Target (creative writing)

I believe I was absent for this in-class assignment as I have no recollection of it nor any paper turned back regarding that assignment.

Act I Essays

Hamlet finds himself in a terrible situation. His love for his dead father conflicts greatly with the false words of “appearances” around him. Why do you think he goes along with appearances and doesn’t directly express his opposition to Claudius and Gertrude’s behavior?

            Political accountability is perhaps why Hamlet doesn’t directly express his opposition to Claudius and Gertrude.

Any opposition to Claudius and Gertrude would disgruntle the kingdom, because a castle divided cannot stand. In other words, if Hamlet were to openly disagree with Claudius and Gertrude’s relationship, then political instability would ensue, and the people would become worried. Hamlet wouldn’t want any of this, especially when it would only worsen the situation between him and Claudius, and potentially set him multiple sets back from avenging his father’s death. This shows that Hamlet understands the importance of a publicly functional royal family, as well as the importance of strategy.

The second reason why Hamlet isn’t openly against Claudius and Gertrude’s relationship is that he doesn’t want to lose any political power. Once again, it’s all about stability. If Hamlet creates problems with Claudius, Gertrude, or Polonius, his chances of ruling the throne diminish drastically. Thus, Hamlet has to resort to holding his tongue once more.

The thing is, Hamlet has his hands tied from a political perspective. If he gets anyone of importance mad, then he will suffer only suffer the consequences. In the end, Hamlet’s goal is to avenge his father. And he can’t do that if he can’t get close to Claudius, if the public is mad at him for causing instability, or he becomes politically ineligible due to his problem-causing. Hamlet has to be careful about the moves he makes, and who he opposes at this point in the plot.

Canto Analysis: Canto 33

The Inferno: Canto XXXIII

By: Regan Blnss

Summary:

As Dante progresses through Antenora, the second ring of the ninth circle of hell, he is horrified to witness one sinner- Count Ugolino- gnawing on the back of another sinner's head- Archbishop Ruggieri. In a previous life, Ugolino betrayed Pisa’s political leadership and was forced out of political office. It was then by the hand of Archbishop Ruggieri, who invited him back into Pisa, that he was betrayed and imprisoned with his two sons and two grandsons. The archbishop denied them of food, and it wasn't before long that starvation took its deathly toll. Ugolino, who bit his hands out of grief, was asked by his children to end their suffering and eat them. In the end, Ugolino's children died of starvation one after another and Ugolino became blind- whether this was a figurative or literal blindness was not specified. At the end of the story, Ugolino gnawed at Ruggieri's skull once more with renewed fury and sorrow. 

Moving on, Dante and Vigil enter Ptolomean, the third ring of the ninth circle of hell. Here sinners are frozen flat on their backs and are prevented from weeping because their tears freeze over their eyes. It is here that Dante meets Fra Alberigo (Friar Alberigo) and Branca Doria who tell Dante that those in Ptolomea still have bodies inhabited by demons on Earth, and that only there souls are forsaken to hell.

Additional Points of Analysis:

- In the ninth circle of hell there is a frozen lake called Cocytus, which derives its name from the Greek "to lament". In the Vulgate (the Latin Bible), Cocytus is designated for those who have committed complex fraud or treachery against their relatives, country, guests, and masters (Job 21:33).

- Dante's disturbingly-detailed depiction of Ugolino eating the back of Ruggieri's head like a dog is perhaps one of the most grisly scenes of the Inferno. Moreover, Ugolino’s story is the longest single speech made by a sinner, alluding to Dante’s final dramatic representation in the Inferno of mankind’s capacity for hell and evil.

- Ugolino's story is more powerful because, unlike many of the other sinners who presented their story’s, he makes no attempt in exonerating himself. Instead, he only wishes to defame and damn his enemy for the brutal deaths of him and his innocent children.

- Gaddo’s (Son of Count Ugolino) cries to his father are reminiscent of Christ in Matthew 27:46: "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" However, the irony in the situation is that Ugolino is neither god nor in the position to help his son.

- The overlying concept that words shall always retain their power in Dante’s Inferno is especially prevalent in this Canto where vivid depictions of cannibalism and the ensuing feeling of guilt for Ugolino’s dead children cause dramatic mood shifts by the reader.

- Dante commits his biggest breach of orthodox Catholic theology when he places Alberigo and d’Oria’s souls in hell but not their bodies. The notion of a sinner’s soul being placed in Hell before physical death radically strays from the Catholic doctrine Dante attaches to.

