Eng 2030 Midterm

1- “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” The line is spoken by Marcellus, a guard, in “Hamlet.” After Hamlet follows the ghost of his father, Marcellus speaks these lines to Horatio. His words are a reflection of the underlying corruption found in Denmark. The secret evils hat Claudius and Gertrude have committed are slowly being realized by the people. Like a piece of rotting meat, the people of Denmark are slowly becoming aware of the hidden corruption of their leaders.

2- “[She] loosened her garments,/ She exposed her loins, he took her charms./ She was not bashful, she took his vitality./ She tossed aside her clothing and he lay upon her,/ She treated him, a human, to woman’s work,/ and in his ardor he caressed her.” This passage is a description of the relations between Shamhat and Enkidu from “Gilgamesh.” Enkidu is wild and lives among the beasts while Shamhat is trained in the art of sexual pleasure. By seducing Enkidu, Shamhat awakens the humanity which has remained dormant in Enkidu. This has a transformative effect on Enkidu. He goes from resembling a beast to becoming a man who can challenge the great Gilgamesh.

4- “When a young man is killed in war,/ Even though his body is slashed with bronze,/ He lies there beautiful in death, noble.” Priam speaks these line in “The Iliad.” While pleading with his son, Hector, to return to the safety of Troy, Priam mentions the fate of those who die in battle. That fate is to be bestowed with glory and honor at the expense of the fallen man’s life. This illustrates the dangers of romanticizing war. War is a terrible and brutal thing which cannot be glossed over. Priam falls victim to this mistake even as he grieves for his other fallen children.
7- “When [he] had his fill of grief/ And the aching sorrow left his heart,/ He rose from his chair.” This is a description of Achilles, from “The Iliad”, as he meets with Priam. After Hector is killed, the Greeks refuse to return the body and commit heinous acts upon it. Priam goes to Achilles to beg for the return of his son. Achilles is moved by this display of emotion as it reminds him of his own grief. The war, which has raged for many long years, is put aside in a moment of shared heart-ache.

9- “I am justly killed with mine own treachery.” Laertes speaks these line in “Hamlet.” When Laertes is cut by his own poisoned blade he acknowledges the wrongs of his treachery. This is illustrated by the use of the word “justly.” He knows that the use of a poisoned blade to kill Hamlet is wrong. Laertes views himself as an honorable man and realizes that treachery spoils the nobility of his character. This idea is one of the themes of “Hamlet.” Those who commit wicked acts eventually face just consequences.

11- “A little more than kin, and less than kind.” These words are spoken by Hamlet in “Hamlet.” They are an aside in which he reveals his true feelings for Claudius. He admits that they are “more than kin” in that Claudius is his biological uncle and also his step-father. Hamlet is disgusted by this relationship as he believes it shows his uncle and mother’s heartlessness over the death of his father. Hamlet also acknowledges his ill will toward Claudius. He believes that Claudius and Gertrude are responsible for his father’s death and ultimately wants revenge for their treachery.
12- “Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain convocation of public worms are e’en at him…. your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but to one table: that’s the end.” The lines are from “Hamlet” and are spoken by Hamlet to Claudius. In these lines, Hamlet reveals one of the major themes of the play which is the ultimate fate of all things. Hamlet tells Claudius of the death of Polonius by describing him as a meal for worms. He also tells Claudius that all men no matter how great or how low will eventually share the same fate. Death is the uncompromising fate which awaits them all.

Short Answer
1. Following the death of his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh is graped by the realization of death. He also understands that if he doesn’t find a route around his mortality, his time will soon come as well - “Over his friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh cried / bitterly, roaming the wilderness. / ‘I am going to die!--am I not like Enkidu?! / Deep sadness penetrates my core, / I fear death, and now roam the wilderness -- I will set out to the region of Utanapishtim, son of Ubartutu, and will go with utmost dispatch!’” (The Epic of Gilgamesh 9.2-7) The characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh are portrayed to believe the gods were in control of all, so this is where Gilgamesh searches for immortality.

2. Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s friendship is based upon a feeling of mutual respect. The two men are from dramatically different upbringings but share traits which set them apart from common men. Their immense strength and endurance set them apart and make them equal. Gilgamesh and Enkidu share a bond because they are two greatest humans on Earth. They have no equal except each other which creates an unparalleled relationship which they cannot find with any other man or woman. It is this unique bond which leads to the downfall of both Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The combination of their abilities create in them a sense of arrogance. They believe that their power rivals that of the gods. Their arrogance leads to Enkidu’s death which is decided by the gods. Their combined strength is seen as an affront towards the gods. Gilgamesh and Enkidu’ close bond cannot survive due to their extreme arrogance which is viewed as an insult to the gods.

3. According to The Iliad, a title of honor and nobility is granted to any man who gives his life in battle. “Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.” (The Iliad 22.302-305) These are the men that are looked at as the most heroic. Much like today, they looked up to their soldiers as we look up to and honor ours. They were very appreciative of any man willing to give his life during war.

7. Hamlet’s one desire throughout the play is to have revenge against Cluadius and Gertrude. This desire consumes Hamlet and leads him down the path to madness. His intense emotional turmoil caused by the death of his father manifests itself in this quest for revenge. Hamlet abandons the pursuits which had once interested him in favor of this new mission. He becomes so obsessed he even abandons his love Ophelia. He rejects her and tells her to get to “a nunnery.” His unhinged behavior becomes obvious to those around him as even Polonius remarks that he is “far, far, gone.” This also causes the breakdown of all his relationships except his friendship with Horatio. Hamlet’s single-minded pursuit of revenge leads to the destruction of his relationships and ultimately the loss of his own innocence as he murders Polonius. These actions further the descent of his madness and also increase his desire for revenge as his former life crumbles around him. His reckless actions lead to the creation of similar intentions in Laertes, the son of Polonius. Hamlet’s quest is finally successful but his fixation also causes his own death because of his wrongful actions.

8. Hamlet has many flaws but the most tragic of all is his incapability to finish what he sets out to do. Hamlet is set on a course for revenge by the ghost of his father and he is consumed by this quest; however, Hamlet finds it difficult to act on this desire. The evidence of this flaw is in his interactions with Claudius and Gertrude. Hamlet has frequent opportunities to enact his revenge yet he is always unwilling to do so. He prefers to think about his emotions and his plans. He says that “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Hamlet is more inclined to do contemplate than to execute his plans.
Hamlet avoids his duty by seeking further evidence of his mother and uncle’s treachery. His use of the players illustrate his reluctance to act. Rather than trusting his own intuition and the words of his father’s ghost, Hamlet seeks reassurance in flimsy schemes. His inability to act is further displayed when he is presented with an easy opportunity to kill the praying Claudius. It is only when pushed to his emotional breaking point, after his murder of Polonius and the death of Ophelia, that he is finally forced to act. Hamlet promises himself that from then on his thoughts would be “bloody or nothing else.” However, his inability to act previously causes his own death as it allows Laertes his own opportunity for revenge.