

I will take every opportunity to learn something new every day

And...

* Create your own question and answer it here....

What do you like the most about this internship?

Being around animals and being able to help

Blog #24

As you prepare for your internship site visit, please consider the following... and then write a thoughtful blog entry that addresses as many as possible.

My goals for the site visit tomorrow are to make a great first impression and get to know my mentor a little better. Also maybe talk about ideas for projects and get to know the veterinary hospital I'll be working at for 3 weeks in January. I'm looking forward to having fun in my internship experience and learn a lot from it and make a decision whether or not I want to be a veterinarian after experiencing what its like. I am also looking forward to meeting knew people who know a lot about this field and are willing to teach me. I also hope to take as much out of this internship experience as possible and be able to represent our school well and be a great intern. I'm a little concerned about what exactly I will do and maybe transportation for some of the days. I think I'll most likely be helping around the hospital helping with the animals and making sure everything is fine. I'm hoping to do a project that will help them in some way and at the end turn in an awesome project. There isn't really any questions I have about internship right now.

Blog #23

1. What has been the most successful aspects of your role in the Theater Project?

As one of the production managers an important role that I carry is organization and communication. Throughout the project Naxiely and I have been working on the Calender keeping it up to date so everyone can have an idea of what will be coming their way and keeping everyone on the same page. We also do check ins with each person and record what their goals will be and what they will have completed for the next meeting. This is a very good way that Naxiely and I know what everyone is up to which allows us to see how the project is progressing as well.

2. What has been the most challenging aspect of your individual role in the Theater Project?

The most challenging aspect Naxiely and I, as production managers, have faced has been being able to keep track of every single person in our classroom and making sure they are doing what they said they were going to do and having time to actually go through with everyone and make sure they are doing good and if they aren't then actually help them get their stuff done. Sometimes we feel like there is not enough time in class for us to help everyone, because there are too many people and only two of us but we try to do our best to get to everyone.

3. What questions do you have that will help you complete each aspect of your Theater Job as well as possible so that we have a fantastic Exhibition?

There aren't actually any question I have currently. I would just want to know if there is anyone that needs help with any of their Theater jobs so then either Naxiely and I can help them to make sure everything is perfect for exhibition.

4. What are you thankful for in your first semester (so far) as an 11th grader?

I am thankful for all I've been able to accomplish this semester. I'm also thankful for all the help I've received from my teachers and tutors on homework, assignments, essays and just anything I've needed help with. I am also thankful for all the critiques and feedback I've received on my work from my classmates because that has really help me improve in my writing and learn from my mistakes.

Blog #22

Honors Writing #5

The Complications of Conflict

Internal or External?

By : Cristina Michel

As our class discussed the idea of witting a play about a musical, the questions "What is the conflict?" and "What if there is not enough conflict through the story?" kept being asked to the playwrights. Our class was worried that we wouldn't be able to make a complete story with the thoughts and ideas we had so far. This made the playwrights think about it and change a few things around in our play. In, Musically Inclined, the playwrights incorporated conflict into our play in two ways, internal and external while using examples from the plays Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as well as others.

In Musically Inclined, the major conflict is that Tyler is stuck in a musical but doesn't know it and that's why he's not fitting in with his new town and school. This is similar to how in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn't know they were in a play, but throughout the play were trying to figure that out. In both plays, the characters kept getting hints of where they were but they didn't quite pay attention to them. In Musically Inclined, there was a musical within the musical as well as in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead there was a play within the play. These layers help the audience realize that the actors in the play and musical within the stories are not real. They are just actors playing what they were told and what was written in the script and once they realize this they realize that everything is not real, it is just a fictional story. This makes the audience think more about the playwrights that created the entire story and put the characters through all of that action, because after all the charcater is not real. The audience knows “that the world of Elsinore is not real--it comes from another play, and although Shakespeare's poetry is butchered in Stoppard's dialogue, nevertheless the words and actions are close enough to Shakespeare's original to remind those who know Hamlet that this world may be presented to us as the real world in Stoppard's work, but it is simply one more fiction,” as Ian Johnson stated in his lecture.

In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the audience is confused about the story and what is going on in the beginning. They start to ask themselves questions like where are they? what are they doing? what is going on? and others. Similarly in Musically Inclined, we are confused on what is going on and why everyone is dancing and singing and rhyming. There are many similarities that can be found between Musically Inclined and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as well as in Hamlet. Tyler feels like there is no one that listens to him and feels lonely. This is kind of similar to Hamlet and how he felt because no one else seemed to be sad about his father‘s death. Hamlet is seen as crazy or “mad” in Hamlet and in Musically Inclined Tyler is also called “crazy” in Act 1 Scene VI because he doesn‘t dance, sing, or rhyme like everyone else.

In Musically Inclined, it is seen as the characters have problems they have to deal with. In Act 1 Scene VII, Tyler is feeling sad because he had a horrible day at school and felt like his parents didn't listen to him. He says, "Nobody listens to me, understands me, or even cares about a thing I have to say..." This shows how Tyler is not fitting in and he blames it on everyone around him instead of being positive and trying to fit in or talking to his new classmates. Tyler’s attitude makes him have problems with the other characters in the story causing external conflict in the play. This is why in Act 2 Scene II Marissa tells Tyler, “This is only your second day and no one can stand you...You know, we all have our share of problems. Maybe if you actually got to know some of us, you would realize that you’re not that different after all.” Throughout the play, Tyler tries to stay away from everyone because he thinks they are all “freaks” that only sing and dance because they are happy but never tries to fit in or actually get to know them better until the very end of the play.

