english literature essay
is this okay?
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
Original post by Ameliainas
is this okay?
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
Hi
Overall the use of A01 is clear and coherent
A02 is slightly vague. You have focussed more on language than the use of foreshadowing, back story and symbolism etc. Although language is important there are more features of A02 you can talk about
A03 is weak. There are no contextual references, context will provide evidence as to why characters behave the way they do
A04 couldn't find any connections to any other Shakespearean text
A05 no debate set up/challenged
It is a very good essay as you have highlighted key features, but has room for improvements as suggested above.
Original post by AppleB
Hi
Overall the use of A01 is clear and coherent
A02 is slightly vague. You have focussed more on language than the use of foreshadowing, back story and symbolism etc. Although language is important there are more features of A02 you can talk about
A03 is weak. There are no contextual references, context will provide evidence as to why characters behave the way they do
A04 couldn't find any connections to any other Shakespearean text
A05 no debate set up/challenged
It is a very good essay as you have highlighted key features, but has room for improvements as suggested above.
Overall the use of A01 is clear and coherent
A02 is slightly vague. You have focussed more on language than the use of foreshadowing, back story and symbolism etc. Although language is important there are more features of A02 you can talk about
A03 is weak. There are no contextual references, context will provide evidence as to why characters behave the way they do
A04 couldn't find any connections to any other Shakespearean text
A05 no debate set up/challenged
It is a very good essay as you have highlighted key features, but has room for improvements as suggested above.
is this better?
In this extract of act 3 scene 4, Shakespeare conveys the dramatic effect of different language techniques to convey the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as cold and distant. For example, He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties and obscurity in ‘’…the queen, your husbands brothers wife’’ and his mother. This listing technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling them on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is pivotal in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay of reasoning into bloodlust action by impulsiveness.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. The setting is in a closet that means ‘private room’ to an Elizabethan. In the twentieth century, Freudian reading suggests it’s in a bedroom to represent his sexual desire for his mother, this creates unease as it is incestuous and is condemned in the bible. This is portrayed in Hamlet as the antagonist instructs later on to Gertrude, ‘Sit you down’ showing his increased force towards her thereby breaking his promise to ‘speak daggers but use none’- this creates fear in Polonius who has sworn to protect the queen from behind the arras. Hamlet is able to take control of the situation and this gives him more confidence. He uses moral philosophical reasoning to challenge her ‘incestuous’ marriage with the belief that he can sway her away from it. He demands rejection of his desire – this forebodes he is a grieving man who becomes immature as he grieves the life they had before with his father. In addition to this, he is taking vengeance because they use to display sexual affection outwardly in front of him so this sudden secrecy and chastity in their new marriage is hypocritical to him. In act 1 scene 2 hamlets uses the word ‘cannon’ to describe his feelings showing that the ‘implements of war’ has effected his response to situations and thus increases unease in the whole play. Shakespeare uses powerful words to convey this dramatic effect’s in the language he uses showing not only his professionalism but also his inability to control his own invention.
Hamlet’s frustration embodies his sexual desire for her. This is shown evidently in the first quote of the scene ‘’what’s the matter?’’ He takes control of the conversation showing that she has submitted to him. This characterizes Gertrude in the quote ‘frailty thy name is woman’ as she is easily swayed and she is very weak. In the 20th century, they lived in a patriarchal society so this scene depicts the control men could have over any woman in their life. Hamlet shows his strong philosophical moral reasoning and her weakness as she has married her husband’s brother only a month after his death. The word ‘Mother’ is emphasised and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting their severed relationship and inability to connect with her status as his mother. In a way, Hamlet uses it as an excuse to divert attention away from what he is doing and going through. It may be that he doesn’t want her to encounter the ghost because she is unfaithful and he is not. Hamlet misses his old life and is melancholic over it, he ponders over Yoicks skull in act 5 as he misses the wit of that time. The antic disposition he puts on may be to continue the wit that he misses. This characterizes his sexual tension towards her and that it may be because of his decision ‘brevity is the soul of wit’ thereby personifying bravery, which is required from him with, pressure. She represents the corruption of the women of Denmark with her lustful and sinful marriage. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot as no one has time to process the ‘hasty’ and ‘wicked speed’ of events. Evidently Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorised by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother thus symbolizes their cold and distant relationship and his desire to kill Claudius.
