Music and the Leit Motif in Hamlet

Music and the Leit Motif in Hamlet

Throughout William Shakespeare's Hamlet, many leit motifs were seen. If

the definition of a allegorical symbol was used for the concept of a leit

motif, music was a leit motif in Hamlet. Music was repetitively brought

up, in the play, and was also used by Shakespeare as a means of portraying

the concept of being played upon. The flute was used to illustrate how

Hamlet and Claudius played upon others and each other. Ophelia and other

characters sang while they were mad, or dealing with mad characters.

The use of music in Hamlet tied in with the concepts of Apolonian verse

Dionysian, spying and lying, madness, poetry verse prose, and the burden

of revenge on a thinking man.

Possibly the most obvious case of music being used as a lead in for the

idea of one playing upon another was seen in Act 4 Sc. 1, on lines 25-38.

At this point in the play, Hamlet was confronted by Guildenstern, as

Guildenstern made an attempt to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet countered

Guildenstern's inquiry when he questioned him as to if he could not play a

pipe, how could Guildenstern expect to play Hamlet, when he stated "You

would play upon me…do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?

Call me what instrument you will, you cannot play upon me." (Act 3. Sc. 2.

Ln. 394-402). Hamlet then likened flute playing to lying, when he stated

that "It is as easy as lying." (Act 3. Sc. 2 Ln. 387) Though Guildenstern

attempted to play upon Hamlet, it was a futile attempt, as even Guildenstern

admitted that he did "not have the skill" (Act 3. Sc. 2. Ln. 392) to play

upon Hamlet.

If being played upon was linked to music through the previously

mentioned scene, three other major instances of characters were seen were

one character played upon another. The first of these cases, were Hamlet

put on the play to trick Claudius, was also in Act 3 Scene 2. Hamlet put

on the play to prove to himself that the ghost's words were true and that

Claudius did indeed kill his father. Claudius was successfully played upon

when he stormed out of the play at the exact point where the player king was

brought back to life. The play tied the leit