Throughout the process of creating this play, the playwrights went through and used different examples of plays to add into our own play. Some of this plays included Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. In Musically Inclined, Tyler’s character can be connected to either Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or Hamlet. Tyler is both as confused and out of place and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and as depressed and down as Hamlet. Tyler’s feelings and attitide affect the entire people and the characters around him causing the different conflicts that happen as the story continues.

Blog #21

What was the Federal Theater Project? Why was it created?

The Federal Theater Project (FTP) was a New Deal project to fund theater and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. It was one of five Federal One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The FTP's primary goal was employment of out-of-work artists, writers, and directors, with the secondary aim of entertaining poor families and creating relevant art.

Explain two reasons why the Federal Theater Project was important in the history of the United States.

The Federal Theater Project was one of the first programs that the government funded which employed many citizens during the Great Depression and although the government funded the program it also was the one that canceled it because the plays that were being produced talked about the government in a negative way. The Federal Theatre Project started using government officials face's in their plays which did not appeal to the government at all. The Federal Theatre Project produced plays that were related to issues that were going on at the time and showed how the government dealt with the problems.

Explain two reasons why the Federal Theater Project was controversial in American society.

One of the reasons The Federal Theater Project was controversial because the plays that were performed went against the government. The person who was put in charge of this program was Harry Hopkins who promised that Federal Theater Project would be "free, adult, and uncensored." This surely grabbed the attention of others and thought it would be a good idea however, that wasn't so. "The Living Newspaper" were plays that were formed by previous newspapers that talked about issues that were going on. Most of the newspapers that were gathered were those that included the government. When the newspapers were gathered, the writers created them into a play and performed them in front of a large audience. In these plays the government was brought out in a negative way. The issues that were being performed were those that the government would not like to be shown or talked about. The plays went against the government and talked about the government’s actions. Even though these plays went against what the government wanted, it grabbed a lot of attention because of what it was showing. The plays emphasized the government’s faults and brought out individual congress people as well. Because of this, the Federal Theater Project faced problems which led to its cancellation.

Another reason why it was so controversial was because it spend so much money. It was the most expensive of the Federal One projects. This was very controversial because all this money was being spent on plays and they were during a Depression.

Post three images from or of the Federal Theater Project. For each image, post a brief caption describing what you are showing.

This was the production of Macbeth which became a very popular performance where colored people were also allowed to perform. The Federal Theater project formed a colored unit whose purpose was “to develop a permanent acting company trained in the arts and crafts of the theatre that also reflected the special gifts, talents, and attributes of African Americans” stated on the following website

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/american-negro-theatre

This is a picture of people enterning to watch one of the plays of the federala theater project which was One-Third of a Nation written by Arther Arent created in 1938 and a play of the Living Newspaper.

This is an image of when Eleanor Roosevelt attended on of the Federal Theater Projects production in 1937.

Blog #20

As production managers Naxiely and I have worked with almost every group and checked in with everyone and helped them to make sure everyone is able to do their job. Something that Naxiely and I have been working on basically since we started this project is the master calendar. The project manager helps us every once in a while but Naxiely and I, as production managers, are in charge of putting in all the due dates and upcoming events. We are also in charge of reminding people to look at the calendar so they don't miss any important due date and so that they have an idea of what will be going on every week for this Theater Project.

This is the calendar we showed during the first business meeting. As you can see, we didn't really have a lot of things in it and we basically had general things like the acting games and business meetings.

This is the calendar we worked on after the first business meeting. As you can see there are more things going on and things added.

This is the Calendar we currently have. As you can see, it has way more things than the first calendar we showed and this one is a little more specific.

This is also a picture of the Calendar currently,

which Naxiely and I have been updating almost every day.

Naxiely and I are planning on going around to every group and remind them to check the calendar and also to ask them if there is anything they would like to add in the calendar like things they'll be working on or due dates or upcoming events. We are hoping this will help everyone know what everyone else is working on and so that everyone can help each other and communicate with each other. This will also help us and the project manager make sure everyone is doing what they said they were going to do.

Blog #19

As production managers we’ve been helping around every group and have had check-ins with everyone to make sure they know what they’re doing and to see if they need any help with their theater job. We also make sure they have what they need in order to make their theater job a little less stressful. So far we’ve helped the CFO and marketing crew with the kickstarter page.
We have also been taking notes during the group meetings where we write down due dates for each group that is ready to show the class what they have been working on.

1) Working with the CFO

Naxiely and I helped the CFO come up with ideas for our budget. Although right now the budget has been changed, this was the first draft in which the CFO needed help in coming up with an estimate of how our class would spend the money for our project. As production managers, Naxiely and I tried to help out our classmate by giving him suggestions and ideas.

2) Marketing Crew and CFO: Worked on a document where we came up with ideas for pledges.

PLEDGE $10+

-A ticket to the play

PLEDGE $25+

$5-Signed Playbill+Signed Photo inside

PLEDGE $50+$18-Signed Theater T-Shirt

$8-Copy of the Book

PLEDGE $100+

$8-A signed copy of the book

+ reserved front row seating for play

PLEDGE $300+

$18-Exclusive t-shirt

PLEDGE $500+

-Company logo or personal logo inside the playbill

PLEDGE $1000+

- A behind the scenes documentary DVD.

