Understanding (?) Hamlet

The last time that I taught our Introduction to Literature course, I assigned Shakespeare's Hamlet in order to discuss performance. I call it "Night of a Thousand Hamlets," and it involves showing numerous clips of the "To Be or Not to Be" speech done by various actors (Olivier, Branagh, Gibson, etc.). I also give a reading quiz to see that everyone in class has kept up with the assignments.

Among the questions I asked were "How does Ophelia die?" and "What does Hamlet ask of Horatio at the end of the play?" I'm usually stunned by the answers. Even if you've not fully read the play, you'd think there are enough cultural references to Hamlet out there for someone to guess correctly. Not quite.

I did not correct any misspellings or grammatical errors in the following answers.

How does Ophelia die?

• “Being grazed by the poison sword”
• “May have been grased by the sword”
• “Ophelia dies by drinking poison”
• “By poison”
• “Ophelia commits suicide”
• “She is murdered”
• “She kills herself”
• “Ophelia dies”
• “Ophelia goes insane after her father’s death and kills herself"

What does Hamlet ask of Horatio at the end of the play?

• “Hamlet asks Horatio to avenge his death”
• “He asks Horatio to look after his mother”
• “Hamlet asks Horatio to sneak him out of the palace”
• “Hamlet asks Horatio that country”
• “Hamlet asks Horatio to defend him”
• “To flee the kingdom”
• “Hamlet asks Horatio to give him the cup to drink”

You'd think grading short reading quizzes (just 3-4 questions each) would be simple, perhaps even boring. However, the answers above would indicate that it's never dull, no matter how simple the answers might be.

End-of-Year Confusion

Sometimes when reading student work, I am completely confused. I'm never certain if some of the confusion results from the ubiquity of AutoCorrect or a lack of comprehension from the writer.

For example, what follows is the concluding paragraph from an essay about Target's marketing strategies. It was not, however, indented in the original so that you could tell it was the start of a new paragraph.

"This only proves that target has use many strategies to take a bandage of the marketing to breakfast from kiss from keep customers ethical marketing to. In being all onions to their store to buy products that they need."

I read the entire essay that this paragraph allegedly concludes, and I can honestly state that I have no idea what the writer was trying to say here.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2018

Let me start with an admission: I do actually like the band Bon Jovi. I saw them perform at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum (a.k.a. “The Hump”) in 1988 on the Slippery When Wet tour, and it was a great show by a band that already knew how to entertain even though it was their first national tour as headliners. I also have to say that was the wildest concert audience I’ve ever witnessed. I remember that it had been a particularly rough semester, but that crowd was ready to party.

However, Bon Jovi’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took up more than forty-nine minutes of the three-hour televised portions of the ceremony that recently aired on HBO. By comparison, the Cars got just thirty minutes, Nina Simone and the Moody Blues each had twenty-nine minutes, Dire Straits only got nine minutes, and the great Sister Rosetta Tharpe got a scant eight minutes. I mean, Bon Jovi is a very popular band and all, but they don’t deserve six times a much air time as Sister Rosetta Tharpe when both are being inducted into the same Hall of Fame.

Part of the problem had to do with the person inducting them, Howard Stern, who took more than nine minutes to induct them. His speech was ridiculous, comparing of the number of people who died from bubonic plague (50 million) and in the Civil War (625,000) to the 130 million albums that Bon Jovi has sold. There was even a reference to “Harry Chapin’s jizz” that was just weird and rather pointless. Also pointless? The digs at Cream, Blondie, and Leonard Cohen, all of whom sold fewer albums than Bon Jovi but who were inducted earlier into the Hall of Fame. Of course, album sales are no measure of true worth of an act’s lasting musical influence or impact, and Leonard Cohen also had to wait quite a long time to be inducted.

Then Jon Bon Jovi took more than ten minutes to recount almost his entire history in the music business and to thank, seemingly, every single person in the audience at the ceremony individually. As intriguing as it is to discover that he sang backing vocals on the Star Wars Christmas album, when Jon’s overarching point was about how important time is, should he have taken up so much of our time recounting every minuscule occurrence for the past 30 years? Apparently, he actually spoke for almost twenty minutes at the ceremony itself, and half of it was cut for the broadcast. It’s tough to imagine what else he could have included. Stern mentioned and Jon seemingly was responded to a prevailing theory that Jann Wenner, founder and publisher of Rolling Stone, had prevented the band from being inducted earlier. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean that the induction of Bon Jovi is such a life-altering moment for the rest of us. How indulgent of the hall and the other members of the band to let Jon take the spotlight away for his self-serving speech.

And now on to the rest of the ceremony…

THE CARS

Brandon Flowers inducted the Cars, claiming that they were the first band he fell in love with. It’s good to see some of the New Wave and MTV-era bands starting to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm not certain I would have chosen the Cars compared to others from the same era (Duran Duran, for instance). The members paid lovely tribute to their parents and grandparents who instilled a love of music in their lives. Ric Ocasek, a founder and lead singer of the group, was loose and funny, joking that he was “supposed to be the good looking one in the band” until Benjamin Orr joined them. Orr passed away almost two decades ago, but his son was in the audience, and he was even more handsome than his dad. It’s sad that he wasn’t allowed on stage to accept the award on behalf of his father. It’s also sad to learn that Ocasek and his wife, Paulina Porizkova, who was so happy in the audience that night, are now separated after almost three decades of marriage.