In this scene, Hamlet lashes out and kills Polonius. This ‘rash and bloody deed’ manifests his soul and unleashes anger. Behind the arras he acts as though he has mistaken him for a rat and kills him showing incredible skill. Polonius talks through the stab wound- psychologists say this is possible because you can utter words moments before death. At this point he only remembers that he is being killed, this may foreshadow and indicate that his sins are wiped out with murder and thus his life doesn’t flash before his eyes- upon hearing this Hamlet doesn’t feel any guilt and refers to his death as a ‘fortune’ as the heavens are with him and in motion with Hamlet for his good intentions.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’ he may be implying that she is the devils advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advices her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
The quote ‘’o, I am slain’’ is used repeatedly in 3 other plays such a Othello. This links to the idea of the metaphorical mirror as it had dramatic irony and the metaphorical mirror forces you to have sympathy for the mirror as there is truth and the best human qualities associated with it but the person looking at it is the opposite. This characterizes the reader’s feelings towards Gertrude’s character; it reflects her evil ways back to her. This is ironic and powerful as she tries to sway and invite hamlet to sin but it doesn’t work. This forces her to put on an innocent façade and symbolizes her change of heart for the rest of the play from Claudius to her son. After analysing the form and irregular rhyme of the scene, I noticed that the words ending the sentences are in conjunction with each other showing Shakespeare’s professionalism. After hearing ‘slain; the next line ends with ‘done’. This helps with give a direct message to the readers. To add to this, between Hamlet and Gertrude, he states ‘you’ through this, the metaphorical mirror comes to life and is personified in this sense as she innocently claims ‘me?’. This is reciprocal. She automatically acts innocent which implies the power of his accusation. This points the mirror to her in all directions and Hamlet is able to continue to have the upper hand in the conversation as she succumbs to his demands whereas previously she threatened his confidence to silence him at her presence. Polonius senses his submission and hurries to restore his queen’s faith in his claim that Hamlet is ‘mad’. The mirror acts as a reflection for the whole play, the deceit and allegory is exposed with this quote and this is significant in pushing the plot forward. Shakespeare’s language devices thereby convey effectively, anguish and a moral compass of blessing towards the righteous using irony and personification of metaphors and irregular rhymes to convey this.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlets feelings and the heightened impact of his words. By engaging in this sinful relationship, she is being self-centred and representative of the corruption of Denmark. The Book of Common Prayer forbids a woman being her ‘husband’s brother’s wife’. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse of the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play and the cold and distant relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to covey the dramatic effects of language techniques in this scene.
Original post by Ameliainas
is this better?
In this extract of act 3 scene 4, Shakespeare conveys the dramatic effect of different language techniques to convey the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as cold and distant. For example, He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties and obscurity in ‘’…the queen, your husbands brothers wife’’ and his mother. This listing technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling them on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is pivotal in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay of reasoning into bloodlust action by impulsiveness.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. The setting is in a closet that means ‘private room’ to an Elizabethan. In the twentieth century, Freudian reading suggests it’s in a bedroom to represent his sexual desire for his mother, this creates unease as it is incestuous and is condemned in the bible. This is portrayed in Hamlet as the antagonist instructs later on to Gertrude, ‘Sit you down’ showing his increased force towards her thereby breaking his promise to ‘speak daggers but use none’- this creates fear in Polonius who has sworn to protect the queen from behind the arras. Hamlet is able to take control of the situation and this gives him more confidence. He uses moral philosophical reasoning to challenge her ‘incestuous’ marriage with the belief that he can sway her away from it. He demands rejection of his desire – this forebodes he is a grieving man who becomes immature as he grieves the life they had before with his father. In addition to this, he is taking vengeance because they use to display sexual affection outwardly in front of him so this sudden secrecy and chastity in their new marriage is hypocritical to him. In act 1 scene 2 hamlets uses the word ‘cannon’ to describe his feelings showing that the ‘implements of war’ has effected his response to situations and thus increases unease in the whole play. Shakespeare uses powerful words to convey this dramatic effect’s in the language he uses showing not only his professionalism but also his inability to control his own invention.
