Which critics think that revenge in ‘Hamlet’ is moral?
Katherine Maves, Francis Bacon, Makhalik
What does Maves say about revenge?
“savage but appropriate repayment”
What does Francis Bacon say about revenge being moral in ‘Hamlet’?
“a wild justice”
What does Makhalik say about revenge?
Corruption only ends “with the mad act of revenge”
Which critics think that revenge in ‘Hamlet’ is futile?
Jamieson and Belsey, but Francis Bacon also admits that revenge has a counter-productive quality to it
What does Jamieson say about revenge?
Hamlet’s revenge comes “too late for him to devise any satisfaction from it”
What does Belsey say about revenge?
“an act of injustice on behalf of justice”
What does Francis Bacon admit to be an issue with Hamlet’s revenge?
It “keeps the wound green”
Which two critics tackle the theme of (moral) decay in Denmark?
Spurgeon and Dollimore
What does Spurgeon say about moral decay in Denmark?
“the unwholesome condition of Denmark morally”
What does Dollimore say about moral decay in Denmark?
“the decay of a traditional social order in England”
What does Mack say about the play within the play?
“tends to dissolve the normal barriers between the fictive and the real”
What does Mack say about pretence and the character of Hamlet? (2)
- “Hamlet’s life is filled with many identities”
- “at the end of the play he realises he has no true identity as a person”
How does Mack describe the theme of acting in ‘Hamlet’?
“pervasive”
