DRAMATIC PURPOSE OF A SCENE

1. DRAMATIC PURPOSE OF A SCENE HAMLET: Act 1, Scene 2 By: Ben, Rabia and Sahar

2. SUMMARY • This scene opens with King Claudius of Denmark’s speech on his marriage to Gertrude, his “sincere” acknowledgment of his brother’s tragic death, and young Fortinbras rash letter demanding surrender of his father’s land • Claudius dispatches Cornelius and Voltimand to Norway to handle the situation, and grants Laertes permission to return to France • Claudius then focuses on his nephew-son’s constant mourning and tells him that death is an everyday concept and that he should move on. He implores Hamlet to remain in Denmark to attend to his royal duties as son of the King, rather than return to Wittenberg for studies • Hamlet only agrees after his mother pleads him to remain, after agreeing to stay, the royal couple exit the room, leaving Hamlet alone • Hamlet then speaks his “Mother Soliloquy” where he contemplates suicide for the first time, and voices his concerns over his mother’s hasty re-marriage and the vast contrast between his uncle and his father.

3. DRAMATIC PURPOSE • Reveals nature of Important Characters • Advances Plot • Demonstrates Contrast

4. Reveals nature of Important characters • Point: This scene reveals the nature of Hamlet because it is the first scene that introduces Hamlet. We first see that Hamlet is a character that believes in mourning the dead to the fullest. • Proof: “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.” (1.2.68-69.)Hamlet wears black and becomes very glum over the death of his father, which is very apparent to the King and Queen and much to Claudius’ annoyance.

5. Reveals nature of important characters • Analysis: The mourning that Hamlet shows towards his father shows that Hamlet is upset not only over the death of his father, but also over the fact that his mother and uncle show very minimal sorrow towards it. Hamlet is not only upset towards his mother for her lack of mourning, but also disgusted at how quick she moved on. It is clear that Hamlet respected his father very much and doesn’t respect Claudius at all.

6. Reveals nature of important characters • Point: This scene reveals the nature of Claudius because it introduces Claudius and shows how he has easily taken over the role of King from his late brother. • Proof: 'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,/To give these mourning duties to your father./ But you must know your father lost a father,/ That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound/ In filial obligation for some term/ To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief.

7. Reveals nature of important characters • Analysis: Claudius shows no lingering sadness over the death of his brother, questioning the goodness of his character. It also seems that Claudius is upset that Hamlet is mourning the death of his father, and tries to get Hamlet to get over it. He also tells Hamlet to give up his useless mourning and start accepting Claudius as his new father. At the beginning of the scene, Claudius seems to be manipulative by being inclusive. It seems to be clear that Claudius is very interested in his job of being King.

8. Advances Plot • Point: In 1.2, Claudius is adjusting to his new role as King of Denmark. One of his elementary acts of business, which advances the plot of the play, is his request that Hamlet forgoes his plans of attending school in Wittenburg. Wittenberg VS Denmark • Proof: Claudius asks Hamlet equivocally, "For your intent in going back to school in Wittenberg, it is most retrograde to our desire: And, we beseech you, bend you to remain here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye, our chiefest courtier, cousin and our son."(1.1.112-117)

9. Advances plot • Analysis: Claudius' request to Hamlet advances the plot of the play because it allows the conflict that is later revealed, to remain confined in one setting. Hamlet later discovers that Claudius murdered his father to take the throne and his wife, Hamlet's mother. By having Hamlet remain at court, it creates tension between the two characters as Hamlet's emotions surface creating conflict in the plot. Also, it is accessible for Hamlet to enact his revenge upon Claudius because his father has asked him to remain by his side. If Hamlet went to school away from home, he could have potentially lost interest in seeking revenge, or possibly not have even found out about his father's death. Conflict & Revenge

10. Advances plot • Point: In 1.2, the plot is advanced when Hamlet receives word from his loyal subject Horatio, that his father's ghost roams in unrest at night. • Proof: Horatio describes what he has seen to Hamlet, "In the dead waste and middle of the night, been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father armed to point, exactly, cap-a-pe."(1.2.197-199)

