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Post by ETypeRegymon on Mar 13, 2016 14:01:03 GMT
Osric is pretty weird to me. He was included to bring the duel invitation from Laertes and Claudius to Hamlet, which is fine, but then they throw a bunch of commentary about nobles at that time (represented by Osric) right before the final battle. Hamlet's about to walk into his death here, do they have time to jab at nobles and at how they're just rich jerks that use big words with little meaning, and are only able to stick around because they have money? I guess it's fitting on the stage since all social cluncooles would watch this scene of nobles getting criticized, and they wouldn't be able to avoid watching it since this is done in the middle of a play, but I don't think the story would change if this scene was replaced with just a messenger giving Hamlet the duel invitation. Kind of breaks the flow of the scene here, since right now, they should be wondering how the play ends (uncooluming they didn't read the title). Is there any other reason for Osric being in the story?
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Post by Jonathan on Mar 13, 2016 14:42:08 GMT
I think Shakespeare has the same purpose just like the author who wrote "Utopia". The author who wrote Utopia was criticizing England during the time that was filled with corruption and talked about the ideal world England should be. Maybe Shakespeare felt the same with the author of "Utopia". He felt the need to criticize the society and decided to put a part of with Osric. I can't really think of another reason why Shakespeare would have added that.
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Post by christopher on Mar 20, 2016 9:43:35 GMT
I don't really know. It is pretty random, considering it's the end of the story and suddenly a new character pops out of no where. It might be possible that Osric is there to maybe highlight Hamlet's character? Or he could be there to set off the resolution stage of the final scene. Also, as Jonathan said, Shakespeare might have put Osric to criticize the society. Other than that, it is hard to think of why would Shakespeare put Osric in that scene.
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Post by mayurika98 on Mar 22, 2016 13:33:00 GMT
Shakespeare needed someone to deliver the challenge, to explain the complicated wager, and also to handle the foils and to act as referee. In Act 5 Hamlet claims to have made a hit and calls for "Judgment" when Laertes says, "No." Osric declares: "A hit, a very palpable hit." Once Shakespeare invented Osric to serve his practical needs, he also made him an amusing character who seems like a real person rather than a mere walk-on factotum or gofer. Osric is such an ineffectual dandy that he is unable to separate Hamlet and Laertes when Claudius calls, "Part them. They are incensed." Osric is probably afraid to get between them. He is kind of an outer person to possibly reduce the tension.
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