The January 6 entry for Classics Bookclub is Hamlet. I downloaded this copy from Project Gutenberg to the Kindle to read. I also used this version which has a modern translation to the right. I’ve read Hamlet in school and definitely found it easier to understand after watching a dramatic presentation of it.

The questions recommended by 5 Minutes for Books:

1. Did you read and/or listen and/or watch Hamlet
2. Was this your first attempt at this play or at Shakespeare in general (outside the confines of a school assignment?
3. What did you enjoy or dislike about it?
4. What themes resonated with you?
5. Were there any resources that helped you understand this play, or that you’ve used with Shakespeare in the past?
6. Will you be trying out more Shakespeare in the future?

1. I read Hamlet on the Kindle using a version from the Gutenberg Project and on the computer for a modern translation. I have watched Hamlet before and it is definitely easier to understand when you hear someone saying the lines in a play.

2. Outside of school, I used to read through Shakespeare plays (Hamlet and Macbeth) with my dad. Kind of a strange thing I guess but it’s where I learned to read out loud, to read a few words ahead, etc. Beyond that, I don’t spend much time with Shakespeare plays.

3. My issue with Shakespeare has always been that the pace seemed really slow, lots of words without always having a purpose. I understand that Polonius uses a lot of words because he is a windbag. But some of the interactions seemed to take too long to get to the point. Makes me wonder if Shakespeare was paid by the word or the minute.

4. I can understand Hamlet being very distraught by his mother’s actions. Then learning that his uncle and mother were unfaithful (he has to start wondering if his mother was involved in the murder as well) and not trusting himself to act normally now that he knows this.

In Act III Scene 3 where Claudius has his soliloquy just before he kneels to pray, eNotes translates this line “May one be pardon’d and retain the offence?” like this “May one be forgiven a sin and still hold on to its benefits?” I find that an interesting line and can relate to it. He is now regretting the action (because of conscience or because he’s about to be caught and afraid of Hamlet?) but doesn’t want to give up the good things he has gotten (the very things for which he committed the sin). The King discusses our struggle to let go our petty pleasures and Hamlet discusses our eternal consequences.

The plot has obviously been used before and after. The one that kept coming to mind while I was reading this play was Lord of the Fire Lands: A Tale of the King’s Blades by Dave Duncan.

I also kept seeing Anne of Green Gables floating along as Ophelia and then sinking and clinging to the bridge until Gilbert rescues her (to her great shame).

5. I used a few resources. The version I read which included a commentary by George MacDonald, his footnotes and act summaries helped with unfamiliar words and to remember to keep up with the story and see character development. The modern translation at eNotes was very helpful. I also used the Wikipedia page that gave a plot summary and discussed some of the history of the play. I read the Hamlet story in Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb (brother and sister). The video guides at the eNotes website were a great overview. George MacDonald had a deeper understanding of the characters.

6. This seemed labor intensive, but I got a lot from the George MacDonald commentary and the Charles and Mary Lamb story. I would like to read more Shakespeare plays in the future.

I finished Pat of Silver Bush today. As expected, I cried a few times. It was so nice to be back on PEI. I loved Judy with her ould country speech, her many stories, and her love for Pat. The book is about a 7 year old girl living on Prince Edward Island. I have a friend with a 6 year old so I can easily see the thoughts and actions as described. Pat loves widely and deeply. Which means that change is dreaded, but must be faced as a fact of life. This book shows 11 years of Pat’s loves and growth through changes. I enjoyed the descriptions of her emotions, her surroundings, and how she faced each change. I am eager to read Mistress Pat now. I hope she and Jingle end up together.

What have I read this past month?

I read Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare) as part of the Classics Bookclub at 5 Minutes for Books. This was a combination of the George MacDonald commentary of an Old English version, a modern translation, the Charles and Mary Lamb version, and Wikipedia’s overview. I wonder if I get extra credit for reading it 4 times.

I read a loaned copy of Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon. It’s a collection of stories about the people and events in a bar in Suffolk County. The puns run pretty thick. The camaraderie of the men in the bar is to be envied. The stories are funny, heart-breaking, and entertaining. I like this guy and will be looking for more by him.

I read Curate of Glaston, The by George MacDonald. It is a trilogy of 3 novels about Curate Thomas Wingfold as he and others around him come or don’t come to a saving faith. Very interesting books. I still think about the dwarf describing how he felt the God of the Bible was a cruel and judgmental God. Then one day the dwarf scared a boy and when he tried to reach out to reassure the boy he meant him no harm the boy became even more afraid and ran away. The dwarf started to wonder if he was reacting the same way to God. He reread the Bible with a different perspective and found a different God.

I read through all 4 gospels again. It is good to take a book as a whole and read it in one or two sittings. Each has a theme that seems near and dear to the gospel writer.

I read The House of Dies Drear. It was an interesting book about a house that had been used as a station on the Underground Railroad years earlier.

I also read Raising Dragons (Dragons in Our Midst, Book 1). It was an interesting story incorporating King Arthur and knights, along with fanaticism and legalism as well as faith and courage. All magic in the book comes from God and all in all it was an interesting read, if not a perfect story.

And I read my bargain book copy of Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel. I really like the Maisie Dobbs books, even though I wish she knew it was God that was the source of her intuition and skills.

I reread most of Home to Holly Springs and finished up my character list.

I read the library book, The Read-Aloud Handbook: Sixth Edition. This was a recommendation from Audrey and it was really good. I am making a list of books to look at for Connor over the next few years.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk was good. I am very glad I read this book. I found a lot of very helpful and interesting information in this book. The structure of each chapter is great. The overview of why the “old” way isn’t profitable is a good way to start. The cartoons that demonstrate the old and new methods are handy ways to see it in action. Then the practical examples from parents really trying to do it in the home help see the many ways it can be done. The chapter on praise really hit home, that would have been helpful in my house when I was growing up. I know I doubted most of the praise I got, would deny it, and probably felt threatened by it – it was usually very general and I could always think of a dozen times it didn’t apply, plus the stress I felt to always be the “good” daughter. I think more specific descriptions of what I was doing right would have given me something more solid to rely on. I’ve run into the same advice in leadership classes – intead of just saying someone is really good or smart, use specific examples of something they have done, describe what you see and what you feel. Top it off by summing up the praiseworthy behavior in a word!

I read The Iliad: The Fitzgerald Translation in two days. I have the Robert Fitzgerald translation and it is wonderfully easy to read. After trying to read the Elizabethan English version of Hamlet, this is a breeze. I enjoyed following the story. My only issue is the spelling of names that Fitzgerald uses. I was reading the Wikipedia summary before I realized that Aias in the book is actually Ajax. And I slowed down every time I read Achilleus. Now I’m ready to tackle The Odyssey.

In honor of my completing the Iliad, I give you Achilles