Act V - This American Life

The podcast for This American Life about Act V really changed what I thought of Hamlet. I, for one, do not like Shakespeare and have always had a hard time understanding what he means in most of his plays. The members of the prison, however, were able to understand each character better than I can; or at least have a better perception on the characters. What I loved the most about this podcast was that you hear from different people what they think of the characters. For example, Big Hutch explains that Hamlet doesn't really have a dilemma when it comes to killing his uncle. This decision is something that you do or you don't, not should I or should I not. The prison members, however, are able to see much more into the souls of the characters through their own experiences. This, I believe, makes Shakespeare's characters more alive for me than reading the play and then having a discussion in class. They each understand an aspect of the characters and the play through the crimes they've committed themselves. One of the prison members explains that he doesn't think he's a bad guy anymore and wouldn't commit another crime, but he killed someone and doesn't think he belongs anymore. He connects his own crime to the play in that he doesn't think that Claudius is a bad guy but rather as someone who's made a mistake. I think the personal connections to the play is what makes this take on Hamlet so interesting, that anyone can find a meaning to the play and now I think that I can understand the play thanks to the men of the Missouri Easter Correctional Center.