Appearance and Trust Flashcards
Who’s {Barnardo}
‘Who’s there?’ 1.1.1
The exposition sets the tone for the rest of the play, creating a tense and suspicious atmosphere with the question expressing the mistrust felt in the state - it appears as if there are enemies lurking everywhere. The scene is set at night, an active decision for Shakespeare as it would have been hard to convey the darkness at the Globe. The nighttime setting indicates that something is wrong, and the actor’s would have carried torches or lanterns to indicate that it was dark - these props could be symbolic of searching for the truth, foreshadowing the revelation of the King’s betrayal. This first line might also echo the mystery an audience might feel towards the character of Hamlet, being an eponymous novel they would have wondered about who Hamlet is before the play, and this reflect’s the confusion surrounding Hamlet throughout the play, with who he appears to be, and who he is - he appears to be insane, but is he really? He appears to be a coward at time, but is he really a man of action?
Live {Barnardo}
‘Long live the King’ 1.1.3
It acts as a password, making the lack of trust surrounding the state clear from the offset, as if enemies are lurking everywhere. It appears that Denmark is in need of a true, honest ruler, and so is searching for a King. Ironically, this is just before the ghost of the dead kind arrives, foreshadowing the idea that Claudius isn’t the rightful king, despite what he appears to be, and that the state is full of wrong-doings and betrayal.
Bitter {Francisco}
‘For this relief much thanks. ‘Tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart’ 1.1.8
The plosives create a tense atmosphere, as if the state is under attack, and the pathetic fallacy hints at a potential conflict in the air, further indicating that ‘something is rotten in the state of Denmark’. Just as Francisco feels ‘sick at heart’, it appears as if everything and everyone is experiencing the corruption at the heart of Denmark, even it if doesn’t appear initially apparent. It seems that some kind of relief, perhaps the truth, is needed - this foreshadows the revelation of Claudius’ betrayal.
Cousin {Claudius}
Kin {Hamlet}
‘My cousin Hamlet, my son’ 1.2.64
‘A little more than kin, and less than kind’ 1.2.65
Hamlet rejects being called the King’s ‘son’, as if rejecting him being a King, indicating suspicion regarding his throne - this foreshadows the revelation of the King’s betrayal by indicating that not everything is as it seems, and that the King is hiding something beneath his attempt at portraying the perfect family. While his first line could be performed as a deliberate piece of rudeness, or confrontation, it is often delivered as an aside, highlighting Hamlet as an outsider, alone and away from the Court as if he can trust no one.
Inky {Hamlet}
‘Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” ‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, nor customary suits of solemn black’ 1.2.78
Hamlet emphasizes the truth in his mourning by implying that the Queen and King put on pretenses and feign their mourning - the lexical field of darkness emphasizes the truth of his grief, juxtaposing with his ‘cold mother’, claiming that she feels nothing, and that he’ll get no warmth from her and so she can’t be trusted. Hamlet signifies that his grief transcends appearances, as being real and neither a ‘cloak’ or a ‘suit’ - this indicates that the King and Queen are covering something up with their facade, and foreshadows the revelation of their betrayal. There is a subsequent list of four parallel items with ‘nor’, and this example of the rhetorical device of syndeton highlights the intensity of Hamlet’s mourning. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses the lexical choice of ‘seems’ and ‘seemingly’ to point out that many of the character’s can’t be trusted, with their appearance hiding their true nature.
Villain {Hamlet}
‘O villain, villain, smiling damned villain’ 1.5.106
The repetition emphasizes Hamlet’s shock at this revelation, enabling the audience to feel with Hamlet, and understand the implications. The assonance between the words highlights the juxtaposition between what someone appears to be at face value, ‘smiling’, and their true, evil nature, a ‘villain’.
Seeming {Ghost}
‘Seeming-virtuous Queen’ 1.5.46
‘Wicked wit and gifts’ 1.5.44
The ghost highlights the Queen’s deceptive qualities, by using sibilance to indicate her true nature as the opposite to virtuous: sinful. This may make Hamlet question everyone in his life, confused about who he can actually trust, and who he can’t, after his mother’s betrayal to his father through her remarriage and surrender to desire. The alliteration and plosive sounds express the harsh trickery from Claudius almost as an attack - this deception is destructive.
Harlot’s cheek {Claudius}
‘The harlot’s cheek beautied with plast’ring art is not more ugly to the thing that helps it than is my deed to my most painted word’ 3.1.50
The King’s remarks align his own deception, through lies and crafty language, with the use of cosmetics, to cover up something ugly - this reveals the true nature of his actions, with the aside demonstrating the sin haunting his guilty conscience, in comparison to his appearance as a morally good King. It appears as if in the Elizabethan era women are seen as fundamentally deceptive, and the King’s criticism of himself involves a metaphor that compares him to a misleading woman, even his self-loathing reflecting the lowly status of women in general.
Honest {Hamlet}
‘For the power of Beauty will sooner transform Honesty from what it is to a bawd’ 3.1.110
Hamlet uses male pronouns for ‘Honesty’, suggesting it is a male trait and therefore generalizing women as liars. By using abstract personification, a comparison can be made between the two qualities, and perhaps even the genders that each characteristic apparently embodies. Hamlet’s quest for the truth is indicated to be difficult against ‘Beauty’, otherwise symbolizing appearances, and perhaps women - this suggests that Gertrude and Ophelia are not to be trusted, simply because they are women, again highlighting the view of the Elizabethan era that women are deceptive.
Guilt {Hamlet}
‘Occulted guilt…unkennel in one speech’ 3.2.77
The King’s guilt in personified as an animal that emerges from its lair, or as something that overflows from the gutter - it underlines the hidden effects of the King’s actions beneath his appearance of a morally just King, and suggests that all deceptions are eventually revealed.
