Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3 Synopsis

The third scene in Hamlet opens with Ophelia (Hamlet's girlfriend) and her brother Laertes in their father's chambers, discussing Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet. Laertes tells his sister that he doesn't approve of her relationship; he argues that it's dangerous to court someone who's so highly ranked in Denmark and that Hamlet is a foolish "youth of primy nature" with too much responsibility to concern himself with having a long-lasting relationship at such a young age. Laertes tells his sister to be concerned so she doesn't fall in love with Hamlet or lose her virginity. Ophelia rebuttals saying she will agree, if Laertes would agree to the same.

At this point their father Polonius enters and Laertes takes leave, reminding his sister one more time to remember what he's told her. Polonius and Ophelia start talking about her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet has "made many tenders of his affection to me" meaning that he's given her many gifts to show that he loves her. Polonius tells Ophelia that she's acting like a small child, falling for all his gifts and attention; he tells her to never fall for all his foolish notions and vows for he is but a boy and she's forbidden to see him again. At this point the scene ends.

The Stone Angel

When I first started reading The Stone Angel the first thing I noticed was the insanely high quality writing that the author put into it; and even though I did find the novel to be boring at first it really started to grow on me, to the point of being excited to find out what would happen with Hagar and her family.

Although The Stone Angel wasn't the most riveting book that I've read, I still found it very enjoyable and was completely amazed by the quality that went into the writing. I also finished the book with a new outlook on life, it taught me to treat my friends better and to pay attention to the problems of people around me because I may end up friendless in the not too distant future.

My favourite character in The Stone Angel was definitely not Hagar, in fact I'd say my favourite character was Bram. I liked how Bram refused to change, and how he had strong beliefs; he was very rigid around the edges but it was still clear that he loved his wife and was a generally kind guy. Bram was loyal to both himself and his wife, and never did anything too horrible although Hagar always made it seem that way.  

Overall, The Stone Angel was a great book; but Great Expectations still remains as my favourite book that I've read for school.

Grammar Bytes Exercises

Today, I completed four exercises from the Grammar Bytes website. Those four exercises include; "Fragments - Exercise 1", "Irregular Verbs - Exercise 2" and the first two exercises of "Pronoun Case". I definitely enjoyed the exercises and I found them both educational and recreational.

 Out of the four exercises I did, only two of them graded what I had done; the two "Pronoun Case" exercises. On the first exercise I received 92% and on the second I received 96%. The reason why I did better the second time is because I felt more confident in my abilities after completing the first one. For the two other exercises that weren't graded I did quite well and I believe that I received over 95% for both of them.

By the end of each exercise I felt educated and much more confident about my skills in those areas. The "Pronoun Case" exercises in particular left me feeling very informed of the proper usage of he and she, which is why I completed two exercises for that particular subject.

I really did enjoy the Grammar Bytes exercises as they were both educational and funny, I might complete more of them of my own volition in the future.