Art of Direction in Hamlet - Book Report/Review Example

s Hamlet, short for ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ is a narration written by William Shakespeare which is a well renowned tragedy. The tragedy takes place in the Kingdom of Denmark where Prince Hamlet is set to take revenge from one of his uncles, Uncle Cladius. Claudius is guilty of murdering his own brother who also happens to be Hamlet`s father. Not only did Claudius take the throne of his father but also marries the widow of Hamlet`s father, i.e. his mother Gertrude. The play is often enacted, mostly a few of its parts since it`s one of the longest plays ever written in the history of English literature. Also, it is one of the most impactful yet powerful tragedies; a tragedy which has been re-enacted several times and also adapted in various forms by many artists around the globe. The play also happens to be one of the most popular narrations Shakespeare had ever written. Also, till date the play is one of the most performed ones where various other prolific authors like Dickens have also confessed on finding this play as thrilling inspirations behind few of their works. However, these are not the only traits of his work which make it stand out in the history of literature. In addition, the play is also known for the sense of directions it inherently offers by offering cues in the middle of the narration at various points. In other words, Shakespeare himself plays the role of the director while writing the play where he drops instructions and commands to ensure smooth transition in the scenes. Thus, the paper will aim at exploring how Hamlet offers a sense of direction to the actors in the content of the play where art of direction is inherently present. Hamlet is profound and impactful in terms of its characters who unfold in an exceptional manner. Also, the tragic elements are in-built in a traverse manner where the elements of drama and emotion are very well utilized to move any audience. However, what most analysts of this work miss out on how brilliantly Shakespeare has dropped directions for the actors to maintain the flow of the scene and also to keep up the momentum of the drama. The points where the directions have been added are also worth pointing out since these are mostly those scenes where a transition was needed or where a touch of emotion or gesture may alter the entire aura of the situational factors. These cues and directions are often taken up as mentioned to keep the authenticity of the play intact and also to add to the dramatic touch maintained by the play. To demonstrate the case, various scenes may be analyzed where the art of direction is apparent. Furthermore, the contribution of these direction cues or rather the role which these instructions play in the narration may also be analyzed. For this reason, a few particular scenes may be picked. For instance, scene 1, Act 5 contains such directions, similarly scene 3 Act 2 and scene 3 Act 4 include instructions for the actors. Scene 1, act 5 is quite an impactful part of the play where there is a dialogue between the ghost and Hamlet and also, Horatio and Marcellus enter the scene. In this particular scene, the ghost pledges his allegiance to Hamlet and not only does he promises to avenge his father`s death but also repeats the entire death scene of his father to Hamlet. As soon as the ghost leaves, Horatio and Marcellus enter the scene where hamlet tells the Secret of how his father was murdered by Claudius to them (1:5). In this scene, the art of direction is apparent at various points, for instance, when Hamlet is writing about the deceit and feelings of vengeance about his uncle, without directions the terms of action won`t be clear enough. Similarly, when the ghost is crying under the stage, Shakespeare himself points out to this occurrence since this part of the scene can be considered as the climax point of the scene and thus, without adding direction cues here, the drama couldn’t be felt. Also, the scene is written is such a manner as if to convey to Horatio and Marcellus over how to enact their character in context to this particular scene. Other scenes may also be discussed in this context to further clarify the point. Scene 3, Act 2 offers a more precise explanation to how the art of direction is inherent to the narration of the play. In this scene, not only the voice and tone of the characters but also various gestures have been specified to keep the momentum of the play alive. For instance, there are cues depicting even the nature of the laugh expected from the characters. This implies that the play is expected to keep up a sense of suspense and elegance in order to balance various elements in the scene. Since this scene is a ‘play within a play’, thus it is clear enough that Hamlet himself is enacting the role of the director where the story of his father`s death would be re-enacted in order for him to observe the reactions of Claudius. Here the directions in the play being enacted are also the focus of the scene; thus specificities are pointed out time and again. For instance, how the queen swears repeatedly to Hamlet`s father in the play that she wouldn`t remarry is a clue over how this part is significant in context to the climax of the ‘play within the play’ (3:2). Thus, the intense emotions being experienced by Hamlet are expressed in his sense of direction for the play. The Scene 3, Act 4 reveals a similar story in continuity to the previous acts. In this act, the play itself explains how Gertrude reprimands Hamlet, where Hamlet is also extremely furious. Here, the sense of intensity between the mother and her son is explicated in terms of direction cues where a sensitive situation is being enacted. Hamlet is trying to convince Gertrude of accepting her sins and stop having intimate relations with Claudius, thus the addition of direction cues is inevitable (3:4). Thus, the art of direction plays a significant role in adding to the intensity of the scenes. Thus conclusively, Hamlet is an extraordinary play, one which is not only the most popular for its literary value but also one which is enacted endless time till date. The play has a unique sense of drama, intensity, emotions, violence, blood and many other extreme sentiments which make it worthy of all the acclamation it has been gathering. However, the inherent art of direction found in the play must not be forgotten here. The fact that Shakespeare has dropped direction cues at various points in the play explains how he was wary of the emotive value of the scenes, also how he realized that his work would be ordinary without this unique art. Thus, at various points and scenes this art of direction is prevalent, especially in the act where Hamlet is directing a play within the play to observe the reactions of Claudius. Here, while Hamlet is directing the play, the rage and fury is being depicted with such clarity that the intensity can be felt without making any effort. Thus, the argument that Hamlet can`t be ignored for the inherent art of direction has been supported in the paper to explicate how these inherent cues have added to the intensity of the entire play. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Champaign, Ill: Project Gutenberg, 1990. Internet resource. Read More