The Effects of Targeting the Audience in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

In the words of Harvey Fierstein, “What looks absolutely fabulous in rehearsal can fall flat in front of an audience. The audience dictates what you do or don't change”. Clearly, the success or failure of any work of art depends, almost entirely, on its ability to engage and connect with its audience. Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights in history, certainly understood this concept. He targeted his Elizabethan audience skillfully, drawing them in and manipulating the way they interpreted his works. This is evident in one of his renowned plays, Hamlet. Attempts to target the audience are evident throughout the play, but focusing on one speech can provide a greater appreciation for Shakespeare’s deliberate efforts. In act four, scene two, while explaining that Polonius is dead, Hamlet says:

Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A

certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at

him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We

fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat

ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your

lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes,

but to one table. That’s the end. (Shakespeare, 4.3.21-27)

In this speech, Shakespeare targeted his Elizabethan audience through allusions to the Great Chain of Being, which governed their society, with the intent of influencing the themes that his audience interpreted. Targeting the audience with that aspect of their lives had the effect of developing Hamlet’s underlying themes: the frailty of man, appearance versus reality, and the uncertainty of death.

In Hamlet’s speech, Shakespeare’s efforts to target his Elizabethan audience develop the theme of the frailty of man. Shakespeare conveys this underlying theme of the play by subt...

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...amining the masterpiece that is Hamlet, it becomes clear that Shakespeare was a successful playwright because he understood his audience and knew how to connect with them through his work. Even four hundred years after Shakespeare, this is still undeniably a crucial quality in anyone who is required to interact with an audience. Hence, much can be learned from Hamlet and from Shakespeare’s other works of art; the context of his plays may no longer resonate in today’s world, but the methods he used to engage and target the audience are timeless guidelines.

Works Cited

Fierstein, Harvey. BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.

Mularski, Jessica E. "The Divine Order - The Great Chain of Being." Shakespeare Fun Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Rev. ed. No Fear Shakespeare. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.