PLEDGE $1500+

-Company logo or personal logo inside the book

PLEDGE $2500+

-Colored version of company or personal logo on back of the book & playbill

*You receive the reward for the amount pledged plus the rewards below unless conflicting

8 items to give away.

Cost of the items for us.

Photo-$2

T-shirt-$18

Seating-$60 Book-$8

Playbill-$2

Ticket-$10

DVD-$2

As production managers, Naxiely and I helped the marketing crew and the CFO with ideas for kickstarter pledges. After having a meeting with the whole class and discussing what our pledges should be, Naxiely and I shared our notes with the marketing crew and CFO to give them ideas for the pledges.

3) Working with Project Manager

So far we have worked with the Project manager almost everyday. We have helped him with anything he needs and have helped him update the Calendar. Naxiely and I take notes in every class discussion/ meeting etc. and we write down all the due dates and important dates on the Calendar and on the board. We try to update Calendar as soon as we get new due dates or information to put in there. Today we updated the Calendar and wrote down the due dates for this week and part of the upcoming week.

Blog #18

Honors Writing #3 & 4

http://crmichel-humanities.blogspot.com/2011/10/honors-writing-3-4.html

Honors Writing #3 & 4

Hamlet DP Option

Hamlet is a very important play that has been around for more than 400 years now. It was written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and the early 1600s. William Shakespeare is known as the "most influential writer in all of English literature." He is worldwide famous for all of his work but critics say Hamlet "offers the greatest exhibition of Shakespeare's powers." Shakespeare uses a lot of literary devices and techniques in the writing of this play. He does a good job at making something that seems simple and ordinary have deeper meanings to something very complex, that is why some people don't understand Hamlet.

Hamlet starts of with a scene that captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to read more. It leaves the reader with questions and anxious to figure out why the ghost is there, what happened, what is going on and that makes them go on and keep reading and as soon as they find out the answers they see another conflict so then they want to keep reading to see how that problem gets solved and so on. While reading the play Hamlet, I noticed how William Shakespeare used many layers in his play. For example, how he has different layers of conflict. The main conflict in the play was Claudius killing Hamlet's dad, the king, and Hamlet wanting to get revenge but then we have other conflict in the play like Hamlet killing Polonius and then Laertes wanting to get revenge against Hamlet. Also, Ophelia going crazy and dying and then Claudius and Laertes planning how to kill Hamlet. Shakespeare does a good job of connecting all the minor conflicts to the major conflict so that they all make sense and so that the overall play makes sense and flows together. Shakespeare has a way of making something have a simple meaning when you just read over it, but once you analyze what you just read and really think about it and connect it to other parts of the story you really see that it is way deeper than you think and it all starts to make sense.

Shakespeare uses many characters in Hamlet to make the story more complex and realistic. There are about sixteen characters in Hamlet, Hamlet being the main character of the play and the one involved in most of the major and minor conflicts. In Hamlet all the characters make up a part of the play and they each are very different from each other. By reading Hamlet, we really see the personality of each character and the way they act. We can also see a character foil between Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes contrasts with Hamlet and that way highlights various features of Hamlet's personality.

Hamlet has a variety of themes that all tie up together to the final play. We can see revenge as one of the major themes because throughout the whole play we can see that Hamlet's only goal was to get revenge for his father's death by killing his uncle. We can also see this in Laertes when his father dies. We can see love between Hamlet and Ophelia, Gertrude and Claudius, and we can see love between Laertes and Ophelia. We can also see death. For example, Hamlet's dead father, and then everyone that dies at the end. We can see unnatural things like the ghost. In this play we can also see the theme of what is the significance of life and what it is to be part of this world like when Hamlet has conflicted feeling about suicide he says, "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!" Saying that he really didn't see a purpose in life.

Shakespeare is also able to write so many things with simple settings like the outside and inside of a castle. He is able to really use the setting well to make the play a lot more realistic. Shakespeare has a very interesting way of writing that keeps the audience reading. He put part of the things going on in the play outside of the play like when the play starts Hamlet's dad has already been killed and the reader finds this out when they keep reading.

The way Shakespeare writes makes the play a little more hard to understand. He doesn't just make the characters talk the way we talk now and goes right to the point, but he uses a lot of words and sort of analyzes what he is saying. He writes like a poet and makes his words flow. Like for example in the famous line Hamlet says, "To be, or not to be?" He knows the right words to use and how and when to use them. All these and many more elements and literary devices make Hamlet one of the best and most famous plays of all time.

Theater Reviews

There are many things and elements that are sometimes combined to make a great play. It is important for the people making the play to have these elements in mind in order for them to also make a great play. In “Mother Courage” Hilton Als, in an article in The New Yorker, analyzes acting and how for “Streep, acting seems to be less about stardust than about architecture. Each character is built precisely, according to its creator’s specifications. For her performance in Tony Kushner’s brilliant adaptation of ‘Mother Courage,’ Streep constructs a house that is gray and lopsided a thespian’s version of van Gogh’s sad bedroom. Her grandeur is merely a facade she seems to be telling us and she is as committed to the job at hand as any other conscientious working actress.” Characterization is very important for every play and story because characters are the ones that make up a story. In plays, it is important for the characters to be good actors and not just act their character but be their character and actually get in the role they have so that the play seems more realistic and not fake.

