Metadrama in Hamlet - Essay Example

Metadrama in Hamlet 2007 Mary Anderson in her article “Hamlet: The Dialect Between Eye and Ear” (1991) expresses a suggestion that in Hamlet Shakespeare defends “the theatre as a very effective moral medium which stimulates both eye and ear into a dialectic within the reason and conscience” (In Hamlet Haven 2007). Anderson states that only in a collaboration of sight and hearing the success of reason can be achieved, while separately they are prone to “malignant”, “incomplete and inefficient” information. However, this seems to be only partially true. “The Mousetrap” is clear to only two personages – Hamlet and Claudius. Other characters are not able to grasp the truth through the play. Only Claudius has insight into things both in life and theatre, so that he becomes the antipode of Hamlet. Hamlet strives to tell the truth but mostly fails. Claudius has to lie, and he does it skillfully. Meanwhile, Shakespeare seems to develop his idea from As You Like It (created short before Hamlet) that the world is a stage and all men and women are mere actors. Metadrama is intertwined into the play everywhere. All the characters in Hamlet play some roles, but only some of them are able to see the truth revealed in this drama. The importance of the eye and ear for grasping the real nature of things is evident from numerous lines scattered all over the play. As the play begins, we hear the conversation of two officers, Marcellus and Bernardo, discussing the appearance of the Ghost. We also learn that they have informed Horatio, who considers the story mere fantasy and denies to believe it until he sees the Ghost with his own eyes. Horatio’s ears are “fortified” against the story. As Horatio witnesses the Ghost he exclaims: “Before my God, I might not this believe/Without the sensible and true avouch/Of mine own eyes” (I, 1). Discussing the disappearance of the Ghost with the crook’s crying, Horatio also says: “So have I heard, and do in part believe it” (I, 1). Thus we may conclude that for this character sight is more important than hearing. However, he realizes that sometimes a moth can “trouble the mind’s eye”. So the collaboration of different sense is necessary for the proper perception of things. Ophelia, like most of women, is prone to believe her ears. She believes in Hamlet’s love to her, because he “hath given countenance to his speech,/My Lord, with almost all the holy vows of Heaven” (I, 3). She also cannot understand the sudden madness of Prince. The message of the play stays unclear to her. During the play she turns to Hamlet for explanations. As the pantomime is over she asks Hamlet: “What means this, my Lord?” “Will he tell us what this show meant?” (III, 2), - she wonders as a player enters to do the Prologue. All these lines indicate that Ophelia perceives the world mostly with the help of her ear. The theatrical performance does not become a revelation for her. Ophelia is a character unable to discern playing from real selves of people around her. She performs the roles prescribed to her by her farther and brother. Gertrude seems to be in a position similar to that of Ophelia. Just like Ophelia is accustomed to believe everything told to her by males, Gertrude is also guided by her ear. First, she believes Claudius and marries him soon after her husband’s death. Though being a queen she has to play some roles and participate in intrigues woven by Claudius, she seems to be rather a naïve marionette in the hands of Claudius than a venal rogue. Gertrude obviously lacks insight. She does not grasp the message of the play. After the long speech of Actor-queen she remarks: “The Lady doth protest too much, methinks” (III, 2). She does not understand Claudius’s reaction to the play. As Ophelia exclaims: “The King rises!”, she wonders: “How fares my Lord?” (III, 2). Hamlet accuses Gertrude of being blind, deaf and unable to grasp the truth with the help of her feelings: “What devil wast/ That thus hath cozend you at hoodman-blind?/ Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,/ Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,/ Or but a sickly part of one true sense/ Could not so mope” (III, 4). As the Ghost appears in her bedroom, she is unable to see or hear him. “Hamlet: “Do you see nothing there?”, Gertrude: “Nothing at all; yet all that is I see”, Hamlet: “Nor did you nothing hear?”, Gertrude: “No, nothing but ourselves” (III, 4). As we can see, Gertrude is fixed on the picture of the world imposed by males. She sees only what she is told by males. Hamlet’s story is really painful for Gertrude, while he opens her eyes to the reality. However, this is done through hearing again. Polonius seems to be a rather reasonable person. So he warns his daughter “I do Know/When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul/Lends the tongue vows” (I, 3). However, he gets into the same trap. He believes his ear, instead of opening his eyes wider. He doesn’t realize that Hamlet’s madness is only a performance. This mistake of his leads him to death. If Polonius understood the truth of Hamlet’s hesitation and gloomy moods, he would be more careful and wouldn’t get into the story that brings to his end. The Ghost informs Hamlet that the whole country is deceived while nobody could see what happened in