Cause And Effect In Act 1 Of Hamlet

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This play takes place mostly in Elsinore, Denmark between the fourteenth and fifteen century following the death of the late King Hamlet, who has been dead for two months prior to the beginning of the play (Shmoop Editorial Team). Act One commences in the middle of a routine nightly shift where Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, and two other guards witness the coming of a spirit that bears an uncanny resemblance to the recently deceased king. Meanwhile at Elsinore Claudius is crowned King with Hamlet’s mother as his queen. This chain of events causes discontent within Prince Hamlet as he delays his mourning time out of spite for the coronation. Afterwards, Horatio and the guards come to the consensus and tell Hamlet of their encounter so that the Prince may meet with the Ghost. The Ghost reveals to Hamlet that he was a victim of a well-planned murder at the hands of Claudius. …show more content…

After this initial sighting, Hamlet’s desire for revenge becomes the main driving force throughout the play yet there is a need for action to be taken. Hamlet is unable to act without knowing for certain that the Ghost is not a demon in disguise so he formulates a grand plan. Hamlet proceeds to performs The Mousetrap in front of the Claudius looking for telltale signs that the Ghost was telling the truth, thus, creating a suspenseful moment. With confirmation of Claudius’s wrongdoing, Hamlet proceeds to kill Claudius but not before he is stabbed by Laertes poisoned tipped sword. The play concludes with the deaths of Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Ophelia, and Laertes leaving Young Fortinbras as the new King of Denmark. Shakespeare’s Hamlet continues to inspire modern generations as seen from countless movie and video game adaptations such as The Lion King and Elsinore which have proven to be major hits with the modern audiences

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