Discuss the ways in which act 1 is an
Effective opening to the play Hamlet.
The play Hamlet is a dramatic love story written by William Shakespeare. It is set in the late sixteenth century. Most scenes take place in the grounds of the Danish castle at Elsinore. The play has many characters, and the main ones are members of the royal family or were close to them. It is a very long, complicated story that twists into a tragic end.
The main characters are Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, King Hamlet, Polonious and his two children, Laertes and Ophelia. In this essay I will be analyzing and discussing the opening scenes of Hamlet and the use of dramatic effects and techniques. The main themes I will be looking for are appearance and reality.
Scene I introduces an effective opening to the play. The scene is set at the castle grounds of Elsinore. It is bitterly cold "Tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart" and it is twelve o'clock "Tis now struck twelve". This creates an effective opening, as we know it will be dark, and nighttime is useful for portraying supernatural or evil occurrences. The audience will there for be prepared or expecting a supernatural being. The use of short, snappy sentences indicates a mood of fear, as if the characters are unsure of what is happening. This would be dramatic for an audience as it creates a large amount of instant suspense.
The guards start talking about strange occurrences "What has the thing appeared again tonight?" They claimed to have seen a ghost "What we have two nights seen", but Horatio was sceptic, and didn't believe in ghosts until he saw them "Tush, tush, twill not appear". This brings a supernatural dimension, and adds tension and for the audience. In Shakespearian England, the presence of a ghost was seen in a different light to a modern audience. There were three thoughts of ghost in Elizabethan England; Catholics believed ghost went to heaven, hell or purgatory. They believed ghosts could be seen. Protestants believed ghost went to hell and heaven, but the majority was sent to hell. They were seen as evil and vile. Sceptics had to see a ghost to believe it was there. Horatio was sceptic, as he asked to see the ghost that the guards claimed to have seen. The ghost appears in the scene as the guards are talking "Peace, break thee off. Look where it comes again!" The ghost is that of King Hamlet "In the same -figure like the king that's dead." The ghost will not speak to them, suggesting to the audience that it is a sign of more things to come. The ghost leaves, and the guards promise to tell Prince Hamlet of what they saw "let us impart what we have seen tonight unto young Hamlet." Shakespeare writes the play in such a way that he brings fear into the audience. He surprises both the audience and the characters in the play, creating a hugely effective atmosphere of anxiety and fear throughout the scene. The scene sets out an important supernatural theme for the audience to create an air of expectancy and tension.
Effective opening to the play Hamlet.
The play Hamlet is a dramatic love story written by William Shakespeare. It is set in the late sixteenth century. Most scenes take place in the grounds of the Danish castle at Elsinore. The play has many characters, and the main ones are members of the royal family or were close to them. It is a very long, complicated story that twists into a tragic end.
The main characters are Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, King Hamlet, Polonious and his two children, Laertes and Ophelia. In this essay I will be analyzing and discussing the opening scenes of Hamlet and the use of dramatic effects and techniques. The main themes I will be looking for are appearance and reality.
Scene I introduces an effective opening to the play. The scene is set at the castle grounds of Elsinore. It is bitterly cold "Tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart" and it is twelve o'clock "Tis now struck twelve". This creates an effective opening, as we know it will be dark, and nighttime is useful for portraying supernatural or evil occurrences. The audience will there for be prepared or expecting a supernatural being. The use of short, snappy sentences indicates a mood of fear, as if the characters are unsure of what is happening. This would be dramatic for an audience as it creates a large amount of instant suspense.
The guards start talking about strange occurrences "What has the thing appeared again tonight?" They claimed to have seen a ghost "What we have two nights seen", but Horatio was sceptic, and didn't believe in ghosts until he saw them "Tush, tush, twill not appear". This brings a supernatural dimension, and adds tension and for the audience. In Shakespearian England, the presence of a ghost was seen in a different light to a modern audience. There were three thoughts of ghost in Elizabethan England; Catholics believed ghost went to heaven, hell or purgatory. They believed ghosts could be seen. Protestants believed ghost went to hell and heaven, but the majority was sent to hell. They were seen as evil and vile. Sceptics had to see a ghost to believe it was there. Horatio was sceptic, as he asked to see the ghost that the guards claimed to have seen. The ghost appears in the scene as the guards are talking "Peace, break thee off. Look where it comes again!" The ghost is that of King Hamlet "In the same -figure like the king that's dead." The ghost will not speak to them, suggesting to the audience that it is a sign of more things to come. The ghost leaves, and the guards promise to tell Prince Hamlet of what they saw "let us impart what we have seen tonight unto young Hamlet." Shakespeare writes the play in such a way that he brings fear into the audience. He surprises both the audience and the characters in the play, creating a hugely effective atmosphere of anxiety and fear throughout the scene. The scene sets out an important supernatural theme for the audience to create an air of expectancy and tension.
