Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet.

To be read in the same way as Hamlet's "Words, words, words."

Because, honestly, that's basically all we've done.  Oh, wait, there was also the thing where we came up with words to describe atmospheres of pictures and stuff.  I still remember our class doing the dinosaur one.  I mean, obviously Ms. Holmes loves us the most because did any other hour get dinosaurs with ice cream cones?  Nope!  In all seriousness, those are actually quite useful, I think.  They help work us through understanding what kind of methods in syntax, imagery, and word choice can help get our point across.  I hope it'll make analyzing it easier too, but we'll have to see on that.  And, of course, they're fun, which makes them memorable.

And now, to Hamlet.  We finished our close reading, and are watching a lot of movies.  Really.  A ton.  The first one was cool, but that's mainly just because Patrick Stewart is awesome.  I'm not a fan of all of their interpretations, but it's a reminder that the play can have many interpretations.  Just because I didn't see the scene between Hamlet and his mother in her closet as him raping her, or the relationship between Laertes and Ophelia as anything but sibling doesn't mean other people won't.  And while it was kind of awkward to watch, I could understand that.  Then there was the Kenneth Branagh version, which I'm still torn on.  On one hand, I really didn't like his acting at times; that scene when he's talking to the ghost and then falls flat on his face will never not remind me of Lockhart.  On the other hand, I appreciate some of the interpretations and that castle was really awesome.  Still looking forward to David Tennant, but that's a personal bias.  I know nothing about it.  Except I know that David Tennant is awesome.

Annotations are... going.  It's interesting to watch the movies while working on the annotations because sometimes they point out things that I haven't already noticed.  I think it'll be interesting to watch the movies after I finish as well, because I'll have more of an idea of everything, and what I found was interesting, and what I think I need to focus on.  And while they are a little tedious - especially in a really long, five act play, I understand why they're necessary.  I'm seeing more about the play as a whole, and getting close-ups on the genius that is Shakespeare.  All of Hamlet's puns, and some of his references (which I'm looking up if I don't already understand them), are cast into a sharper relief and I feel like I'm really understanding the points that Shakespeare is trying to make.  I'll have finished annotations by the time we get to Tennant.  I'm excited.  I want to see whether the play is different and fun with having finished them.  And with Tennant, of course.