Topic > A study in the use of theatrical language as illustrated in Hamlet

Shakespeare uses language to create a dramatic impact on the audience. He does this through the use of lexicon to set a tone for that scene and foreshadow the mood for the rest of the play. Once again, Shakespeare varies the sentence length and amount of speech each character has based on the feelings experienced within this scene. Finally, the use of flattery and religious vocabulary helps to instill Claudius' views in the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The use of dark and gloomy vocabulary when Hamlet speaks dramatically creates an image of the scene in the audience's mind. The use of phrases such as "ink cloak" and "solemn black" creates the idea of ​​sadness as the use of colors helps portray a clear image, having a dramatic impact on the audience as this could alter their opinions on the characters and Gertrude's marriage. Not only does this foreshadow the tone of the rest of the play, but the dark language also introduces the idea of ​​secrecy and evil within the court, as darkness can hide secrets. Strong language would have a dramatic impact on the audience until they agree. Hamlet criticizes the queen for not mourning her late husband longer. The asynthetic list of three "forms, moods, forms of grief" emphasizes Hamlet's passionate feelings as he notes that all his outward expressions of grief do not compare to how he feels internally. The use of the list highlights these feelings because it is a repeated description of them. Once again, Claudio acknowledges that “the clouds still hang” over him. By metaphorically linking Hamlet's feelings to the elements, this once again highlights his extreme sadness, while also showing that his grief is almost uncontrollable; similar to time. This could also foreshadow the destructive behavior that will follow, similar to the aftermath of a thunderstorm. Once again this has a dramatic impact on the audience as it creates a dark atmosphere in the space they are viewing and in their minds, due to the image of bad, gloomy weather. Shakespeare uses flattery to protect Hamlet and thus allow the audience to form an opinion of Claudius. In response to Hamlet's sadness Claudius replies “it is sweet and praiseworthy in your nature”. Juxtaposing the flattering words with Hamlet's mourning, this comes across as very insensitive and condescending as Claudius clearly lacks empathy for Hamlet. This would have an impact on the audience as it allows them to begin to form an opinion about Claudius. The flattery is reiterated when Claudius calls Hamlet his “son”, but this highlights the incestuous marriage between Gertrude and the King and therefore the word has a double connotation with it. The religious vocabulary present in this passage also highlights Claudius' position in the social hierarchy, once again allowing the audience to form their own opinion of the king. “It is heaven's fault” emphasizes this as Claudius points out that Hamlet is insulting the Divine Order, linking to the divine right of kings which would have been very significant during the Jacobean era. This places Hamlet as inferior to Claudius, having a dramatic impact on the audience as this suggests that Claudius is very passionate about being king and believes in this theory and would therefore do anything to keep his title, i.e. kill his son. The different sentence lengths help show the social positioning of the characters in the scene at this time. The fact that Claudius has the longest speech of all shows his power over Hamlet and Gertrude. The wife continues by answering his long question.