Introduction There is no substitution for seeing theater in person. However, given the limitations of time and place, this assignment will explore theater through script and a video of a production realizing that script. It is a cliché to regard Shakespeare’s Hamlet as the greatest theatrical drama of all time. However, this cliché is not without cause. The play Hamlet is beloved because of its complexity and the wide-ranging possibilities it offers actors and directors for interpretation. Assignment In this assignment, you will select a scene from Hamlet to analyze. Although you are encouraged to both read and view the work in its entirety, for practical time considerations, this will not be necessary for this assignment; instead you will be focusing on one scene. First, read this synopsis of the entire play, found here: https://www.hartfordstage.org/stagenotes/hamlet/synopsis (Links to an external site.) Next, select a scene to analyze. Your tendency might be to go for the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy, but know that Hamlet is full of great scenes, and it might be easier to say something revealing if you choose a scene that is less well-known. Ultimately, try to choose a scene that seems - at least in its description - to seize your attention or interest. You can find a synopsis of each scene at this site: http://utminers.utep.edu/ajkline/hamlet.htm (Links to an external site.) Now you must read the scene. As you do, keep in mind that Hamlet is not only considered one of the greatest dramas for performance, it is also regarded as one of the greatest pieces of literature in English - and even world - literature. Pay close attention to the language Shakespeare uses, the turns of phrase, and the ways he creates his characters and moves the action of the plot along. It would be useful to keep notes as you read, marking places that seem significant in some way, and noting any aspects of the text that strike you (here, you might find it useful to employ some of your learning from the literature module of our course). You can find the entire script of Hamlet, complete with helpful footnotes to assist with problems of language or meaning, here: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamletscenes.html (Links to an external site.) Finally, watch a staging of your scene. Youtube has countless versions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, scene-by-scene. You can also watch an entire production on the Kanopy streaming site, through the FSW library. As you watch the staging, pay attention to how this literary work is brought to life. Does the interpretation agree with yours? Does it seem to reveal anything about the scene that you hadn’t experienced from reading of it? How are the characters brought to life? How is the stage used? What kind of Hamlet do you get from this interpretation (bear in mind, interpretations of the character of Hamlet can range from indecisive and moody to insane, or even insanely clever)? Be sure and include an explanation for why you chose the scene you did. Post your analysis on your blog. Feel free to offer a link and/or use any visuals that you think would help or might make the posting look good. The posting should be at least 250 words. This assignment will be assessed on its formal clarity, the quality of the writing and editing, its degree of engagement with its topic, its creativity/inventiveness/originality of ideas, and the sophistication of thought it expresses.

Please respond to the peer discussion. Min 300 words.Peer discussionThis units’ readings and videos were interesting because it really gave me a better understanding of mental health issues and the system. My dad was a teacher in an all-boys juvenile corrections facility, most of which the population suffers from a severe mental health disorder. I grew up listening to all kinds of stories and at times worried about his safety. The elements of deviance include how people act and how they think. In the video “The New Asylums” it was clear that the prisoners that were incarcerated had a different way of thinking and acting than the general population. As soon as the medications were stopped the behavior would shine through and at times require several guards to help get the situation under control. The elements of deviance also include how people appear, some of these prisoners would appear offensive, strange and even evil to most of the outside public. The three important elements of deviance include an expectation: a behavior expectation that must exist, a norm that defines ideas and appropriate or acceptable behavior. A violation: an act that goes against what the normal expectations are, an accusation of wrongful doing, and a reaction: a person, group, or society must react to the deviance. The reaction may include avoidance, criticism, punishments, or treatment. It can be fact related or have little relation to what happened. If a person does not have an idea of what is appropriate, then deviance cannot exist (Newman, 2017). The examples in the video show us that these individuals did not have any control when they had episodes caused by their mental health disorders and lack of compliance with their medications. Some of these prisoners were incarcerated for minor violations or parole violations, but because the minimum and medium risk prisons cannot accommodate the severally mentally ill, they will end up in maximum security prisons do to not being able or not understanding how to follow the rules.Power and labeling play into the situations presented in the videos because these prisoners have been defined, singled out, and reacted to as deviant in the eyes of others. Labeling them as criminals or mentally ill gives the ones who hold the power a way to discount and marginalize the ones who challenge the standard expectations. Often these people will serve sentences longer then they should be and obtaining parole can be very difficult. Because over half the nations psychiatric hospitals have shut down the prison system has become the new asylums.It is hard to say if deviance is depoliticized in this context the definition according to the text book is the process of individualizing social problems that robs deviant behavior of its power to send a message about malfunctioning elements in society. The behavior lose power to make change when they are looked at as a defect or illness. One prisoner spent 16 years in prison for stealing a purse. The follow up from the video(s) “The Released” followed up on the prisoners and out of the six that were interviewed and followed in the video, only one of them is living outside of the prison system now. One is deceased by gun shot, the others have either stopped taking their medications and ended up back in prison. Some for violation, and one was back for rape. A crime was committed, but a sentence may harsher then what a person with out a mental health disorder would receive, but most of the prisoners were also repeat offenders. I lean more towards the opinion that in this context deviance was not depoliticized.These situations fit into the act of medicalization because the behavior was most likely provoked by medical problem that mandated the medical profession to provide treatment such as medications and therapy but acts of crime were also committed which makes them fall into the model of criminalization. One prisoner stated that he committed the crime to go back to prison. I do feel that for some of the men in the video an asylum would be a better option over prison.ReferencesNewman, D. M. (2017). Sociology: exploring the architecture of everyday life (11th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.