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Hamlet Life Vs Life Imitates Life Essay

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Throughout history, life and art are frequently tied together, which in turn raises the question of whether art imitates life, or life imitates art. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, that question is answered directly through the play-within-a-play with the instructions to the players, and the play itself.
In Act 3 scene 2 Hamlet gives certain instructions to the players regarding to the play. These instructions have often been interpreted as a hidden way for Shakespeare to explain how he expects plays to be performed in life. When Hamlet says “And let those that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for them;” to the players, he makes it very clear that improvisation is not allowed. In the same scene, Hamlet makes comments about the speaking

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