The Tragedy of Hamlet is centered on Hamlets ability to answer the question, “Is it possible to act in uncertain situations?”. In the book, Hamlet produces a play to reaffirm the theory of his uncle’s guilt. This action of producing a play, lead to a decrease of uncertainty in his greater action. His ability to reduce uncertainty shows that it is possible to act in uncertain situations. Both movies are rooted in this idea but illustrate it in different ways. Hawke’s portrayal of Hamlet shows the struggle as an internal conflict that is resolved through internal dialog. Borough’s perspective of Hamlet shows the struggle as an external conflict between different characters, which is resolved through external dialog. Are uncertain situations made more certain through action?
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Action vs Inaction
The Tragedy of Hamlet is centered on Hamlets ability to answer the question, “Is it possible to act in uncertain situations?”. In the book, Hamlet produces a play to reaffirm the theory of his uncle’s guilt. This action of producing a play, lead to a decrease of uncertainty in his greater action. His ability to reduce uncertainty shows that it is possible to act in uncertain situations. Both movies are rooted in this idea but illustrate it in different ways. Hawke’s portrayal of Hamlet shows the struggle as an internal conflict that is resolved through internal dialog. Borough’s perspective of Hamlet shows the struggle as an external conflict between different characters, which is resolved through external dialog. Are uncertain situations made more certain through action?
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Although it is difficult to act in uncertain situations in is not necessarily made clearer or more certain. The person could be blind to his actions and it wouldn't appear certain anymore and it would just be another action.
ReplyDeleteI think action can definitely dispel uncertainty. If a character cannot simply find comfortable knowledge of a situation, then he must act in order to reveal some. In Hamlet, no character could give Hamlet proof of Claudius' treachery, so Hamlet had to take matters into his own hands by using the play. He gets the evidence he needs and it allows him to move forward in his task. If Hamlet hadn't used the play, he wouldn't have acted because he would be stuck guessing the truth.
ReplyDeleteTaking action can work out uncertain things. When Hamlet shows the play to his Uncle, he gets the reaction he wanted that made his decision certain. Without this play or action that Hamlet took, he would still be uncertain if is his Uncle really murdered his father. Without action, Hamlet would still be uncertain of what he should do.
ReplyDeleteTaking action worked for Hamlet. It does work in some situations, but in others it can be rash. The difference is the amount of time and consideration that Hamlet put into thinking about what to do. The key to what Hamlet did was that he took slight action to reveal what his next action should be. Some others would skip that step and the action they would take would be to kill the uncle without being sure.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica that if you don't know what is going on-and especially if no one else can tell you-then you have to take action to clarify the situation. Sometimes all you can do is take a step in the dark.
ReplyDeleteI do think that uncertain situations could be made more certain through action. Hamlet had to know if Claudius was guilty for his fathers death. He had to know so that his fathers spirit could rest peacefully and that he would finally know the truth.
ReplyDeleteWhen a character takes action, they have to make a decision in their head. Making a decision involves certainty in ones own actions, to some extent. This decisive action can definitely lower the uncertainty of a situation.
ReplyDeleteUncertain decisions cannot always be solved with certain actions, but in most cases it can. If you're uncertain about a decision you might take action to clarify the current situation. Taking this action can lead to a clearer answer or it may drag you deeper into uncertainty. It's a risk, but you should take the chance and take a stab at it.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though action either right or wrong does make an uncertain situation more certain, because that action can guide you. The reason that it makes it more clear is that now you have a direction to take with your situation and you can stick by it because once you make an action it is kind of difficult to go back on it hence making that situation easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteI believe that action can definitely make an uncertain situation more certain. Action will most likely cause a response and that response will make the situation come into clearer focus. The situation may not be ideal for what you were expecting but it will still make the situation more certain.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you need to think before you act, BUT you can't take too long to think about certain things because you'll miss opportunities. I agree with ":^)" that action will cause a response and with that response, you will have a chance to determine a better outcome for your position.
ReplyDeleteAction makes the uncertainty of a situation seem tangible. The more progress made, whether in a positive or negative direction, gets the objective closer to producing an overall result. This action can either clarify the decision needed to be made or plunge it into further uncertainty.
ReplyDeletethough I believe that one should look at all possibilities before taking action, you have to take action eventually even if the situation is uncertain. Choosing a path of action does make an uncertain situation less so because you can eliminate possibilities
ReplyDeleteAction will likely remove some uncertainty as a person learns what should or shouldn't be done, but there isn't always an opportunity to act twice. In that case, acting could cause things to be better but could also cause things to be much worse if you don't know enough.
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