Westbrook High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Westbrook, ME)

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16 thought, he might have satisfied his desires with a mere blow of the dagger. In my opinion the words of Goethe, A beau- tiful, pure and most moral nature, without the strength of nerve which makes the hero, sinks beneath a burden which it can neither bear nor throw off, explained the reason for Hamlet's failure to take immediate action against his Uncle Claudius. I do not think that Hamlet was insane, his madness was merely feigned in order to test the King. If Hamlet had realized that the members of the Court would presume that he was insane, he might have turned to other means whereby he could prove the King's guilt. There was a strong contrast between the pretended madness of Hamlet and the real madness of Ophelia. Shakespeare presented Hamlet as an amus- ing character during this performance while the pitiful condition of Ophelia was intended by the dramatist to Hll the reader's heart with tenderness. Many critics have called it cruelty on the part of Hamlet, when he showed his bitterness to Ophelia. I do not think that Hamlet in- tended to be cruel. For several months he had been under a severe nervous strain, deciding how he was to keep the pledge to his dead father. When he went to Ophelia to obtain spiritual aid, he immediately realized that she was too weak to help him, and when he dis- covered at their next meeting that she was deceiving him, he lost all self-control and uttered words which she interpreted as mad- ness. Later in the drama we learned that Hamlet truly loved Ophelia by his words, I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers Could not, with all tlleir quantity of love, Make up my sum. Hamlet's scholastic abilities were portrayed by the sound advice which he gave the stroll- ing players, concerning the presentation of the play. Not only did Hamlet understand the art of play writing, but he was also an excellent actor. His knowledge of law was shown in his words of respect which abound in technical law terms, spoken over the skull of the lawyer. The Blue Er White His skill and courage as a fencer was also evident, for Claudius did not dare to rely on the skill of Laertes to kill Hamlet, and, fear- ing his skill, the King turned to dishonorable means to carry out his plans. Laertes' actions caused grief to Hamlet, for he trusted him and loved him as a friend. Be- fore the duel the apology of Hamlet to Laertes revealed his amiable and sensitive nature. It showed that he was sincere and sorry for their misunderstandings. Hamlet cannot be classified as a coward. He represented all that was excellent and pure in human nature, possessed with that certain in- definiteness with which all men are endowed. Some critics have said that it was cowardly of Hamlet to change the King's orders whereby his friends. Rosencrantz and Guildenstein, met death, but in my estimation this was not so. Could they be classed as friends, after Hamlet discovered their treachery? No. They proved disloyal to their friendship and therefore they were deserving of death. I agree with a criticism of Hazlitt, in which the true character of Hamlet is revealed that, Hamlet is a name, his speeches and say- ings but the idle coinage of the poet's brain. VVhat then, are they not real? They are as real as our own thoughts. It is we who are Hamlet. Whoever has become thoughtful and melan- choly through his own mishaps or those of othersg whoever has borne about with him the clouded brow of reflection and thought him- self 'too much in th' sun'-this is the true Hamlet. B. VV., '32, JOHN PHILIP SOUSA On March 6, 1932, our nation lost one of its most loved and famous citizens. john Philip Sousa. He died suddenly in the early hours of the morning at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. Less than two hours before his death he attended a banquet given in his honor by the Ringgold Band of Reading, who were celebrating his 80th anniversary.

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Westbrook High School h '- 4'bA I 15 I will not attempt to explain how the gash got there, but I will say that I am done ex- ploring haunted houses. H. M. L., '32, A WILD RIDE IN 1 A. D. Phaethon, a petulant boy, Quickly tiring of a shiny toy, Wished to try his father's car, Drove away and went too far. Father raged as his speeding son Stepped on the starter and gave her the gun. He went too high and scorched the sky, He drove too low and burned below. Old mother earth did quake and crack As smoke and flames rolled o'er her back. Phaethon, terrified, lost control And down the sky road he did roll. In the Eridanns river, Which is now called the Po, 'Twas there the poor boy's body fell, But did not sink below. The sweet waves gently washed his face, Prepared him for his doom, Sea nymphs carried him away And laid him in his tomb. M. K., '33. RIVERS Rivers wander, Rivers sleep, Some are shallow, Some are deep. This one takes a Narrow way, That one dances Night and day. This one sings, That one cries, Still another Laughs and dies. Rivers brood, Rivers fuss. I find rivers just like us. M. P., '32. CHARACTER STUDY OF HAMLET From the very beginning of the drama, sym- pathy, on the part of the reader, is animated for Hamlet. The loss of his father, whom he loved with great sincerity, had left him in a state of melancholy and gloom and had caused him to suspect his Uncle Claudius, who was the present king. His mother's hurried mar- riage, almost immediately after her husband's death, had wounded his pride and in his mind this act had been an unforgivable wrong. This added to his suspicions and hatred toward the King and his ironical comment a little more than kin and less than kind to the King's greeting, my cousin and my son, proved that Hamlet did not consider his own character to be as hypocritical as the King's, even though he was his kin by his mother's marriage. When the Queen suggested that Hamlet should forget his sorrow, he burst forth in protest against this suggestion, for he thought that his father was worthy at least of his respect, since everyone else had forgotten 'him. Hamlet was still obedient to his mother, how- ever, for he promised that he would not return to school at Wittenberg. After the Ghost revealed his tragic death to Hamlet, his hatred for the King increased and he was determined to seek vengeance. A1- though he confessed to his friend Horatio that his chances for being King had been stopped by Claudius, this did not lead to any desire for revenge. It was his promise to the Ghost which really incited him against Claudius, for in those times it was lawful for the son of a King to avenge his father's death, provided that he knew who the slayer was. Hamlet, however, was a man of genius and a brilliant scholar who was more liable to think over his problems before he actually carried them out. His delay to take action against the King was not due to external circumstances, for he had allowed several opportunities to slide by, due to lack of courage. On the other hand, if he had not been accustomed to

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Westbrook High School COMPLIMENTS OF A. E. CARR at soN RETAIL SHOE DEALERS RELIABLE OBINSON SERVICE O. G. K. ROBINSON, Contractor and Builder EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR HOUSE FINISH, DOOR AND WINDOW FRAMES CLAPBOARD SIDING, PINE SI-IEATI-IING, CABINET WORK Telephone 391 Mill and Office, I4 Fitch Street Westbrook, Maine ll! +P' 344' COMPLIMENTS OF I in WESTBROOK GAS COMPANY KDivision of Portland Gas Light Companyl . . .Tl-lEtBETTER FUEL Hcgbrouglv Service CZQ9e grown B. 86 B. DRUG COMPANY 864 MAIN STREET 'Pre5cription., Specialists Your prescription will be given careful attention and filled with the best and purest of drugs Elway: on the fob