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Dramatic Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Poison:
In Act 5, Scene 2, there is a violent altercation between Laertes and Hamlet. The final events of the play take place as the other characters gather to spectate, and these moments contain dramatic irony.
As is the case with many of the scenes in which groups of characters are present, the question of what information is known by whom becomes very relevant. In this case, the secrets kept have deadly consequences. Ultimately, it is a scene of great violence, and nearly everyone present dies. But before the characters gather, the audience watches as the King poisons the cup with the intention of killing Hamlet. What's more, Laertes has already vowed to enhance his odds in the duel by poisoning the tip of his sword, saying "I'll touch my point / With his contagion, that if I gall him slightly / It may be death." Because of this information, the play's final scene is rife with dramatic irony, as the audience knows important details that not all of the characters are aware of.
This use of dramatic irony makes the audience feel powerless as they watch the various characters unknowingly stumble into their own deaths. The senselessness of the violence is exacerbated by the fact that the audience can anticipate it. This is at its most extreme when the Queen accidentally poisons herself:
Queen: He’s fat and scant of breath.—Here, Hamlet, take my napkin; rub thy
brows. The Queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.Hamlet: Good madam.
King: Gertrude, do not drink.
Queen: I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me.
The audience and the King know that the Queen’s death is imminent even before the Queen herself knows it. This instance of dramatic irony thus ratchets up the sense of suspense and anticipation, as the audience helplessly watches the Queen walk into a trap.
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