Hamlet’s frustration embodies his sexual desire for her. This is shown evidently in the first quote of the scene ‘’what’s the matter?’’ He takes control of the conversation showing that she has submitted to him. This characterizes Gertrude in the quote ‘frailty thy name is woman’ as she is easily swayed and she is very weak. In the 20th century, they lived in a patriarchal society so this scene depicts the control men could have over any woman in their life. Hamlet shows his strong philosophical moral reasoning and her weakness as she has married her husband’s brother only a month after his death. The word ‘Mother’ is emphasised and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting their severed relationship and inability to connect with her status as his mother. In a way, Hamlet uses it as an excuse to divert attention away from what he is doing and going through. It may be that he doesn’t want her to encounter the ghost because she is unfaithful and he is not. Hamlet misses his old life and is melancholic over it, he ponders over Yoicks skull in act 5 as he misses the wit of that time. The antic disposition he puts on may be to continue the wit that he misses. This characterizes his sexual tension towards her and that it may be because of his decision ‘brevity is the soul of wit’ thereby personifying bravery, which is required from him with, pressure. She represents the corruption of the women of Denmark with her lustful and sinful marriage. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot as no one has time to process the ‘hasty’ and ‘wicked speed’ of events. Evidently Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorised by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother thus symbolizes their cold and distant relationship and his desire to kill Claudius.
In this scene, Hamlet lashes out and kills Polonius. This ‘rash and bloody deed’ manifests his soul and unleashes anger. Behind the arras he acts as though he has mistaken him for a rat and kills him showing incredible skill. Polonius talks through the stab wound- psychologists say this is possible because you can utter words moments before death. At this point he only remembers that he is being killed, this may foreshadow and indicate that his sins are wiped out with murder and thus his life doesn’t flash before his eyes- upon hearing this Hamlet doesn’t feel any guilt and refers to his death as a ‘fortune’ as the heavens are with him and in motion with Hamlet for his good intentions.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’ he may be implying that she is the devils advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advices her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
The quote ‘’o, I am slain’’ is used repeatedly in 3 other plays such a Othello. This links to the idea of the metaphorical mirror as it had dramatic irony and the metaphorical mirror forces you to have sympathy for the mirror as there is truth and the best human qualities associated with it but the person looking at it is the opposite. This characterizes the reader’s feelings towards Gertrude’s character; it reflects her evil ways back to her. This is ironic and powerful as she tries to sway and invite hamlet to sin but it doesn’t work. This forces her to put on an innocent façade and symbolizes her change of heart for the rest of the play from Claudius to her son. After analysing the form and irregular rhyme of the scene, I noticed that the words ending the sentences are in conjunction with each other showing Shakespeare’s professionalism. After hearing ‘slain; the next line ends with ‘done’. This helps with give a direct message to the readers. To add to this, between Hamlet and Gertrude, he states ‘you’ through this, the metaphorical mirror comes to life and is personified in this sense as she innocently claims ‘me?’. This is reciprocal. She automatically acts innocent which implies the power of his accusation. This points the mirror to her in all directions and Hamlet is able to continue to have the upper hand in the conversation as she succumbs to his demands whereas previously she threatened his confidence to silence him at her presence. Polonius senses his submission and hurries to restore his queen’s faith in his claim that Hamlet is ‘mad’. The mirror acts as a reflection for the whole play, the deceit and allegory is exposed with this quote and this is significant in pushing the plot forward. Shakespeare’s language devices thereby convey effectively, anguish and a moral compass of blessing towards the righteous using irony and personification of metaphors and irregular rhymes to convey this.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlets feelings and the heightened impact of his words. By engaging in this sinful relationship, she is being self-centred and representative of the corruption of Denmark. The Book of Common Prayer forbids a woman being her ‘husband’s brother’s wife’. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse of the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play and the cold and distant relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to covey the dramatic effects of language techniques in this scene.
In this extract of act 3 scene 4, Shakespeare conveys the dramatic effect of different language techniques to convey the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as cold and distant. For example, He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties and obscurity in ‘’…the queen, your husbands brothers wife’’ and his mother. This listing technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling them on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is pivotal in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay of reasoning into bloodlust action by impulsiveness.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. The setting is in a closet that means ‘private room’ to an Elizabethan. In the twentieth century, Freudian reading suggests it’s in a bedroom to represent his sexual desire for his mother, this creates unease as it is incestuous and is condemned in the bible. This is portrayed in Hamlet as the antagonist instructs later on to Gertrude, ‘Sit you down’ showing his increased force towards her thereby breaking his promise to ‘speak daggers but use none’- this creates fear in Polonius who has sworn to protect the queen from behind the arras. Hamlet is able to take control of the situation and this gives him more confidence. He uses moral philosophical reasoning to challenge her ‘incestuous’ marriage with the belief that he can sway her away from it. He demands rejection of his desire – this forebodes he is a grieving man who becomes immature as he grieves the life they had before with his father. In addition to this, he is taking vengeance because they use to display sexual affection outwardly in front of him so this sudden secrecy and chastity in their new marriage is hypocritical to him. In act 1 scene 2 hamlets uses the word ‘cannon’ to describe his feelings showing that the ‘implements of war’ has effected his response to situations and thus increases unease in the whole play. Shakespeare uses powerful words to convey this dramatic effect’s in the language he uses showing not only his professionalism but also his inability to control his own invention.
