hamlet critics, quotes, productions

Hamlet perpetually asks, “Who am I?” and receives no answer

Gottschalk 1995

Hamlet cannot kill Claudius because he identifies with him too strongly. All Claudius has done is fulfil precisely hamlet’s own oedipal fantasies

Watson 1970

‘ cultural misogyny’ of hamlet to ‘Gertrude and Ophelia’

Crewe 1987

‘spectral’ position of rationality’ of Horatio

Crewe 1987

‘Hamlet is an element of evil’

Knight 1931

Hamlet struggles to ‘control the violence within himself’

Alexander 1968

‘Gertrude prompts violent physical and emotional reactions from the men in the play, and most stage and film directors – like Olivier, Kozintsev and Richardson.’

Smith 1990

‘Doubt is the prevailing emotion.’

Smith 1990

‘For Hamlet there is no mean between chastity and depravity in women.’

Smith 1990

‘To be or not to be king…And the decision is,not to be"

Lawrence 1923

"no-one in this play knows or understands anyone else"

Charles 1981

"the hero-villain"

Bloom 1988

"clearly the antagonist" (of Claudius)

Stockton 1967

"good and gentle king" (of Claudius)

Knight 1931

"a character of ambiguous morality whom we can never fully know" (of Gertrude)

Bradby 1984

'disgust at the feminine passivity within himself' (of Hamlet)

Leverenz 1977

"suffers a series of patriarchal oppressions" (of Ophelia)

Hamana 1991

Ophelia's madness is 'protest and rebellion'

Showalter 1985

Gregory Doran a1s1

• CCTV-surveillance

• In darkness, light from torch-cold, blue

Robert Icke, Hamlet’s reaction to Gertrude/Claudius, start,

• lights, balloons, Gertrude and claudius kissing in the background

• disparity between Hamlet’s grief and their celebration

• Hamlet plays with his watch→discomfort, wants control over time

Branagh production A1 S2

• shifts between growing anger, grief and contemplation

• Pacing the room, slowly

• Claudius and Gertrude’s thrones in background- gestures towards them

Branagh 1996 Laertes/Ophelia, start

• Laertes guiding a young, naive Ophelia

• Ophelia as potentially contemptuous to this, articulate

Zeffirelli 1990 production, Ophelia, start

• Dressed in white, bonnet, hair in braids, ribbons, fiddles with clothes

• Ophelia presented as quiet, timid, obedient, young

• no sense of self→power imbalance with her and Laertes

Simon Godwin, Hamlet’s introduction to the ghost

• hamlet falls to knees when he sees the ghost 

• wavers his arms for guards to protect him

• guards pulling hamlet back as he attempts to go to it multiple times 

Icke Hamlet’s introduction to the ghost

• has silent reaction to the ghost, dramatic, glances around

• seems in disbelief, shakes head, places his face in his palms 

• the ghost beckons to hamlet→pace of dialogue quickens, screaming

• lighting, blacking out, shining again, not able to see what is happening

• ghost suddenly appears in front of them (off-screen)

branagh film, Ophelia reading Hamlet’s letter

• Ophelia is required to read the letter herself- false sense of agency, watching everything as it happens to her but powerless to do anything, Polonius controls her actions

Robert Icke feigned madness to Polonius

• Hamlet seems calm when talking to Polonius-> seems more mad, as he seems fully convinced in his ideas/ doesn’t see that anything is wrong

Gregory Doran A2 S2 soliloquy

• Yelling, gesturing, pacing- lots of movement

• Barefoot, casual clothes-vulnerable, no care for image

• thrones in the background-surveillance, doesn’t feel truly alone, acting on expectations not free will