Another element that might be very important in some plays and stories are satires. Satires add more to the story and make the overall play interesting for the audience. In “The Book of Mormon,” we can see a good example of a satire that is also a musical, like our play. This play was written by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone, who are best known for creating the animated comedy “South Park.” Both the TV show and the play are examples of satires and this has helped them be around for a while now and has made them popular too. In The New Yorker article John Lahr says, “The show is smart enough to test the waters of outrage but not brazen enough to take a genuine plunge. The satire is more about the Mormons’ buttoned-down, bushy-tailed style than about the substance of the religion.” Satires are important to not only add humor to plays and to make the audience laugh but also to give the audience new perspectives on a topic. It helps them see the different opinions people have and different ways they see a topic. Not all people agree with one thing and that’s why it is important to give the audience different perspectives. In using satires, the playwrights have to make sure that the satire is clear and that people will get it because if they don’t it won’t make sense to them and they won’t even laugh so there would be no point in using a satire.

The setting is a very important part of every play or story. The setting is so important that it could affect the story if its not the right setting. For example, if you are talking about chicken and animals and trees and open space then the best setting would be a farm and not a factory in the future, it could be but you have to have a good explanation of why that makes sense. For example in “Lucky You” we can see how the setting influences the movie. “The picture takes place before and during the World Series of Poker in 2003, the year the Internet players—the non-pros—marched in on the Las Vegas tough guys sitting in the heavily draped Bellagio casino, taking money from one another as they waited for the competition to start,” David Denby said in The New Yorker article “Games of chance.” Another example would be in Hamlet, in the beginning of the play the setting was at a castle in the middle of the night close to the sea, foggy and hard to see and with that setting the vision of seeing Hamlet’s dead father’s ghost becomes more real and makes it more likely that it happened.

I think in our own play we can use all of these elements but just make sure we use them right. I feel like we already have characterization in our play but maybe we could fix a few things like give certain characters a little more lines so that we get to meet them more and see who they really are and how they act in certain situations. We can use satire if we really wanted to and I think we already kind of have it in there because we are kind of making fun of musicals and show it from a perspective of a character that doesn’t know he’s in a musical. We could probably develop a little more on that satire. I think for setting we are good because we know most of it is going to happen at a school but maybe we can also develop more on that.

Blog #17

What are the absolute best parts of your class' play?

There a few parts of our play that I really liked. One that I really liked was how some of the characters in the second scene rhymed when saying who they were, I thought that was really good. Also, how every character differed from each other. They all had their own personality and it was pretty easy to notice who was who. I also liked how the playwrights added the characters from different stories, like Doris is the offspring of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I liked how the songs that are there so far go with what the characters are saying and talking about before the song and its not just like a random song. I also liked that our play is funny like when the counselor is talking to Tyler and also the coach and just everything in general.

Check out your class' script. Cite the specific scenes, lines, and literary devices used.

Some of the literary devices I've seen in our script are characterization, rhyme, and conflict. I was able to see characterization through out the whole play like when everyone introduces each other and then how everyone has their own special character. I was able to see rhyme in scene 2 when the characters in the classroom introduce themselves. Like when Oliver says who he is he says, "The names Oliver, the tenth to be exact, when I get hungry you best get back. I'm quite shy and I can be quite sweet, but I'll shank you for a piece of meat." Then also Donny says, "I'm the head honcho, the guy to know, the emperor of cool, the star of the show, make me mad, and you'll be sorry, got a trunk full of knives in my red Ferrari." I was able to see conflict through most of the play. First because Tyler does not want to move, then because he doesn't fit in the new school and then when they steal his wallet and then also when his parents don't listen to Tyler. For example, in scene 1 in the very beginning of the play Tyler tells his mom, "Baked goods don't exactly compensate for the four years of hell that I am about to endure."

Blog #16

In some respects, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a play about nothing—I mean, we all already read Hamlet and we all know what happens to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, so really what could this play be about?

I think Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a play making fun of how really in Hamlet Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are unnecessary and don't really do anything. They just go deliver a letter and then die, they don't change the plot or anything that happens and also this play is not necessary. If you read Hamlet then you know what happens and you don't have to read this play because this play doesn't give you any new or important information it is just there like Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are there in Hamlet. This play is kind of like of what happens backstage it just tells what Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are doing when they are not in Hamlet also doing nothing. This play can be funny because Rosencrantz & Guildenstern don't even know what they are doing or what their purpose is so they just say whatever comes to their heads and sometimes over think about stuff because they have so much time to spend. They really have nothing to do so they just walk around everywhere with no clue.

Blog #15

What are the most important concepts that you took away from reading Hamlet?

While reading the play "Hamlet," I noticed how William Shakespeare used many layers in his play. For example, how he has a play within a play. Also, how he has different layers of conflict. The main conflict in the play was Claudius killing Hamlet's dad, the king, and Hamlet wanting to get revenge but then we have other conflict in the play like Hamlet killing Polonius and then Laertes wanting to get revenge against Hamlet. Also, Ophelia going crazy and dying and then Claudius and Laertes planning how to kill Hamlet. Shakespeare does a good job of connecting all the little conflicts to the major conflict so that they all make sense and so that the overall play makes sense and flows together.