Hamlet’s frustration embodies his sexual desire for her. This is shown evidently in the first quote of the scene ‘’what’s the matter?’’ He takes control of the conversation showing that she has submitted to him. This characterizes Gertrude in the quote ‘frailty thy name is woman’ as she is easily swayed and she is very weak. In the 20th century, they lived in a patriarchal society so this scene depicts the control men could have over any woman in their life. Hamlet shows his strong philosophical moral reasoning and her weakness as she has married her husband’s brother only a month after his death. The word ‘Mother’ is emphasised and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting their severed relationship and inability to connect with her status as his mother. In a way, Hamlet uses it as an excuse to divert attention away from what he is doing and going through. It may be that he doesn’t want her to encounter the ghost because she is unfaithful and he is not. Hamlet misses his old life and is melancholic over it, he ponders over Yoicks skull in act 5 as he misses the wit of that time. The antic disposition he puts on may be to continue the wit that he misses. This characterizes his sexual tension towards her and that it may be because of his decision ‘brevity is the soul of wit’ thereby personifying bravery, which is required from him with, pressure. She represents the corruption of the women of Denmark with her lustful and sinful marriage. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot as no one has time to process the ‘hasty’ and ‘wicked speed’ of events. Evidently Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorised by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother thus symbolizes their cold and distant relationship and his desire to kill Claudius.
In this scene, Hamlet lashes out and kills Polonius. This ‘rash and bloody deed’ manifests his soul and unleashes anger. Behind the arras he acts as though he has mistaken him for a rat and kills him showing incredible skill. Polonius talks through the stab wound- psychologists say this is possible because you can utter words moments before death. At this point he only remembers that he is being killed, this may foreshadow and indicate that his sins are wiped out with murder and thus his life doesn’t flash before his eyes- upon hearing this Hamlet doesn’t feel any guilt and refers to his death as a ‘fortune’ as the heavens are with him and in motion with Hamlet for his good intentions.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’ he may be implying that she is the devils advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advices her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
The quote ‘’o, I am slain’’ is used repeatedly in 3 other plays such a Othello. This links to the idea of the metaphorical mirror as it had dramatic irony and the metaphorical mirror forces you to have sympathy for the mirror as there is truth and the best human qualities associated with it but the person looking at it is the opposite. This characterizes the reader’s feelings towards Gertrude’s character; it reflects her evil ways back to her. This is ironic and powerful as she tries to sway and invite hamlet to sin but it doesn’t work. This forces her to put on an innocent façade and symbolizes her change of heart for the rest of the play from Claudius to her son. After analysing the form and irregular rhyme of the scene, I noticed that the words ending the sentences are in conjunction with each other showing Shakespeare’s professionalism. After hearing ‘slain; the next line ends with ‘done’. This helps with give a direct message to the readers. To add to this, between Hamlet and Gertrude, he states ‘you’ through this, the metaphorical mirror comes to life and is personified in this sense as she innocently claims ‘me?’. This is reciprocal. She automatically acts innocent which implies the power of his accusation. This points the mirror to her in all directions and Hamlet is able to continue to have the upper hand in the conversation as she succumbs to his demands whereas previously she threatened his confidence to silence him at her presence. Polonius senses his submission and hurries to restore his queen’s faith in his claim that Hamlet is ‘mad’. The mirror acts as a reflection for the whole play, the deceit and allegory is exposed with this quote and this is significant in pushing the plot forward. Shakespeare’s language devices thereby convey effectively, anguish and a moral compass of blessing towards the righteous using irony and personification of metaphors and irregular rhymes to convey this.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlets feelings and the heightened impact of his words. By engaging in this sinful relationship, she is being self-centred and representative of the corruption of Denmark. The Book of Common Prayer forbids a woman being her ‘husband’s brother’s wife’. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse of the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play and the cold and distant relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to covey the dramatic effects of language techniques in this scene.
