Hamlet: Writer's Methods and Techniques (OCR A Level English Literature): Revision Note

Writer’s Methods and Techniques

The best responses don’t limit their analysis to individual words and phrases. Examiners are really looking for analysis of Shakespeare’s overall aims, so try to take a “whole-text” approach to writer’s methods and techniques. Each of the below topics do just that:

• Form

• Structure

• Verse and prose

• Soliloquies

• Dramatic irony and foreshadowing

• Symbolism

• Imagery

Form

Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy. It is important that the examiner knows from your essays that you understand the conventions of tragedy, as this is valuable - and sophisticated - understanding of the writer’s craft and methods.

Shakespearean tragedies usually contain:

• A Tragic Hero: Shakespearean tragedies often feature a tragic hero, a character of noble stature and outstanding qualities, but one who possesses a fatal flaw (hamartia) that leads to their downfall. Hamlet’s indecision and overthinking is seen as his tragic flaw which ultimately leads to his demise.

• Conflict: Central to any tragedy is a conflict that creates tension and drives the plot forwards. In Hamlet, the conflict arises from the murder of King Hamlet and Prince Hamlet's quest for revenge against his uncle, who has seized the throne and married Hamlet's mother.

• Supernatural Elements: Many of Shakespeare's tragedies involve supernatural elements. The appearance of King Hamlet's ghost, a supernatural entity, sets the entire plot in motion. The ghost's revelation of foul play adds complexity to the conflict and influences Hamlet's actions.

• Internal and External Struggles: Tragic heroes often struggle with internal conflicts, such as moral dilemmas and emotional turmoil. Hamlet's internal struggle with his sense of duty, morality, and the need for concrete proof creates a significant part of the play's tension. External struggles, including political intrigue and familial discord, further complicate the characters' lives.

• A Fatal Resolution: Shakespearean tragedies typically include a fatal resolution, where the central conflict is resolved, often through the death of the protagonist and other major characters. In Hamlet, this resolution occurs in the final act, where nearly all major characters meet their tragic end.

Structure

The structure of a tragedy

Many of Shakespeare’s tragedies follow the same five-part structure:

• Exposition: In the exposition, the characters, setting and basic conflict of the play are introduced. The play begins with the guards at Elsinore Castle witnessing the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost. This event gets the stage for the central conflict: King Hamlet's death and the subsequent rise of Claudius to the throne. Hamlet learns about his father's ghost and the suspicion of foul play surrounding his death. 

• Rising Action: During the rising action, Hamlet encounters a series of challenges and complications that build tension. Hamlet decides to feign madness to investigate the truth. He struggles with his emotions, contemplates revenge and deals with the complexities of human nature and morality. The rising action also involves the play within a play which Hamlet uses to confirm Claudius's guilt. 

• Climax: The climax is the turning point of the play, the moment of greatest tension and the point at which the protagonist makes a crucial decision. In Hamlet, the climax occurs in Act III, Scene III, when Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying.  However, Hamlet decides not to kill him at this moment, as he believes that killing Claudius while he is praying would send his uncle’s soul to heaven, denying him the eternal punishment he deserves for his crime. 

• Falling Action: During the falling action, the consequences of the protagonist's decision at the climax unfold. In Hamlet, the falling action includes a series of tragic events: the accidental killing of Polonius, the madness and eventual death of Ophelia and Laertes's plot for revenge against Hamlet. The political situation in Denmark becomes increasingly unstable, leading to a sense of impending doom. 

• Denouement: The denouement is the resolution of the play, where the central conflict is resolved and the characters' fates are revealed. In Hamlet, the denouement takes place in the final act. Hamlet, Laertes, Claudius and Gertrude meet their tragic ends. Hamlet, realising he is mortally wounded, kills Claudius before he dies. Horatio, Hamlet's loyal friend, attempts to end his own life to join Hamlet in death but is stopped by Fortinbras's arrival. Fortinbras assumes control of the kingdom, marking the end of the political turmoil in Denmark. 

Verse and prose

• The majority of Hamlet is written in verse, specifically in iambic pentameter:

  • The use of verse language helps differentiate characters in terms of social class and education

  • For instance, Hamlet and Claudius primarily use verse, reinforcing their princely status, while the gravediggers in Act V, Scene I, uses a rustic form of verse that reflects their lower social standing 

• Characters like Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern often speak in prose:

  • This choice signifies their lower rank in the social hierarchy and their lack of eloquence compared to characters like Hamlet

• Prose is frequently employed for humorous exchanges and witty banter:

  • The gravediggers' conversation in Act V, Scene I, is a prime example

  • Their use of prose adds a lighthearted and earthy quality to the scene, creating a contrast with the more serious themes in the play

• Shakespeare also uses prose to reveal character traits and motivations:

  • For instance, when Claudius and Polonius discuss Hamlet's madness, their prose dialogue highlights their plotting and deceitful nature

  • It highlights their manipulative efforts to uncover the source of Hamlet's behaviour

• As Hamlet's feigned madness intensifies, he begins to switch from verse to prose in his interactions with characters like Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

  • This transition underscores his erratic behaviour and adds to the uncertainty surrounding his mental state

Soliloquies

• The purpose of a soliloquy is to take the audience into a character’s private world and to reveal what they might not reveal to any other character

