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How Does Shakespeare Create Tension In Act 1 Of Hamlet

523 Words3 Pages

In act 1 of Hamlet, prince Hamlet faces a lot of tragedy. The trauma of his father dying, his uncle marrying his mom, a ghost that looks familiarly like his dad, and a forbidden love, Hamlet has no way to cope. Act 1 is centered around his coping mechanism, which I believe to be his father, for the events that are taking a hold of his happiness. Scene 1 sets the stage for the events that are about to follow. Shakespeare opens the play with Marcellus and Horatio guarding the castle late at night. The two men are having their usual chatter about the kingdom drama when they notice a ghost. Thinking rationally, they decide it is the recently deceased King Hamlet. They debate on whether to tell Prince Hamlet about the ghost and decide to hold off momentarily. This gives the audience some foreshadowing of what is to come next. …show more content…

A few close friends are in the castle because Claudius, a former king and King Hamlet's brother, has some news to tell. He spills that he and Gertrude, queen of Denmark and King Hamlet's widower are now married. This brings a lot of mixed emotions to the mourning Prince Hamlet. Prince Hamlet was supposed to be the heir to the throne but now cannot take the role as king because of his uncle. Hamlet lets Claudius know that he wears all black because he is still mourning the death of his father and Claudius spits it out at him and tells him to man up and get over it. With no support system, Hamlet becomes depressed and suicidal. I believe he is suicidal because he wants to be closer to his father. This further proves my point that the ghost of King Hamlet is an illusion created by Prince Hamlet's damaged

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