Topic > "Act": the theme of "acting" in Hamlet

Starting with Hamlet's encounter with the ghost of his father, Shakespeare introduces a line of "acting" that his hero then follows throughout the narrative. From missed opportunities to sporadic bursts of movement and progression, Hamlet initially struggles with his stagnation in change and his reluctance to challenge the present and security comes from his preoccupation with fate and his cousins ​​fortune. fortune and possibility Shakespeare's use of the word "act" serves all of these problems, although in different ways for each. The position of the term reflects his evolving definition from a stoic noun to a dynamic verb along with Hamlet's development of immobility. to action This is perpetuated when "act" describes his changing attitudes towards fate and reveals the true nature of his acquaintances through their deliberately artificial roles as performers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The theme of "acting", of deception, of play, of imitation, is present in much of Hamlet. It is so pervasive, and on such a magnificent scale, that even Hamlet's death is depicted in the metaphor of a production. At the point of death, he declares that the spectators are "but silent or spectators of this act" (5.2.335), suggesting that all revolutions of life occur as a dramatic and tragic spectacle, divided into acts with definite dividers, as in a play. As an actor in a rebellious and fate-plagued staging, Hamlet leaves his great show with an emphatic farewell. Perpetually on one stage, he shows little individuality, instead playing himself to the spectators around him. Female figures, on the other hand, are harshly criticized when they take on characters. Hamlet lashes out ruthlessly against Ophelia when he suspects that she is acting aloof to her father's reckless machinations; his mother is also spared no mercy. When the ghost commands Hamlet to "do this deed" (1.5.84), Shakespeare initially designates "deed" as a request for Hamlet to carry out his father's command, to complete a noble deed or decree. Then, however, other connotations shift the weight onto the "actions" of the subjects of the "act" declared by the ghost. This sentence, if understood as an order to prosecute the activities of others, becomes a veiled accusation against Gertrude. She is suggested to be an actress in an elaborate performance who takes on the character of a virtuous, concerned queen, when in reality she is infinitely more interested in the "act" of sex. His lust turns the pure simplicity of the "act" into a dirty taboo spoken with a capital letter. Gertrude's prostitution and Ophelia's prostitution of loyalty through "acting" then add a heroic dimension to Hamlet. Now he defends his father not simply as an obligated son, but rather as a crusader for justice at the expense of his deceitful women. Claudio as an actor takes on significantly cruder dimensions. Hamlet pursues him with a particular fury of passion, because Claudius is the model of betrayal and pretense. In imitation of his brother, he struts around the Danish stage, sporting the elder Hamlet's robes and queen; the puppet king of a ventriloquist whose performance debases the subject. Yet, Claudio's case highlights a unique irony surrounding the word "act." While knowingly producing an alternate reality, a show of flashing lights and loud sounds without intentional truth, many other denotations of "act" suggest a more dire outcome to Claudius' attitude. In a characterized society." (5.2.338-339).