Techniques Used by Shakespeare to Establish the Mood and Plot of Hamlet in Scene One

Techniques Used by Shakespeare to Establish the Mood and Plot of Hamlet in Scene One

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses many

techniques to establish the mood and plot of the play in scene one.

In the early sixteen hundreds when the play was written, all

performances of plays had to be in the daylight and theatres such as

the Globe were roofless. This proved very difficult for Shakespeare as

he had many scenes, such as scene one of Hamlet, set in the night and

really had to convince the noisy crowds that even though there was sun

streaming through the roof, it was actually night time. The techniques

Shakespeare used to engage his audiences attention during the night

scenes included things like costume, props and dialogue. With the

dialogue, Shakespeare would have his characters constantly referring

to the time or describing the dark and coldness.

"Tis now struck twelve." And "Tis bitter cold."

Also, Shakespeare would usually have his characters walking around

with props like candles and torches in order to emphasize the night

and darkness.

In addition to scene one being set in the dark, the characters,

Barnardo, Francisco, Horatio and Marcellus all show similar emotions

like anxiety, wariness and nerves. All this is mainly because at that

time, war was a constant threat and an attack on the castle was

inevitable. The characters unleash their emotions on the ghost. Some

are very curious and attempt communication with it.

"What art thou that unsurp'st this time of night…?" and others like

Marcellus express their anger towards the apparition.

"Shall I strike at it with my partisan?"

The iambic pentameter used in scene one keeps the rhythm and pace

generally constant and swift. Additionally, the shared lines help to

show the characters interrupting one another and agreeing.

"Friends to this ground…"and "Legimen to the Dane." This episode shows

Horatio identifying himself to Francisco as a "friend to the ground"

or basically, a servant to the castle and then Marcellus agreeing with

Horatio by expressing their respect for the monarch.