Act wise and scene wise comments and plot constructio also in Hamlet

 Name                    :  Gond    Asmita   K      

Roll no                  :   2^nd

Paper no              : 1^st

Topic                     :  Act wise and scene wise explanation

                                  With comments and plot construction

                                   Also

Class                      : M.A. Sem-1                   

Guide                     : Dr. Dilip Barad

Year                        :  2014-16

E mail-Id                :  asmita.gond414@gmail.com

Submitted             : Maharaja Krishna Kumar sinhji

                                  Bhavnagar University.

Que:    Act wise and scene wise explanation with    comments and plot construction in 
               Hamlet play

          The play ‘Hamlet’ consist with many scenes and acts. Which   was written by William Shakespeare?

·      Life of William Shakespeare

                  There is not positive evidence about the exact date of birth of Shakespeare, but the date is supposed to be April, 23 because of the tradition to baptize a child on the third day of his birth. He was baptizing on April, 26, 1564. Was a son of John Shakespeare, a Warwickshire Yeoman and a native Smithfield.

                     Was educated in Grammar school he has enough knowledge of Latin, French and Italian. Shakespeare has left Stanford but why? Is a mystery. In his life many incidents were happened. One time he was caught during the hunting in forest and was probably punished by landlord Mr. Thomas Lucy.

                     At that time, young and ambitious enthusiasts Shakespeare had   started to many drama plays and was called “University Wits”. Though was rather immature, yet they showed what English Drama was capable of. It is a wonder that he was became fired with an ambition to excel the dramatists. Thus, he was called the great writer of the drama or plays.

·      Works of William Shakespeare :-

Shakespeare’s works were divided in to four parts: 

Ø First part  (1588 to 1595)

Ø ‘Hennry-6’

Ø ‘Loves labor lost’

Ø ‘Comedy of errors’

Ø ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Ø ‘King John’

Ø Third oart‘Richard- 2’

Etc. is the novels written in first part

Ø Second part (1596to1602)

Ø ‘Merchant of Venice’

Ø ‘As you like it ‘

Ø ‘Twelve night’

Ø ‘Toming owe the shrew

Ø Third part (1603to1608)

Ø ‘Merry for major’

Ø ‘King Lear’

Ø ‘Hamlet’

Ø ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’

Ø Fourth part (1608to1613)

Ø ‘Tempest’

Ø ‘Winter’s  tale’

Ø ‘Tempest Cymbeline’

Ø ‘Hennery -8’

Ø ‘Tow noble Kin semen’

Thus, Shakespeare’s works were dividing in to four parts according to timings.

Charecters are in the play:

Claudius              : King of Denmark

Hamlet                : Protagonist of the play

Fortinbras           : Prince of Norway

Polonius              : Lord of Chamberlain

Horatio                : Friend of Hamlet

Laertes                : Son of Polonius

Voltemand         : Courtier

Cornelius            : Courtier

Rosencrantz       : Courtier

Guildenstern       : Courtier

Ostrich                     : Courtier

A  Gentleman      :

A priest                   :

Marcellus             : Officer

Bernardo              : Officer

Francisco              : a soldier

PLAYERS

·      A Norway captain

·      English Ambassador

·      The clown Grave Digger

·      Gertrude

·      Ophelia

·      Ghost of Hamlet’s father

·      Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Sailors

·      Messenger and Attendants

 A small ontroduction about the play ‘Hamlet’

                ‘Hamlet’ is a great tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It was a beautiful play. It was some full of philosophical, psychological and mythical which was involved in the play ‘Hamlet’

                  In this play Hamlet’s father was killed but how? It was a mystery .But some people told that he was killed because of the bite of the snake but the reality was different. Then Gertrude the mother of ‘Hamlet’ gets married with Hamlet’s uncle, which was called hasty marriage. And so Claudius was becomes the king, and he started rule over the Kingdome.

                  Then after watching these all things Hamlet becomes angry and was gets fade up with his mother hasty marriage and her hastiness.

                  And then ‘Hamlet’ starts to make a plan to kill his uncle. But at last ‘Hamlet’ gets nothing and all the characters accepted ‘Hamlet’ also kills. But only his faithful friend ‘Horatio’ remains who says the reality of ‘Hamlet’.

