Art has been a pivotal element of human development, expression, and survival for thousands of years; it is something powerful. It has been used to persuade, to dissuade, to provoke. In February of 1601, Richard II was performed by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in an attempt to provoke a rebellion in England. This rebellion ultimately failed. However, the eminence of art, in particular theatre, is not to be underestimated. Hamlet explores the importance and influence of theatre. Hamlet acts insane in his play, but his acting can sometimes seem to slip into being truly insane. He questions the world around him, delving into issues of life, death, treachery, and acting. Hamlet is particularly intrigued by the emotional performances put on by the
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Hamlet guides the players towards a powerful, politically moving speech, as these lines will eventually be the provoker of Claudius. Hamlet then instructs the players to be neither too extreme, nor too “tame” (3.2.17, 137). He then goes on to expose the most essential idea in theatre: that acting should be as close to reality as possible. Hamlet proclaims, “For anything so o’erdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure” (3.2.21-26, 137). Hamlet insinuates not only that theatre is something to be done carefully and exquisitely, but that it is something that should reflect nature as precisely as possible. Theatre is something that reflects nature, and although this reflection should be as precise as possible, it may still be twisted, especially by the director’s motivations. The ultimate goal of Hamlet is to disturb his uncle, and by reflecting nature back at Claudius, he will be stricken by just how horrible his crime is, as his reaction later in Act 3 shows. Hamlet himself realizes the importance of speeches, to theatre and life as a whole. Through mirroring nature, Hamlet sharpens the players’ speeches, and …show more content…
Hamlet, potentially seated near Claudius for the duration of this play, utters one final line before Claudius bolts from the scene of the play. Hamlet sputters, “He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate… You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife” (3.2.287-289, 153). Claudius flees as he sees the reflection of his actions. Although Hamlet planned, directed, and contributed to this play, the words spoken loudly by the players and less-loudly by Hamlet are what evoked Claudius’ reaction. This reaction was evoked by more than acting. The speeches delivered by the players and Hamlet himself had a transforming effect on Claudius. The power of speech is put on display in this scene, and Claudius’ reactions to the dumb play and to the spoken play are direct evidence of this. Speech is powerful, and necessary, to sway with a performance. Earlier in Hamlet, the players’ speeches evoked a similarly strong response from Hamlet that he shared with the audience through his own
Hamlet guides the players towards a powerful, politically moving speech, as these lines will eventually be the provoker of Claudius. Hamlet then instructs the players to be neither too extreme, nor too “tame” (3.2.17, 137). He then goes on to expose the most essential idea in theatre: that acting should be as close to reality as possible. Hamlet proclaims, “For anything so o’erdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature, to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure” (3.2.21-26, 137). Hamlet insinuates not only that theatre is something to be done carefully and exquisitely, but that it is something that should reflect nature as precisely as possible. Theatre is something that reflects nature, and although this reflection should be as precise as possible, it may still be twisted, especially by the director’s motivations. The ultimate goal of Hamlet is to disturb his uncle, and by reflecting nature back at Claudius, he will be stricken by just how horrible his crime is, as his reaction later in Act 3 shows. Hamlet himself realizes the importance of speeches, to theatre and life as a whole. Through mirroring nature, Hamlet sharpens the players’ speeches, and …show more content…
Hamlet, potentially seated near Claudius for the duration of this play, utters one final line before Claudius bolts from the scene of the play. Hamlet sputters, “He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate… You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife” (3.2.287-289, 153). Claudius flees as he sees the reflection of his actions. Although Hamlet planned, directed, and contributed to this play, the words spoken loudly by the players and less-loudly by Hamlet are what evoked Claudius’ reaction. This reaction was evoked by more than acting. The speeches delivered by the players and Hamlet himself had a transforming effect on Claudius. The power of speech is put on display in this scene, and Claudius’ reactions to the dumb play and to the spoken play are direct evidence of this. Speech is powerful, and necessary, to sway with a performance. Earlier in Hamlet, the players’ speeches evoked a similarly strong response from Hamlet that he shared with the audience through his own