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M34P1 THEATRE, Pr. Chaouch, PART Four

1) The document provides an analysis of key scenes and elements in Act V of Shakespeare's Hamlet, including the climax and resolution. 2) It discusses the rising action in scene 1 with the dialogue between characters, and scene 2's pre-climactic tension through Hamlet's counter-coup against Claudius. 3) The fatal duel between Hamlet and Laertes serves as the tragic climax, ending in the deaths of several main characters through poisoned weapons and drinks orchestrated by Claudius. 4) Horatio is chosen to draw lessons from the bloody tragedy, honoring Hamlet's death with cannon fire as a fitting end to the play.

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69 views

M34P1 THEATRE, Pr. Chaouch, PART Four

1) The document provides an analysis of key scenes and elements in Act V of Shakespeare's Hamlet, including the climax and resolution. 2) It discusses the rising action in scene 1 with the dialogue between characters, and scene 2's pre-climactic tension through Hamlet's counter-coup against Claudius. 3) The fatal duel between Hamlet and Laertes serves as the tragic climax, ending in the deaths of several main characters through poisoned weapons and drinks orchestrated by Claudius. 4) Horatio is chosen to draw lessons from the bloody tragedy, honoring Hamlet's death with cannon fire as a fitting end to the play.

Uploaded by

Kai Kokoro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sultan Moulay Slimane University “THEATRE”


Faculty of Letters and Humanities (M34) 6th Sem., 2019/2020
English Department, Beni Mellal Pr. Khalid Chaouch

“THEATRE”
Special handouts (Part IV)

The Opening scenes:


(These can also be referred to as the Exposition.)
Obstacles and Complications:
(These can also be referred to as the Rising Action.)
- … Other elements of the Rising Action
Some of the important events of Act V scene1
On Structure and Plot
Featured dialogues in this scene are mainly between the First Clown and the Second Clown; Hamlet and
Horatio; Hamlet and the First Clown; and Hamlet, Laertes, King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude…
Dramatic Irony
On Theatrical Elements
On some themes
On Form and Style
…...

Some of the important events of Act V scene 2 (the last scene of the play)

On Plot and structure: Just before the climax


In Greek and classical tragedies, the tragic hero’s death is brought about by a tragic flaw,
the main one being rashness. The latter term is strangely used and repeated at the beginning of this
scene as a foreshadowing of Hamlet’s coming death, a death which certainly brought about by
himself: When Hamlet is telling Horatio how he discovered the plot orchestrated by King Claudius
to kill him by using Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he says that ‘rashness’ is sometimes to be
praised because it helps one to know how one’s is life is supposed to be ended. (Act V scene 2,

lines 06-11)
Using his father’s signet, which is the equivalent of the modern stamp, Hamlet re-wrote the
Commission which was supposed to put him to death once received by the English King, and
changed it so that the ones to be killed are Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, not Hamlet.
At the structural level, this technique of raising tension at the pre-climactic phase is known
as coups and counter-coups. King Claudius’ coup, to plot to have Hamlet killed in England, is
countered by Hamlet’s counter-coup mentioned above.
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Also, at this phase of the play’s structure, the playwright reminds the audience with the
most important elements of the agon, that is the most important objects of the conflict: Reasons of
Hamlet’s revenge are enumerated once again by Hamlet when Horatio exclaims: “Why, what a
king is this!” Hamlet’s reasons to kill Claudius are vehemently reiterated in this excerpt: Act V

scene 2, lines 65-71.

Form at the service of structure and meaning


After Hamlet’s scene/dialogue with Horatio, Osric, a courtier, is introduced to report on
the King’s orchestration of the dual to be held between Hamlet and Laertes. As the matter is more
comic and sarcastic on the part of Hamlet, the dialogue is featured in prose rather than in
(blank) verse. Another reason for the sue of this form is the subject of the dialogue itself, which is
more on the detailed dispositions and preparations for the dual orchestrated by the king between
Hamlet and Laertes. The sarcastic and comic insinuations and innuendos used by Hamlet can, at
the same time, stand for Shakespeare’s indirect criticism to some courtiers at the time. Hamlet’s
words and metaphors are extremely funny, though they are in the context of a pre-climactic phase,
after which he will lose his own life. Prince Hamlet considers the king’s envoy, Osric, as a “water-
fly” (a bad envoy!), a “beast”, a “chuff … but spacious in the art of dirt”, which means that he is a
rustic landowner, but he has a lot of money. The result for Hamlet is that, since King Claudius has
like these “beasts” as courtiers, he would certainly become a “lord of the beasts” ( Act V scene

2, lines 85-95).
Once this dialogue comes to an end and a confrontation is between Hamlet, the King and
his suit, and Laertes, the style reverts to Blank Verse.