                  Thus, the play ‘Hamlet’ becomes the tragic which called ‘tragedy’ of ‘Hamlet’. In the first act we will realize that how the ghost of the Hamlet’s father’s was described hear. And also described that how ‘Hamlet’ becomes hasty for the taking the revenge. And we will also see that hoe he was becomes frustrated and becomes very sad. So to getting the knowledge of the whole play and enjoying the mystery of the play we have to read whole scene and act and then we will get real knowledge about the play.

Act and scene wise critical analysis with comment

Ø Act-1 scene-1

The first act consists of five scenes and

It serves the play the foundation of the play. It’s a first prologue. The play is made by consisting three things:

1. Ghost

2. Claudius and

3. The Polonius family

     Just like the “Macbeth” Claudius also able to the serving his honesty and he appears as thorn, and seducer of queen Hamlet’s opposite and adversary is the play’s theme of revenge.

      

    Here we found that how the ghost comes and shook whole castle and the character like Hamlet. And it gives thrill and enchantment to audience for watching the play.

  One dark night Francisco is keeping a watch on a platform of the Castle at Elsinore Barnardo who watches to arrived,

                      “Though art a scholar; speak to it”

 But without saying anything the ghost goes away. But Horatio thinks that to arrival of a Ghost was states to something evil is happens. And so, the military was prepared in ‘Denmark’. Horatio thinks that what the reason of appearing the ghost at night was.

   

                 During Horatio was talking with others he found the ghost was disappears, and so he has the great intention to inform about this matter to Hamlet. In the novel the arrival of the ghost was a biggest satire in the literature. And the timing was state the holy day Christmas. So the first scene was gets end by that time, with the spirit satire.

                   According to ‘Samuel Johnson’ his uncle and mother was ingratitude of the mother and the death of his father was natural evil.

          According to ‘Harley Granville Barker’

               She says that the Queen was not a bad woman, not at all the women to think life of murderer. But she had a soft animal nature, she was dull and shallow. She loved to be happy like “sheep in the son”.

             Thus, in first scene we can say that the ghost appears and ‘Hamlet’ gets confused about the ghost, which was suggested by Horatio.

· Act -1  scene -2

                 In the scene -2 we can say that in open court the king meets Claudius who calls Polonius, Laertes, Gertrude, Hamlet and other courtiers.

                     Claudius, with the aid of his Prime Minister, Polonius has won over the lord of the council by getting the marriage with Gertrude.

                   

                    According to Dower Wilson

“The meeting is a private council”

                 

                 The first since the double event of the royal marriage and coronation , to transact matter of foreign policy, and announced Hamlet as next in succession and Claudius a new king to the throne.

                     We see Claudius as a skillful and smoother diplomat. He is gracious  to Laertes, the son of Minister to whom he owes so much He has a sharp eyes on his nephew who enters in the procession and stands apart, with reproach for this easy going , self-loving court.

                   The scene is a striking contrast warmth and light and colour. After the frosty sky, the lonely sentinel, ringing password, the anxious questioning, and the ghostly knight at arms of the preceding scene.

                               

                              As soon as the Queen has won an obedient word from her son Claudius breaks up the council in triumph and Hamlet is left alone now. We can say that it is very bad for hamlet that get double obstacle in his life. First is the death of his father and the second is the hasty marriage of his mother. And so he decides to meet ghost and know the truth of the death of the father.

                 “O that this too sullied flesh would melt

                      Thaw and resolve itself into dew”

                     

                     The present soliloquy is spoken by Hamlet who felt himself involve in his mother’s guilt. And he was felt himself alone and wanted to find out the truth to live his life perfectly.

                                    

· Act -1 Scene-3

                         This scene shows the contrast of Hamlet and Ophelia. From the ghostly battlement we find at lead of night and affairs of state in royal palace where we see the loneliness and home affections of Hamlet.

                                And now Ophelia the beloved of Hamlet whom he loves, is warned by her brother and father to withdraw her sympathy, not to give words or to talk with him And she obey it .  

         “Frailty, thy name is women”

                 We can see that Polonius‘s family has their own tragic story in the play. After Laertes goes away, he learns from Ophelia how Hamlet has paying attention to her. She tells her father that Hamlet is very sincere and honest in his intention. But he points out that it was mere a bases of temporary passion, and also told that don’t encourage Hamlet.

                    Otherwise her maidenly reputation will be spoil. By taking hints of her father she should started to follow it and she stayed so far to Hamlet.

                     Finally this scene sketches in the delicate outlined of Ophelia, who is show us another side of  Hamlet who shares with Gertrude the second theme of the play, the nature of women And I think that was the reason that why Hamlet removes trust from women.

