Hamlet Critical Quotations Flashcards
What action did Amleth take upon finding an intruder?
He stabbed the intruder and disposed of the body parts in the sewer
Reference from Historicae Danicae by Saxo Grammaticus, 1514.
According to Erasmus, who deserves the title ‘prince’?
Only those who govern for the good of the state
Reference from The Education of a Christian Prince, 1516.
What advice did Juan Luis Vives provide regarding parental relationships?
Do not desert your parents for lovers
Reference from The Education of a Christian Woman, 1524.
What is stated about kings and princes in A Homily Against Disobedience?
They rule by God’s ordinance and subjects must obey
Reference from Anonymous, 1574.
How does Timothy Bright describe melancholy?
As sad, fearful, and can include feelings like distrust and despair
Reference from A Treatise on Melancholy, 1586.
What is the greatest trust between people, according to Francis Bacon?
The trust of giving counsel
Reference from The Essays: ‘Of Counsel’, 1597.
What does King James VI say about the devil?
He is the source of all ghostly apparitions
Reference from Daemonologie, 1597.
Complete the phrase: ‘When the bad bleed then is the _______ good.’
[tragedy]
Reference from The Revenger’s Tragedy, 1606.
What does Sir John Coke claim about poisoning?
It is the worst type of murder for several reasons including being secretive
Reference from Sir John Croke, 1614.
What does Francis Bacon say about revenge?
Revenge is a kind of wild justice
Reference from The Essays: ‘Of Revenge’, 1625.
What did George Buchanan say about vengeance towards tyrants?
People would be right to seek vengeance on an arrogant tyrant
Reference from 1579.
What was John Evelyn’s opinion on the play’s reception?
The play began to disgust this refined age
Reference from 1660.
How did Jeremy Collier criticise the depiction of Ophelia?
He called it lewd and unreasonable
Reference from 1698.
What did James Drake say about the plot’s poetic justice?
It admirably distributes poetic justice through crime and punishment
Reference from 1699.
What criticism did Anthony Cooper make about Shakespeare’s style?
He noted natural rudeness and a lack of method and coherence
Reference from 1710.
What did Thomas Hanmer say about Hamlet’s conduct?
He described it as cruel and bloody
Reference from 1736.
What did Lewis Theobald say about Hamlet’s indecent pun?
He believed it deserved whipping for its ribaldry
Reference from 1726.
What did Voltaire say about Hamlet’s vulgarity?
He criticised Hamlet’s responses to the gravediggers as disgusting
Reference from 1748.
What did Samuel Johnson say about Hamlet’s actions?
He described Hamlet as rather an instrument than an agent
Reference from 1765.
What does Johann Wolfgang von Goethe suggest about Hamlet’s intellect?
His intellect paralyses his power for direct action
Reference from 1795.
How does Samuel Taylor Coleridge characterise Hamlet’s thoughts?
They are more vivid than his actual perceptions
Reference from 1813.
What does William Hazlitt say about Hamlet’s capacity for action?
He is incapable of deliberate action and acts only in extremities
Reference from 1817.
What does Edgar Allan Poe claim is the most poetic topic?
The death of a beautiful woman
Reference from 1846.
How does Friedrich Nietzsche describe Hamlet?
As the archetype of the violent and visionary ‘Dionysiac’ man
Reference from 1872.
What does A.C. Bradley say about the waste of good in tragedy?
The tragedy is that expelling evil involves wasting good
Reference from 1904.
What does Howard Mumford Jones say about Hamlet and Claudius?
Hamlet is independent and solitary, while Claudius is mature and shrewd
Reference from 1918.
What is T.S. Eliot’s view on Hamlet as a piece of art?
He describes it as an artistic failure, akin to the Mona Lisa
Reference from 1919.
What does D.H. Lawrence say about Hamlet’s soliloquies?
They are as deep as the soul of man can go
Reference from 1921.
What does John Dover Wilson say about Hamlet’s breakdown?
It may stem from disturbances planted in infancy
Reference from 1935.
How does Harley Granville-Barker describe Gertrude?
As a nurturing and caring maternal presence
Reference from 1946.
What does Valerie Traub say about male power and women’s sexuality?
Male power is restored through the vilification of women
Reference from 1988.
What does Lisa Jardine say about the domestic spaces of early modern gentlewomen?
The closet was the only place they had total control
Reference from 1996.
Complete the phrase: ‘Hamlet’s soliloquies are one of the most interesting features of the play. Their recurrent themes are _______.’
[conscience and consciousness of the human condition]
Reference from Nigel Alexander, 1971.
What does Elaine Showalter say about Ophelia’s role in the play?
