Blog Post 14: Hamlet Blog 2

"A notorious woman of affairs.  A adventurous man of the world."  (Notorious).

In Notorious, Alicia, the notorious woman, and Devlin, the adventurous man, work together to get inside information of a group of German Nazis.  As many stories begin, the two fall in love.  But Alicia's job is to spy on Sebastian, one of the German Nazis, and they eventually get married.  Alicia has to spy on her husband and on the one she "loves."  Once Sebastian realizes who Alicia really is, he plots her slow death, which is unsuccessful because Devlin, her true love, rescues her.

Oh, what a story.  I can truly relate to Alicia, having to spy on one that she loves.  It is very difficult to spy on somebody that you love, or think that you love.  When my dearest Hamlet came into my room one night, he was "Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking together" (II.i.79).  He gave me a fright and I was not sure what to do!  I went to go see my father, and he believed that Hamlet was filled with "the very ecstasy of love" (II.i.100).  I was surprised when my father told me that Hamlet truly loved me, and he admitted he wrong about Hamlet because my father believed "it is common for the younger sort / To lack discretion" (II.i.114-115).

I could not fathom that Hamlet truly loved me.  So I thought it fit best, just as Alicia did, to spy.  I saw that everyone around me (my father, his father) were spying on Hamlet, so I thought, "Why not?" 

In Notorious, Sebastian walks in on Devlin and Alicia kissing and says, "I'm sorry to intrude on this tender scene" (Notorious).  This is similar to when Hamlet comes into my room, and I tell Polonious of my affairs with Hamlet, and he responds, "Mad for thy love?" (II.i.83).  In both of these situations, love and unfaithfulness--Alicia is unfaithful to Devlin and I am unfaithful to my father.

When the filmmakers call Devlin the "adventurous man," that contrasts with Hamlet's craziness (Notorious).  According to Polonious, Ophelia's aversion to Hamlet "hath made him mad" (II.i.108).  While Hamlet could be adventurous in his new personality, he is just plain mad!