Who first drew attention to Hamlet’s delay in carrying out his revenge?
Thomas Hanmer
He noted that if Hamlet had acted immediately, ‘there would have been an End of our Play’.
During the Romantic period, what theme was closely associated with Hamlet?
Agonies and insights of an individual alienated from society
This theme resonated with the Romantic way of thinking.
Who described Hamlet as having a ‘lovely, pure, noble and most moral nature’?
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
He noted that Hamlet sinks beneath a burden he cannot bear.
What did Samuel Taylor Coleridge see in Hamlet?
Intellectual energy and alertness that made action impossible
He sensed ‘a smack of Hamlet’ in himself.
According to William Hazlitt, how does Hamlet suffer when transferred to the stage?
It suffers greatly
He believed it was best enjoyed in the privacy of the study.
For Wilson Knight, how is Claudius characterized in Hamlet?
Not a criminal, but a good and gentle king
He is enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime.
How does Wilson Knight describe Hamlet?
An inhuman – or superhuman – presence
His consciousness is centered on death, making him feared by those around him.
What psychological condition did AC Bradley suggest Hamlet was suffering from?
Manic depression or bi-polar disorder
He applied a psychoanalytical reading to the character.
According to T. S. Eliot, what was ‘the problem’ in Hamlet?
The play itself was an artistic failure
He believed Shakespeare struggled to express a personal disgust.
What does John Dover Wilson consider about the Ghost in Hamlet?
Its ambiguous nature and the impossibility of translating its instructions
This ambiguity complicates Hamlet’s actions.
What complex does Ernest Jones suggest Hamlet has?
Oedipus complex
He applies extreme psychoanalysis to the characters.
What type of imagery did Caroline Spurgeon identify in Hamlet?
Images of sickness and disease
These images describe the unwholesome moral condition of Denmark.
What is the pervasive image pattern in Hamlet according to Maynard Mack?
The pattern around ‘show’, ‘act’, ‘play’
This reflects the themes of performance and reality.
How do feminist theorists view the madwoman in Hamlet?
As a heroine and powerful figure
They examine the silencing of women as part of the play’s meaning.
According to Karl Marx, what determines consciousness?
Social being determines consciousness
This perspective is relevant to political readings of Hamlet.
What do modern critics argue about the character of Fortinbras?
The politics of Hamlet hinge on Fortinbras
Some productions have cut his storyline entirely.
What does Maynard Mack say about interpretations of Hamlet?
No one is likely to accept another man’s reading
An interpretation often casts other parts of the play into deeper shadow.
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Milton and webster8
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Hamlet critics17
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identity roots and origins9
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fascination of the new world17
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The desire to belong and the importance of community15
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hostility7
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isolation and rejection7
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small island context + critics9
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unseen6
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negative experiences COPY15
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Hamlet - acting and performance13
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Hamlet part A3
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Unseen terminology31
