'HAMLET' CRITICAL INTERPRETATIONS Flashcards
Von Goethe : Religion
“All duties…”
“All duties seem holy for Hamlet”.
Bradley : Religion
“Hamlet is unable…”
“Hamlet is unable to carry out the sacred duty, imposed by divine authority, of punishing an evil man by death”.
Samuel Johnson : Hamlet’s Character
“Hamlet is…rather an….”
“Hamlet is…rather an instrument than an agent”.
Coleridge : Hamlet’s Character
“Hamlet is obliged…”
“Hamlet is obliged to act on the spur of the moment”.
Wilson Knight : Claudius is a Good King
“Claudius, as he appears in the play,…”
“Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal… He is… a good and gentle King, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime”.
Wilson Knight : Hamlet’s Character
“Hamlet is an element…”
“Hamlet is an element of evil in the state of Denmark”.
Alexander : Human Aggression
“The play does not offer…”
“The play does not offer any conclusions about what is the right response to the questions it poses about human aggression”
Besley : Revenge
“Revenge is not justice…”
“Revenge is not justice. It is rather an act of injustice on behalf of justice”.
Besley : Justice
“Revenge is always…”
“Revenge is always in excess of justice”.
Besley : Morals
“Revenge exists on a…”
“Revenge exists on a margin between justice and crime”.
Wilson Knight : Hamlet’s Morality
“He (Hamlet) is in fact the…”
“He (Hamlet) is in fact the poison in the veins of the community”.
Alexander : Vengeance
“The desire for vengeance…”
“The desire for vengeance is seen as part of a continuing pattern of human conduct”.
Alexander : Audience Reaction
“The audience are entertained because…”
“The audience are entertained because they are asked to see, feel and understand a little more about the hidden springs of action”.
Rebecca Smith : Plononius’ Character
“Polonius seems to love…”
“Polonius seems to love his children; he seems to have the welfare of the Kingdom in mind. His actions, however, are totally corrupt”.
Rebecca Smith : Polonius and Ophelia’s Relationship
“Trained his daughter to be…”
“Trained his daughter to be obedient and chaste and is able to use her as a piece of bait for spying”.
