Hamlet Act 1 SceneII

I chose Act 1 Scene ii for my analysis. Hamlet is a work of art when it comes to world literature. May even be one of the most exceptional pieces ever written, not to mention the longest. To me, I felt this scene was one of the most important and touching. Hamlet wasn’t given enough time to grieve for his own father before his world seem to crash in front of him. He had to learn be strong, and continue to live in Denmark without his father the king.

I feel this scene shows a lot of emotion. Hamlet is suffering from the tragic loss of his father, the King of Denmark, after just a short while having to accept his mother Gertrude marrying The king’s brother Claudius. There are two significant events taking place in this scene Hamlets grieving heart for his father, seeming to be the only one affected by it, and the celebration of a new marriage. Hamlet himself can’t help but find it hard to accept a man who was once his Uncle will soon become his step-father and who was once his mother’s brother in law would now become her husband.

The scene continues with Claudius realizing how upset, Hamlet is and both him and Gertrude agree its best that Hamlet stays in Denmark and not return to school. He then expresses himself in a soliloquy. Hamlet is angry and unaccepting of what is happening in his life right now. He feels depressed. In his moment of expression, three guards rush in Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus, explaining that they have seen a ghost.

I used this clip of the scene because I felt is depicts the scene perfectly. Hamlet is mourning the loss of his father and is holding in his true feelings as he is trying to take in this new world around him. He is dressed in all black and while the stage is dark. Claudius is beaming with power in his bright coat and explaining the need to move on from the loss of his father. This shows the tragic structure in both stage presence and the characters. Everyone on stage seems tense, except for Claudius. Hamlet is broken- hearted, and both Claudius and Gertrude seem to lack sympathy toward what Claudius says is ” our son.” While I feel this is a modern version of this play, the costume of Claudius still reflects the English Renaissance. I believe there is a difference between just reading the scene and watching it. There are a few more details in watching this. Claudius explains the need to move on and accept his father’s death. By the actor’s emotions, which are very real, the character acting as Hamlet is not ready for that. I picked this particular scene because I feel this actor displays real emotions, especially during his soliloquy.