Hello everyone! No, I'm not dead, but I've been so busy with school and work I haven't been writing. Well, except for English. Unfortunately, my english teacher doesn't want me to write fan fiction. Oh well.

I'm going to share with you this project I did for English 12, so that hopefully those struggling with a similar assignment (like I did) can find some ideas. I got an A+ on this assignment (of which I'm pretty proud of) so hopefully you'll all find this interesting. Or at least helpful.

Interview with Hamlet

WYNNDRID: Hello and welcome. This is Wynndrid MacColly and I will be interviewing Prince Hamlet of Denmark in this weeks "From Beyond The Grave" column. Hello Hamlet, how are you doing today?

HAMLET: Well, thank you.

WYNNDRID: Excellent. So, let's dive right in, shall we? We know your father died recently. Our condolences. About how long ago was his death?

HAMLET: About six months now, I'd say.

WYNNDRID: Right. And how did you feel about his death, at the time?

HAMLET: It honestly devastated me. I really loved my father. He was a brave warrior and a good king. It was so sad to see him die so quickly.

WYNNDRID: I can imagine. It must have been a really hard time for you. Looking back, though, do you feel your grief may have been a bit excessive? That perhaps you went overboard?

HAMLET: Not at all. (Pause.) Well, perhaps a bit. But justifiably so. He was my father after all, and to compound with my own grief was the apparent lack of grief my mother displayed.

WYNNDRID: (Nods.) I see. When you think about your intense feelings of despair about the death of your father, would you say your feelings were of a normal grieving child, or would you say it was more extreme? Perhaps bordering on depression?

HAMLET: (Thoughtful pause.) I suppose I would say I was depressed, definitely. So much so that there were times I considered taking my own life.

WYNNDRID: Interesting insight. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in your reply. Let's move on to another topic. The remarriage of your mother. How did you feel about that and it's suddenness after your father's death?

HAMLET: Honestly, it enraged me, because I thought she loved my father, which she apparently did not because of how quick she was to marry my uncle.

WYNNDRID: Okay. Now, I'm curious. With your distrust of your mother, do you think that she might have conspired with your uncle to killing your father?

HAMLET: (Deep breath, thoughtful expression before a sigh.) Honestly, I can't be certain. However, that being said, I don't think she would have.

WYNNDRID: Well, it is a difficult thing, to be certain. But thinking back to over the last few months, how much do you really blame your mother for? After all, in the eyes of many, she didn't do anything wrong.

HAMLET: Some feel that way, perhaps, but not me. I do feel she has made many errors, such as marrying my uncle not two months after my father's death. She does not engender my trust, because of how deceptive she was with her love for my father. And I do wish she had never had borne me. But aside from those, I do not blame her for much else.

WYNNDRID: Well, at least you're blame on her is well founded. And while we are on the subject of the women in your life, I want to talk a bit about Ophelia. She was your fiancé, right?

HAMLET: Yes.

WYNNDRID: Did you really love her?

HAMLET: Of course I did. She was a very beautiful and desirable young woman, one who also had wit and talent and loyalty. She was the light in my dark world. A beauty taken before her time.

WYNNDRID: (Nods.) I see. Were your feelings for her returned? Was she accepting of your affections?

HAMLET: (Looks at hands and shrugs shoulders.) Yes, I suppose. I know she had strong feelings for me, ones that prevailed despite her brother and father counselling against them. Though, I must admit, she did not return them to the extent that I thought she would have.

WYNNDRID: Perhaps her father and brother's words got to her after all. So if you loved each other as much as you seemed to, why were you so harsh in your words to her?

HAMLET: I was trying to protect her, from myself and my impending actions. I wanted to keep her safe.

WYNNDRID: I see. It was very sweet of you to try and protect her, but in the end your efforts to protect her actually caused her madness by which she committed suicide. Do you fell guilty at all to inadvertently contributing to her death?

HAMLET: Yes. It grieves me that I caused such a terrible thing to happen. (Small sniffle, slightly watering eyes.)

WYNNDRID: (Places hand on Hamlet's knee.) There there. It's alright. Let's change our subject then, shall we? (Hamlet nodes.) I want to talk a bit about your revenge for your father. First of all, when you're father's ghost first appeared to you, did you really believe it was him?

HAMLET: At first, no, I didn't. It took a bit of time for me to believe it was really him, even though he looked like my father. But because I wasn't worried about dying myself at that point, I didn't hesitate to follow the ghost of my father.

WYNNDRID: I see. Makes perfect sense. So, how did you know the ghost of your father was telling the truth about him being murdered?

HAMLET: To be honest, I didn't know for certain. But I had always felt my father's death was strange, and his ghost's explanation made sense.

WYNNDRID: (Nods.) Okay, so you had a feeling the ghost of your father was right. So there you are, you've just found out your father was murdered by his brother. Why didn't you take immediate action to avenge your father?

HAMLET: Because I needed proof that the ghost was right. It would do no good to simply go around killing people because I thought they might have murdered my father. And besides that, I needed to develop a plan on how to dispose of the person responsible, who did turn out to be my uncle and the new king of Denmark.

WYNNDRID: All right. We know that you used a play to find out if your uncle, Claudius, was actually guilty. When you were planning the part, did other ways of discovering the truth come to mind, or was it always the play?

HAMLET: I'm sure that other ways crossed my mind, but the circumstances fell perfectly into place for the play, and so that was the device I chose to use.

WYNNDRID: Interesting. Quite lucky such things happened as they did. At what point were you convinced that Claudius had indeed killed your father?

HAMLET: (Folds hands together in lap.) I would have to say when he called an abrupt end to the play. The timing could not have been better to reveal his guilty, as we were at the very scene of the murder, and his attitude and actions convinced me he was guilty.

WYNNDRID: My, what an unfortunate event for him, but helpful for you, no doubt. One final question, Prince Hamlet. All things considered, in the end of it all, were you satisfied?

HAMLET: (Thoughtful pause.) Is anyone ever truly satisfied with death? With the end of all they know? I wouldn't say I was satisfied by my ending. I had caused many devastating events and had been the victim of some as well. So no, I wasn't satisfied. But I was relieved to have it all over.

WYNNDRID: Thank you very much Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, for that wonderful interview.

HAMLET: You're welcome and I do hope we meet again.

WYNNDRID: Farewell all!

Well, in this intriguing interview we have come to discover that the recently deceased Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, was a man of intense emotions, strong passions, and an incredible mind. His love for the fair Ophelia made him push her away for her own safety; his love for his father drove him to revenge; and his ability to decipher the signs of deception in both his uncle and mother, are astounding. Prepare for next weeks column where we will talk with the recently deceased Amelia Pond and get the inside scoop on traveling through time and space. See you next time!