Shakespeare establishes the atmosphere of the play in Scene I. The scene takes place in Elsinore and during the night. The fact that the beginning of this scene is set at night instantly captures the audience as we, as humans have a schema that in the night there are possibilities of seeing things that you cannot see during the day and that secrets and tension can be revealed and created. The first dialogue that we receive from the characters capture the audience as their lines are short and quick and they are very responsive to each other, ‘Who’s there?/Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself./ Long live the King!/Barnardo?/He.’ This shows the audience that they are terrified and we are instantly exposed to the role of the supernatural, ‘Enter the Ghost, clad in complete armour, with its visor raised, and a truncheon in its hand’.
In Scene III Shakespeare continues to create atmosphere. However, in this scene, atmosphere of a different kind is created. It is a family scene in which brotherly and fatherly advice creates an atmosphere of love and betrayal. Ophelia is forced to obey her father Polonious and is told to be careful with Hamlet as he is a Prince and will not marry just anyone, such as herself, ‘His greatness, weighed, his will is not his own, For he himself is subject to his birth’. Shakespeare continues to develop the atmosphere throughout the act, and uses the atmosphere to introduce some of the main characters in the play.
Shakespeare introduces some of the major characters in the play, and leaves lasting impressions of each with the reader. Bernardo and Francisco are introduced in the first scene, as officers watching their posts, ‘Enter Francisco, a sentinel, who stands on guard. Enter Barnardo, to relieve him’. However, it is Horatio that leaves the greatest impression with the reader as he is described as a well educated scholar. In Scene II Claudius, the present King of Denmark is introduced, ‘Flourish of Trumpets. Enter Claudius, King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Prince Hamlet.’ He is Hamlet’s Uncle and married to his Mother, therefore creating a definite first impression. Throughout Act 1, Hamlet’s dead father’s ghost keeps appearing, but does not speak until Scene V, where it tells Hamlet to avenge his death, and to kill his Uncle Claudius, ‘Haste, haste me to know it, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge’. This ploy for Hamlet to avenge his father’s wrongful death, leads to the idea of a revenge plot.
As we have partly seen, Shakespeare develops several plots in Act One of Hamlet, The main three are: revenge, love and contrast. The revenge plot is set up by Shakespeare in Scene V. Again as we have seen, in this scene Hamlet is made aware for the first time, that his Uncle is the murderer of his father. Hamlet decides to confuse is enemy and seeks revenge for his late father, thus creating the plot for revenge. Previously we saw that the love plot is introduced through Ophelia and her feelings for Hamlet. However, another aspect of the love plot is the relationship of Hamlet’s Mother Gertrude, with Claudius. The relationship creates not only a plot of deceit but one of unlawful love and romance, thus contributing to the love plot. The third plot that Shakespeare introduces is the contrast of the Fortinbras plot. A good number of plays have a central character who is seeking an item they think is rightly deserved to them. Fortinbras happens to be the character whom fits the mold he is seeking the land of Denmark. All three plots, revenge, love and contrast contribute to the depiction of Hamlet’s feigned madness.
Hamlet’s plan to fake madness creates suspense and therefore maintains the reader’s interest in the play. His father’s ghost appears and requests that he avenge the evil murder and kill Claudius. Hamlet is also informed of the adultery with his Uncle and Mother. Hamlet becomes angry and in a flash, decides to play the madman, in order to confuse his enemy. Hamlet’s last words in Scene V illustrate his despair, ‘O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!’ but he is determined to avenge his father’s death. This creates suspense for the reader, as it leaves them wanting to know what will happen to Claudius and how Hamlet will deal with the situation presented. Shakespeare uses the suspense throughout the Act as a tool to keep the reader interested in what is to come, and he does this very effectively.
In Act One, Shakespeare combines atmosphere, development of character, plot structure and madness, in order to set the stage for the rest of the play to come. Act One is an excellent introductory act, in that it provides enough information to enable the audience to understand the situation and to keep them interested, and wanting to read more. In five short scenes, Shakespeare writes act one of Hamlet in such a way, that it captures the reader’s attention, and using the tools of foreshadowing, he makes his audience urge to know and read more.