Is Act 5 a fitting end to the play Hamlet Essays

Is Act 5 a fitting end to the play Hamlet Essays Is Act 5 a fitting end to the play Hamlet Paper Is Act 5 a fitting end to the play Hamlet Paper Essay Topic: Hamlet Hamlet is one of Shakespeares later plays, written in the early 17th Century. However, it is set in a 13th Century Danish Court with Hamlet, the eponymous hero, as Prince. The play Hamlet falls into the literary genre of a tragedy. Traditionally, the tale of a tragedy begins with a hero (in this case Hamlet) who, due to unfortunate circumstances, proceeds upon his/her downfall through the play and is usually slain during the closing stages. Shakespeare follows this pattern meticulously, although more specifically than tragedy, he chooses to pursue the style of Senecan Tragedy. The Senecan Tragedy originated from the Roman philosopher and poet, Seneca, who lived in the first century AD. A Senecan Tragedy contains several distinct factors, such as violence and the use of the supernatural. Shakespeare includes these elements in his play to give Hamlet some kind of familiar, sustained theme for his audience. The most prominent Senecan aspect included, is the structure of vengeance. Both Shakespeare and Senecas plays are divided into five acts. Each act contains its own distinct theme. The first act introduces the appeal for vengeance-more specifically the ghost of Hamlets father. By the end of the act Hamlet appears to be accepting the role of the avenger: O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it rite! (I-v-190) The second act in Senecan Drama revolved around the expectation of the avenger planning his revenge. Comparatively in Hamlet, Act 2 is the period in which the Prince conjures the idea of using a play within a play (another Senecan aspect) to uncover Claudius thoughts and hence enforce his opinion of whether to proceed or not. The act ends with Hamlets soliloquy, the culmination of which is the rhyming couplet (used by Shakespeare to emphasise his point): The plays the thing/ In which Ill catch the conscience of the King (II-ii-600). The play begins to gather its constructive momentum during Act 3. This is when Hamlet uses his mousetrap (the play). He notices the Kings response and consequently believes in the ghost: O good Horatio, Ill take the ghosts word for a thousand pounds (III-ii-290) He almost acts upon his beliefs but decides the time is not right. Hamlet then confronts his mother in the privacy of her bedchamber, but notices that someone is spying upon them. He has no idea who this intruder may be but irrationally stabs through a curtain, killing the father of Laertes, Polonius. Shakespeare includes this section of the play in Act 3 because it acts as a pre-cursor of things to come in the penultimate and final acts. Act 4 is often used as an interval or a break from the theme of vengeance. Revenge is prevented in this act of Hamlet, as the Protagonist is sent to England to be killed. This helps build up the suspense and therefore adds to the drama of Act 5. Hamlet however, escapes and arrives back in Denmark by the end of the act, now having made a final decision. Act 5 is the infamous climax of Hamlet. In the first scene, Hamlet begins conversing with a sexton in the graveyard. The graveyard is used because firstly, it helps give a powerful motif of mortality, which contributes to the tension within the audience, and secondly because this specific location is a prevailing indication of mortality. This motif is furthermore enforced by Shakespeares selective use of language, which is crucial to portray emotions that are beginning to emerge as the play Hamlet moves towards its climax. The quotation: Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now (v-i-95) is a good example of this. As the scene develops, the audience discovers that the gravedigger does not realise who Hamlet is and therefore talks to him about Hamlet. This incident is a display of dramatic irony; one example of the Elizabethan humour employed by Shakespeare in Act 5. Equivocation and wordplay, also between the gravedigger and Hamlet, is another style, and there are others. Humour is used in the play Hamlet to create dramatic texture. It lightens the atmosphere of the play and the minds of the audience, therefore providing a starker contrast with the bitterness soon to follow. When the funeral procession enters, Hamlet discovers that the grave is being dug for Ophelia, who has committed suicide. This is the first instance of death in Act 5 and Shakespeare is, in some ways, creating the path towards the climax of his play through the death of Ophelia. The Prince then proceeds with his declaration of intent: It is I, Hamlet the Dane (v-i-250). Through this declaration, Shakespeare informs the audience that Hamlet is finally becoming the avenger by adopting the title of his late father, the King. Laertes then declares Hamlet culpable for the death of his father and sister. Shakespeare uses this emergence of antagonism as another pre-cursor of things to come, thus developing his audiences anticipation. They are parted and Hamlet leaves after declaring his love for Ophelia: I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love (v-i-265). This dialogue shows how each avenger is trying to prove superior to the other. The final scene is the climax of the play. It begins with Hamlet and Horatio being informed that the King has arranged a duel between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet agrees, believing that fate will take its toll. This scene acts as a catharsis; resolving the various tensions that Shakespeare has created throughout his play Hamlet. The first to be resolved is between Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes wounds Hamlet with his poisoned rapier. Hamlet then stabs and kills his opponent, ending the rivalry between the two. The second tension to be resolved is that between Hamlet and his mother-who drinks a poisoned drink that was meant for her son. The tension between the Prince and his mother revolved around the marriage of the Queen to the dead Kings brother. She admits guilt: Thou turnst my eyes into my very soul, And there I see such black and grained spots (iii-iv-100) but takes little action. This is why Shakespeare chooses to end her life. Hamlet finds the King responsible for his mothers death and in his rage slays his stepfather. This is the third and major tension that is resolved. Finally, to conclude the play, Hamlet dies. Revenge has been completed: Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince/And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! I believe that Act 5 is most certainly a fitting end to the play, Hamlet. The act (in particular the last scene) is both exciting and resolving. The vast amounts of tension and/or suspense that commence from the beginning of the play and persist until the end keep the audience interested and alert throughout. Shakespeares culmination of events along with the denouement in Act 5 manages to resolve the many antagonisms and tensions created between the main characters earlier in the play through the duel scene. Additionally, he ends Hamlet with the arrival of a new monarch, Prince Fortinbras, which restores the harmony within the state of Denmark. This restoration leaves the audience with a feeling of completion, as a worthy end to a play should. Finally, Act 5 is a fitting end to the play because of the bloodthirsty conclusion that helps to fulfil the aspects of Senecan Drama, along with the structure of revenge through the quintet of acts. So, in conclusion, I believe that Shakespeare has designed a very fitting end to his revenge tragedy, Hamlet.