Another thing I noticed was how every character was very different from each other. Each character had their own way of being and they all had at least a little significance in the play. For example, if we compare Ophelia to Hamlet we can say they are very different and while Ophelia is not so important in the play, Hamlet is the main character but Ophelia still connects to Hamlet and she is somewhat important to Hamlet. All the characters somewhat relate to each other and form a part of the play. In "Hamlet" we can see a lot about the difficulties of being part of this world and how not everything is perfect, not even for a prince. There are a lot of problems out there in the world and we will all at some time pay for the bad things we did like how Claudius dies at the end for killing the king and how Hamlet dies for killing Polonius and how Laertes dies for trying to kill Hamlet. By reading Hamlet I learned a lot about what a good play is and how it is not just suppose to be one problem through out the entire story but many things and conflicts going on and even things going on outside of the play to make it even more interesting.

What are the most significant concepts that you learned from creating your digital essay?

I really learned about time management during the creation of my digital essay and how important it is to have a back-up plan. In the digital essay, it was really important for my group and I to manage our time and have back-up plans because sometimes we would plan to record during a certain period but then we would see that someone was using what we needed and that we couldn't record so then we had to work on something else so that we weren't wasting time and so that we were being productive. Also a problem we had was that we had reserved the "nice" mic for a period but then we didn't get time to work on the digital essays because we had a class discussion and then we weren't able to use it any other days because it was already reserved so then we had to use garageband. If we hadn't decided to use garageband and would have decided to wait for the "nice" mic we would have lost a lot of time and probably wouldn't have finished. I felt like I learned a little about how to use garageband by creating my digital essay because, before, I didn't really know about it and the things you can do in garageband. In the creation of my digital essay I also learned that it is really important to communicate with your group members and split up the work so that not just one person is doing all the work. I felt like my group and I did a really good job doing this because we always communicated with each other and we all worked together to get the digital essay done.

Blog #14

These are the questions my group and I answered in our digital essay:

6. What significance is Ophelia to Hamlet... and to Hamlet?

8. Explain Hamlet's conflicted feelings about suicide.

12. Explain the treatment of women in Hamlet and it's effect on the play.

Blog #13

My group and I were thinking of answering the three questions by either using parts of the Hamlet movie where he says the quotes we are using as evidence and having a narrator in the back explaining our answers to the questions or using pictures instead of parts of the movie. So far what I've done is find the quotes for each of the questions and kind of explained what they mean and how they answer the questions. Also, my group and I already have a few pictures that maybe we can use in our digital essay.

This is what I've done so far and some of the images we have:

6. What significance is Ophelia to Hamlet... and to Hamlet?

“Doubt thou the stars are fire,

Doubt that the sun doth move,

Doubt truth to be a liar,

But never doubt I love.

O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best, oh, most best, believe it. Adieu.

Thine evermore, most dear lady,

Hamlet.” Letter Hamlet writes to Ophelia Act 2 Scene 2whilst this machine is to him,

"OPHELIA

But could beauty be related to anything better than goodness?

HAMLET

Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once.

OPHELIA

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

HAMLET

You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not."

After Ophelia dies..

"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers

Could not with all their quantity of love

Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her.....?

'Swounds, show me what thou'lt do.

Woo’t weep? Woo’t fight? Woo’t fast? Woo’t tear thyself?

Woo’t drink up eisel, eat a crocodile?

I’ll do ’t. Dost thou come here to whine,

To outface me with leaping in her grave?

Be buried quick with her?—and so will I.

And if thou prate of mountains let them throw

Millions of acres on us, till our ground,

Singeing his pate against the burning zone,

Make Ossa like a wart! Nay, an thou'lt mouth,

I’ll rant as well as thou." Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1

It seems as if Hamlet loves Ophelia but treats her like nothing when he is pretending to be mad. Ophelia is somewhat important to Hamlet but not really because he never really mentions her or talks about her to her friends or anyone. She doesn't have a big impact in Hamlet's life, while Ophelia is definitely in love with Hamlet and it seems as though that's all she talks about in the play.

He uses her to cover up his craziness, he's mad with love supposedly. She ends up committing suicide after having to deal with all of Hamlet's nonsense and her father's death. She is also one of the only female characters, without her it would only be Gertrude who isn't a very strong character. She doesn't say much throughout the play, and is rather dense. Without Ophelia, Polonius probably wouldn't have been as interested in Hamlet's affairs, and his death wouldn't have been as big of a deal, besides the fact that Hamlet is a weirdo and has gone crazy. It seems like everyone is really losing their mind in this play. Ophelia ends up dead because of Hamlet, and her life is kind of sad.

8. Explain Hamlet's conflicted feelings about suicide.

"Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

Seem to me all the uses of this world!

Fie on ’t, ah fie! 'Tis an unweeded garden

That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature

Possess it merely. That it should come to this.

But two months dead—nay, not so much, not two.

So excellent a king, that was to this

Hyperion to a satyr. So loving to my mother

That he might not beteem the winds of heaven

Visit her face too roughly.—Heaven and earth,

Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him

As if increase of appetite had grown

By what it fed on, and yet, within a month—

Let me not think on ’t. Frailty, thy name is woman!—

A little month, or ere those shoes were old

With which she followed my poor father’s body,

Like Niobe, all tears. Why she, even she—

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have mourned longer!—married with my uncle,

My father’s brother, but no more like my father

Than I to Hercules. Within a month,

Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears

Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,

She married. O most wicked speed, to post

With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!

