Brockj’s Comments (group member since Jan 06, 2016)

Brockj’s comments from the Ms. A's Advanced English Book Discussions group.

BradR5595 wrote: "I think that the Lion King can be considered a adaptation of if. It follows much of the same story line as Hamlet's and the changes that are made is because it is a children story and they want to ..."
I agree with Brad. Not only were Hamlet and Simba both guided through their journeys by their deceased fathers, but they also were banished from the kingdom as well. I think that the reason for their banishment was to set the stage for the reinvention of the main characters. Both Simba and Hamlet were down in the dumps after their traumatic experiences. After their banishment, however, both managed to find themselves again and save the day.

I believe that Hamlet was an accurate representation of Hamlet. The most noticeable similarities come from two of the main characters in the Lion King and Hamlet. Hamlet is clearly portrayed in The Lion King as "Simba" the young and impressionable future king of Pride Rock. The second Shakespeare character being Claudius who is portrayed as "Scar" in The Lion King as the brother to the king who doubles as the villain. Many of the same character's personalities can be seen throughout both pieces.
Another important similarity that exists is the basic story line. Both stories are based around a young character who is destined to be king. Both stories also feature the death of the main character's father being killed by the main character's uncle. This leads into another similarity which is the revenge aspect. Both Hamlet and Simba eventually seek revenge for the death of their fathers. The last similarity relates to the restoration of "good" after the villain is defeated. This is achieved differently in each story, but it exists. In Hamlet, not only does the villain die, but so does the main character, while in The Lion King Simba is able to take back control of his families land after defeating his uncle, Scar.

In response to Jaydan,

I agree that it was probably easier for the actors of the time to recite and perform Shakespeare, since they were used to the English of the time period. In the past, I feel that the sets for the plays would have been pretty elaborate, since the Shakespeare plays we have read all have unique settings. The lines would definitely be the hardest part of being a part of a Shakespeare production! It definitely helps to sit and memorize to yourself before trying to perform in front of others.

I think I did a good job reciting my Shakespeare lines. I got twisted up on one line and it really put the pressure on! The trick for me was reciting the lines over and over again out loud at home to my parents. I definitely have a new-found respect for actors in general because memorization is not necessarily the easiest thing to do! It was really easy to start off confident, but once you forget a single word, it can throw you way off track. This was especially true since it was not written in our modern English that we are used to. Although it was hard to remember for awhile, I think I was able to capture the tone in which Shakespeare meant for it to be said.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"
I think the most accurate representation of the soliloquy was the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. In my head, I had pictured a dark and lonely setting based on how the text felt while reading along. In Gibson's version, this setting and feel was carried throughout the entire scene. I think Mel Gibson's version was able to portray it best since he really emphasized the emotions around choosing life or death. That is what I believe Shakespeare was also originally trying to do in his original story.

Kennedy wrote: "Cassidy wrote: "Did William Shakespeare really write the works he is attributed to? What is your opinion? Why does it matter?"
I believe that William Shakespeare was alive during the time of the wr..."

I agree that if Shakespeare truly was "all about literature", he would have properly educated his own children. I also think it is interesting to think about the possibility of Shakespeare taking credit for someone else's work. If he truly did take the credit for someone else, I bet the person that gave him the credit probably regrets it now!

Bridgeth wrote: "Cassidy wrote: "Did William Shakespeare really write the works he is attributed to? What is your opinion? Why does it matter?"

I do not believe that William Shakespeare wrote all the works in whic..."

I also agree with Bridget. I think the only way he could have written these works was with the help of someone much more educated then him. I also think he could have been just taking the credit for someone else who had either passed away or was simply scared to take credit for the pieces.

BradR5595 wrote: "Cassidy wrote: "Did William Shakespeare really write the works he is attributed to? What is your opinion? Why does it matter?"
I don't think that Shakespeare did write the plays. I think that he wa..."
I agree with Bradley. I think the mysterious signatures seem very fishy to me. I would have to also agree that he would have needed to acquire a proper education at some point in his life to learn to write the way he did.

I think he was a real person, but I do not believe the William Shakespeare wrote all of these works. Although all of the articles we read gave sufficient evidence, the fact that stood out the most to me was that scholars have no idea how or if this man actually received an education. There are many undocumented years (twenty-eight to be exact) which we know nothing about concerning Shakespeare's life. Since we do not know much about him, how can we just credit him as the author of these works? There is simply not enough evidence to tie him to the pieces of literature. He also was said to have dropped out of school at a young age and would not have had a proper education. This does not line up with the superb vocabulary used in the works he is accredited with.