11. Advances plot • Analysis: When Hamlet receives the knowledge that his father's ghost walks around during night at court, it advances the plot because it gives Hamlet an opportunity to have his questions answered. Hamlet has been troubled by recent events at court such as his mother marrying Claudius in an act of incest. He is suspicious to the fact that both Claudius and his mother did not mourn the death of his father for an appropriate length of time. Hamlet is suspicious of foul play on behalf of Claudius and when he discovers the ghost of his father, it advances the plot to reveal the disturbing truths. The discovery of his father's ghost sets the plot in a direction that leads to turmoil and opposition because a ghost symbolizes spiritual unrest. Later, the ghost of Hamlet's fathers reveals information extremely significant to the plot of the play, that he was indeed murdered by Claudius and that he wishes Hamlet to seek revenge.

12. Demonstrates contrast • Point: Shakespeare contrasts the mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere of the first scene to a seemingly more jovial and cheerful atmosphere of the second scene. • Proof: Shakespeare ends off Scene 1 as Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo have encountered the ghost of Hamlet Sr.;however, Shakespeare begins the next scene with the King’s “jovial” speech. • This is shown in the quotation: “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death/ The memory be green; and that it us befitted/ To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe;/ Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature/ That we with wisest sorrow think on him,/ Together with remembrance of ourselves./ Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, jointress of this warlike state,/ Have we, as 'twerewith a defeated joy,/ With an auspicious and a dropping eye,/ With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighing delight and dole,/ Taken to wife.” (1.2. 1-14) VS

13. Demonstrates contrast • Analysis: In this quotation, King Claudius begins his speech to the castle with an insincere acknowledgement toward his brother’s death; Claudius says that although it is a terrible loss, it is time to move on; therefore, he marries Queen Gertrude and becomes King of Denmark. Claudius manipulatively speaks by constantly making his own opinions the opinions of the whole kingdoms; thereby, his own attempt to bring about a joyous and jovial atmosphere makes the same superficial atmosphere for people in the kingdom. This is significant because it demonstrates a contrast between the first scene and the second scene. The first scene establishes a suspenseful atmosphere with the appearance of the dead King’s ghost which the scholar Horatio deems “bodes some strange eruption to [their] state”. It provides a direct suggestion to Denmark’s dismal situation; whereas, the second scene establishes a jovial atmosphere, but the deliberate deceit on Claudius’s part suggests corruption. Both scenes are significant in suggesting the ominous future for the state of Denmark. Ghost to Marriage?

14. Demonstrates contrast • POINT: Furthermore, Shakespeare demonstrates contrast in the scene by the contrasting reactions of death by Hamlet and Claudius VS • PROOF: To demonstrate, one can see an evident contrast between the two characters with their varied opinions over mourning over the dead. This is proven in the quotation, “Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,/ That can denote me truly. These indeed “seem”,/ For they are actions that a man might play./ But I have that within which passeth show,/ These but the trappings and the suits of woe./ ‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,/ To give these mourning duties to your father./But you must know you father lost a father,/ That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound/ In filial obligation for some term to do obsequious sorrow.

15. Demonstrates contrast • Analysis: In this quotation, Shakespeare effectively contrasts the two characters on their varied reactions toward death. After Gertrude asks Hamlet why he still mourns for his father by wearing dark clothing, Hamlet replies by saying that anyone can wear garments of mourning and fake it, but his true grief lies in his heart. This shows that Hamlet believes that wearing certain clothing has nothing to do with mourning, but true mourning and true grief comes from the heart – he suggests that his mother and uncle though mourned for some days did not really mourn at all. His view on death contrasts Claudius who says he is a good son for mourning over his father, but he cannot mourn forever; he essentially says that mourning is nothing more than fawning and that Hamlet should move on. Thereby, Hamlet believes consolation and respect for the dead is achieved by mourning, while Claudius believes that mourning is insignificant and one should merely get on with life. Their contrasting values show a growing contrast of their two characters and holds significance in developing the dramatic purpose of this scene.