Question

hamlet and humanism
name(s):
quotation #22 (3.2.1-45)
ophelia
o, what a noble mind is here oerthrown!
the courtiers, soldiers, scholars, eye, tongue, sword;
the expectancy and rose of the fair state,
the glass of fashion and the mould of form,
the observed of all observers, quite, quite down!
and i, of ladies most deject and wretched,
that suckd the honey of his music vows,
now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
that unmatchd form and feature of blown youth
blasted with ecstasy: o, woe is me,
to have seen what i have seen, see what i see!
summary of what’s happening in the excerpt:

check the appropriate statement:
___ this excerpt supports the humanist ideals.
___ this excerpt conflicts with the humanist ideals.
this excerpt __________ these humanist ideals:
\t\t\tsupports/conflicts with

Explanation:

• Summary: Ophelia mourns Hamlet's mental and moral decline, recalling his former excellence.
• Statement Check: The excerpt shows Hamlet's rational and noble self deteriorating, which is contrary to humanist ideals that celebrate human dignity and rational potential.
• Ideal Conflict: Humanism values human rationality and worth; the excerpt depicts Hamlet's reason and excellence collapsing, conflicting with these ideals.

Answer:

Summary of what’s happening in the excerpt:

Ophelia laments the downfall of Hamlet's noble mind. She describes him as a paragon of virtue, a model of courtly, martial, and scholarly excellence, the hope of the state, and the epitome of fashion and form. Now, she sees his once - sovereign reason disrupted, his youthful beauty marred, and she bemoans her own wretched state for having witnessed his decline.

Check the appropriate statement:

• This excerpt conflicts with the humanist ideals.

This excerpt conflicts with these humanist ideals:

Humanist ideals emphasize the dignity, rationality, and potential of human beings. In this excerpt, Hamlet's noble and rational mind is "o'erthrown", his reason is "jangled, out of tune and harsh", and his youthful form is "blasted". This portrayal of Hamlet's decline from a paragon of human excellence (as Ophelia initially describes him) to a disrupted and marred state goes against the humanist view of the inherent worth and rational potential of humans. Instead of showing the flourishing of human capabilities, it shows a breakdown, thus conflicting with humanist ideals.