Open Prompt: October 29th

1975 Also. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do not give a plot summary.

The playwright Hamlet focuses on the central conflict between the protagonist Hamlet and his desire to kill his uncle, King Cladius, for betraying his father to claim the thrown. To show the audience the struggles that Hamlet faces, this play uses techniques such as blank verse, soliloquies, and foils to guide the audiences responses to characters and actions of the play. 

The playwright uses blank verse to add emphasis on the emotions of the characters. This technique gives the audience a sense of what the character is feeling as he speaks and how strongly he or she may feel about what is going in the play. For example, lines 33-68 in Act 4 scene 4 form a blank verse as a part of a monologue spoken by Hamlet that adds emphasis on how he is feeling. He compares the bravery of the soldiers to that of his conscience of killing King Cladius. Hamlet is trying to help himself understand that bravery is found behind the principal of one's action, and not in the manner in which it is performed. Thus, the audience is able to interpret that Hamlet is not killing out of honor, but rather out of the love that he has for his father. 

The soliloquies Hamlet gives during briefs moments of the play gives insight to the audience about what Hamlet's motives are, and how the audience can relate to the complexity of emotions he feels. For example, when Hamlet states "Oh what a rogue Peasant Slave Am I" ( Act 2 Scene 2) ,he discusses how nervous he is to kill King Cladius yet how badly his desire is growing to kill him. Thus, the audience understands Hamlet's selfishness and anger. 

The character Fortinbras foils Hamlet to allow the audience to understand why Hamlet acts the way he does. Fortinbras has many similarities to Hamlet such as he is also a son of a deceased king whose uncle has taken over the thrown and he also seeks avenge death of his father. However, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle, King Cladius, purely out of hatred as Fortinbras seeks avenge out of honor and dignity for his country of Norway. These two contrasting motives to kill are shown in action when king Cladius is praying and Hamlet does not kill him because he believes the act of personal vengeance will send King Cladius to heaven as Fortinbras is not considering these morals when he kills his uncle. Thus, showing the audience that Hamlet has morals and a strong faith in his religion. 

This playwright uses these techniques to show the complexity that the Hamlet feels before killing his uncle, King Cladius, and how the audience is to respond to these actions of the play.