At the start of Act 3 Scene 2 Hamlet seems to be aware of the importance of the player’s performance and instructs them not to over do the performance. He tells them not to be larger than life as this will cause the audience within the play and the Elizabethan to start laughing and this is important because they are the ones Hamlet is trying to get his point across to. Now this overdone, or come tardy off, though it makes the unskillful laugh, cannot make the judicious grieve, the censure of the which one must in your allowance o’erweigh a whole theatre of others. ” He also instruct them not to under act the play as this will not cause a stir in the audience and this is one of the main objectives of the play for Hamlet.
This is quoted in length in the following quote: “Please speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue; but if your mouth it as many of the your players do, I had a life the town-crier spoke my line”, Here Hamlet is telling the players not to over do the lines and in the following lines tells them to do everything with restraint. He also tells them to have self-control with the passion they insert to the play as this will help them because then they can become more fluent with their lines.
He also tells them if they do over-do their performance he rather the town-crier spoke his lines! Hamlets image is changing as the play is going on as he becomes very physical particularly the way he gets Horatio to monitor the kings reaction to the poem. He comes across as a friendly character to Horatio, this is the result of a close friendship and strong trust they share for each other as if word got out of this plot against the king, Horatio would be the one taking the blame for Hamlet’s master plan.
Hamlet cleverly flatters Horatio, this is shown in the following quote: “Horatio, thou art e’en as just a man as e’er mt conversation withal”. Horatio then says: “Oh my dear lord”, Hamlet realizes that he has flattered Horatio but subsequently denies it to Horatio and praises Horatio with a neat compliment: “Nay, do not think that I hope to flatter, for what advancement may I hope from thee to feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flattered? “And could of men distinguish her election, Hath sealed thee for herself; for thou hast been As one, in sff’ring all, that suffers nothing” This defines the amount of respect that Hamlet has for Horatio and in a way Horatio is like his brother.. This mainly shows Hamlet’s trust in his ‘brother’ Horatio. Hamlet says that Horatio is always trying to be himself and is not a slave to his emotions.
Hamlet praises Horatio’s self-control and temper saying they are so well balanced. A man that fortune’s buffets and rewards hast ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those whose blood and judgment are so well co-mingled that they are not a pipe for fortune’s finger to found what stop she please. ” The audience within the play and the Elizabethan audience may not have picked up on the Hamlet’s craftiness and cunningness. Whereas the modern audience who are blessed with the broader knowledge of the play will pick up on the shrewdness on Hamlet’s part as the play progresses at the start.
