Words: 1898
He uses the appearance of these characters to appeal to the audience in different ways, The response would definitely vary trot groundings, the audience members that pay very little tort their tickets and stand beneath stage level, to the stands, higher caste people which occupy he higher stands with clearer view of the stage and therefore more expensive tickets. Firstly I would like to focus on the mood in these In Hamlet there is an atmosphere of tension from the politics afar.
We know there has been a war, one is happening or one is expected because the guards which feature in this first section of the play appear to be on red alert, saying things such as ‘Nay, Answer me, stand and unfold yourself in caution, they also seem to be keen to know what has happened during the previous watch. ‘Have you had a quiet guard? ‘ This enthrall the audience as they want to know What is occurring and ho or what they may be protecting as they have no idea of the set as so far other than what they can see on the stage.
The characters on the stage would be the only factor giving away the atmosphere. Another factor of this would be that the play has started in media rest; this makes a difference on the audience because of the sudden beginning making an immediate impact upon them. The ghosts appearance would emphasis this still. In Machete’s banquet scene however, we have the atmosphere of guilt and suspicion, the suspicion in this scene is clear when Macbeth says Which of you have done this? This would have been seen as very strange as an accusation from such a high status character in the play.
The entirety tooth event may even jeopardize his position as king through the troubles that he has caused himself why his tragic flaw o wanting to become king. These strong feelings are present because of the actions that Macbeth has taken through ‘vaulting ambition’. Such as the murder of the previous king, Duncan, and his The audience are aware of the position Macbeth is in also unlike Hamlet because this scene is halfway through the play and not right at the beginning like Hamlets scene.
Next, believe the setting and time bothers scenes to be of key importance also. Shakespearean theatre would have lacked the lighting and special effects we have today, these requirements would have been solely dependent on the actors and musician’s skill. The banqueting scene of Macbeth is set in an enclosed space in a castle; this may have made it easier to set out on a stage due to the Stage being inside as well. We know Machete’s scene is set inside because of the mention of being under the country’s roofing line 1.
There is a blatant difference in the setting then With the first scene Of Hamlet being set outside on pop of the battlements, we know this because of the speech that is exchanged between the guards on watch: ‘its bitter cold’. This therefore does make the setting very different to Macbeth whom is inside in a castle. Stage directions also make it obvious to us when reading the scripts ‘Licensor. A platform before the castle’ in Hamlet is where it is set accurately.
The weather can also add to this setting factor, by using pathetic fallacy, Shakespeare increases the suspension in the atmosphere of the theatre with constant mentions to the weather and darkness. The setting on Macbeth could throw the audience members of all sates because they would relate the supernatural to darker spirited places such as the setting of Hamlet where the ghost would almost be expected due to the speech exchanged between the guards on watch; ‘Has this thing aped again tonight? ‘ and ‘Thus Thus, ’twill not appear.
This last quotation could also be used to bedevil the audience once again. Being as this guard that says this is of higher status than the others on stage. The use of this higher status character in the scene is a point for recognition We know he is of higher status because of the differing reactions of the guards. When Barnyard says ‘Sit down awhile’ inch)en responds but when the higher status Hardhat says ‘Well, sit we down’ implying the same order, they sit down. The higher class audience would therefore gain more respect for Horopito and listen to his opinions Of the ghost.
The presence Of different members Of the cast on the appearance would hue also been cardinal to the audience, in Macbeth just Macbeth sees the ghost, leaving the Other members Of the cast in bemusement as to his behavior; ‘you look but upon a stool’. This differs in Hamlet. Every person sees the ghost and n attempt is made to make contact with it. I believe that consequently, the appearance of this ghost compared to Machete’s would be taken much more seriously and therefore more interest will be created by it.
Time is another device used to affect the audience also; believe both of these scenes to be set towards the later end of the day or early morning in Hamlet’s case. Lady Machete’s quote ‘At once, good night’ shows that it is indeed late evening as she almost send the lords to bed after Macbeth breaks down after seeing the ghost tot his good friend Banquet. The audience would relate he darkness of evening and early morning with a possible appearance of a supernatural being also. The appearance in Macbeth would, almost definitely create more off stir however, because of the lack of talk about such a thing previous to its appearance.
