‘from the Moment the Ghost Appears in Act 1 Scene 4 Hamlet Is Marked on the Road to Death.’ How Far Do You Agree with This Statement When Considering Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy?
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‘From the moment the ghost appears in Act 1 Scene 4 Hamlet is marked on the road to death.’ How far do you agree with this statement when considering Hamlet as a revenge tragedy?
William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ is a clear example of a revenge tragedy, that was growing in popularity during the sixteenth century. This is evident throughout the play, as the audience can see that the appearance of the ghost in Act 1 is a catalyst to Hamlet’s aggravation and revenge towards Claudius. Whilst it may not be obvious at the beginning of the play, the key aspects of a revenge tragedy are clearly visible with Shakespeare’s techniques of complex plotting and ‘a play within a play’ as seen in Act 3 scene 2 where Claudius’ guilt is tested by Hamlet.
This is not dissimilar to other Shakespeare plays, for example in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the meeting of two lovers causes rivalry between two families, leading both of them to a tragic death. Once again from the start of the play their lives consist of secrecy and plotting, which relates back to Hamlet. Similarly in Macbeth, the main character is also driven by revenge.
When we coincide Hamlet with Aristotle’s theory it is blatant that the ghost’s appearance is the main factor which ‘marks Hamlet to his death’ as the ghost’s appearance is the Harmatia in the play.
Leading up to the point where the ghost of King Hamlet’s father appears, Hamlet acts with sanity and Shakespeare presents him as a normal man, and the aspect of revenge tragedy is not yet revealed. However, from the moment when Hamlet realises it is his father that stands before him, the audience see a different side to his character throughout the play which has not yet been shown. In Act 3 scene 2, during hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia he shows insanity and seems to be a very unstable character, however in the same scene during his conversation with Horatio about capturing the conscience of the King he seems perfectly sane and stable. This makes it clear to the...
William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ is a clear example of a revenge tragedy, that was growing in popularity during the sixteenth century. This is evident throughout the play, as the audience can see that the appearance of the ghost in Act 1 is a catalyst to Hamlet’s aggravation and revenge towards Claudius. Whilst it may not be obvious at the beginning of the play, the key aspects of a revenge tragedy are clearly visible with Shakespeare’s techniques of complex plotting and ‘a play within a play’ as seen in Act 3 scene 2 where Claudius’ guilt is tested by Hamlet.
This is not dissimilar to other Shakespeare plays, for example in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ the meeting of two lovers causes rivalry between two families, leading both of them to a tragic death. Once again from the start of the play their lives consist of secrecy and plotting, which relates back to Hamlet. Similarly in Macbeth, the main character is also driven by revenge.
When we coincide Hamlet with Aristotle’s theory it is blatant that the ghost’s appearance is the main factor which ‘marks Hamlet to his death’ as the ghost’s appearance is the Harmatia in the play.
Leading up to the point where the ghost of King Hamlet’s father appears, Hamlet acts with sanity and Shakespeare presents him as a normal man, and the aspect of revenge tragedy is not yet revealed. However, from the moment when Hamlet realises it is his father that stands before him, the audience see a different side to his character throughout the play which has not yet been shown. In Act 3 scene 2, during hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia he shows insanity and seems to be a very unstable character, however in the same scene during his conversation with Horatio about capturing the conscience of the King he seems perfectly sane and stable. This makes it clear to the...