What does imagery mean and how does it add to the impact of a play?

Question

What does imagery mean and how does it add to the impact of a play?

Answer 1

cool

Answer 2

One way imagery works is that it can provide insight into a character's mind. When Hamlet is considering 'to be or not to be', he poses the question by comparing it to taking arms against a sea of troubles:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them?

That sea of troubles is imagery, and it tells you a great deal about his mind: Can you really take arms against the sea? Hamlet may think he's fairly weighing his options but the imagery is pushing him in one direction--like, he's not going to do anything.

Another way imagery works is to provide a central image for the whole play: it organizes things. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "A Doll's House", for example.