The Murder Of Gonzago Analysis

Many critics regard Shakespeare’s “plays within a play” revolutionary for his time. One of his more famous demonstrations of this was in his play Hamlet. At the beginning of the play Hamlet learns his father was killed by Claudius. In the beginning he does not know how to confront the situation, or if he can really trust his father’s ghost. He later settles on creating a play titled “The Murder of Gonzago”, in which Hamlet plans to affect Claudius’ mind and bring him face-to-face with what he has done. There have been numerous journals and articles analyzing and deciphering the overall importance The Murder of Gonzago played in Hamlet. The usage of the play within a play was vital to further the storyline of the play Hamlet. At the start

Upon its outcome hinges all subsequent action (Relogle 1). Many critics regard Hamlet’s play within a play The Murder of Gonzago the climatic turning point of the play. Days in advance of the play Hamlet prepares the actors so they will be well prepared, to make sure the play will be a great success. He advises them to "suit the action to the word, the word to the action" so that they would not "overstep the modesty of nature", for the aim of a play is to hold the mirror up to nature. He then proceeds to seek the assistance of Horatio, to whom he already told the secret of the ghost’s revelations, to watch the King to see how he reacts. The Murder of Gonzago begins with a dumb show, which closely resembles the crimes that Claudius committed, yet invokes no emotions from Claudius himself. Many critics believe he is too lost in his conversation with the Queen to notice, or Claudius notices but hopes it to be a very strange

Certainly one searches the critics in vain for a satisfactory explanation. To us this pantomime seems rather artificial and perhaps superfluous, of first thought” (Lawrence 8). Lawrence then goes on to further explain that the use of dumb-shows to give a more or less definite foretaste of the action to come were common during Shakespeare’s time. The use of this in connection to testing Claudius’s guilt would not have been as strange to a Globe Theatre audience as it is to people today. Readers today may not fully recognize what is happening in this scene, and how important it is to the rest of the play. It must be noted that before this play, Claudius had no suspicion that Hamlet knew what he has done. During the play when the scene is acted out demonstrating the poison being poured into Hamlet’s fathers ear, is where emotion is nearly shown by Claudius; but he quickly realizes he must not show emotion. As this would demonstrate his guilt. He figures that this is only a play, and plays are often written about crimes and criminals, and it is just unfortunate this is so close to a crime he committed. “After the dead body has been "carried away," the poisoner wooes the Queen "with gifts: she seems loath and unwilling awhile, but in the end accepts his love." Claudius breathes a sigh of relief. He did not have to woo Gertrude after her husband