Much better! Your argument is consistent and analysed effectively
Well done
I'd grade it at Band 4
Thank you thats so helpful!
whats the highest band and any tips on how i can edit this to be the highest band?
whats the highest band and any tips on how i can edit this to be the highest band?
Original post by AppleB
Much better! Your argument is consistent and analysed effectively
Well done
I'd grade it at Band 4
Well done
I'd grade it at Band 4
Original post by Ameliainas
Thank you thats so helpful!
whats the highest band and any tips on how i can edit this to be the highest band?
whats the highest band and any tips on how i can edit this to be the highest band?
Band 5 is the highest
Criteria includes:
A01- perceptive, assured and sophisticated argument in relation to the task. Assured use of literary critical concepts and terminology; mature and impressive expression.
A02- perceptive understanding of authorial methods in relation to the task. Assured engagement with how meanings are shaped.
A03-receptive understanding of contexts in relation to the task
A04- exploration of connections across literary texts
A05- confident engagement with the debate set up
Original post by AppleB
Band 5 is the highest
Criteria includes:
A01- perceptive, assured and sophisticated argument in relation to the task. Assured use of literary critical concepts and terminology; mature and impressive expression.
A02- perceptive understanding of authorial methods in relation to the task. Assured engagement with how meanings are shaped.
A03-receptive understanding of contexts in relation to the task
A04- exploration of connections across literary texts
A05- confident engagement with the debate set up
Criteria includes:
A01- perceptive, assured and sophisticated argument in relation to the task. Assured use of literary critical concepts and terminology; mature and impressive expression.
A02- perceptive understanding of authorial methods in relation to the task. Assured engagement with how meanings are shaped.
A03-receptive understanding of contexts in relation to the task
A04- exploration of connections across literary texts
A05- confident engagement with the debate set up
For AQA band 6 is the highest.
I'd give it a band 5- 23/30
Original post by Quizlet
For AQA band 6 is the highest.
I'd give it a band 5- 23/30
I'd give it a band 5- 23/30
I'm with AQA and the highest is band 5
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-77122B-SMS.PDF
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by AppleB
I'm with AQA and the highest is band 5
No?
EDIT: WHOOPS THIS IS FOR A LEVEL- NOT GCSE, SILLY ME
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Quizlet
No?
EDIT: WHOOPS THIS IS FOR A LEVEL- NOT GCSE, SILLY ME
EDIT: WHOOPS THIS IS FOR A LEVEL- NOT GCSE, SILLY ME
So it is Band 5?
I'm confused nowOriginal post by AppleB
So it is Band 5? I'm confused now
I'm confused nowYes, I thought this was for GCSE but it's for A level.... whoops!
You're completely right.
Original post by Quizlet
Yes, I thought this was for GCSE but it's for A level.... whoops!
You're completely right.
You're completely right.
Oh ok lol
Do you study English?
Original post by Ameliainas
is this okay?
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
Original post by Ameliainas
is this okay?
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
In the following extract, Shakespeare explores different language techniques such as tone, actions, juxtaposition, vivid imagery and rhetoric to amplify the growing sense of tension and suspense in the eroding relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He refers to Gertrude as ‘Mother’ in a harsh and defiant tone- he questions her and reminds her of her duties as ‘’…the queen, your husband's brother's wife’’ and his mother. This technique expresses the violence of his feelings and piling this on top of each other shows the heightened impact of his words. This lays the foundation for Polonius’ murder and in turn foreshadows the death of Claudius. This scene is important in the development of the whole play as this ‘rash and bloody deed’ turns his delay into action.
This scene begins with an atmosphere of unease and fear. Hamlet is frustrated with his mother evidently in the quote ‘’what’s the matter?’’; this suggests her concerns are bothersome to him. The use of the word ‘now’ infers that the time of the whole play is questionable which leads to the unexpected turn and drive of the plot. He is shifting the attention away from his reasoning of delay to her ‘incestuous’ and hasty marriage. This is inconvenient, as he hasn’t decided on a fate yet. The word ‘mother’ is emphasized and has a lot of sarcastic and ironic implications as it is the only thing certain in the play to which he responds ‘’And were it not so! - You are my mother’’ further connoting his disassociation with her affection yet nature forces him to have the affiliation with her. Evidently, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with her sexual life, which is categorized by Oedipal desires as a failure to control his sexual tension towards his mother and the desire to kill Claudius.