the garden in reality: “the whole ear of Denmark/Is by a forged process of my death/Rankly abused” (I, 5), - he says. The information received by ear is malignant indeed. Claudius is such a skillful actor that he can hide his terrible sin from everybody. The Mousetrap does not open the truth to the public. Though Laertes, being a man of action, is opposed to Hamlet, he is prone to believe his ears just as Ophelia and Polonius used to. Claudius manages to deceive him either. From Claudius we learn that Laertes “is in secret come from France;/Feeds on his wonder, keeps himself in clouds,/And wants not buzzers to infect his ear/With pestilent speeches of his fathers death” (IV, 5). Claudius realizes that gossips will put the blame for Polonius’s death on him, so he acts to get Laertes on his side. So Claudius decides to “commune with his grief” (IV, 5). Together they think over a plan of action, design “a performance” to get Hamlet into a trap. Claudius understands that as usual he has to play and his performance should be good, otherwise he risks his life (IV, 7). Hamlet strives for the truth. He wants to see clearly. “Seems”, Madam? – he says in Act I Scene 2, - Nay, it is; I knows not “seems”. “Fond deeds will rise/Though all the earth oerwhelm them to mens eyes” (I, 2), - promises Hamlet. He doesn’t believe false speeches of his false friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He knows that he is lied to. Not believing anyone in life, Hamlet sees “the abstract and brief chronicles of the time” (II, 2) in theatre. “The Players cannot keep, theyll tell all” (III, 2), - he says to Ophelia. Hamlet seems to mix the life and theater. He considers events and feelings taking place on the stage more real than those in life. Is it not monstrous that this player here, Whats Hecuba to him, or he to her, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, That he should weep for her? What would he do, Could force his soul so to his own conceit Had he the motive and the cue for passion That from her working all the visage waned - That I have? He would drown the stage with tears, Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect, And cleave the general ear with horrid speech, A broken voice - and his whole function suiting Make mad the guilty, and appall the free, With forms to his conceit; and all for nothing, Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed For Hecuba. The very faculties of eyes and eares (II, 2). Hamlet’s belief in the power of theater is so strong that he hopes that it will evoke his passion and help him revenge his father’s death. He is sure that Claudius will certainly give his feelings away: I have heard Ill tent him to the quick; If he do blench That guilty creatures sitting at a play I know my course; the spirit that I have seen Have, by the very cunning of the scene, May be a devil, and the devil hath power Been struck so to the soul, that presently Tassume a pleasing shape; Yea, and perhaps, They have proclaimed their malefactions; Out of my weakness and my melancholy, For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak As he is very potent with such spirits, With most miraculous organ; Ill have these players Abuses me to damn me; Ill have grounds Play something like the murder of my father More relative than this; the plays the thing Before mine uncle; Ill observe his looks; Wherein Ill catch the conscience of the King (II, 2). For Hamlet actors are real people, while real feelings of people seem to be false. As he hears the news of the actors’ arrival he says: “He that plays the King shall be welcome: his Majesty shall have tribute on me; the adventurous Knight shall use his foil and target; the Lover shall not sigh gratis; the humorous Man shall end his part in peace; the clown shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickled athsere, and the Lady shall say her mind freely, or the black verse shall halt for it. What players are they?” (II, 2). However, as he hears Laertes crying over the grave of his sister and going to follow her, Hamlet feels indignant. He considers these feelings unreal. That is why he bursts out offering Laertes to prove his words by acts: Swounds, show me what thoult do: Woot weep? woot fight? woot fast? woot tear thyself? Woot drink up eisel? eat a crocodile?” (V, 1). However, Laertes’s exaggerated feelings are very similar to those Hamlet likes to play with. Moreover, Laertes, unlike Hamlet, is a man of action and not only words. Notwithstanding his bright mind, Hamlet obviously lacks insight. Due to this he makes mistakes. He cannot kill Claudius during his prayer. Hamlet is deceived by his eye, while the scene demonstrates that Claudius is a good actor. Further, Hamlet, deceived by his ear, kills Polonius, who forgets his role and gives away his presence in the room. As we can see, all the characters perform some roles. Yet, only Claudius turns out to be the one able to reveal the true intentions of those surrounding him. Claudius is not only a good actor, able to adapt, but he is also a puppeteer, directing the actions of others, while Hamlet turns out to lack insight. Eye and ear really play a certain role in the perceptions of the characters. However, the theatre doesn’t possess the power as described by Anderson and as prescribed by Hamlet. Read More

