Poisoning the Ear
A key moment in the staging of the scene is that in which the ghost re-enacts the method of his own murder.
"In the porches of my
ears"
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This powerful image, one which Hamlet periodically reminded the audience of later in the play by distractedly striking at his ear with one hand, grew in part out of the sense of the father/son relationship described above, and a concern for the rhythms of practical stagecraft.
John Ammerman: Rhythm and the march of time
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Take a look at the Ghost's speech again. Look specifically at the metre. Is the rhythm of the speech always regular? If you were playing the Ghost, are there moments in the speech where you would choose to highlight either regularites or irregularities in the text? What effect would you hope such choices might have in a performance? Look again at the clip of the entire exchange between Hamlet and the Ghost. MASTER CLIP How does John Ammerman -- the actor playing the Ghost -- work with/against the verse? How do the choices you would make contrast with his decisions? |
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At the same time, the mimed poisoning reinforces the sense of transition which is taking place here, the idea that Hamlet is being changed by this encounter, and that the crucial element of that change is language.
Andrew Hartley: Dangerous words, words, words
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In the Folio text of the play, there is what seems to be a misprint in Horatio's line, "These are but wild and whirling words, my Lord." Rather ironically, given the discussion above, Hamlet's language is envisioned as a kind of projectile:
Where else in the play is language spoken of as dangerous? Is anyone in the play immune to language's poisonous and overwhelming power? |
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