                 “Frailty, thy name is women”

                 And so above soliloquy  was spoken by Hamlet who suggest that women is a kind of faithless and so he doesn’t  believes on Ophelia also.

              

                       

              

· Act-1 Scene-4

              In this scene looks back to scene Hamlet keeps a watch on the plot form at Elsinore with Horatio and Marcellus. The night is so cold and dark . While the Guard is keeping a watch in one part .And Claudius holding a carouse in another part and is drinking wine heavily. And ghost was appears and told to Hamlet to go another part of the palace which was solitary. And Hamlet went to the solitary place to know the truth of his father’s death.

                       This scene shows the Hamlet’s quest for knowledge of his father’s murderer and so he was able to do anything for taking the revenge of his father’s death.

                     According to A.C. Swinburne………

                         “He is in trouble that what sort

                         Of Hamlet”

And gives three different views that disillusioned grief and his madness. Which are shows abnormal view.

                     

Act—1, Scene--5

                  Finally Hamlet met his father’s ghost face to face who explains that don’t believe in others report that I was killed by the bit of the snake. But Claudius had killed me and so his father told to Hamlet to take the revenge of the murderer of his father.

                   But we can also see that the ghost of his father was very kind hearted who tells that don’t kill his mother and don’t do any harm to her but avenge her. Because she do not injury   and don’t do any harm to her. Then ghost do promise to Hamlet and he disappears. Now Hamlet involves in the problem and was meets his friend to talk about the taking the revenge and was greatly disturbed .He doesn’t tell anything but he told that now he is appearing a madness. And he also told his friend not to give any 

sign of the meeting the ghost to anyone. But Hamlet thinks that to taking revenge was very difficult for him.

                     Here we can find that how Hamlet lost his intension and he involves in melancholy 

               “To be or not to be “ “is a question?”

                

     “The time is out of join o cursed spite

       That ever I was born to set it right”

                      At last he was realized his duty and incapacity.

Act-2 Scene--1

                           In act-2 we can find that how Hamlet was involved in the madness. And Polonius thinks that reason of his madness is the because of the refusal of his daughter.

                    “Give his money”. This sentence suggests to giving the money to Reynaldo and gives him some money. And Polonius told him to give this money to Laertes who is in Paris.

                         During that time Ophelia comes and tells her father that how Hamlet enters in the room. And she added that she should not speak a single word also with him and so he went out by staring like a mad man. And so Polonius thinks that he was becomes mad because the refusal of his daughter to accept any letter from him. But the reality was totally different .It was only the illusion of Polonius.

·      In explanation of Polonius the Hamlet is mad for Ophelia’s love

·      Claudius says that Defeated ambition is the cause of madness

·      Gertrude find that “his father death and our hasty marriage “ is the cause of madness.

             

                    Thus, the second Act was full of humorous mask which was wears by Hamlet and he plays with above causes and so it makes comedy of this scene .And it way it was plays in very leisurely, and slowly like a snail.

· Act-2 Scene--2

             In this scene Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to try to get the bottom of Hamlet’s melancholy. They attempt to hint that it is unsatisfied ambition that makes the prince so sad.

            This is a long and leisurely scene, full of interest and variety, very valuable as establishing Hamlet’s many –sided nature. But it slows up the action dangerously.

                      Late ghost speak “Hamlet almost blunted purpose”. That was Hamlet’s school fellows were listened everything.

                     Polonius wanted to know the reality of Hamlet’s madness either it real or wrong. By the murder of Gonzaga. Hamlet proves himself the ‘Honesty’ of the ghost.

But here every people or character of the play gives different causes of the Hamlet’s madness but accepted Horatio no one has the strong knowledge of Hamlet’s madness’s reason.

· Act—3

“Now might I do it but, now he is praying

              And now I’ll do it”

                In this scene Hamlet get a chance to kill his uncle after the play scene and he finds Claudius who is praying to god. So he finds good opportunity to kill his uncle. But after a minute he thought that if a person who kills during the prayer his soul went to heaven. And so Hamlet doesn’t want to do it and he stop to kill his uncle.

                         Critics find that it is an excuse for not killing his uncle and so it was call delay. It is only the modern critics – Coleridge and Bradley who see in it mere excuses for delay.

