The moment the idea of the play-scene presented itself to
the author's mind, it became absolutely unthinkable that he should, to
put it vulgarly, "queer the pitch" for the Players by showing us the
real facts of which their performance was to be the counterfeit
presentment. The dramatic effect of the incidents was incalculably
heightened when they were presented, as in a looking-glass, before the
guilty pair, with the eye of the avenger boring into their souls. And
have we not here, perhaps, a clue to one of the most frequent and
essential meanings of the word "dramatic"? May we not say that the
dramatic quality of an incident is proportionate to the variety[7] and
intensity of the emotions involved in it?
All this may appear too obvious to be worth setting forth at such
length. Very likely it never occurred to Shakespeare that it was
possible to open the play at an earlier point; so that he can hardly be
said to have exercised a deliberate choice in the matter. Nevertheless,
the very obviousness of the considerations involved makes this a good
example of the importance of discovering just the right point at which
to raise the curtain.
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