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Suspense In Hamlet

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Mood, Themes, Flashbacks, and Suspense in Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead are both critically acclaimed plays that utilize flashbacks, suspense, and various moods and themes. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is classified as a “revenge tragedy” that has moments of comedy, while Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is classified as a satire piece, or a parody that has moments of tragedy. Shakespeare’s work is more dark and serious, while Stoppard’s play, infused with confusion and lightheartedness, has a less serious tone. Although the genres are slightly different, both plays seek to understand the questions of life and the consequences …show more content…

The opening scene of Hamlet is set at night, therefore creating an ominous mood, adding to the suspense of the play. The informal, blank verse speeches, also add to the ominous mood (Vignery and Logan 36). The opening scene of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is set in the wilderness, while Rosencrantz watches Guildenstern flip coins. This creates a confused mood due to the strange outcomes of the coin flip game (“Sparknotes on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” …show more content…

The elements of action and reaction and the unfolding of destiny are used in Hamlet to create suspense (Isherwood par. 6). The main example of suspense in Hamlet is when the ghost arrives. His ominous message to Hamlet causes distress to the prince, and his internal battle of whether to avenge his father’s death begins (Isherwood par. 4). Another example of suspense is when King Claudius watches Gertrude drink the poisoned drink, yet he doesn’t say anything to stop her. Instead, he watches his wife’s inevitable doom unfold (Isherwood par. 4). The whole theme of acting is also used to build suspense with the audience. The theatre characterizes Hamlet’s inner state of suspense as he prepares the Murder of Gonzago test to catch Claudius’ guilty conscience. The stage directions also help add suspense to the plot (“Sparknote on Hamlet”

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