It is not nor it cannot come to good,

But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue." Act 1 scene 2

"Hamlet speaks these lines after enduring the unpleasant scene at Claudius and Gertrude’s court, then being asked by his mother and stepfather not to return to his studies at Wittenberg but to remain in Denmark, presumably against his wishes. Here, Hamlet thinks for the first time about suicide (desiring his flesh to “melt,” and wishing that God had not made “self-slaughter” a sin), saying that the world is “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable.” In other words, suicide seems like a desirable alternative to life in a painful world, but Hamlet feels that the option of suicide is closed to him because it is forbidden by religion."

"To be, or not to be? That is the question—

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep—

No more—and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep.

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There’s the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action" Hamlet Act 3 scene 1

12. Explain the treatment of women in Hamlet and it's effect on the play.

"POLONIUS

Marry, I’ll teach you. Think yourself a baby

That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay,

Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly,

Or—not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,

Running it thus—you’ll tender me a fool. " Act 1 scene 3

Women in Hamlet are expected to do whatever men tell them like if they were servants. Polonius lets Laertes go off to another country by himself to do as he pleases, but Ophelia has to do exactly what they both say.

GERTRUDE

"Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off,

And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.

Do not forever with thy vailèd lids

Seek for thy noble father in the dust.

Thou know’st ’tis common. All that lives must die,

Passing through nature to eternity." Act 1 Scene 2

Gertrude is usually seen as stupid. She doesn't really think for herself she basically just does what Claudius tells her to do and is always following him everywhere, and a month after her husband's death she marries his brother.

"Let me not think on ’t. Frailty, thy name is woman!—

A little month, or ere those shoes were old

With which she followed my poor father’s body,

Like Niobe, all tears. Why she, even she—

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have mourned longer!—married with my uncle,

My father’s brother, but no more like my father

Than I to Hercules. Within a month,

Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears

Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,

She married. O most wicked speed, to post

With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!

It is not nor it cannot come to good,

But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue." Hamlet

HAMLET

"Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me......If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell." Act 3 scene 1

I think the work I've done so far can probably help my group and I answer the questions and then from there make a good digital essay that answers the questions correctly and uses evidence from the book.

I think some challenges we might face in the next few days are probably with technology because with the idea about using parts of the Hamlet movie, none of us knew how to do that so we might have to figure that out and try to do it the best that we can. Also for the narration we will need the "nice" microphone but some groups are going to use it too so we will have to figure out a way to share it so that everyone gets a chance to use it. Also, maybe having enough time to finish it without rushing through it.

I think some back up plans we could have in case we don't get a chance of using the "nice" mic would be to maybe go into a very quiet place or office and record it with a computer or just stay after school or during lunch one day to use the "nice" mic. Also maybe try to each one in our group work on the digital essay during the 3 day weekend so that on Monday we are done and just have to edit a few things and be done and not rushing through it last minute.

Honors Writing #1 (English & History)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (English Essay)

In the story, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel and Clementine decide to erase each other from their memories because of all the problems they face as a couple. As they go through all the memories they spent together, at the end they find that they love each other and that no matter all the problems, they want to be together. The major theme that I was able to see throughout the movie, and screenplay was that love is not just living happily ever after, it involves problems and fights but no matter how difficult and hard it is if two imperfect people really love each other, they will always be together and face those problems together. This theme was shown throughout the story with many different literary devices like characterization, conflict, and foreshadowing.

In the story, we can see characterization as we learn the differences between Clementine and Joel. Clementine and Joel are very opposite from each other, almost entirely opposites. Joel is quiet and shy and doesn't really have an interesting life, he goes to work and then home. For example, he told Clementine at the beginning of the movie and screenplay, "Sorry. My life isn't that interesting. I go to work. I go home. I don't know what to say." On the other hand, Clementine is wild and likes to be unique, as we can see with the many different hair colors she had and she is loud and outgoing. In the scene where Clementine invited Joel to her apartment she said, "God bless alcohol, is what I say. Where would I be without it." She describes herself as "a vindictive little bitch." Joel describes Clementine in his journal saying,"I met someone tonight. Oh, Christ. I don't know what to do. Her name is Clementine and she's amazing. So alive and spontaneous and passionate and sensitive." As you may see they are very different from each other and they are both not perfect, they are far way from perfect, and what this story tells you is that love is not perfect. Love is not about finding the perfect person and then you'll become perfect too, love is about being able to collaborate with another imperfect person in a relationship and being able to face each other's differences and go through problems together.

We can see a lot of conflict between Clementine and Joel's relationship as a result of their different personalities and characters. They have good and bad times but we can mostly see fights between them in the story. For example, when she came home at three in the morning and he was in the couch waiting for her. Then she tells him that she made a dent in his car so Joel tells her, "I can't believe you wrecked my car. Your car...You're driving drunk, it's pathetic...Well it is pathetic. And fucking irresponsible. You could've killed somebody." Right here we can see one of their fights because Clementine is usually irresponsible while Joel tries to do everything right. Clementine is also usually wild and drunk while Joel is always keeping control, trying to tell her to behave. The major conflict in this story was for Clementine and Joel to decide whether or not they wanted to keep up with this relationship even with all the different problems and fights they had. They had to decide whether they're relationship was worth trying for and fighting for. Both had to be able to understand each other and go through their flaws and see what they could do to improve on whatever they did wrong in the past. For example, on that memory when Clementine and Joel go into the house at the beach at night, and Joel decides to leave and she tells him," If only you had stayed." They talk about what they could've done to make this a good and unforgettable memory. This connects to the overall theme because if there would have been no conflict at all between them then we would get the theme that love is living happily ever after but right here we see that love is not perfect, it has problems and fights and its between two imperfect people.

