critical quotations Flashcards
Von Goethe: Religion
“All duties seem holy for Hamlet”
Alexander: Human aggression
“The play does not offer any conclusions about what is the right response to the questions it poses about human aggression”
Belsey: Morals
“Revenge exists on a margin between justice and crime”
Sigmund Freud: Shakespeares intentions with Hamlet’s character
“the poet has endeavoured to portray a morbid, irresolute character on the verge of neurasthenia”
The basis of Hamlet’s character - Henry Mackenzie, 1770
‘The basis of Hamlet’s character seems to be an extreme sensibility of mind…’
Hamlet’s belief - August von Schlegel, 1808
“Hamlet has no firm belief either in himself or in anything else…”
Laurence Olivier’s VoiceOver at the beginning of 1948 film
“this is a tragedy of a man who couldn’t make up his mind”
Emi Hamana on Ophelia
“Suffers a series of patriarchal oppressions”
Marguerite Tassi on Gertrude
“in fulfilling her tragic role, the end crowns all; in the final moments of her life, she performs an extraordinary act that gives Hamlet motive and cue for killing the King”
GF Bradby on Gertrude
“a character of ambiguous morality whom we can never fully know”
Samuel Johnson on Polonius
“knowing in retrospect and ignorant in foresight.”
Schofield (Claudius’ morality)
“He has the persuasiveness and physical courage of a ruler, but is morally empty”
Sir Herbert Tree (Madness and Humour)
“The key comic element of the play is madness”
C.S Lewis (Hamlet’s fear of death)
“Hamlet is haunted, not by a physical fear of dying, but of being dead”