She appears in only five scenes and has no story without Hamlet
Reference from 1994.
What does Hamlet encounter Ophelia as?
A sexualised subject
This implies a complex dynamic in their relationship and the societal views on women.
Under what condition did church courts prosecute unlawful marriages?
If a complaint was brought by someone
This indicates the reliance on community reporting for legal actions during that time.
What does John Kerrigan say surrounds Hamlet that reminds him of the dead king?
People and places
This highlights Hamlet’s constant reminders of loss and duty.
What does the use of weapons to kill Claudius signify according to John Kerrigan?
Spontaneous retaliation
This suggests that Hamlet’s actions are impulsive rather than premeditated.
What aspect of Old Hamlet does John Kerrigan highlight?
He does not return to triumph over the corpses of his enemies
This emphasizes the theme of revenge and its complexities.
What does Paul Yachnin say about the representation of power on stage?
It was normally not allowed to coalesce into univocal meaning
This indicates the nuanced portrayal of authority in drama.
How does Carol Chillington Rutter frame Ophelia in her funeral scene?
As a vampire bride
This metaphor suggests a reclaiming of control over femininity and sexuality.
What does Stephen Greenblatt claim the ghost initiates?
A nightmare
This reflects the theme of horror and unresolved issues in the play.
How is the Ophelia figure described by Allan Ingram?
A kind of feminine ideal: totally passive, sexualised, and defined by romantic relationships
This highlights the limited roles available to women in early modern society.
What significant transition does James Shapiro attribute to Hamlet’s birth?
The death of chivalry and the birth of globalisation
This situates the play within broader historical changes.
Why were revenge tragedies set in allegedly more hot-tempered locations according to Sean McEvoy?
It was more politic
This suggests a strategic choice to reflect societal tensions.
Who traditionally claimed the right to exact private punishment without legal process?
The aristocracy
This illustrates the power dynamics of the time.
What archetypes do Ophelia and Gertrude represent in early modern drama?
The virgin and the whore
This dichotomy reflects societal views on women’s sexuality.
What shift in the understanding of madness does Sean McEvoy discuss?
From divine or demonic possession to a medical condition
This marks a significant change in psychological perspectives.
What does Sean McEvoy say about Hamlet’s inability to kill Claudius?
He identifies with him
This suggests a psychological complexity in Hamlet’s character.
What type of state does Nicholas Hytner describe the play as being about?
A surveillance state
This reflects the political context of the time and its impact on society.
What are soliloquies described as by S. Gauci?
A calculated performance
This highlights the intentional nature of characters’ expressions.
How is Polonius characterized according to Richard Vardy?
A stock character, frequently wrong in his judgments
This emphasizes his role in providing comic relief.
What is murder by poison considered when committed by men in power, according to Piotr Sadowski?
Beneath contempt, unchivalric, and deceitful
This reflects societal expectations of honor in conflict.
What is the unsettling nature of murder by poison attributed to?
Its perceived ‘unnaturalness’ and violation of fair play
This indicates moral implications and audience reactions.
What does Maurice Atkinson suggest about Hamlet’s role?
He is mis-cast and finds himself in the wrong role and in the wrong play
This raises questions about identity and purpose in the narrative.
What does Charles Clarke say about Edwin Booth’s portrayal of Hamlet?
A man of first class intellect but second class will
This implies a struggle between intellect and action.
What memorable aspect of Olivier’s Hamlet does Redwine highlight?
Its sense of brooding intensity
This reflects the overall atmosphere of the production.
What does Kenneth Branagh state about royal families in his 1997 film?
They have no private life
This emphasizes the theme of surveillance and public scrutiny.
How does Stephen Pimlott characterise Claudius in his 2001 production?
A man of the world with his eye on the ball
This suggests a pragmatic approach to leadership and morality.
What was the audience’s reaction to Hamlet stabbing Polonius twenty times in Nick Walton’s 2009 production?
They found it appalling to watch
This indicates the emotional impact of violence on stage.
How is Gertrude portrayed in Matthew Warchus’ 1997 production?
Dressed in red, the scarlet woman
This reflects perceptions of her character and actions.
What is Jude Law’s portrayal of Hamlet described as in Michael Grandage’s 2009 production?
Alight with ire and thickened with disgust
This emphasizes the emotional intensity of the character.
What does Susannah Clapp say about Rylance’s performance in Ron Daniels’ 1989 production?
He was wild and jeered, spat in Ophelia’s face
This suggests a raw and provocative interpretation.
What does Kate Kellaway say about Gertrude and Claudius in Robert Icke’s 2017 production?
Their sexual infatuation is blatant
This highlights a more overt portrayal of their relationship.
