Hamlet Rhetorical Analysis

A Puppeteer of Emotions
In spite of the fact that the plot evokes the implication that it occurred between the close of 16th century and the start of the 17th century, Shakespeare’s Hamlet surpasses the constraints of time and muses upon both the primitive and contemporary man. In the late 16th century in England, people of all classes on the social echelon, with the exception of royals, were able to publicly eyewitness theatre. Audiences craved new plays to assuage their appetites. One of numerous dramatists that capitalized this abundance of opportunity was Shakespeare. Opposed to the modern time, audiences spectated the play to hear it rather than see it. The articulation of the lines and significance of how the story was recited was crucial
Throughout the course of the play, Claudius is manipulating the royal court and Hamlet. Immediately following his murder of the late king of Denmark, he cons the royal court into believing that the passing of the late king caused him much grief. However, Claudius exhibits no contrition for murdering the king because of “fruits” he had gained from it: “[his] crown, [his] own ambition, and [his queen]” (III.iii.59). He has no intention of handing over the “fruits” of his crime, that he is well past any chance of redemption. Claudius is unwilling to surrender everything he has gained from his crime because it was those ambitions that drove him to commit the murder in the first place. Claudius maintains his power by acting in favor of the people’s anticipations. Even after he had already wed Gertrude, Claudius confessed his sorrow for the late king and how he was overcoming his sorrowed heart to the royal court to be strong for the kingdom (I.ii.10-12). Claudius hastily shifts from the sadness over the late king and merriment of marriage to his future proposals and allegiance to Denmark (I.ii.17-38). In addition, Claudius also requests permission from Laertes father, Polonius, to authorize Laertes to go to France, as opposed to authorizing Laertes himself (I.ii.59-65). This generates favor from the people
Promptly after the players enter the scene, Hamlet refers to them in high regard as “masters” (II.ii.445) and “good friends” (II.ii.446). Hamlet reckons the players to be “masters” because reveres their capacity to orchestrate the emotions of their audience. A player’s inherent purpose is satisfy the audience. To satisfy the audience, players must emulate the sincerity exhibited by that of a real person, in order to sucker the audience into believing that they have embodied the characters they are meant to play. Hamlet not only esteems their talents in high regard, but also view them as “good friends”. This suggests that Hamlet is extremely proficient in the art of deceiving people. Hamlet deems the players as adepts of deception, hence, employing their skills to trick Claudius into unveiling his true nature. While the player recites an excerpt from Aeneid, Hamlet is captivated and envious of the player’s capacity to , “in a dream of passion... / force his soul so to his own conceit” (II.ii.579-580) and “drown the stage with tears” (II.ii.589). The player’s capacity to appear emotional prompts Hamlet to chastise himself about tying emotion into his schemes of vengeance. However, in actuality, the player is merely playing a part and feigning the emotions to trigger the