Deciet and Acting in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Revenger’s Tragedy Essay Example
Deciet and Acting in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Revenger’s Tragedy Essay Example

Deciet and Acting in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The Revenger’s Tragedy Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1314 words)
  • Published: February 2, 2018
  • Type: Analysis
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It could be argued that most characters in both texts contribute to deceiving others at some point, resulting in a dramatic irony that connects with the audience and introduces humor to an otherwise serious storyline.

Although both Hamlet and Revenge rely on acting and deceit, their effects on the plot differ. In Revenge, deception is used to progress the ambitions of characters and accelerate the tragic finale. This aligns with the expectations of an Elizabethan audience, who preferred the typical male attitude of Vince over Hamlet's intelligent and philosophical character. However, Hamlet's uniqueness evokes pathos in modern audiences. Despite the differences in their use of deception, both plays create dramatic irony and comedic effect that lighten the atmosphere of the theatre and evoke uncertainty in viewers. For both Elizabethan Revenge Tragedies, acting and

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deceit were imperative for characters to feign an alternate persona and escape the consequences of their revenge plans.

Hamlet displays feigned insanity to trick the king and others. As a result, his murder of Polonius, which would have resulted in capital punishment in ancient England, only leads to his banishment to England. However, he would have passed this incident unscathed if not for Claudius' letter, which had nothing to do with the murder of Polonius.

The deliberate pause in sending him away must appear, with justification.

The concept of madness being a physical illness is illustrated in "Diseases desperate grown" through the reference to the 16th-century belief of the four senses of humor. This theory portrays Hamlet's condition as a disruption in the four bodily senses, freeing him from responsibility for any events that occurred during his state o

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madness, and preventing Claudia from accusing him. Hamlet's feigned madness cunningly absolves him of accountability for his actions by tricking others into perceiving him as mentally incompetent, enabling him to carry out his vendetta plan without detection.

According to Scott McMillan, Eventide's plan for revenge involves utilizing a second persona and employing actions and deception to shift the blame for character deaths. The play personifies Weaning and incorporates a costumed actor in the form of the skull, which Vindictive uses to carry out its vengeance and absolve itself of guilt for the murder.

Aligned justify, the text states that the writer uses an apostrophe, addressing the skull and telling it to "Hide thy face now, for shame, thou Hades need have a mask now;" He goes on to say that "Its vain when beauty flows, but when it fleets,] This would become graves better than the streets". The use of the emotive phrase "for shame" disrupts the rhymed iambic pentameter, demonstrating Eventide's apparent disgust towards the skull. Furthermore, the emphasis on "now" highlights the Duke's impending death. This fact reinforces Vindictive's belief that it is Gloria who is taking revenge and not him since he is conveying his message to the skull.

The use of Plato as an alternative persona by Vindictive helps him to eliminate any lingering guilt he feels for the death of the Duke. Vindictive claims that Plato is "full mad; he shall not live", which is reminiscent of Hamlet's feigned madness. The phrase "full mad" indicates that Vindictive has separated Plato's persona from his own and is blaming the "mad" aspect of his character, i.e., Plato, for the Duke's death,

effectively absolving himself of any sense of responsibility.

In Revenges, Vindictive has a dual role while Hamlet's philosophical ideas make him less predictable and therefore more feared by the Elizabethan Revenge audiences. On the other hand, Eventide's character is one-dimensional in comparison. Vindictive's madness is transferred from his character to a physical being that can be seen on stage, which is less unsettling for the audience compared to Hamlet's deceitful and ambiguous nature.

In addition to Hamlet's display of madness, he utilizes "Doubling and antithetical phrases" (Frank Corrode) to confuse the less intelligent characters around him. This allows him to hide his true meaning. For example, when he says, "(Hamlet) For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog,] being a good kissing carrion-?have you a daughter? /(Polonium) I have, my lord. (Hamlet) Let her not walk in the sun", he is metaphorically referring to the corruption of the king as "the sun". He warns Polonium to keep Aphelia away from the king. However, the pun also suggests that Hamlet is advising Aphelia to stay away from him, reinforcing his feigned madness to distance her from harm. The pun creates ambiguity and renders Hamlet's warning useless to Polonium's less intelligent character who is unable to understand the complex meaning behind Hamlet's seemingly deluded statement. (Hooper, T)

According to Hooper, the comment discredits Claudia's claim and reveals Classis's hidden motives. The use of "kin" implies family ties, while "kind" implies that Claudia's immorality makes him less than human, negating the previous statement. West argues that Hamlet himself is a play on words, serving as an "amulet" to counteract Claudia's poison. This interpretation of Hamlet's language

suggests that his fate was intertwined with avenging his father's death by deceiving Claudia.

The notion is paradoxical. Shakespeare penned Hamlet with the intention of Richard Barrage, the first actor to portray 'Hamlet,' assuming the role. The similarities between Barrage and Hamlet, such as the passing of their fathers and their family enterprises, hint towards Burgee being destined to avenge his father and embody the persona of Hamlet. This intensifies the play's themes of fate and destiny and highlights the layers of deception and acting present in Revenge tragedies that may not be immediately apparent.

Eventide's satirical understanding of being in a play is humorously paired with the Players in Hamlet, enhancing the comical aspect of the otherwise sorrowful production. As Nard explains, "The play is double by nature...since it creates a context in which actions can be simultaneously real and unreal, serious and not" (188). The players' irony in revealing the true feelings of characters who pretend to be something they're not leads to the play's tragic end, ultimately determining the destiny of the entire court.

In the play, "Light, light, light!" by Polonium, his personality is portrayed as that of a messenger. However, when faced with stress, he mimics others' words and presents them arrogantly as his own, indicating his lack of intellect. This behavior makes him similar to the Players in Hamlet.

The recent murder is given a comedic twist through the use of apostrophe and personification of thunder, which suggests that Vindictive knows that they are being watched. The use of theatrical jargon such as "Dost knows thy cue" reinforces the paradoxical relationship between the characters and their awareness of being in

a play, with "thou big-voiced crier" mocking the audience. The doubling line "When thunderclaps, heaven likes the tragedy" is open to interpretation, referencing either God and presenting heaven as an omnipresent, omnipotent force like in a theater, or "claps" signifying the involvement of the audience as characters in the play.

The creation of Revenge tragedies relies heavily on the use of acting and deceit. Audience members can attain a state of suspended disbelief, similar to Hamlet's characters watching Revenges, allowing them to forget they are observers. Through the intricate structure of roles and relationships, the subconscious motives of each deceptive character are exposed, leading each play towards its inevitable conclusion.

By utilizing asides to convey dramatic irony, the play achieves a comedic effect which eases the otherwise somber mood. Sir Herbert Tree once said, "If the quality of humor is important to comedy, it is more so in tragedy, whether in life or theatre," and this is no exception. Additionally, the use of asides allowed the audience of that time, living in a period of religious instability and oppressive rule, to have a pleasurable experience.

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