The message of the play stays unclear to her. During the play she turns to Hamlet for explanations. As the pantomime is over she asks Hamlet: “What means this, my Lord?” “Will he tell us what this show meant?” (III, 2), - she wonders as a player enters to do the Prologue. All these lines indicate that Ophelia perceives the world mostly with the help of her ear. The theatrical performance does not become a revelation for her. Ophelia is a character unable to discern playing from real selves of people around her.

She performs the roles prescribed to her by her farther and brother. Gertrude seems to be in a position similar to that of Ophelia. Just like Ophelia is accustomed to believe everything told to her by males, Gertrude is also guided by her ear. First, she believes Claudius and marries him soon after her husband’s death. Though being a queen she has to play some roles and participate in intrigues woven by Claudius, she seems to be rather a naïve marionette in the hands of Claudius than a venal rogue.

Gertrude obviously lacks insight. She does not grasp the message of the play. After the long speech of Actor-queen she remarks: “The Lady doth protest too much, methinks” (III, 2). She does not understand Claudius’s reaction to the play. As Ophelia exclaims: “The King rises!”, she wonders: “How fares my Lord?” (III, 2). Hamlet accuses Gertrude of being blind, deaf and unable to grasp the truth with the help of her feelings: “What devil wast/ That thus hath cozend you at hoodman-blind?

/ Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,/ Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,/ Or but a sickly part of one true sense/ Could not so mope” (III, 4). As the Ghost appears in her bedroom, she is unable to see or hear him. “Hamlet: “Do you see nothing there?”, Gertrude: “Nothing at all; yet all that is I see”, Hamlet: “Nor did you nothing hear?”, Gertrude: “No, nothing but ourselves” (III, 4). As we can see, Gertrude is fixed on the picture of the world imposed by males.

She sees only what she is told by males. Hamlet’s story is really painful for Gertrude, while he opens her eyes to the reality. However, this is done through hearing again. Polonius seems to be a rather reasonable person. So he warns his daughter “I do Know/When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul/Lends the tongue vows” (I, 3). However, he gets into the same trap. He believes his ear, instead of opening his eyes wider. He doesn’t realize that Hamlet’s madness is only a performance.

This mistake of his leads him to death. If Polonius understood the truth of Hamlet’s hesitation and gloomy moods, he would be more careful and wouldn’t get into the story that brings to his end. The Ghost informs Hamlet that the whole country is deceived while nobody could see what happened in the garden in reality: “the whole ear of Denmark/Is by a forged process of my death/Rankly abused” (I, 5), - he says. The information received by ear is malignant indeed. Claudius is such a skillful actor that he can hide his terrible sin from everybody.

The Mousetrap does not open the truth to the public. Though Laertes, being a man of action, is opposed to Hamlet, he is prone to believe his ears just as Ophelia and Polonius used to. Claudius manages to deceive him either. From Claudius we learn that Laertes “is in secret come from France;/Feeds on his wonder, keeps himself in clouds,/And wants not buzzers to infect his ear/With pestilent speeches of his fathers death” (IV, 5). Claudius realizes that gossips will put the blame for Polonius’s death on him, so he acts to get Laertes on his side.

So Claudius decides to “commune with his grief” (IV, 5). Together they think over a plan of action, design “a performance” to get Hamlet into a trap. Claudius understands that as usual he has to play and his performance should be good, otherwise he risks his life (IV, 7). Hamlet strives for the truth. He wants to see clearly.

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