• Camera work mirrors his frantic thoughts,

• looks at camera-telling the truth, vulnerable

Robert Icke get thee to a nunnery

• Ophelia is angry, articulate, agency, goes to leave

• Hamlet is emotional, vulnerable, condescending, harsh

• Violent outburst out of quietness

• Hamlet returns to kiss her and then pushes her away, alternates

Gregory Doran A3 S1

• Hamlet is physical pushing her away, panicked,

• Cctv, sense of being watched-hamlet knows, looks at it

• Grabs ophelia, angry, harsh

zeffirelli to be or not be be, halfway

• In a crypt

• Complete silence, isolation

• slow descent down stairs, into darkness-> lack of hope

• Closing eyes, resting face on hands, near the ground

• light floods around his face-searching for answers

• Leaning against coffin-source of his behaviour is his grief, the weight of the past/ expectation

olivier to be or not to be, middle

• Light sky, to darker sea →life/death

• On a cliff, crashing waves, unpredictable, potential for danger

• Misty, cloudy-indecisiveness, cloudy mindset

• Takes out dagger

• turns around, walks away, whilst speaking, walks into the fogs-resigned acceptance of death, in the fog-lost to his thoughts

Simon Godwin middle, r and g easier played upon than a pipe

• Contrast between raised voices and quiet, chaos of his thoughts, irrationality

• Bright colours-uncontrollable, expressive, contrasts the others, costume

• Rosencrantz and guildenstern care about him but are treated badly, trying to placate him, he is presented as childish, manic

• Angry, accusatory tone, sense of violence and aggression

Branagh mousetrap, middle

• Hamlet yells, aggressive

• Walking rapidly, climbing up to claudius’ seats

• Yells in ophelia’s ear-looks scared, innocent,

• Audience members turn around, fearful, uncomfortable

• Camera switches between hamlet and claudius rapidly as the play proceeds

• As claudius rises, everyone turns to stare at him

• Moment of exposure, panick

• Horatio has binoculars-sense of surveillance

• Gertrude doesn't seem too affected, not guilty

Branagh A3 S3 soliloquy

• in a confessional, repenting

• Solemn , quiet, hushed tone

• Slow zoom in-forces the audience to focus on him, his expressions

• Quiet turmoil

Gregory Doran A3 S3

• Grand setting -surrounded by the fruits of his mistakes, cannot be truly remorseful as he accepts being king

• Kneels and begins to pray, closing his eyes

• Hamlet walks in and takes out his sword holds it above his head, walks off→ anti-climatic

• Hamlet wears a crown, if he kills him, he becomes king-emphasises the fact that hes been usurped, cyclical, aligns himself closer to claudius

Olivier A3 S4

• Hamlet talks coldly, dispassionately to Gertrude, harshly

• Throws her onto the bed, holds a knife out, Gertrude is scared he is going to kill her

• Hears a noise from the curtains and runs and stabs.

Doran Act 3 Scene 4

• Gertrude takes off extensions, drinks, smokes→agency

• more mature

• Hamlet shoots polonius from behind a mirror(killing himself)

• pushes her onto a bed

• gertrude in her nightgown, hamlet dishevelled

• physical aggression

• Gertrude is distressed at Hamlet’s accusation, appears innocent only realising his beliefs now

‘Gertrude prompts violent physical and emotional reactions from the men in the play, and most stage and film directors – like Olivier…’

Smith

‘in the Olivier Hamlet (1948), the dramatic symbol for Gertrude is a luxurious canopied bed… Olivier’s interpretation of the centrality of sexual appetite in Gertrude’s nature.’

Smith (a3 s4)

Icke hamlet calls r a sponge, end

• Hamlet holds a cloth of blood, cleaning his hands, unbothered

• Mocks r while calling him a sponge, squeezes the cloth aggressively while saying claudius will squeeze him dry, holds out a gun,arm outstretched sad eyes, screams causing r and g to scream, laughs

Icke, Ophelia madness, end

• Gertrude is tormented by Ophelia’s behaviour.

• Ophelia is bound to a wheelchair, no makeup contrasts, red around her eyes, dishevelled hair

Doran gravedigger, end

• Modern clothes

• Hamlet holds the skull of Yorick, shocked, mouth open, nostalgic, disturbed, disillusioned with life

A1 S1 who’s there?

who’s there?

