It frequently happens that a writer whose dialogue is good and who has enough dramatic situations finds himself unable to push ahead. He knows broadly what he wants a scene to be, but somehow cannot make his characters move freely and naturally in it. Above all, the minor transitional scenes prove strangely difficult to write. Of course a scene or act may be thus clogged because the writer is mentally fagged. If, when a writer certainly is not tired, or when, after rest, he cannot with two or three sustained attempts develop a scene, the difficulty is not far to seek. In real life do we surely find out about people at our first, second, or even third meeting? Only if the people are of the simplest and most self-revelatory kind. The difficulty in these clogged scenes usually is that the author is treating the situation as if it were not the creation of the people in it, and as if a skilful writer could force any group of people into any situation. As Mr. Galsworthy has pointed out, "character is situation."[9] The latter exists because someone is what he is and so has inner conflict, or clashes with another person, or with his environment. Change his character a little and the situation must change. Involve more people in it, and immediately their very presence, affecting the people originally in the scene, will change the situation. In the left-hand column of what follows, the Queen, though she has one speech, in no way affects the scene: the situation is treated for itself, and barely. In the right-hand column, the Queen becomes an individual whose presence affects the speeches of the King and Hamlet. Because she is what she is, Hamlet addresses to her some of the lines which in the first version he spoke to the King: result, a scene far more effective emotionally.
_King._ And now princely _King._ But now my Cosin Hamlet, Sonne Hamlet, and my sonne. What meanes these sad and melancholy moodes? _Ham._ A little more than kin, For your intent going to and lesse then kind. Wittenberg, Wee hold it most unmeet and _King._ How is it that the unconvenient, clowdes still hang on you.
Being the Joy and halfe heart _Ham._ Not so much my Lord, I am of your mother. too much in the sonne. Therefore let mee intreat you stay in Court, _Queene._ Good Hamlet cast thy All Denmarkes hope our coosin nighted colour off and dearest Soone And let thine eye looke like a friend on Denmarke, Doe not forever with thy vailed lids Seeke for thy noble Father in the dust, Thou know'st 'tis common all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternitie.