A Level English literature Hamlet Theme Appearance and reality Flashcards
State the five headings under appearance and reality
- In hamlet appearances can be deceptive
- The audience are reminded that they’re watching a play
- The audience is watching hamlet watch the king watch a play
4 hamlet is worried everybody is keeping up fake appearances
Hamlet doesn’t know who to trust
State point 1 under heading 1
Hamlet values truth and spends most of the play searching for it - in his search he’s consistently frustrated by the inconsistencies between appearance and reality
State point II under heading one
To try and understand their uncertain reality many of the characters in Hamlet want visual proof of things
Horatio has a rational approach to the truth saying “ I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes”
State point iii under heading one
This preoccupation with seeing things makes a lack of sight even more disconcerting
State point IV under heading one
The play opens with anxiety caused by the darkness when asked is Horatio there ? Horatio. Answers “ a piece of him”
This suggests there is so little visibility that Bernardo and Marcellus who are employed to “ watch” can only just make out his hand ( act 1 scene 1)
State heading two
The audience are reminded that they’re watching a play
State point I under heading two
References to the stage highlight the blurred line between drama and life and appearance and reality
Sometimes the audience are separate observers and sometimes they’re addressed directly as if the characters know they are there
State point ii under heading two
Hamlet uses metaphorical language to describe the earth and heavens as a theatre
He even refers to the globe theatre where Shakespeareperes company performed
The play is self. Onscious,y theatrical and this opens the space of the theatre out into the world
State point iii under heading two
The line “ look you this brave oerhanging firmament this majestically roof fretted with golden fire” may refer to the roof of the globe which was decorated with stars and planets ( act 2 scene 2)
State point IV under heading two
Hamlet says that “ memory holds a seat in this distracted globe “
This has a triple reading of the “ globe “ as the earth as a reference to the audience at the globe theatre or the globe as hamlets own head full of distracted thoughts and memories ( act 1 scene 5)
State point v under heading two
These reminders mean that the audience is constantly aware that they’re watching a performance
State heading three
The audience is watching hamlet watch the king watch a play
State point I under heading three
Hamlet is full of scenes where characters are watching / spying on each other
The fact that the audience are watching from afar adds another level of observation
State point ii under heading three
This complicates the way the audience watches the play because they’re caught up in a network of people looking at each other
Shakespeares audience in the globe would have been physically close to the stage so the separation of the audience and actors was less obvious than its modern theatres
State point iii under heading three
Sight is also described as a way to control or catch another person