Performances: “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “You Might Think”

As an aside, it was odd to see a performance of “You Might Think” without the visuals associated with the award-winning video. It’s not quite as impactful, to be honest.

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE

The “Godmother of Rock and Roll” was inducted by Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes in the category of “Early Influences.” That’s a rather condescending category for someone who taught most of the early rock stars how to play electric guitar. Sister Rosetta was the heart at the intersection of rock and gospel music, and she was, as Little Richard noted, “hot as cayenne pepper.” It’s a shame that the ceremony didn’t mention Tharpe’s bisexuality, given how inspiring that might have been to queer artists and music lovers, but it’s actually rather amazing that she was included in this year’s class of inductees anyway.

Performance: “That’s All,” performed by Howard, a most appropriate choice given that she is a successor to Tharpe’s legacy of soulful guitar-accompanied singing.

DIRE STRAITS

I’m not certain that Dire Straits truly deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but despite my (and other people’s) personal feelings about their worthiness, they were ill-treated by the organizers of the event. No one was there to induct them, and because Mark and David Knopfler were both absent, there was no performance by the band. It’s sad that they can’t get along with each other and the rest of the band for even one night. Several bands that have been inducted have had bad blood among the members, but for a couple of hours, you’d think they might take the honor of being inducted as reason enough to acknowledge the prestige of being one of the few musical acts selected for inclusion. (I mean, Richie Sambora joined Bon Jovi for their performance five years after splitting from them.) Even the televised portions of the ceremony gave the members of Dire Straits who were in attendance just a few minutes of air time.

NINA SIMONE

The amazing and long-overdue Nina Simone, the “High Priestess of Soul,” was inducted by the amazing Mary J. Blige, and Simone’s award was accepted by her brother, Dr. Samuel Waymon, who almost stole the show by telling the audience that Simone’s spirit was in the area: “She’s sitting next to you!” He also gave some advice that his sister would have given: “If you want to be a queen, you are a queen. If you think you’re a king, you are a king.” Simone was a huge influence on music and one of the most politically engaged performers of her time. She was, along with the Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, arguably the most deserving of this year’s inductees.

Performances: “”I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” and “I Put a Spell on You” by Andra Day and the Roots. “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” “Ain’t Got No – I Got Life,” and “Feelin’ Good” by Ms. Lauren Hill.

Day is one of the most exciting performers today, and she took everyone to church, as the younger generation says. Hill had a true diva moment (with the dress to match) as she rapped and scatted her way through Simone’s songs, proving that they are just as relevant today as they were when first performed.

THE MOODY BLUES

The Moody Blues, inducted by Ann Wilson of Heart, had to wait almost three decades after becoming eligible before becoming a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The prog rock pioneers released their seminal album Days of Future Passed the same year as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles. They’ve had a long successful career due to the unwavering support of their fans, whom they thanked more profusely than the other inductees in attendance. Drummer Graeme Edge also thanked all of the people who had helped the band over the years, but he also (rightfully) said, “To all the people who haven’t helped me, screw you.” Loved it.

Performances: “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),” “Nights in White Satin,” and “Ride My See-Saw.”

That last song was an unusual choice. Why not something from the band’s 1980s-era comeback? Maybe "Your Wildest Dreams," one of the band's three Top 10 singles from throughout their career?

BON JOVI

I have already mentioned that Bon Jovi was inducted by Howard Stern in a speech designed to suggest that the delay in including the band in the Hall of Fame was one of the greatest slights ever to occur in the history of music. However, having the bandmates introduce each other was a nice touch, and keyboardist David Bryan talking about bringing his bowling ball along on their first tour “because I AM from Jersey” was quite funny. 

Performances: “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “When We Were Us,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer”

SINGLES

Steven Van Zandt (a.k.a. Little Steven) introduced a new category at this year’s ceremony: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Singles. The selected records can’t be performed by an artist who’s already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other than that, it seems like this is an attempt by the hall to include work by artists who, honestly, seem unlikely ever to make it into the Hall of Fame on their own.

“Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)

“Rumble” by Link Wray and His Wray Men (1958)

“The Twist” by Chubby Checker (1960)

“Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen (1963)

“Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum (1967)

“Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf (1968)

TRIBUTES

The opening of the broadcast featured Brandon Flowers and the Killers performing Tom Petty’s “American Girl” (and a little bit of “Free Fallin’” at the end but done at the same tempo as “American Girl”).  By the way, Flowers looks so much like Matt Damon from the School Ties era. Well, maybe the Good Will Hunting era. Either way, it was disconcerting to see him with his crooked smile.  

This year’s “In Memoriam” honored several artists who are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Fats Domino, Pete Moore of the Miracles, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, Nokie Edwards of the Ventures, Tom Petty (again), Malcolm Young of AC/DC, Yvonne Staples of the Staples Singers, Greg Allman, and, tragically, Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues (who died in January and was mentioned several times by his bandmates during their induction).

The highlight among the tributes was a performance of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” by Ann Wilson and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains. Cornell, who was the lead vocalist for Soundgarden and Audioslave, committed suicide in 2017, and Wilson’s rendition plumbed the the emotional depths of the song. It was a touching moment.