In this story we can also see foreshadowing. The story basically starts with what happens at the end of the story. They were meeting again after they had erased their memories from each other. That is why the car had a dent and that's why when they go to her apartment she tells him about Patrick, who is a character that comes up after Clementine's memories of Joel have been erased. This is kind of foreshadowing but backwards, it is letting you have an idea of what will happen and also tells you what happens at the end. For example, in the beginning of the story when she tells him about getting married to him, that would be foreshadowing to what will happen after the movie ends and also what happens through out the movie and their relationship. This lets you know that they will be together and that they will decide to face their problems together because they are both imperfect and they are both in love. Also, when they are in her apartment and she talks about Patrick that is foreshadowing to later when we are introduced to him. The dent in the car also helps you understand that this happened at the end. All this connects to the theme because this shows that they were really meant for each other and they were really in love because even now that they forgot about each other they meet again and know that they will end together no matter what.

Musicals in Theater (History Essay)

A musical is defined as "A play or movie in which singing and dancing play an essential part." Musicals have been an essential part in theater for quite a long time now. They are so important that we can see them all around us, like in movies, plays and theater in general. An example of a very known musical that is a movie is Hairspray. In this movie we can see how the characters tell their stories by dancing and singing. The art of telling stories through music dates back to time immemorial. The ancient Greeks used music and dance in their stage comedies and tragedies as early as the 5th Century B.C. After that there were others that expanded on the idea and used it in their own theater.

Not everyone likes musicals and many people are totally against them but there are also people who love them. Some people might not like musicals because they think that they are just so loud and noisy and could get annoying but the reason why a playwright might want to turn his or her play into a musical would be to add a different perspective to their story. There might be audiences who would want to see the actual play but there might be many more that would enjoy watching the musical. There are different things people like and that is what the playwright has to keep in mind when writing a play or musical.

In musicals, the actors don't just say their lines with dialogue but also with song. This is why musicals are better than traditional plays sometimes because often words can't express everything the actor is trying to show like all the emotions. "Musicals combine the full spectrum of all the arts: words, singing, dancing, stage spectacle, providing audiences with something for just about every taste. The addition of music to a standard play heightens emotion, reinforces dramatic action, evokes atmosphere and mood in ways that words alone cannot. Musical theater encompasses a wide range, from revues to Broadway musicals to grand opera, depending on how music functions dramatically in the work.," said Dr. Larry A. Brown. Like what the writer and novelist Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." Also like Hans Christian Andersen said, "Where words fail, music speaks." In these quotes we can see that music can express more than just words which makes musicals very important and famous in modern theater. They go a step further in plays. They go beyond the usual acting. "If music possesses an element that raises thought or emotion above words, then it logically follows that musicals are certainly not all flash and smoke. Musicals transform society through their show tunes and spectacular effects and as a result have become an extremely popular form of theatre," said Leigh Mackintosh.

There are a variety of different types of musicals. Such as classical, tragedy, comedy and many others. A famous musical that we have probably all heard of is Chicago, the musical. “A true New York City institution, CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping-song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen. No wonder CHICAGO has been honored with 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards®, a Grammy® and thousands of standing ovations. It's also no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences all around the world, from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa.” said the Chicago’s official website. As we can see, this is a worldwide known musical that is very famous, popular and great.

Musicals are not just another form of theater but a very important one and without them theater would probably not be what it is today. Musicals have added so many things to theater in general and not just the dancing and the singing but also the music and life and that new perspective of telling a story. They are widely famous because now in our generation dancing and singing is very popular and also music. Music is very important in our world and now there are so many more different genres of music, which make musicals even more diverse and now more people can enjoy them because they love music. Also in musicals you can see a lot of special effects and costumes and props and all this draws the audience to want to see it because of the many different things you can see. All this new technology that we have in our generation makes the especial effects even better and improves the overall musical grabbing more people's attention to musicals. Everyday new things and ideas are added to musicals and every day more and more people start to get interested in musicals. Musicals keep getting more famous and important in theater.

Blog #12

As we progress in the Theater Project, the playwrights think that doing the play about the musical with Tyler in it might be the best choice. I do like this idea but it might take more work to get it done. I also think that even though it is a musical, we shouldn't put a lot dancing and singing in it. What I mean by this is that we should avoid having people dancing and singing through out the entire play. It is okay to have people dancing and singing and music but also have other things going on. I think we should also watch examples of plays that are musicals like Chicago or The Producers.

The Below Link is a website that has a variety of links of websites of how to write musicals:

http://www.kenlyen.com/gpage37.html

The Below Links are websites on how to write a musical:

http://www.songwriting-software.com/writing-musicals.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2103460_write-musical.html

The Below Link is about a group of kids that were part of a musical and it talks about their hard work in making the musical possible:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-to-make-a-musical/2011/07/13/gIQAXHn0TI_story.html

The Below Link is a website that talks about musicals, their history and what they are and examples of them:

http://www.musicals101.com/musical.htm

The Below Link is an article of easy steps for making a musical:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Musical-Movie

Blog #11

This week the project manager, the production manager and I have been working on the master calendar for at least the first month as we start this project. For now we have the basic plan of what we will be doing for October.