A modern audience would not react in the same surprise as an Elizabethan or Jacobean one because of the almost certainty of its appearance, a debate would be over to actually show the ghost as many directors may not wish to and it is their choice overall. The use of constant reminders to the audience that it is indeed night-time is key in Hamlet because f the lack of lighting in the time of original shoving& In the first act there are over 15 references to the light and cold, such as; ‘When yond same star that’s westward’ and ‘its bitter cold and am sick at heart’.
Pathetic fallacy is also in place in Hamlet as well as Macbeth, with the usage of the weather conditions, the cold and darkness, as an effect to link With the atmosphere and events happening on the stage at the time. The setting time and timing however are different elements of the effects. The sudden appearance without warning in Macbeth would come as great reprise across the audience.
In Hamlet however the constant reference to the possible appearance of a ghost would make the audience aware that it could indeed happen soon without warning and they are not so ill-prepared for such an occurrence. Believe that the emergence of the ghost in Macbeth is to maintain interest for the rest of the play whereas in Hamlet, the ghost grasps the audience’s attention from the start. The effect on the audience from the appearances of these ghosts may have a lasting effect on them for the rest of the play and therefore engage their attention for longer. Live that this would especially apply to the lower caste members of the audience as attention span of these people would not be very long due to the education of these people, for instance, the reference to Caesar would automatically make sense to the educated members of the audience However, the only likely way of the groundings knowing about Caesar would be from one Of Shakespearean previous plays. Description of the ghosts is fundamental to the audiences understanding fifth director chooses not to show IL When Horopito describes the ghost we can gain a clear image in our minds Of hat it may look like. Such was the armor he had on’ and ‘Looks it not like the king? ‘ We attain from this description that the ghost looks just like the dead king in his battle armor. This would create a formidable picture in the audience’s minds off powerful being that was once a king, therefore helping the play in keeping their attention for longer after receiving such a detailed description and wanting to find out more as soon as possible. Believe the use of iambic pentameter in Hamlet is a strong device to use because of it is used then not used depending upon what is happening on the stage.
For instance, it is used strongly throughout the act in Hamlet until the ghost appears, the higher class audience member would undoubtedly notice this and understand that something out tot the ordinary was occurring. We can hear rhythm in the following quotes; now struck twelve, get thee to bed Francisco’. Compared with during the presence of the ghost, ‘See, It stalks away and ‘Peace break thee off; look, where it comes again: When the device returns once again once the ghost has disappeared for the second time we know the panic has passed and everything Veil return to the tension of war in the air.
This is not strictly present in Macbeth but in some parts could be seen as so. There is certainly no stern pattern as there is in Hamlet. The ghost of Banquet is not the first appearance off supernatural being in Macbeth because eve do see the three witches which help Macbeth along his way Of vaulting ambition. Still the audience are unprepared for the appearance of a ghost, especially one which is still in the state that he was murdered in, a graphical description is given by Macbeth during the scene. Thy bones are narrowness, thy blood is cold’ and ‘which might papal the devil’.
The emphasis made on the words; Narrowness and cold would be important here as the more put upon them the more effect they would have on the audience. It is very easy to imagine from the script the strong ways in which an actor or actress could hiss or shout these words to engage the audience’s attention. This would have created once again a strong image with the audience and stuck with them also because of the reference to devil which to a religious audience at the time would have been a strong reason for concern. Shakespearean use of the ghost in these plays varies quite greatly.
Reactions, witnesses, and causes vary whilst environment, timing and setting remain roughly the same between them both. He has chosen to show the appearances in roughly the same time because if they were made during daylight they could cause questionably between higher caste audience members. The way in which the writer has used who witnesses the ghost as a feature is very clever because it reveals who, in the play will be the main or is the main focus for the rest of the performance. It also shows who will be affected by the ghost as the play continues.