Act --3 ,Scene --1

                 “To be or not to be; that is the question”

                       The soliloquy comes to an end, as Hamlet see Ophelia .She is ready with gift which she had received from him and now she wanted to return. She also uttered a speech which has an air of repentance. She willing to uses harsh language.

                        In scene -1 is indicates the love between Hamlet and Ophelia. Is true or not and it is a kind of above scene that it in Ophelia fails in Hamlet, and then he forgets the frailty and falseness of the women. He speaks to her but him thinking about his mother. And in this scene ‘Hamlet’ and ’Ophelia’ is get full freedom for this dialogue by Shakespeare and it exist independently like a women speaking a poem.

              ‘Like Macbeth’s sonnet’

           

   “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”.

Or portraits ‘The quality of mercy is not strained’

And then Hamlet leaves her, Ophelia what is indeed the prince’s epitaph.

        “I say I will have not more marriage”

“Those that are married already, all but one shall keep as they are”

             Hamlet tells Ophelia that she should go to a nunnery; because he should not merry her, and that there should be no more marriages in the world.

          “O what a noble mind is there overthrown…….”

  

             These words are spoken by Ophelia Hamlet talks to her like a mad man. He used very cruel words, because she could not understand him.

· Act –3 , Scene—2

               In this scene Hamlet want to perform a play. And so they all perform a play and on that play Hamlet show that how poisons drop into the ears of the players and he kills. At that time Claudius instruct to stop the play. But other thinks that the Hamlet gets the knowledge of the reality of his father’s death and so he will also kill king Claudius as the nephew in the Hamlet’s play did. Now it become the big trouble for Hamlet . Because his uncle realized that Hamlet get all the knowledge about killing of his father. Finally it was insist that the play will be the test of truth between the Ghost and the King.

“This is one Lucian’s nephew to the king”

                                    

                     Hamlet in the play scene shouts and says that Gonzaga- enters and put a poison into the ears of the king.

                    The play scene is the central point of Hamlet and it was a climax.

Act-3,scene-4

Hamlet:  A bloody deed- almost as bad, good                                

                Mother, as kill king and marry his 

                Brother.

Queen:    As kill a king

                    

                     In this scene Hamlet comes reproach his mother for her sin. Discovering that for the second time he is being spied. Hamlet brings rapier and kills the unseen Polonius.

                   And then he also went by taking the sward from his mother and tells her that his lover and husband was her husband’s murderer.

          But the ghost appears again and do prevents to Hamlet. In this scene Hamlet repenting for missing the chance to kill his uncle.

Act –4 scene—1,2,3,

                   The act -4 is consist with are scene but first three scene are equal but it was divided for better understanding.

                     This act division introduced by Nicholas Rowe in 1709, following the Quarto of 1676. Dr.Johnson and his followers noted unhappily that it should be disregarded that the first three scene of this act is regarded one scene. But no changes are required in Elizabethan age.

       “The body is with king, but the king was not with the body “

          In this scene we can see that Claudius told to Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern to caught the Hamlet because he was the murderer of the Polonius.

     They caught Hamlet and Claudius called few members in the council and he made a plan to kill Hamlet by sending him to England. Thus, in this scene we find that how Claudius makes plan to kill Hamlet.

· Act -4 scene--4

“How all occasions do inform against me and spire my dull revenge”

         In this soliloquy Hamlet compares army under Fortinbras, who although  having no cause for revenge and during those time thousands of soldiers died for a unless stretch. And so he thinks about taking the revenge but it becomes dull.

· Act-4,  scene--5

In this scene we find that by lost her father Polonius Ophelia becomes mad .And Laertes his brother also comes by learning the death of his father. And he wanted to take revenge from Hamlet.

· Act-4 Scene—6

    In this scene we can see that Hamlet comes back which was the news received by Horatio. And Polonius’s death than the news reaches of the Hamlet’s turn.

                      These three scenes suggests Hamlet’s return from the England.

· Act 4 , scene--7

“Would like the spring that turned wood to stone convert his gives to graces.”

                         The king and Laertes talking about the Hamlet and the death of Polonius. The king tells Laertes why he not kills Hamlet publically. So he gives answer that the Hamlet looking mad and so if we kill him publically every body blames to us and they call us un-honest and so we can’t kill him during his madness.

                  And the scene reaches into the difficult interval between a plays mid crisis and its final climax and catastrophe.

· Act—5, Scene--1

“This grave shall have a living monument”

        This scene is the grave digging scene, hear we find that Hamlet purged his ‘madness’ and he returns with Horatio in Elsinore.

