Compare and contrast the opening scenes of two or three plays you have studied to bring out some of the dramatic effects sought for and achieved. Macbeth and Hamet.

The first 200 words of this essay...

IB A1 English Compare and contrast the opening scenes of two or three plays you have studied to bring out some of the dramatic effects sought for and achieved.

Playwrights have always created dramatic, enticing, effective openings to their plays. The object of the opening scenes is to provide the exposition of the play. It often sets the mood, the atmosphere, the tone, the general ambience, the characters, and all the other aspects of the play. In brief, the opening presents the audience with the status quo of the play, which can be peaceful and orderly, or can be amidst confusion, terror, comedy, or any other mood chosen by the playwright. For William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, the opening exposition scenes can be analyzed for comparison.

In writing his plays, Shakespeare puts a lot of emphasis on the exposition of the piece. In focus, the first two witch scenes in Macbeth, provide hidden details about the events to come. Likewise, the guards in Hamlet also foreshadow a pending trouble in the castle. In both cases, neither is detailed enough to give away the plot to the audience. Shakespeare uses the opening scenes to create such tension