Hamlet Activity Visual & Performing Arts Essay Paper

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Hamlet Activity
Scenes in act 1 depict the tragedy that befalls Prince Hamlet, son of the recently deceased King, Hamlet. In the play, scenes which unfold illustrate how Prince Hamlet wants to seek revenge against his uncle, now the King of Demark Claudius, who murdered his father. Since the reign of the late King Hamlet, there has been a battle that prevailed between Norway and Demark. The sour relationship between the two countries was clear when King Hamlet fought with Norway’s King Fortinbras years ago during the war. Since then, Denmark leaves in fear of invasion from the revenge of the battle by Prince Fortinbras. Threats from the neighbors and attacks are eminent, and Prince Hamlet was aware of the situation. On one cold night in the Danish royal castle, two characters are revealed, friends of Prince Hamlet, Bernardo, and Marcellus. They had encountered a ghost that they believed resembled the late King Hamlet and were ready to bring Horatio to witness and confirm what they had just met. When the same spirit appeared to them, they vowed to tell Hamlet what they had just seen. Prince Hamlet should know what caused the death of his father and what his wishes are to the people of Denmark.
The next day was full of activities, and the royalty was scheduled to discuss the state affairs, together with the experienced advisor, Polonius. On that day, Hamlet was gloomy, since he had learned of the ghost from Horatio, and resolved to see it later during the day. During the court proceedings, King Claudius scolds Hamlet for his never-ending grief over his father and forbids him to return to his schooling in Wittenberg. By marrying his mother, Gertrude, Hamlet was angry at the King for committing incest. Incest was an unforgivable sin, and King Claudius is more concerned about his appearance to the public than making things right between him and Hamlet. Gertrude, on the other hand, is a weak woman led by frailty to follow the King to his bed. In the darkness, a ghost, which is the spirit of Hamlet’s father, speaks to Hamlet, and the revelations of the ghost shock Hamlet. The demon, which claims to be the late King Hamlets’ spirit, reveals that his brother killed him to dethrone him ad commit lewd acts of marrying his wife, Gertrude. The ghost demands revenge for his death and pleads sympathy for Gertrude. Together with his friends, the events that occurred remained a secret, and Hamlet decides to feign madness to complete his mission.
While Prince Hamlet fits in the broad genre of tragedy and revenge, the styles are unlike the usual disaster and attack events since it is more concerned with moral questions and thoughts than with actions. One of the dilemmas that Hamlet finds himself in is the inability to see certain noble truths while he is working on his way to seek revenge. Hamlet was doubtful of the existence of the ghost ever since he was told. When he first encountered the spirit, he questioned the appearance of things around him and was worried if he could trust his perceptions. Prince Hamlet was also doubtful of the authenticity of the tragic claim of the ghost. He feigns madness to keep other characters in the play from guessing the motive of his behavior. Hamlet’s behavior would render him invisible from other individuals and would give him a great platform to investigate and determine the best way and time to execute his plans. In some portrayals, Hamlet, who is believed to be pretending runs mad, in others Hamlet’s madness grows as he develops. Shakespeare’s deliberate ambiguity in Hamlet’s characters maybe because he wanted the performance of the role to varying in different settings.
Shakespeare used quotes from his characters to deliver the intended message to his readers. The quotes were significant to the reader since they portrayed first-hand reactions of characters. One of the most famous quotes in the play was one from the ghost. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.” The spirit of King Hamlet told his son that Claudius was the one responsible for his death. The serpent was a symbol of the evil King who dethroned Prince Hamlet’s father. Consequently, revelations on how Hamlet plans to go mad so that he is not suspected of killing his uncle, King Claudius, are revealed in a quote. Hamlet says how strange or odd he bears himself (Shakespeare and Bevington 1.5.9). The quote also raises the question of whether Hamlet was pretending or had gone mad. “One may smile, and smile, and be a villain” is another quote that reveals how Hamlet put blames on both his mother and uncle for the current situations that he is experiencing. He accuses King Claudius of killing his father, and also Gertrude, his mother, for betraying King Hamlet and committing incest by marring King Hamlet so soon.
Anxious Hamlet was impatient to get the details of the crime from a ghost so that he can seek vengeance immediately. When he told the spirit that “Haste me to know it,” Hamlet was so anxious to know what happened to his slain father. Talking to Horatio, Hamlet tried to explain how rationality ad science cannot be used to describe everything in the universe using the quote, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio.” Using quotes, Shakespeare conveys messages across his readers’ minds for clarity of the theme. Apart from these quotes, others were important and depicted tales and themes which became clearer. They include;
 “This time is out of joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right!” In this quote, Hamlet says that the country has been afflicted by sickness. Hamlet is lamenting about his fate is to heal the nation by finding the cure. He, therefore, seeks to find the solution by the discovery of past events through the ghost.
“No, you will reveal it.” Although he refuses to tell Horatio what he had discovered, Hamlet later changes his mi...