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It is the correct answer. The Witch King of Angmar is the head ringwraith.

That is beautiful!!

This one is not really the warm and fuzzy kind of inspirational (since you guys took all of the good ones :P ) I especially love the Marvin quotes and that Lord of the Rings quote is very memorable.

Not my absolute favorite, but the only one I could think of after throwing Shakespeare out of the equation for sanity’s sake:

“The existence of a man is so small a thing to take, so mighty a thing to employ! Alas! Is there anything in life so disenchanting as attainment?” ~Prince Florizel, “The Suicide Club”

Isn’t that last statement often true?

For those Sherlock Holmes fans – “The Suicide Club” predates the Sherlock Holmes stories and is said to have inspired them. It is by the writer of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

Yes, that allusion is very interesting. One of the strongest connections I saw between Hamlet and the Picture of Dorian Gray was Sybil Vane’s resemblance to Ophelia.

Hamlet becomes increasingly disillusioned with the corruption of the society around him from the beginning. For example, he begins his conversation with Horatio and his other friends with his criticism of his country’s boorish drinking habits.

Hamlet’s intentions are not pure either. A strong theme in the play is summed up in the line “Our thoughts are our’s, their ends none of our own” (I think that’s it…) By holding on tightly to his words and feelings, Hamlet delays his fate, making possible his transformation and the sacrifice for his own purging. Perhaps his purpose was to reach his own self-fulfillment. No matter his intentions, the fated result is the end of the corrupted crown of Denmark. One of his human frailties or aiilments – his melancholia – was essential to the play.

“Qualities normally belonging to villains – such as amorality, greed and violent tendencies – are tempered with more human, identifiable and even noble traits.” – Definitely. He is a noble character, yet in some scenes other characters such as his mother and Ophelia, become painfully aware of his brutality.

Then we could start a whole other discussion about how the comparisons between Ophelia and Sybil Vane enhance themes found in Wilde’s novel. Do you remember when Claudius is lamenting how society will fail to judge Hamlet as a murderer? Though I believe Hamlet is a more likeable character than Dorian Gray (for the simple fact that people could relate to either, but would rather think of themselves as having a noble character) both of their societies let them get away with more than the average person would have. Dorian Gray is all for self-preservation, but, up until the end, Shakespeare made his play so ambiguous that we cannot say Hamlet was not. But Hamlet’s self-preservation is ironically not all selfish I believe. The delay is essential to the completion of his purpose. It was not until the end that he accepted that there were parts of his story-his thoughts, feelings, and words-that would be casualities lost along with him.

When I say contemporary I mean in the last decade or so.

I read Disgrace by Coetzee a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it.

Wuthering Heights. Completely and utterly awful and irrelevant.

I do not usually criticize movie adaptations of books harshly because they are never exactly the same but come on.

I can relate sort of. Law and Order makes me tear up. :P That’s interesting that you relate easily to characters. Are you an easily excitable person or do you cry easily only with books because you love reading so much?

Last somewhat literary thing that made me cry was when I watched Hamlet but I think I was just having a bad day. Books and even plays do not usually make me cry.

When I read books, I find myself contemplating them throughout the day even when I am not reading them. I have found certain books that just captivate me, but thankfully I have never reached that Quixote level. (Actually I am reading that book right now. I’m loving it.)

Often, if my mom sees me reading a certain book and I try to discuss it with her she will turn around and nag me about how I do the exact same thing as that darn main character either to teach me a lesson or just so I will shut up. I never discuss my research papers with her anymore.

Finding contemporary novels that I can stick to and enjoy is difficult, anyone have any recommendations?

I like that quote, Windwind. Any particular reason other than it’s beautiful?

Nope, I take mine back. Here’s a shorter one: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Again, not Shakespeare’s wittiest, but is it not profound? It’s directed at my favorite character, and above all it is a simple fact people tend to forget. It sums up an important truth of our existence. As a Christian, it makes me think of what one of my good friends always says: “It could be possible: I won’t put God in a box.”

Great Expectations – awful stuff.

Yep, in fact I think some versions actually use the word artery.

This is not the most famous quote, but this one really got to me: “My fate cries out And makes each petty arture in this body As hardy as the Nemean lion’s nerve. Still am I called. Unhand me, gentlemen. By heaven, I’ll make a ghost of him that lets me! I say, away!—Go on. I’ll follow thee.” It’s from Hamlet, in the beginning of the play when he first sees his father’s ghost. There are many other clever quotes, many other plays, and many other characters, but these lines hit a nerve. You can look at it on many different levels and angles: a grieving son, a lost soul, or simply someone who has nothing to go on but his intuition, but yet because he feels he has nothing worth keeping from the hands of fortune, he has everything. A sudden burst of strength because he holds larger forces in high regard, not believing himself alone or even his life to be as significant as when guided by fate.

It is interesting that at this point, his passionate intensity keeps him from hesitation caused by the natural instinct to protect one’s own life, yet after the scene with the ghost, this is not the case.

The quote is just powerful all around, I think.

Any thoughts?

I disagree, I think, but it’s more likely I’m mixing the two up. An anti-hero can have selfish intentions, such as Gatsby, and their means can be unethical as well. Some anti-heroes are more complex than others, I guess. He penetrated social barriers, yet would his motives make his intentions selfish? For example, he was not fighting racism for the good of mankind.

What about Dorian Gray? That character does not come to mind when I think of the word “heroic” but here it where it gets more complicated. He is an anti-hero I believe.

Is Hamlet not an anti-hero?

This lesson is so interesting!!

I found most people got stuck on protein synthesis. I had trouble keeping my numbers straight when we studied mitosis and meiosis. Punnett squares were sooo (mindlessly) fun! :-)

I like Horatio from Hamlet. He is Hamlet’s most interesting foil and the kind of loyal and level-headed friend most people (especially crazy ones) would love to have.

And some of the most memorable. That’s a neat fact.

There are many different interpretations of this song. I enjoy Nina Simone’s interpretation as well as the original. It is very different and worth listening to.

Cool, I did not know that.

I like those student versions where there are summaries at the beginning of each scene and all of the notes are on the opposite page of the actual script so they are side by side.

I am going to try listening to the plays in the car and see how that works out. It might help to read the play first and then listen to it. Anyone done that? Certain plays might cause accidents though… hm…

When performing Shakespeare, practising monologues in the car definitely helps.

I prefer Brannagh’s interpretation. In fact, I liked his whole movie, however that Schwarzenagger clip just transcended them all. :-)

“There’s rosemary that’s for remembrance/Pray love, remember.” That’s the only reason I got it right. >_<