Studied by 13 people
We need history to explain our individuality
Catherine Belsey on individuality
Shakespeare constructs Gertrude through the eyes of Hamlet, who sees her new relationship as one of lust, not strategy
Clare Gunns on gertrude
the presence of Polonius indicates Claudius’ own mistrust of Gerturde
Clare Gunns on claudius and gertrude
The idea of human existence is relevant forever
A.R Whybrow
unbridled imagination shows ways of breaking through unbearable social restraints
Maurice Chaney
the character’s madness disguises their true meaning
mack on madness
Hamlet doesn’t seek revenge, he only wants to remember his father
Kerngan
hamlet struggles to kill Claudius because he identifies with him too muc
ernest jones
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
Hamlet is the mona lisa of literature
t.s eliot
the play is a continuing pattern of revenge and death
alexander (18th century)
death or a sinister ideal
Von Goethe on the ghost
malign
proser on the ghost
from the beginning, Hamlet is obsessed with suicide
paul carter
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
polonius trained his daughter to be obedient and chaste and is able to use her as a piece of bait for spying
rebecca smith
revenge is wild justice
francis bacon
hamlet is more of a thinker than a doer
coleridge
instincts are towards undoing rather than doing
emma smith
all duties seem holy for hamlet
von goethe on hamlet
hamlet is a prince who finds himself an outcast in his own land
billington
his whole mind is poisoned
a.c bradley
hamlet’s failure to act is seen as femenine
catherine belsey on hamlet’s action
modern audiences are suspicious of the use of violence and do not care for paternal loyalty
catherine belsey on the audience
hamlet has morality without action, the king has action without morality
d.j snider
we can imagine hamlet’s story without ophelia but ophelia literally has no story without hamlet
lee edwards
claudius is merely a product of the barbaric era
wilson knight on claudius
hamlet is rather an instrument than an agent
samuel johnson
hamlet’s hesitation is right, the concept of blood revenge was the only thing
r.n watson
hamlet alternates between lethargy and rage
gail kern pastor
the nature of a tragedy is uncompensated suffering
david scott kastan
piece of bait named ophelia
lacan
indescribable charm
henry mackenzie (1780)
hamlet is a figure of nihilism and death and has been poisoned by death
wilson knight on hamlet
excellent diplomatist and king
wilson knight on claudius as a leader
revenge…is an act of injustice on behalf of justice
catherine belsey on revenge and injustice
revenge is always in excess of justice
catherine belsey on revenge
soft, obedient, dependent, unimaginative women who is caught miserably
a.c bradley on ophelia
romanticised symbol of fragility and madness
John Everrett Millais painting 1851
protested against picture of ‘insipid little creature’
1914 anonymous actress
in giving away her wild flowers…is symbolically deflowering herself
bridget lyons
analytical knight
joe sutcliffe
claudius is intelligent and well spoken…manipulative and dangerous
nicholas bonnet
primarily a bitterly eloquent and princely avenger
john jump (early critic)
truly suffering from a mental breakdown
henry levin
women…two and only two choices: virgin and whore
kay stanton
to possess her body is to possess the state
leonard tennenhouse
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
feigned madness is a politically motivated in earlier iterations of the story
thompson and taylor on madness
hamlets own misogyny remains an issue
thompson and taylor on hamlet
part woman
Von Goethe on hamlet’s femininity
ophelia complex - women, water and death
gaston bachelard
critics and readers of hamlet have readily accepted hamlet’s view of Gertrude without question
carolyn heilbrun
rosencrantz and guildenstern sacrifice the bond of human friendship
john french
by examining horatio’s relationship with hamlet, we learn a lot about hamlet’s character
henry guilles
hatred overwhelms any other emotion, it is impossible to display love
amelia woodford
love is ever present it just needs one characters commitment
anne holland
the personal is political
carol hanish
unquiet walks of devil
thomas brown
illusions of the mind unhinged by melancholy or devils masquerading as spirits to lure the person they address to damnation
campbell and quinn
the ghost is the supreme reality, representative of the hidden ultimate power
maynard mack on ghost
trivial and unspiritual and vulgar
d.h lawrence
buffoonish statesman
thomas cranmer 1736
questioned hamlet’s admirable qualities, feminist, focused on the treatment of poor ophelia
anna jameson 1800
hamlet is characterised by failure
hegel 19th c.
