Dysfunctional Family

Ashton and Eli

Definition: A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse on the part of individual parents occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. (Wikipedia)

When looking at the Bennet and Hamlet families, it is evident by the parents of the two families that Hamlet's family is more dysfunctional. When looking at Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, they clearly juxtapose each other as Mr. Bennet is a witty man who often pokes fun at his wife and Mrs. Bennet who is solely focused on her five daughters getting married. However, as the story progresses, it is clear that Mrs. Bennet is the parent that truly cares about her children, while Mr. Bennet consistently neglects his family's needs. However, while there is a clear difference between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the family is not completely dysfunctional as their children, while frustrated, do not direct hatred towards their parents. The Hamlet is clearly more dysfunctional than the Bennet family as Claudius, Hamlet's new stepdad, killed his Hamlet Sr. Because Hamlet has discovered Claudius' two-faced nature, he is plotting his own murder, thus leading to the dysfuction of the family. Moreover, Gertrude is in a very confusing situation as both Claudius and Hamlet are vying for her loyalty. While it is clear that Gertrude loves Hamlet, Hamlet increasingly becomes frustrated that she often clings on to Claudius, the murderer of her deceased husband. Thus, because of the murder and deceptive nature of Claudius,  the Hamlet family is clearly more corrupt than the Bennet family.

Essay Structure:

Introduction - introduce specific points but do not completely analyze - strong thesis statement
First Body - talk about parents and their situation/ who they are
Second Body - analyze how their parents have affected the situation of the children
Conclusion - conclude the whole essay

Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1 Directing

Ashton and Eli

Lines 1-28

We would portray Claudius as a very demanding and confident character in this scene as he expects Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to say that Hamlet has been acting extremely weird; however, after Hamlet's two friends exclaim that he was acting like a gentleman, Claudius's face should become shocked and dissappointed. Claudius should emphasize turbulent and lunacy to reveal his beliefs of what Hamlet has been acting like. Moreover, it appears the Gertrude wants Hamlet to reveal his mistakes, and she wants to know more as to why Hamlet is acting so weird. Thus, Gertrude should also reveal a more demanding tone towards Hamlet's friends. Lastly, Claudius in line 28 expresses a deceptive tone as he is not content that Hamlet has not revealed the same mysterious nature towards his friends that he did towards him and Gertrude. We would also emphasize "assay him" and "pasttime" on lines 16-17 from Gertrude and "it doth much contempt me" on line 27 by Claudius.

Hamlet Soliloquy Video Details

In this scene, it is evident by Claudius' language that he truly feels the guilt of what he has done to his brother. But even though he may feel guilt, Claudius still has no intention of admitting the murder of his brother. Because Claudius is asking for forgiveness, Claudius would appear to be talking in a much more subtle and reserved tone. However, once Claudius speaks to the G-ds to relinquish him of his sins, Claudius at this part should look up and scream. Since Claudius is talking to himself during this scene, the camera should switch between expressing his body movement, and then having close-ups of his face to display Claudius' guilt. Moreover, Claudius' emotions should consistently switch between feeling guilt and also feeling confused about his situation.