PowerPoint

Calendar

Blog #10

What stands out to you most in your eleventh grade experience at our school?

It stands out to me how many things an eleventh grader has to do. Its like there is never really a time when you are like I have absolutely nothing to do or work on. We have many things to worry about in junior year like SAT's and writing resumes and cover letters for internship and already thinking about what college you want to go. Sometimes being in 11th grade can be a little stressful but its important to just do your work and do everything on time. What stands out to me the most in my eleventh grade experience at our school is how we actually get to have an internship in something we are interested in. Also how we get to write resumes and cover letters and learning how to write them, this can really help me later in the future when I apply to a job.

What stands out to you most about your Humanities class?

What stands out to me about my Humanities class is how we are more independent now and we are treated more like adults now. For example, for the American Icons project Randy never asked to read our paper and we never had to turn it in to him so he could read it, we turned it in until we were sure it was perfect. We on our own had to go to him and ask him if he could please read our paper if we wanted feedback from him. Also, in the quizzes we need to take this week, we are the ones that decide when to take each one of them. Also with the Theater Project we all have important jobs in the play that we have to accomplish and we all have to work with each other because we, as a class, are the ones that are going to make the whole play, Randy will help us but we have be the ones that do mostly all the work.

What have you read that made you think this year (in or out of school)?

In math class, we read the article "Rice Paddies and Math Tests" from the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. This article was about how Chinese students are usually better at math because their numbers are shorter and that way they learn them faster also the way they say their fractions is very easy and that way easier to understand. It also talked about hard work and how the farmers that work in rice paddies are successful because of all the hard work they do and how they spend so much time everything is perfect in their rice paddies like the water levels and the amount of rice. Like he said in the article "working really hard is what successful people do." This made me think about school and how I have to work really to make sure I turn in my work on time and so that it is the best work I can do. I need to make sure to put all of my effort in everything I do and make sure I always work hard on everything I do.

What have you noticed about your growth as a writer?

I think I have grown as a writer this year because of all the writing tips I've learned so far. Now everything I write I try to balance out my ideas with my words so that I don't have so many words with a little bit of ideas or too much ideas but with so little writing. I also remember on the first days of school when Randy put us with a partner and one of the partners had to look at a picture and do their best to describe it so that the other partner would be able to draw the same exact thing. This was kind of difficult because you had to find the exact word so that your partner could understand what you were saying, you had to be able to put that picture in their mind so that they would be able to draw it. This helped me see that when I write I have to make sure to use the write words and descriptions so that the reader can have an image in their mind of what I'm talking about.

What goals do you have for your next month? What is your plan to reach towards these goals?

My goals for the next month in humanities class are to try and add more writing tips in my writing and also try to read more books. I plan on achieving these goals by reading through my writing and then seeing places where I can add writing tips also maybe asking for some help from my classmates. I plan on going to the library more often to read more books and maybe ask humanities teachers for recommendations on books. Also I really want to do my theater job right and be able to work well with everyone else in the class to make sure that the play turns out great. I plan on reaching this goal by making sure I work a lot with the project manager and with Naxiely to make sure everyone is doing their work and to make sure everything is okay. Also reading books about plays or looking at the resources Naxiely and I found to get ideas or just to make sure we are doing our job right.

Blog #9

What aspects of the play stand out to you?

What stands out to me about Hamlet is how there are so many things going on and its barely the beginning of the play. For example, we know that the king of Denmark (Hamlet's dad) died and his brother took over the throne and married Hamlet's mom. Then there is the dead king's ghost that appears at night. Then there is Hamlet's madness that we are starting to see and also Polonius comes into the story with his son Laertes, that is leaving to France, and his daughter Ophelia, who Hamlet is in love with. Then there is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the players. There are many characters in the play and they are all very different from each other with different roles in the play but they all somehow connect with each other to form the story that takes place in this play. It also stands out to me how we can see many different things in the play like love, murder, family, friendship, betrayal, and many other things.

Post images that represent three key moments in Hamlet, and write a short description of each, including the Act & Scene.

This is an image of what Hamlet's dead dad's ghost might have looked like. The ghost appears in three scenes so far. In Act I Scene I, IV, and V. I think the most important so far is the when the ghost talks to Hamlet in Act I Scene V because that's when we find out why the ghost is in the story and also when Hamlet starts thinking about revenge and since that point his "madness" starts.

This picture is of Act I Scene III, this is when Laertes is about to

leave and gives Ophelia advice about Hamlet and then we also see Polonius, who gives advice to both his son and his daughter. I feel like this moment is important because at this point we are basically introduced to three characters; Polonius, Laertes and Ophelia. We also get to know Polonius a little better and we start to see him a little more often after this scene. We also get to know more about Laertes's character, who will later on in the story be very important. Also, Ophelia is important because, as Polonius later tells the King and Queen, Hamlet is in love with her and they think that might be one of the causes for his madness.

This is an image of Gertrude and Claudius and they are in a couple of scenes so far but I would want to focus on Act I Scene II because that is when Claudius and Gertrude are first introduced and that's when we start to see how Claudius doesn't really care that his brother died and just keeps thinking of taking over everything. Also, how Hamlet doesn't like how his uncle married his mom and is basically the only one that is sad because his dad died while everyone else seems to have forgotten.