Hamlet Scene 1 Act 1 Essay

Thomas Kyd is the author of the sixteenth Century play A Spanish Tragedy which was highly potent and introduced a new variant of tragedy that includes a haunt and a mad hero. Many subsequent works followed that extended Kyds original idea into the sub-genre known as revenge tragedy. A penning of publications that f completelys under this genre is Shakespe ars juncture and in order to meet the specification to become an effective tragedy it is severely based upon Aristotles criteria used to measure tragedies and Ancient works of literature such as Virgils Aenied. In hamlet dialogue accomplishes a variety of matters.It develops relationships but most importantly displays the hostility of the personalitys towards the strange and earn ghost. Shakespeare uses dialogue to describe the setting including the cold weather and the time so that a contemporary audience in an Elizabethan theatre would be able to imagine the scene. The description is able to evoke a fashion and create and sinister atmosphere. The language used in Hamlet is dramatically intense and unfamiliar due to the use of heavily-charged words such as harbingers which are uncommon in both(prenominal) contemporary and modern vocabularies.The enunciation and syntax of these words are not problematic during a effect of Hamlet but can cause difficulties when studying the written script. whence they are used as a consideration of the inner uplift of the characters within the play. Dialogue also contributes to the themes of the play, especially the tragic factors. The edginess of the rise dialogue immediately alarms the audience by foreboding horror wherefore establishing an effective tragedy. Act I scene i is set at midnight when tis now struck twelve, the traditional time for sightings of the supernatural.It is perceived that midnight has associations with topsy-turvydom, death, mystery and the underworld. This increases the tragic intensity of the play by foreboding the death and chao s that is to follow as well as it evokes fear both in the characters and in the audience. The weather in act I scene i plays a major role as the bitter cold of winter creates an uncomfortable atmosphere and exaggerates the unnerving setting as it is both repulsiveness and freezing. The word bitter has various associations with grief and pain. This forces the audience to sympathise and benevolence the characters due to Shakespeares use of violent imagery.Winter is used to signify both death and loss of hope and is therefore a reflection upon the plot of the play. Throughout the scene the ghost does not engage in any conversation but instead stalks across the stage ignoring the an some other(prenominal) characters who demand it to speak, speak I charge thee speak Despite all best efforts made by Horatio the ghost seems unable to communicate. This supplys to the sense of bane as the ghost doesnt act human and pays no perplexity to any human interaction. The ghosts presence enfo rces a dreary atmosphere, allowing the seriousness of the play to develop.In the 1964 Russian film versioni of Hamlet, the ghost conjures both fear of the ghost and pity towards the other characters in the audience as the ghost is dressed in a full armour suit, has shadows screen its confront and identity which is disturbing to see and the scene is tell so that the ghost appears much elephantiner than the other characters. The intensity of the scene is blown-up by the dramatic music used to influence the atmosphere and the large and threatening appearance of castle in the background.Similarly the Westminster School productionii of Hamlet presents the ghost as being twice the size of other characters with its face glowing an unnatural green colour. The ghost was uplifted by the other characters who echoed the ghosts booming words. Fear is created due to the ghosts supernatural and eerie appearance and pity is created as the other characters acted possessed by the ghost which wi ll ultimately add to the catharsis at the end of the play. The ghost is also thought to be ambiguous when it is firstly described as majestical by Marcellus and then later the ghost is thought to be like a guilty thing.This leaves the audience confused about the ghosts intentions as it appears ambivalent throughout this scene. Shakespeare helps develop the tragedy by creating a political background to the play. Throughout Hamlet there is a fear that Prince Fortinbras of Norway will invade Denmark which inevitably causes a tense and foreboding atmosphere. The political unrest is increased as Denmark is presented as a troubled kingdom through use of Horatios reason that the ghosts appearance bodes some strange eruption to the state. Horatio establishes a link between the ghost and the sheeted dead that did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets referring to the down come back of Julius Caesar who was killed by those he trusted similar to fairy Hamlet who was killed by his brother. This suggests that the ghost is an omen foretelling the ominous fall of Denmark which is one of the main elements of tragedy. This fulfils Aristotles criteria of the play revolving around an issue of enormous magnitude. Horatio exclaims that the sight of the ghost harrows him with fear and wonder which expresses the horror of what he has witnessed.In the Elizabethan era the word harrow referred to the sharp teeth of outlandish tools that would rip into the earth. Shakespeare uses this word to visualize how the ghost lacerates or distresses the feelings of those witnessing his appearance. Marcellus questions whether he should get a line the ghost with his partisan illustrating the premonitions of the ghost as being evil. Shakespeare uses violent imagery to become a sense of terror in order to establish the col scene of Hamlet as a tragedy.Francisco admits to being sick at heart which emphasizes the mood of the play and suggests the impact the ghost has had upon the characters. T he characters describe the ghost as a thing and refer to the illusion in the laughable neuter pronoun, it, which is dehumanising and objectifying. This provides the ghost with a sense of mystery, but more importantly it reinforces the differences between the earthly matters and the supernatural element of the play. Shakespeare uses the main characters name as the title of the play to focus the audiences attention on the tragic hero.This is similar to Homers Odyssey and Virgils Aenied both of which are ancient epic poems feature aspects of tragedy such as death, tragic flaws and the supernatural divinities. Both poems are named after the hero therefore this intertextual root places gravitas upon Hamlet i say by Grigori Kozintsev ii Directed by Chris Barton.BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES Shakespeare, William, Hamlet, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, 2008 SECONDARY SOURCES Hamlet, directed by Grigori Kozintsev, 1964 Hamlet, directed by Chris Barton, 2009 Kyd, Thomas, A Spanish Trage dy, Revels Student Editions, Manchester University Press, 1996.