Sin in Question:

The second ring of the ninth circle of hell is called “Antenora,” and is reserved for those who were treacherous against their country. This ring was named after “Antenor” from the Iliad, a son of the Dardanian noble Aesyetes and counselor to Priam during the Trojan War. Antenor was said to have treacherously opened the gates of Troy to the enemy in return of safety.

The Third ring of the ninth circle of hell is called “Ptolomean,” and is reserved for those who were treacherous against the ties of hospitality (treacherous to guests and hosts). This ring was named after Ptolemy, son of Abubus, who invited Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to a banquet and then killed them.

Punishment for Sinners:

The sinners in the ninth circle of hell must endure Cocytus, a frozen wasteland. Here Satans wings flap eternally, producing chilling cold winds that freeze the thick ice found in Cocytus. Being that Cocytus is in the deepest part of hell, it is the furthest removed from light and warmth.

In the second ring, not many sinners are mentioned, nor is the overall punishment described. Instead Dante only accounts for Ugolino and Ruggieri’s punishment.

In the third ring, because treachery against guests is a completely voluntary one, sinners must endure having their souls punished and their bodies possessed by demons.

Punishment’s link to Contrapasso:

  Ugolino and Ruggieri’s punishment is with-a-doubt contrapasso bordering complete dramatic irony. The killer-by-starvation- Ruggieri- becomes the food of his victim- Ugolino. In addition, Ugolino, who himself was a traitor, was betrayed by Ruggieri. In other words, the traitor himself was betrayed. How about that for irony!

Furthermore, the other part of the canto involving Alberigo’s punishment, where the soul is punished in hell and the body is possessed by demons, is also an enumerated emphasis of contrapasso chiefly because the sinner who voluntarily betrayed his or her guest, is now being subject to involuntary possession by demons.

Character Analysis:

Count Ugolino	-Formally a Pisan political figure, Ugolino betrayed his country and his officials. He was then invited back into Pisa by Ruggieri only to be betrayed and imprisoned. -Irony: The betrayer and then the betrayed. -Now subject to an eternity of suffering in Cocytus, which includes gnawing on the back of Ruggieri’s head.
Uguiccione, Brigata, Anselmo, Gaddo	-Count Ugolino’s sons and grandsons. -They beg Ugolino to eat them in order to end their starvation and suffering in prison.
Archbishop Ruggieri	-The man who betrayed Ugolino and imprisoned him and his children. -Now subject to an eternity of suffering in Cocytus, which includes being eaten by Count Ugolino
Lucca & Pisa	1. Luca- a city and comune in Tuscany, Central Italy, positioned on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near the Tyrrhenian Sea. 2. Pisa- a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, positioned on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Fra Alberigo	-A Jovial Friar who had his relatives Manfred and Manfred's son killed during a banquet. He summoned the assassins by ordering figs. -When he says that his figs have been repaid with dates, he is complaining that his punishment is too severe [dates were more expensive than figs].
Branca Doria	Has to endure the punishment of the third ring after he killed his father-in-law Michele Zanche during a banquet.

Higher-Order Discussion Questions:

1. Dante constantly alludes to animals for comparative characteristics. He uses the She-wolf, the Lion, and the Leopard to represent each of the three main levels of hell. What characteristics present in this canto allude to animals? Be specific, explain your reasoning, and provide evidentiary support.

2. Ugolino’s children die one after another from starvation in prison. Did you think Ugolino ate his children two days after they were all dead? What does the phrase "then fasting had more force than grief" really mean? How would Ugolino eating his children change the story? Also, what role does cannibalism play in this canto?

3. Throughout his journey, Dante breaks rules and promises, commits “unacceptable” and oftentimes fraudulent actions, which include being misleading, and is malicious. Will and should Dante be punished for his “unacceptable actions” in hell? How would Dante be punished with regards to contrapasso? Where and which level would Dante be placed in hell? 

4. Everyone has a somewhat different perspective of life and death, heaven and hell. Dante’s hell is derived from what Dante believes to be the worst acts of sin. Why do you think Dante’s hell is the way it is? Do you think his model of hell is “accurate”? What would you change in his model of hell and why? How do your changes reflect your perspective of what should be considered a serious sin and what shouldn’t? 

Works Cited

"Dante's Inferno." The University of Texas at Austin. ITS Liberal Arts, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

<http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/index2.html>.