• In Hamlet, the villain has only one soliloquy (Act III Scene III)  but it provides a significant moment in which the audience’s sympathies are engaged with Claudius while he wrestles with his conscience:

  • Shakespeare uses Claudius’s soliloquy to alter the audience’s perception of him

• Hamlet's iconic soliloquy in Act III Scene I reflects on the nature of existence, the suffering of life and the idea of suicide:

  • The soliloquy reveals Hamlet's deep internal conflict and his contemplative nature

  • It encapsulates his philosophical and introspective tendencies, setting the tone for the play's exploration of his complex psyche

• Hamlet's soliloquy in Act III, Scene III occurs when Hamlet has the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius while he is at prayer, yet he hesitates:

  • It showcases Hamlet's internal moral struggle and his contemplation of the consequences of his actions

  • While the audience comprehends the moral imperative for Hamlet to avenge his father's murder, they witness his internal struggles and moral reservations

Dramatic irony and foreshadowing

• Shakespeare ensures that the audience possess information regarding Claudius's guilt in the murder of King Hamlet

  • However, the majority of characters remain oblivious to this fact:

    • This creates a sense of unease and foreboding

    • The eventual revelation of the truth to the characters becomes a moment of catharsis in the play

• When Hamlet stages the play within the play to expose Claudius's guilt, the audience anticipates the reactions of the characters, especially Claudius himself

• Foreshadowing reinforces the atmosphere of uncertainty and deception that permeates the play

• The appearance of the ghost of King Hamlet in the opening scene sets the stage for the unfolding tragedy:

  • His spectral presence immediately creates an unsettling atmosphere and this initial encounter foreshadows the tumultuous events that will follow

• The ghost's appearance raises questions about the stability of the Danish court and the authenticity of the relationships between the characters:

  • It instills doubt in Hamlet's mind, making him question the appearances and intentions of those around him

  • This sense of uncertainty becomes a driving force in the play, leading to Hamlet's introspection and hesitation

• The foreshadowed events create a sense of anticipation, prompting the audience to empathise with Hamlet's predicament and his moral dilemmas

Symbolism

• Throughout the play, references to disease, decay and corruption abound

• The imagery of rotting, diseased bodies and a corrupt state of Denmark serves as a powerful symbol:

  • This symbolism reflects the moral and political decay within the Danish court

  • It mirrors the internal and external corruption of the characters and the kingdom itself

  • The “rotten” state of Denmark becomes a metaphor for the moral decay of the characters, most notably Claudius, whose murder of King Hamlet is the original act of corruption

• The poisoned chalice symbolises the treacherous nature of the court and the consequences of deceit:

  • The recurring motif of poison highlights the theme of deception and betrayal

  • It underscores the idea that those who engage in treachery and deceit are ultimately consumed by their own malevolence, leading to their downfall

• Hamlet's contemplation of Yorick's skull represents the inevitability of death and the transience of human existence:

  • While holding the skull of the jester Yorick, Hamlet reflects on the fragility of life and the universal experience of mortality

• The play within a play is a symbolic representation of the truth and the uncovering of deception:

  • Hamlet uses this play to confirm Claudius's guilt in the murder of King Hamlet and it symbolises Hamlet's attempt to trap Claudius and to reveal the truth

  • The success of the play within a play marks a significant turning point

• The ghost of King Hamlet represents both the unresolved past and the demand for justice and vengeance:

  • The ghost symbolises the moral duty that drives Hamlet's actions

  • It is a manifestation of the past, haunting the present and demanding retribution

  • The ghost's appearance is a powerful symbol of the unsettled nature of the play's world

Imagery

• References to heaven, angels and divine elements are scattered throughout the play:

  • Claudius, for example, is tormented by guilt over his murder of King Hamlet and fears divine punishment

• The use of heaven imagery heightens the characters' internal conflicts and guilt:

  • Hamlet, in his soliloquy in Act III, Scene I, speaks of “enterprises of great pith and moment, with this regard their currents turn awry and lose the name of action” alluding to the divine influence that shapes human endeavours

  • Additionally, King Hamlet's ghost mentions that he is “Doomed for a certain term to walk the night, and for the day confin’d to fast in fires”

• Heaven imagery serves as a moral framework against which the characters' actions are measured and reflects Elizabethan notions of divine justice, where righteous deeds are rewarded in the afterlife:

• Hamlet's constant references to heaven and his moral dilemma surrounding revenge reveal his deeply religious and contemplative nature:

  • He struggles with the idea of divine retribution and the potential consequences of his actions on his eternal soul

• Hell imagery is also prevalent throughout the play:

  • Hamlet describes Denmark as an “unweeded garden that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature” painting a bleak and corrupt image

  • He also refers to Claudius as a “smiling, damned villain”

• Hell imagery underscores the moral corruption within the Danish court and the broader world of the play

• It conveys the idea that the actions of the characters have led to a state of moral decay and spiritual peril:

  • For Hamlet, hell imagery reflects his inner turmoil

  • He feels that the world around him is tainted and sinful, and he struggles with the question of whether his actions will lead him to damnation

• Hell imagery often foreshadows tragic events and consequences:

  • It suggests that the characters' immoral actions will eventually lead to their downfall and suffering