EXPLAIN HOW SHAKESPEARE PRODUCES MEMORABLE DRAMATIC AND LINGUISTIC

EFFECTS IN THIS EXTRACT.

In this first scene of Hamlet, William Shakespeare employs several techniques ranging from pathetic fallacy
to metaphors and even stichomythia in order to not only create memorable dramatic and linguistic effects but also set
the tone for the rest of the play.
Dramatically speaking, Shakespeares setting of the scene creates a tense and uneasy atmosphere from its
opening. The scene is set clearly at night (Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco). Shakespeare
provides a brief and not entirely revealing stage direction in terms of setting, merely a gun platform on the
battlements of Elsinore Castle. The lack of elaboration may leave this scene open to some interpretation, but also
sets a tone of mystery to it -- the scene is isolated, devoid of life save for Bernardo and Francisco. It is cold (For this
relief much thanks, tis bitter cold) as well as dark and solitary. The audience feel a sense of pathetic fallacy from the
offset, with the setting clearly reflecting the guards moods (I am sick at heart). The fact that the guards cannot see
each other -- Bernardo and Francisco do not recognise each other at first, and Bernardo does not recognise Horatio
when he enters -- suggests that there is mist or fog on the scene to make things unclear, further extending the idea of
pathetic fallacy in the scene; perhaps further linking to the theme of deception that becomes a constant throughout
the rest of the play.
This sense of a dark, near-sinister mood is only further propagated by the use of stichomythia in the opening
lines of the scene:
BERNARDO: Whos there?
FRANCISCO: Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.
BERNARDO: Long live the king!
FRANCISCO: Bernardo?
BERNARDO: He.
FRANCISCO: You come most carefully upon your hour.
BERNARDO: Tis struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.
This short, rapid fire verbal exchange displays a sense of near-paranoia and fear in the conduct of the
guards, despite the fact that they are the guards who are protecting the castle (the idea that they are guarding it
suggests perhaps something is being kept out). Shakespeare uses their short sentences to emphasise to the
audience the tense atmosphere.
Upon Horatios entrance, the main subject of the scene -- the ghost that has been haunting the battlements
-- is introduced, with Horatios line What, has this thing appeard again to-night?. This reference is vague and the
audience must rely on Marcellus further description (Horatio says tis but our fantasy) to understand what is being
discussed. The guards discuss the ghost for several lines before it appears, building up the audiences sense of
anticipation and interest; the entrance of the ghost as it is being discussed itself seems supernatural and
uncomfortable, particularly when paired with the initially derisive Horatios fear and wonder at the sight. Of course,
the audiences interest only increases further when Barnardo says that it is In the same figure, like the king thats
dead.
Linguistically speaking, particularly following the initial entrance of the ghost in the scene, Shakespeare
creates several memorable moments. The use of military imagery in the dialogue throughout the scene serves to set
the tone of the rest of the play, which centres very much around violence and the theme of battle. When the ghost
first appears and Barnardo points out its likeness to the dead King Hamlet, Horatio replies: Such was the very
armour he had on / When he the ambitious Norway combated. The reference to his armour conotes a readiness for
battle even in death (which, in a way, the ghost has, as it later spurs on Hamlet to avenge it) and serves as a kind of
forewarning of aggression. The military imagery was preluded by a more subliminal reference, when Marcellus urges
Horatio ...let us once again assail your ears / That are so fortified against our story.
Another memorable reference lies in Horatios explanation of the ghosts appearance in the form of
comparison to the fall of Julius Caesar.
HORATIO: A mote it is to trouble the minds eye.
In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,

The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead

Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets;
Here, Horatio describes the fall of Caesar (a little ere the mightiest Julius fell) as triggering the rising of the
dead. The words squeak and gibber connote a senselessness to them, but compares them to rats or mice;
something to be disgusted at and almost feared. This reveals the animosity with which the men view the ghost at this
point in the scene.