Climax, also known as the face-to-face scene (or: the obligatory scene)
The last confrontation mentioned above is the beginning of the climax. In this face-to-face
scene, Hamlet proves to be a noble character a he asks Laertes for pardon, thus showing him that
his real his concern and fight is rather with the one who killed his father, married his mother, and
prevented him from rightly accessing the throne of his deceased father. King Claudius. Laertes
too shows his gallant character. Though he expresses his love to Hamlet and his reception of the
love offer and the apologies presented to him by Hamlet, he insists on the dual as the only means
to prove his honor, first, before indulging in any friendly relationship. (Act V scene 2, lines

172-200) Once again, Hamlet accepts the dual and the challenge to fight as a means to prove
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one’s honor, thus showing that his offer of pardon and friendship was not out of fear or cowardice,
but out of chivalry and gallantry.
This first climactic scene casts a shadow of tragic greatness on Hamlet as he proves to be
a gallant and brave character so that, once he is killed, the audience are driven to feel pity for him,
which is one f of the elements of tragedy.
A tragic climax
Just after this scene, both antagonists get into the fatal face-to-face scene with full drives
and incentives for revenge from both sides. This is one of the reasons why the dual is a longer one.
The scene is full of fatal injuries poisoned sword points, and poisoned drinks. Laertes discovers,
while fighting Hamlet, that Queen Gertrude dies of the poisoned drink and that it is “the King to
Blame” (Act V scene 2, lines 269-273). Just afterwards, Hamlet discovers that the “point” of

the sword “is envenomed (poisoned) too”; so “he hurts King Claudius” (Act V scene 2, line

274) so that the full resolving scene results in the death of Queen Gertrude, Laertes, King
Claudius, and Hamlet. But both Hamlet’s and Laertes’ discovery about King Claudius’
orchestrated murder comes too late. This technique is known in tragedy as ‘anagnorisis’, whereby
the tragic hero (Hamlet), discovers his real situation and the true nature of his antagonist
(Chaudius).

Elements of theatre: Action, properties, costume, etc.


The playwright certainly makes this fatal dual a longer one to bring more action and more
excitement to the events of the play in its final phase. This can be considered as one of the early
scenes in theatre, in which audiences witness a longer fight with swords. This is accompanied with
properties such as swords, poisoned drinks, dead corpses, etc. This presupposes, among other
things, the high gift, ability, and skills of the actors in the art of swordsmanship and fencing. The
scenes of fencing as a fatal resolution to romantic and honor duals have since become motifs
resorted to in many plays, novels, and films (at a later phase).

Denouement, also known as the resolution


The denouement begins with arrival of Fortinbras and the English Ambassador to
Denmark, who informs us that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Horatio is chosen by the
playwright, William Shakespeare, to tell the lessons to be drawn from such a bloody tragedy ( Act

V scene 2, lines 329-339). This choice has most probably to do with name of the historical
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Roman poet, Horace or Horatius (d. 8 BC), some of whose poetic works bear a moralizing touch
mixed to sarcasm.
Instead of elaborating on who is to reign over Denmark, the playwright’s focus is rather on
the tragic ending and on the tragic hero to be honored. The play ends with “a peal of ordnance
[being] shot off” in honor to Hamlet tragedy (Act V scene 2, last stage directions, p. 688),
which is the most adequate way to close a tragedy. Tragic heroes are only great after their tragic
death.

(To be continued…)

Next: M 34_Theatre, Part V


Elements to be further explored in the next document (Part V) are:

A general wrap-up assumption on the play:

- Plot and structure


- Characterization
- Themes
- Elements of theatre

Some mistakes to be avoided in essay writing, especially a dissertation on


theatre analysis.

Dr. Khalid Chaouch

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