Shakespeare constructs Gertrude through the eyes of Hamlet, who sees her new relationship as one of lust, not strategy
Clare Gunns on gertrude
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the presence of Polonius indicates Claudius’ own mistrust of Gerturde
Clare Gunns on claudius and gertrude
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The idea of human existence is relevant forever
A.R Whybrow
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unbridled imagination shows ways of breaking through unbearable social restraints
Maurice Chaney
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6
the character’s madness disguises their true meaning
mack on madness
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Hamlet doesn’t seek revenge, he only wants to remember his father
Kerngan
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8
hamlet struggles to kill Claudius because he identifies with him too muc
ernest jones
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while Ophelia is objectified she is still central though this is only because she is eternally linked with hamlet- which is in itself further objectification
Lacan
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10
Hamlet is the mona lisa of literature
t.s eliot
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11
the play is a continuing pattern of revenge and death
alexander (18th century)
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12
death or a sinister ideal
Von Goethe on the ghost
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13
malign
proser on the ghost
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14
from the beginning, Hamlet is obsessed with suicide
paul carter
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15
hamlet is a play about death. or rather it is a play about the survival of the individual in the face of death, death is the picture, not the frame
fintan o’toole
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polonius trained his daughter to be obedient and chaste and is able to use her as a piece of bait for spying
rebecca smith
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revenge is wild justice
francis bacon
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18
hamlet is more of a thinker than a doer
coleridge
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19
instincts are towards undoing rather than doing
emma smith
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20
all duties seem holy for hamlet
von goethe on hamlet
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21
hamlet is a prince who finds himself an outcast in his own land
billington
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22
his whole mind is poisoned
a.c bradley
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23
hamlet’s failure to act is seen as femenine
catherine belsey on hamlet’s action
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24
modern audiences are suspicious of the use of violence and do not care for paternal loyalty
catherine belsey on the audience
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hamlet has morality without action, the king has action without morality
d.j snider
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26
we can imagine hamlet’s story without ophelia but ophelia literally has no story without hamlet
lee edwards
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27
claudius is merely a product of the barbaric era
wilson knight on claudius
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28
hamlet is rather an instrument than an agent
samuel johnson
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29
hamlet’s hesitation is right, the concept of blood revenge was the only thing
r.n watson
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hamlet alternates between lethargy and rage
gail kern pastor
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31
the nature of a tragedy is uncompensated suffering
david scott kastan
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32
piece of bait named ophelia
lacan
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indescribable charm
henry mackenzie (1780)
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hamlet is a figure of nihilism and death and has been poisoned by death
wilson knight on hamlet
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excellent diplomatist and king
wilson knight on claudius as a leader
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revenge…is an act of injustice on behalf of justice
catherine belsey on revenge and injustice
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revenge is always in excess of justice
catherine belsey on revenge
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38
soft, obedient, dependent, unimaginative women who is caught miserably
a.c bradley on ophelia
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39
romanticised symbol of fragility and madness
John Everrett Millais painting 1851
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40
protested against picture of ‘insipid little creature’
1914 anonymous actress
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in giving away her wild flowers…is symbolically deflowering herself
bridget lyons
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42
analytical knight
joe sutcliffe
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claudius is intelligent and well spoken…manipulative and dangerous
nicholas bonnet
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primarily a bitterly eloquent and princely avenger
john jump (early critic)
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truly suffering from a mental breakdown
henry levin
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46
women…two and only two choices: virgin and whore
kay stanton
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47
to possess her body is to possess the state
leonard tennenhouse
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48
many 19th and 20th century critics have neglected the political dimension of the play in favour of a personal one
thompson and taylor on critics
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49
feigned madness is a politically motivated in earlier iterations of the story
thompson and taylor on madness
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50
hamlets own misogyny remains an issue
thompson and taylor on hamlet
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51
part woman
Von Goethe on hamlet’s femininity
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52
ophelia complex - women, water and death
gaston bachelard
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critics and readers of hamlet have readily accepted hamlet’s view of Gertrude without question
carolyn heilbrun
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54
rosencrantz and guildenstern sacrifice the bond of human friendship
john french
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55
by examining horatio’s relationship with hamlet, we learn a lot about hamlet’s character
henry guilles
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56
hatred overwhelms any other emotion, it is impossible to display love
amelia woodford
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57
love is ever present it just needs one characters commitment
anne holland
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58
the personal is political
carol hanish
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59
unquiet walks of devil
thomas brown
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60
illusions of the mind unhinged by melancholy or devils masquerading as spirits to lure the person they address to damnation
campbell and quinn
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the ghost is the supreme reality, representative of the hidden ultimate power
maynard mack on ghost
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62
trivial and unspiritual and vulgar
d.h lawrence
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buffoonish statesman
thomas cranmer 1736
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64
questioned hamlet’s admirable qualities, feminist, focused on the treatment of poor ophelia
Studied by 13 people