A1 S2 that this too solid flesh would melt

that this too solid flesh would melt

A1 S2 no more like my father than I to hercules

no more like my father than I to hercules

A1 S2 frailty thy name is woman

frailty thy name is woman

A1 S3 ‘I shall obey, my lord’ Ophelia to Polonius

shall obey, my lord

A1 S4 something is rotten in the state of Denmark

something is rotten in the state of Denmark

A1 S5 revenge his foul and most unnatural murder

revenge his foul and most unnatural murder

A1 S5 one may smile and smile and be a villain

one may smile and smile and be a villain

A1 S5 that incestuous, that adulterous beast

that incestuous, that adulterous beast

A2 S1 his stocking’s fouled and ungartered

his stocking’s fouled and ungartered

A2 S2 fishmonger

fishmonger

A2 S2 though this be madness, yet there is method in’t

though this be madness, yet there is method in’t

A2 S2 what a rogue and peasant slave am I

what a rogue and peasant slave am I

A2 s2 the need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending

the need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending

A2 S2 transformation

transformation

A2 S2 Is it your own inclining?

Is it your own inclining?

A2 S2 Denmark is a prison

Denmark is a prison

A2 S2 I am pigeon livered

I am pigeon livered

A2 S2  the player ‘but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul

‘but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul

A3 S1 to be or not to be

to be or not to be

A3 S1 to die to sleep

to die to sleep

A3 S1 what is this quintessence of dust

what is this quintessence of dust

A3 S1 crafty madness(G)

crafty madness

A3 S1 get thee to a nunnery

get thee to a nunnery

A3 S2 the lady doth protest too much me think

the lady doth protest too much me think

A3 S2 do you think I am easier played upon than a pipe?

do you think I am easier played upon than a pipe?

A3 S4 an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption

an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption

A3 S4 confess yourself to heaven

confess yourself to heaven

A4 S2 a ‘sponge’

sponge

A4 S3 all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge

all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge

A4 S3 we fat ourselves for maggots

we fat ourselves for maggots

A4 S7 incapable of her own distress’

‘incapable of her own distress’

A5 S1 to what base uses we may return

to what base uses we may return

A5 S2 for by the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his(H on L)

for by the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his

A5 S2 If it be now, 'tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be now

If it be now, 'tis not to come: if it be not to come, it will be now

A5 S2 the rest is silence

the rest is silence

Simon Godwin production

2016

Doran production

2009

Olivier production

1948

Branagh production

1996

Icke production

2018

Zeffirelli production

1990

a4 s2 

icke

• Hamlet holds a cloth of blood, cleaning his hands, unbothered

• Mocks r while calling him a sponge, squeezes the cloth aggressively while saying claudius will squeeze him dry, holds out a gun,arm outstretched sad eyes, screams causing r and g to scream, laughs

Act 4 scene 5Icke

1. Gertrude is tormented by Ophela’s behaviour.

2. Ophelia is on a wheelchair bound to a wheelchair, no makeup contrasts, red around her eyes, dishevelled hair

a5 s1 

doran

• Modern clothes

• Cynical, talking about death offhandedly but seems to question mortality

• Hamlet holds the skull of Yorick, shocked, mouth open, nostalgic, disturbed, disillusioned with life

Hamlet was popular with audiences in 16th, 17th century

Harvey praised its capacity to ‘please the wiser sort’

‘vulgar and barbarous drama’

1748- Voltaire

seventeenth century critics,

Comedy, especially double-entendres were not appreciated

Hamlet’s pun on ‘country matters’- Theobald

said ‘deserved a whipping’ ‘low and indecent’

• 1765 Johnson

• described Hamlet ‘rather an instrument than an agent’

• Writers if the romantic movement

• were drawn to hamlet, saw him like themselves.

• 1795, Goethe,

• the insertion of revenge into hamlet ‘an oak tree planted in a costly jar’-bound to shatter him

Early 20th century

freud believed hamlet is unable to kill the man who shows him ‘the repressed wishes of his own childhood realised

1800s, Tolstoy

‘the principle figure has no character whatever’

Mid twentieth century, TS Elliot 'artistic failure’, 

believed Gertrude was too ‘negative and insignificant’ to be a believable cause of Hamlet’s despair

backlash against sympathy towards Hamlet,

Mid twentieth century,

1900s, CS lewis

‘the subject of Hamlet is death’- Hamlet is only important in articulating the fear of being dead, the theme dominating the poetry of the play