                        Suddenly he found that an old man digging the grave. Hamlet thinks that it was Ophelia’s grave and for Ophelia his love rises again and he crises his grief again aloud. At that time Laertes knows the reality of Hamlet.

                      And Hamlet also realized that Claudius making a plan to kill him. And this scene carries us from the end of the play.

· Act—5, Scene--2

“Here, thou incestuous, murderous damned Dane

    During off this poison; is thy union here?

  Follow my mother”

                     In this scene Laertes throw himself into the open grave to take one last farewell of his sister.

         “I love Ophelia forty thousand brothers could not all their quality of love make up my sum”

        The line spoken by Hamlet to express his love towards Ophelia. The king Claudius gives a glass of poisoned wine to the Hamlet but he reuses and so his mother Gertrude drinks the wine and she dies. Then unknowingly Laertes sword was changed with poisoned sword and he was get wound and kills. But Laertes tells every reality to Hamlet. At last Hamlet and Claudius also kills .So Now Hamlet, Claudius, Queen, Ophelia every bodies were kills, only Horatio is living and it shows the big tragedy with Hamlet.

                   And now the play ends with Hamlet’s tragedy.

           

· Plot construction of the play ‘Hamlet’

After reading about all the scene and act it was becomes our quest to know about the plot construction of the play.

               According to T.S. Eliot and Granville both modern critics believed that the plot construction was disappointing for them.

       

                They said that every play is the matter of both art and craft. And Shakespeare was great artist who was a craftsman. And he knows everything about how to make the ploy. And characterization is more important than plot.

                   Shakespeare’s tragedy is constructed on usual pattern:

1.  Exposition

2. Conflict leading to climax and

3. Catastrophe leading to anti-climax.

               In final act we can reaches at catastrophe.

                        In first half of the play, the action rises rapidly till it reaches the climax. But once the climax is reached action begins to fall from the point of view of the construction of the play.

                     But because of the comic relief we can feel good in the play which was ‘Gravedigger scene’.

                   But the plot-construction of the play has a well –defined symmetry.  It starts with Hamlet’s promise to take revenge for the murderer of his father, and leads to take free from all doubts; and finally it ends with the Hamlet’s revenge.

               Here we can see that the purpose of Hamlet is to taking the revenge was getting flop and so it is west to show the ghost of his father which was sign of the dull play.

                  T.S. Eliot and Granville Barker are of the view that the plot of Hamlet is not worked out well T.S. Eliot says tat far from being Shakespeare’s master piece, this play is most certainly on artistic failure.

While Granville Barker remarks that the plot of this play is worked out with scandalous ineptitude. Their main argument is delay of Hamlet.

                 Shakespeare shows the delay in the mission of Hamlet. And the delay was natural and inevitable. And many artists have proved that the play is the artistic failure.

           One reason for Shakespeare’s artistic failure in this play is that is that this is an old play, hastily revised and adapted by Shakespeare. This also account for the many improbabilities and inconsistencies insight into human.

                 But the play is successful proved by it step by step incidents and so we can say that in the play the characters and the protagonist both had proved that the play is not failure. Because Hamlet also doesn’t know about his delay with other characters.

                                Thus, the plot of Hamlet is related with Freytag’s Pyramid and the plot was described very well by William Shakespeare.

· Conclusion

                               In Hamlet play we can find lots of interest by studying the whole play. And often we find humor on gravedigger scene also.

                And the whole play consists with the five acts and so it was becomes easier to understand the whole play .We can also find some scene which are put in the play like:

                  

·      The opening scene

·      The dumb-show scene

·      Play within play scene

·      The closest scene

·      The gravedigger scene

·      The final closing scene

  

             These all scene are makes together a whole play .But the opening scene always gives delight to us. But the whole play is described perfectly which we can read always. And we can enjoy whole play. It is said that every successful man was criticized by others and hear we can also find that the play writer Shakespeare also criticized by many writers like:

                T.S.Eliot who told that the Hamlet play and the ploy were dumb and it was not right way of this play because hears in the Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s delay in revenge.

                   But there fore after reading the whole play we will realize that the play gives lots of entertainment and thrill. Ant the appearance of Ghost gives birth to new excitement and thrill.

                Thus, the whole play Hamlet by William Shakespeare was the best play written by the age of Elizabethan, which was the age of renaissance in England.

THANKYOU……….