Soap Opera Trops

Our group decided to adapt the play into a soap opera. I feel like a lot of soap operas are situated in very classy and luxurious locations, like big mansions or a fancy building. Many of the characters have different personalities and they often represent a social class. Emotion plays a big part in soap operas, including emotional music and dramatic (facial) reactions. As a fan of Korean soap operas, I can say that there are a lot of unnecessary screaming, crying, yelling, slapping etc. etc.

I think adapting Hamlet into a soap opera is a good idea. Hamlet is a royal and in every royal family, there are political struggle involved. Like how Claudius killed his brother to take over the throne. The act we were assigned was Act 4 Scene 7, when Claudius and Laertes plots about methods to kill Hamlet, when suddenly Laertes hears about her sister's sudden death and breaks down. I think depicting this scene with a soap opera- feel is the best because Laertes goes through an emotional high and low during an extreme short period of time.

This is a really funny example of a soap opera, the man finds out that the woman's son is his son... (gasp)

And of course.. the power slap

Hamlet Re-imagined

If I were the director of the new Hamlet, I would make it as a mix of soap opera and action. I think the play Hamlet conveys seriousness, breath-taking excitement and bewilderment. Scenes where Polonius and Claudius discuss about Hamlet's queer actions reminds me of serious soap operas while the dual between Hamlet and Laertes brings up the action. 

I would choose the early 1950s to the 1960s of America as the time period. That is when the United States were the most prosperous and joyful, after bringing victory from World War 2. Also, that is when there were a lot of industrial revolutions. I would make Hamlet the son of one of the wealthiest billionaire instead of a royal Danish king. As a brother of a billionaire, Claudius would murder his brother with a gun. Also, I realized that there are a lot of reference to swords in the play. Instead I would replace swords with guns, that way it would match the time period. For the two women characters in the play, I would make Gertrude a former prostitute who needs a man beside her. For Ophelia, I would make her more intelligent and sympathetic than how she is represented in the book. She would be a different characterization of woman at that time period. I would make this movie similar to the "Great Gatsby" film that came out recently made by Baz Lurman. The movie itself is very bright and the setting symbolizes extreme wealth and opulence and I would use overly dramatized music to make the movie more suspenseful and exciting. Although old English is a great way to represent Hamlet, I would make mine modern English so that everyone, including pre-teens could understand the movie.

For Characters:

Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet

Amanda Seyfried as Ophelia

Sally Field as Gertrude

Gary Oldman as Claudius

Matt Bomer as Horatio

Sean Connery as the King

For the setting:

I think re-creating Hamlet into a specific genre adds to the overall story of the play because Hamlet consists a lot of severe dilemmas and extreme emotions within the characters. By doing so, we are able to analyze the play itself more thoroughly and enhance our perspectives of Hamlet.

Songs of Hamlet and Ophelia

I think it's evident that Hamlet and Ophelia are in a love/hate relationship. They are crazy in love for each other however they feel a big gap between them after Hamlet's father died.

The first song is "Misery" by Maroon 5. Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia, but he is angry that she was part of Claudius' and Polonius' trick. I think this song depicts Ophelia's feeling very well. After the king's death, Hamlet distanced himself from Ophelia. Without knowing the situation, Ophelia thinks that Hamlet is trying to end their relationship.

"Sometimes these cuts are so much deeper than they seem"

...

"I am in misery

There ain't nobody who can comfort me 

Why won't you answer me?

The silence is slowly killing me

(Girl) you really got me bad

You really got me bad

I'm gonna get you back

Gonna get you back"

...

"I'm desperate and confused so far away from you"

The second song is "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. This song demonstrates Hamlet's disappointment towards Ophelia when he finds out that she is contributing to Claudius and Polonius' scheme. This song shows Hamlet's regret, hurt, sorrow and his sense of frustration.

"I know I can't take one more step towards you

'Cause all that's waiting is regret

Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore

You lost the love I loved the most

...

So don't come back for me

Who do you think you are?

...

I've learned to live, half a live

And now you want me one more time"

The last song shows Hamlet's contempt towards Ophelia. Claudius uses Ophelia to figure out Hamlet's motives, but Hamlet finds out that he is being deceived and rages at Ophelia. 

"Nobody's gonna make a fool out of me

...

Oh you think that you know me, know me

that's why I'm leaving you lonely, lonely

'Cause baby you don't know a thing about me

You don't know a thing about me

...

Only got yourself to blame

When you want me back again

..."

"Modern" Soliloquy

In Shakespeare's plays, a lot of characters have their own soliloquy. It is a way for the characters to connect and "reach out" to the audience. It is their own thought bubble, not interfered with other opinions. I think the pop culture today is very similar to the soliloquy Hamlet conveys in the play. Social medias like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are all ways for people to express their opinions. One example is a twitter post from a renown celebrity, "I'm thankful for my health, the roof over my head, the food on my table, the people that love & care about me, & life itself is blessing."Or another twitter post like "What is it like, to get up in the morning and feel truly happy? To enjoy living in your own skin? I wish I knew." I think the social media fits the definition of a "modern" soliloquy because of the freedom people are given to express their thoughts. A soliloquy is important in Shakespearian plays because it is not swayed by the thoughts of other people. Social media now a days plays the exact same role, it serves as an area for people to convey their feelings openly. (in the case of Shakespearean plays, the audience). As a viewer, I think using social media as a way to express one's feeling is a good way to connect with people and to recover from problems. However, being too open can sometimes overwhelm the viewers. One thing that divides a Shakespearian soliloquy from social media is that social media is viral, and it is never kept in secrecy. Overall, I find it helpful that the social media serves as a "modern" soliloquy.

