An Eye for an Ear

In his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare leads the reader to believe during the first four Acts that the objectionable judgment of the characters therein and resulting action are acceptable to the reader. However, in Act V, the world of Hamlet is turned upside-down, leaving the reader completely baffled. By closely examining Hamlet, it becomes apparent that Shakespeare uses repetitive images of the eyes and the ears as the source from which action stems. A lack of coordination between these two senses is largely responsible for the ensuing state of things in the first four Acts. In Act V, Shakespeare decides to shake things up and toy with the reader in a manner similar to his characters, by limiting the coordination of their two central faculties- sight and sound. In order for the reader to interpret the actions that take place in Hamlet, in its entirety, the reader must, “Set up a comparison between the eye and the ear as two faculties by which sense data are transmitted to the reason” (Anderson).

During the first four acts of Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that, “the exclusion of [either the eye or the ear] results in a truncation of the intellect and thus, in unwholesome judgment and action” (Anderson). Right from the onset of the play, in the very first two lines, there is a lack of sight among the two sentinels, Barnardo and Francisco. More specifically, Barnardo states, “Who’s there?” and Francisco replies, “Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.” (I.i.1-2). The lack of sight is illustrated perfectly to the reader as, “They are both guards who's duty is to identify the persons that they meet, yet here they come across each other[and can’t identify each other]” (Manafov). Shakespeare purposely delves into this imp...

... middle of paper ...

...se main action deals with the progress of this revenge, leading to the death of the murderers and often the death of the avenger himself" (Thorndike).

Works Cited

Anderson, Mary. “Hamlet: The Dialectic Between Eye and Ear.” Renaissance and Reformation. Vol. 4. N.p.: n.p., 1991. 299-311. Print. 26 vols.

Manafov, Elmar. "The Hamlet Enigma Part Two:." Rev. of Hamlet, by William

Shakespeare. The Hamlet Enigma. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat. Folger Shakespeare Library ed. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.

Venkova, Savina. “Theatrical Analysis: Hamlet, Shakespeare.” Rev. of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Helium. Helium Inc., 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

Thorndike, A.H. “The Relations of Hamlet to Contemporary Revenge Plays,” PMLA, XVII (1902), p. 176.