Show How Shakespeare Uses the Ghost to Create a Mood to Appeal to Different Parts of the Audience in the Opening Scene of ‘Hamlet’ and the Banquet Scene of ‘Macbeth’
A clear similarity can be seen between; the opening scene of ‘Hamlet’ and the Banquet scene in ‘Macbeth’. They both contain the appearance of a supernatural being, in both cases, a ghost. He uses the appearance of these characters to appeal to the audience in different ways. The response would definitely vary from groundlings, the audience members that pay very little for their tickets and stand beneath stage level, to the stands, higher caste people which occupy the higher stands with clearer view of the stage and therefore more expensive tickets.
Firstly I would like to focus on the mood in these scenes. In Hamlet there is an atmosphere of tension from the politics of war. We know there has been a war, one is happening or one is expected because the guards which feature in this first section of the play appear to be on red alert, saying things such as ‘Nay, Answer me, stand and unfold yourself’ in caution, they also seem to be keen to know what has happened during the previous watch. ‘Have you had a quiet guard?’ This enthrals the audience as they want to know what is occurring and who or what they may be protecting as they have no idea of the set as so far other than what they can see on the stage. The characters on the stage would be the only factor giving away the atmosphere. Another factor of this would be that the play has started in media res; this makes a difference on the audience because of the sudden beginning making an immediate impact upon them. The ghost’s appearance would emphasise this still. In Macbeth’s banquet scene however, we have the atmosphere of guilt and suspicion, the suspicion in this scene is clear when Macbeth says ‘Which of you have done this?’ this would have been seen as very strange as an accusation from such a high status character in the play. The entirety of the event may even jeopardise his position as king through the troubles that he has caused himself by his tragic flaw o wanting to become king. These strong feelings are
Firstly I would like to focus on the mood in these scenes. In Hamlet there is an atmosphere of tension from the politics of war. We know there has been a war, one is happening or one is expected because the guards which feature in this first section of the play appear to be on red alert, saying things such as ‘Nay, Answer me, stand and unfold yourself’ in caution, they also seem to be keen to know what has happened during the previous watch. ‘Have you had a quiet guard?’ This enthrals the audience as they want to know what is occurring and who or what they may be protecting as they have no idea of the set as so far other than what they can see on the stage. The characters on the stage would be the only factor giving away the atmosphere. Another factor of this would be that the play has started in media res; this makes a difference on the audience because of the sudden beginning making an immediate impact upon them. The ghost’s appearance would emphasise this still. In Macbeth’s banquet scene however, we have the atmosphere of guilt and suspicion, the suspicion in this scene is clear when Macbeth says ‘Which of you have done this?’ this would have been seen as very strange as an accusation from such a high status character in the play. The entirety of the event may even jeopardise his position as king through the troubles that he has caused himself by his tragic flaw o wanting to become king. These strong feelings are