Boy Problems

Oh god. My life is like falling apart. My (ex) boyfriend is going cray. Okay, so Hamlet was the best boyfriend a girl could ever have. He was so nice and sweet, but then after his dad died he started acting really weird. Of course I broke up with him because who would want to marry a cray guy right? Life is so hard right now. So today, I was hanging in my room and Hamlet suddenly comes in the room, and he just starts staring at me and holding on to my arm. It was so weird. I didn't know what to do so I just sat there, intimidated. I mean what are you supposed to do in situations like this? So then I started crying and of course I was overwhelmed so I told my daddy and he was like "we have to report this to the king. Hamlet's dangerous" blah blah blah. Okay, so what happened was really weird but I mean I dated him for a while now so. I honestly have no idea what to do. My brother and my dad is making me feel bad because I'm dating Hamlet. My brother still treats me like a baby. It's so annoying. Oh my god, why are men so complicated? Gosh, they are just like ruining my life. I'm so done with life. I'll just be chilling until my dad comes up with a resolution about Hamlet. My dad hates Hamlet, so does my brother. Whatever. I'll just act like I'm doing whatever my dad tells me to do. No harm no foul.

Rewriting Essay

Cindy Choi  

Mr. McCandless

Period F

30 September 2013

The Truth Underneath

             "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream". Edgar Allen's famous quote describes people's natural state of delusional fear. In the short story “Once Upon A Time” by Nadine Gordimer, a normal, nondescript 20th century family pursues a life of happiness in an unidentified suburb. The husband, wife, grandmother and son seem just like everyone else in their gated white community, safely segregated from the social unrest that plagues their colored neighbors. In a vain attempt to protect themselves from the backlash of their own ignorant and negligent treatment of their fellow man, the husband and wife fortify their home and focus their attention on paranoid fears, which ironically endangers their own family and ensures that none will live happily ever after. Gordimer's layering of situational and dramatic irony throughout this "fairy" tale demonstrates the tragic consequences that derive from passing down notions of fear and false security across generations. 

The white family in this story attempts to protect themselves from what they perceive as black people rioting due to their uncivilized, inferior character, seemingly unaware of their contribution to and responsibility for the years of social and economic oppression that truly causes such revolutions, as with Apartheid in South Africa. “It was not possible to insure the house, the swimming-pool or the car against riot damage. There were riots, but these were outside the city, where people of another color were quartered. These people, judging them only by their external traits were not allowed into the suburb except as reliable housemaids and gardeners, so there was nothing to fear, the husband told the wife.” (Gordimer 164).  Despite how much the family distrusts and fears the people living outside the city, they ironically employ a few chosen members of this segregated majority as housemaids and gardeners, trusting them to care for their homestead and their family. The rioting that occurs is a result of historic inequality and social unrest between the two groups of the social class and the affluent community is caught by surprise because of their lack of awareness to their surroundings. The husband’s crass remarks and his old mother’s warnings extinguish the wife’s redeeming shred of morality when she tries to offer some basic humanity. “You only encourage them with your bread and tea. They are looking for their chance.” (Gordimer 165). The family judges people by their possession of assets, but ignores the truth of their situation and character. As the husband reminds his wife, the wealthy, white elite “keep themselves safe” by trying to further the segregation between the people who are affluent and the people who are not, and by abandoning any sense of moral or social responsibility. Yet, in fact, the segregation between the two groups of people is the primary cause of the violent riots and of the prevailing culture of distrust it preserves. The wealthy people in the story fail to solve the problems they have created, and instead, only try to cover up the situation by running away and trying to ignore it, which demonstrates the ironic mood that Gordimer illustrates in cautioning readers against the cycles of fear and injustice.

The family fails to notice the important internal details within their own home because they are constantly paranoid by their delusional fear of having their possessions stolen. The family’s attempt to protect themselves by securing their physical house, instead of their own priceless lives, further illustrates that the only danger they really needed protection from was their own paranoia. The husband and wife only focus on the external security of their homestead instead of paying attention to their own family dynamics and happy quality of life. “A certain family was at dinner while the bedrooms were being ransacked upstairs. The man and his wife, talking of the latest armed robbery in the suburb, were distracted by the sight of the little boy’s pet cat.” (Gordimer 165). The protagonist's son is killed by the same security traps that are meant for the criminals. His death further demonstrates that his family focused more on protecting their property than on the quality or happiness within their lives. The son’s death further reveals that the family only cares about keeping property that could be replaced from harm and not the things that really matter and are irreplaceable, like their son.  Gordimer writes as if the son is a mere material by using the word “it”. Clearly the parents do not react as loving parents. In fact, the housemaid and the gardeners are actually the people who are running to help/save the boy from the barbed wire and who genuinely mourn over the boy’s death. In the end, the family lost their most valued possession because of their ignorance and their mistake of putting importance in protecting materials that were replaceable instead of in nurturing their only child.

“Once Upon A Time” tells the ironic tale of a family who focuses too much on their possessions and not enough on their most precious gift- their child. In their attempt to protect the things they “owned” from people they did not trust, the family’s blind ignorance results in the loss of what they should have focused on all along - their son. Gordimer uses irony and sets an ominous mood to help the reader understand the moral of the story.

My overall problem of the essay was that it was extremely choppy and did not guide or engage the reader to my ideas. I learned to constantly tie my essay back to the topic sentence and the thesis statement. I feel that I am struggling a lot with putting my ideas into words. The hardest problem to fix was making it sound more fluent, which leads to organization. Organization is another big issue I have, which I'm trying to fix. I think this essay helps as a milestone for me to see where I am and how I should improve. Through out the year, I'm going to try to work on my organization. I think that is the biggest problem for me, having a good flow.