Shakespeare uses different rhetoric techniques to convey the unease and increasing violence in this scene. One of them is the juxtaposition of Gertrude’s instruction ’come, come..’’ to which Hamlet demands with the same enthusiasm ‘’Go, go…’’ highlighting the seriousness of the scene in a rather comic yet melancholic tone. He responds to her signals to make her understand his intentions in this way. His reply has a sense of helplessness as he rejects her invitation to accept her sinful life. The lack of rhyme here suggests a sense of detachment and instability, which may be the root of his insanity. In reference to his use of the word ‘wicked’, he may be implying that she is the devil's advocate, which causes him to have such a strong reaction. Hamlet breaks his promise that he will speak daggers to her but will use none as he insists that he will give her a glass ‘to see the innermost part of you’’. He possibly sees hope in her and thus invites her to see what she has shown she cannot. She takes this in a literal sense to mean a body away from its soul. Gertrude feels intimidated as she cries for help. Polonius replies in conjunction to her cry to respond sensitively. Thereby Shakespeare has used vivid imagery and irregular rhymes to portray his distaste for his mother’s incestuous relationship. Hamlet goes as far as calling her a prostitute and thus showing their distant and eroding relationship.
Shakespeare uses stichomythia in this crude colloquial dialogue to convey the dramatic effect of the breathless tension of the scene as his sentences become shorter. Hamlet echoes her lines. Gertrude mentions that he has ‘’offended thy father’’ to which he confronts and replies ‘you have my father much offended’’. This has significance as Shakespeare uses the possessive pronoun ‘my’ to show Hamlets insistence and his strong philosophical argument. To add to this, Hamlet responds to her comment of ‘’idle tongue’’ with ‘wicked tongue’ implying that she is morally wrong to be in such ‘damned custom’’ whereas she only mentions that he is foolish and devoid of meaning. This is not a standard idiom. It implies that her black heart impedes her vision thereby refusing her sight of loving her husband. The quote ‘‘as kill a king’’ is full of surprise. Thus he advises her to ‘leave the wringing of your hands’’ this suggests that Hamlet is echoing her innocence and proves that he is becoming increasingly dismissive of her as she reveals her innocence. This foreshadows that she eventually begins to trust her son more than Claudius. Aristotle states that a person must act as if they have always been what they want to be to achieve their goal and in a sense, this is what Gertrude is doing. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as being very direct with her but he can’t trust her because of her betrayal. She questions him by asking ‘have you forgotten me?’’ This shows her own emotional distress, she takes the role of being his mother once more as she shows a change in her affection towards him and as if she had never stopped showing it, she demands respect or she will send to speak to him those he will respect.
Shakespeare uses listing frequently in this scene and repetition to express the violence of Hamlet's feelings and the heightened impact of his words. He reminds her of her duties to him as his mother, his father’s wife, and the queen. By engaging in this sinful relationship she is being self-centered and representative of the corruption of Denmark. In the quote ‘proof and bulwark’’ to match her doubling of ‘rash and bloody’’, Shakespeare makes it clear that he thinks of her as a prostitute but has become increasingly dismissive as she has proven her innocence in the exclamation full of surprise’ As kill a king!’’ In addition to this, he shows that despite the recent murder he continues to be intimidating and echoes her speech. Hamlet shows no remorse for the murder and states ‘Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!’’ Shakespeare uses listing here to emphasize his relief that he has killed him. He puts the blame on Polonius and by stating ‘take thy fortune’ forcing the acceptance of his murder. This death neither intensified nor decreased his tension proving that it was solely his failure to control his Oedipal desires, which has the power to provoke him.
Overall, to examine Shakespeare’s use of language and its dramatic effect in Act 3 scene 4, as readers we need to understand that this scene marks the tragic death of Polonius and the development of the play as Hamlets uncertainty is destroyed by impulsiveness-this leads to the bloodbath of act 5. Hamlet quotes ‘My thoughts be bloody or be worth nothing’ to portray the seriousness of this turning point and to emphasize the dilemma he is in. The closet scene marks the development of the plot of the whole play as Shakespeare uses stichomythia, juxtaposition and vivid imagery to convey the increasing dramatic tensions in this scene and the distant and cold relationship with his mother, Gertrude.
Hi,
Surely this response to the question here is part a in the Lit exam? There would be no A05 needed or AO4 in part a. My exam board is OCR
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