Is Death the Only Source of Truth in Hamlet?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theme of truth and deception in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," particularly exploring the idea that the dead may convey truth while the living may lie. Participants are sharing examples of lies from historical figures and contrasting them with truthful statements attributed to deceased individuals.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests a project idea that contrasts truths from the dead with lies from the living, seeking examples to support this theme.
  • Another participant reflects on the nature of lying, noting that while people have lied throughout history, it may be harder to lie today due to increased verification methods.
  • Several examples of lies from living politicians are provided, including quotes from George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as references to historical figures like Nixon and others involved in scandals.
  • There is a mention of Brutus as a potentially truthful figure among the dead, alongside a broader reference to notorious leaders like Hitler and Stalin.
  • A participant offers to share a creative project from their past, which includes humorous and potentially inappropriate content related to the theme of truth and lies.
  • Another participant expresses discomfort with the idea of plagiarism and notes that the project was due the previous week, suggesting the discussion may not be productive.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the appropriateness of sharing creative work and the implications of plagiarism. There is no consensus on the examples of truth and lies, as various perspectives are presented without resolution.

Contextual Notes

Some participants' contributions may depend on subjective interpretations of truth and lies, and there are unresolved questions about the nature of historical accuracy and the context of the quotes provided.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in literary analysis, particularly of Shakespeare's works, themes of truth and deception, or those working on related school projects may find this discussion relevant.

jb
i'm working on a project for school, it's an open-ended assignment on hamlet (i love a lack of direction considering i have no creative vision). my idea was to demonstrate the idea that the dead tells the truth while the living lies, by having lies outside of a coffin and truths inside.

so if you guys could help me find some lies said by living people and some good, truthful quotes of famous dead guys, that would be great...

(and try to keep the bush and religious lies to a minimum :wink: )
 
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People have lied in the past, and they also lie today.

Whether more people lied in the past or not is uncertain. But perhaps it is more difficult to get away with lying today as you can do more checks e.g. on internet.
 
"Read my lips. No new taxes." - George H.W. Bush (the father)
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman." - Bill Clinton

Anything that the former Iraqi Information Minister said (www.ilovetheiraqiinformationminister.com,[/url] [PLAIN]www.ilovetheiraqiinformationminister.com, www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com)

Nixon must have good amount of lies about Watergate. John Poindexter lied about the Iran-Contra Scandal, and Oliver North probably did, as well.

As for dead guys...um...Brutus?

-Anybody who claimed to have spoken to god.
-Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, etc.
 
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I can give you my Audial Hamlet Medley I did in high school to hand in, if you want

You'll probably have to splice in your own teacher's name to a part of it, but other than that it's good to go.

It has a brief section wherein one of our friends declares that he devirginized the English teacher's little sister on a student body camping trip, but it shouldn't be any trouble to adjust
 
i don't think I'm down with the whole plagiarism thing.

besides, it was due last tuesday.

maybe someone should lock this up...
 

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