Hamlet Scene 5 Analysis

The Tragedy of Hamlet is amongst the most influential and significant tragedies in English literature. Being one of Shakespeare’s most popular woks and among his most performed, Hamlet raised several symbols and themes that remains partly unsolved as its ambiguity survived to modern times. As a dramatic text, the play conveyed problematic themes through distinguished elements as well as specific modes of representation. This extract, from Scene 5.Act 1, highlights three main elements: context, form and content that not only forge the dramatization of the speech but also foreshadow the coming crucial actions. This paper sheds the light on these three elements to analyse how the relevant extract is dramatized. It discusses also the importance

Act 1 is a considered as a turning point in the play’s plot. Yet, before defining the content of the extract or examining its form, one should highlight its context. Hamlet’s doubts are confirmed as he musters up his courage and decides to take action. The ghost speaks to him, claiming to be his father’s spirit, come to rouse him to revenge his death, a “foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.30). Hamlet is appalled at the revelation that his father has been murdered, and the alleged spirit of the former king tells him that the only “villain” to blame is Claudius “who now wears his crown”. Hamlet’s worst fears about his uncle are confirmed. The ghost exhorts Hamlet to seek revenge, telling him that Claudius has corrupted Denmark and corrupted Gertrude, having taken her from the pure love of her first marriage and seduced her in their incestuous union. But the ghost urges Hamlet not to act against his mother in any

In this scene, the extensive use of short sentences in the protagonist speech such as “Oh God!” “Murder?” refers implicitly to his deep anxiety. He believes the ghost’s claims and takes his words for granted. As a matter of fact, this scene entails many consequences on the rest of the play as it is considered Hamlet’s eye-opener. In contrast, the ghost’s speech seems to be longer, thus eloquent and more expressive; he is conveyed throughout the scene as the only truth holder. Besides, the use of the imperative such as “Revenge his foul” , “ Hamlet, hear” draws a hierarchical relationship between the protagonist and the ghost as the latter has control over Hamlet’s future acts. Moreover, the scene’s dialogical feature is the predominant verbal medium used in the play in general and this scene is no exception. In fact, the dialogue highly dramatizes the speech as it forces the reader to confront the representation of characters. In this extract, the narrator does not infold the exact feelings of Hamlet, we have only limited access to the context and only elements of the dialogue help us to establish a context. For instance, the use of question marks and exclamation marks in Hamlet’s speech conveys his bitter feelings and