Hamlet

in what ways is Scene I a contrast to Scene II from Hamlet by shakespeare

Act I in Scene I and Scene II

Hamlet by shakespeare

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I am going to guess you are refering to Act 1. First, scene 1 and two are a contrast of dark and light. As Hamlet says later in the play, "the counterfeit presentment of two brothers." As we are later to find out, this is one of the oldest biblical stories. A brother kills his brother. The one in the first scene is a ghost. A "thing" that appears in the night. "A figure like the king that is dead." Is it real? Or does it just appear in the imaginations of men; this usurper of the night. It does not speak and yet it's appearance "bodes some strange eruption to our state." Now contrast that brother's scene with the successor king in scene two. The stage is well lit both literally and figuratively. The new king is is putting on a grand staged production. He speaks words of reassurance and strength. The state is safe. He acts very kingly. He addresses large concerns and very small and personal concerns. He brushes the truculent Hamlet off with ease and departs the stage in a ceremonious flourish. Scene one is owned by the ghost. Scene two is owned by Claudius. As real as the new king "seems", the ghost isn't real at all. But as the play progresses the reality shifts. The ghost becomes real and Claudius as a king is all image. He is a murderer and a usurper.