Hamlet critics

AO5

Augustan (1700)

Rymer (1697), Rowe (1709)

Rymer - tragedy… his element

“In _______ he (Shakespeare) appears quite out of ___ _______”

Rymer - rambles… coherence

“He raves and _______ without any ________”

Rowe - universal… ignorance

Shakespeare “lived in a state of almost _________ license and _________”

Romantics/Bardology (1800)

S.Coleridge (1808), Hazlitt, Schlegel (1808)

S.Coleridge (1808) - rules of drama

Argued against the “_____ of _____”

Hazlitt - strength… refinement… sentiment

“The character of Hamlet stands quite by itself. It is not marked by the ________ of will… but by __________ of thought and _________”

Schlegel - singular… tragedy… continual… meditation… destiny

“Hamlet is ________ in its kind: a _______ inspired by _________ and never satisfied __________ on human _______”

Psychoanalysis (1900)

AC.Bradley (1903), GW.Knight (1930)

AC.Bradley - death… suspicion… crown… moral… disclosure… true nature

“Not his father’s _____”, “Not the vague_________, or loss of the crown”. “It was the _____ shock of the __________ of his mother’s ____ ______”

AC.Bradley - sensibilities… genius… enemies

“His moral _____________ and his ______, become his _______”

AC.Bradley - thought… life… infected

“_______ is the element of his ____, and his thought is ________”

AC.Bradley - melancholy… insanity… nothing but think

Distinguishes Hamlet’s “__________” from “________”. He can’t be mad, as he does _______ but _____”

GW.Knight - death… Life… disintegration… love…

“The theme of Hamlet is _____. ____ that is bound for ______________, ____ that does not survive”

GW.Knight - mind… hideous… decay

“Hamlet’s ____ is obsessed with _______ thoughts of the body’s _____”

GW.Knight - ambassador… life

“Hamlet is the __________ of death amid ____”

GW.Knight - wise… purpose… benevolence

Claudius is characterised by “____ action, a sense of _______, and ___________”

Formalism/New criticism (1900)

TS. Elliot

TS. Elliot - Artistic

Hamlet is an “________ failure”

TS. Elliot - emotion… outlet… action

Hamlet shows “_______ which can find no ______ in _____”

TS. Elliot - express… art… symbolism

Hamlet “cannot _______ in ___”, as there is no __________ and action for his emotion”

Tragedy - Respect… sympathy

The tragic hero: Commands our ______ and _______

Tragedy - Flaw… downfall

The tragic hero: Has some human ____ which brings about his ________

Tragedy - blame

The tragic hero: Realises he is somewhat to _____