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uncertianty - Coggle Diagram
uncertianty
In Hamlet, shakespeare utilises uncertainty over character's motives the outcome of their actions to control the audience's responses to characters, and to manipulate the tone of the tragedy.
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Shakespeare also uses uncertainty in the context of Hamlet's madness to make the audience root for him
H's Madness is triggered by an uncertain source, and is a method through which shakespeare manipulates the audience's loyalties in hamlet's favour by exploring the uncertainty of the human condition
Alexander: the play does not offer any concrete awnsers about right and wrong, not because it is confused but because Hamlet is aware that more than one single set of answers exists. This is true, but while hamlet is aware that more than one set of answers exists, he is paralysed because the outcomes of these options are uncertain and could have unintended consequences
Hamlet is plauged by opposites in "to be or not to be" and "so I am revenged" and "this is not revenge". He is unable to reconsile his own desires to avenge with religion and the divine right of kings and the bible's teaching on suicide, because either option he chooses will have unintended consequences.
to kill C while praying would be a service "hire and salary", life after death for Hamlet may be worse than life
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No traveler returns, puzzles the will
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He searches for something "Nobeler in the mind", wants the best possible situation. This is a very human problem and draws the audience in.
Tragic hero context: is aware of the moral/grater implication of his actions. Not only does this make us root for hamlet, the audience directly identifies him as a hero.
The knowledge that many, equally bad alternatives exist makes him paralysed, and fall into madness and self reproches: "who calls me villain , breaks by pate across" no one but him, he imagines this outside judgement and believes it because he is crazy
Finally, Shakespeare uses uncertainty in the final scene to consolidate the tragedy and deprive the audience of any sense of chatharsis
Hamlet and laertes forgive each other, Hamlet breaks the cycle of revenge with "absent from felicity awhile" which creates catharsis
This is undermined by the entrance of Fortinbras, context succession anxiety. the audience does not trust this foreign royal coming in to take the throne as this is what they feared will happen in england
This seems to be dispelled when he starts restoring order to the court with imperatives that create a sense of certainty and finality. "take up the bodies" literally and figuratively cleaning up
Wilson night says: question of the relative morality of Hamlet and Claudius reflects the ultimate problem of this play.
This can be said to be true of the uncertainty over wether F of H is better, while H is melancholic and F is choleric, a contemmperaty audience would see him as more of a man and a better King, and although he has lost "two hundred....two thousand" men over an eggshell, this was done through the noble art of battle rather than the "casual slaughters" that pervade the danish court
this, rather than easing the audience's suspicion about F only hightens their uncertiany as although he may make a good king, perhapse a better king than H, he is not the right King, divine right of Kings.
Confirmed further when the previously comforting imperative of "Go bid the soldiers shoot" does not finish it;s line of meter and ends on the violent/active military imagery of shoot, jux the peaceful/passive "let it be"
this compleatly undermines any cathersis previously created by making the furute of denmark seem incredibly uncertian
We are uncertain of F's motives, as his father was killed by hamlet's father. Context of revenge killing and of F's choleric angery nature, "mettle hot"