Hamlet Critics Flashcards
What does Johnson (18th century) say about Hamlet’s role?
Hamlet is […] rather an instrument than an agent.
How does Rosenburg describe Hamlet’s struggle?
Hamlet’s control of wrestling with his passion.
What is AC Bradley’s view on Hamlet’s mental state?
Hamlet is suffering from melancholic depression.
What does GW Knight (20th century) say?
It refers to the element of evil in the state of Denmark
What does Johnson say about Hamlet’s madness?
Of the feigned madness of Hamlet there appears no adequate cause.
What criticism does Johnson make about Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia?
He treats Ophelia with so much rudeness, which seems to be a useless and wanton cruelty.
How does Goethe characterize Hamlet?
A lovely, pure, noble, and most moral nature, without the strength of nerve which forms a hero.
What does AC Bradley (19th century) say about Hamlet’s gifts?
His highest gifts, instead of helping him, conspire to paralyse him.
What struggle does Bloom attribute to Hamlet?
The prince seems to struggle also with the spirit of evil in heavenly places.
Who was the first critic to comment on Hamlet’s inaction?
Hanmet (18th century).
What anguish does Jones attribute to Hamlet?
Hamlet is plunged into anguish at the thought of his father being replaced in his mother’s affection by someone else.
How does Samuel Johnson (neo–classist) describe Ophelia?
The young, the beautiful, the harmless and the pious.
What does West say about Ophelia’s character?
Ophelia was a disreputable character: not scandalously so, but still disreputable. We have put Ophelia into the wrong category and wrong century
What is Salter’s view on Ophelia’s role?
An innocent pawn who is sacrificed
What does Neely (1991) say about Ophelia’s context?
The context of her disease is sexual frustration, social helplessness and enforced social control over women’s bodies.
What does Showalter say about the representation of Ophelia?
The theatrical representation of Ophelia depends on attitudes towards women and madness … There is no ‘true’ Ophelia.
What does Edwards (1979) argue about Ophelia’s story?
We can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet.
What does Wyandotte argue about Ophelia’s death?
One could argue that Ophelia’s death is the true tragedy of Hamlet.
What does Showalter say Ophelia is deprived of?
Ophelia is deprived of thought, sexuality and language.
What does Watts say about Old King Hamlet’s influence on Hamlet?
OKH attempts to impose a stereotype of a dedicated revenger; but Hamlet repeatedly [shows] resistance to that stereotype.
What does Prosser (historicist) say about the perception of ghosts in Shakespeare’s time?
The deep caution and scepticism.
How does McEvoy describe Claudius?
Strength, dynamism and humanity.
What does McEvoy say about Claudius as a ruler?
Claudius can be seen to be an effective, modern ruler.
How does McEvoy contrast Claudius’ love for Gertrude with Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia?
Claudius genuinely loves Gertrude in a manner which contrasts greatly with Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia.
What does Sagar say about Claudius’ first speech?
Uses the language of a hypocrite and a villain.
How does GW Knight describe Claudius?
Good and gentle king.
What does Altick say about Claudius’ evil?
The cunning and lecherousness of Claudius’ evil has corrupted the whole kingdom of Denmark.
How does Scofield characterize Claudius?
Claudius is morally empty.
What does GW Knight say about Claudius’ skills?
Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent diplomatist and king.
What does AC Bradley say about Hamlet’s desire regarding Gertrude?
Hamlet’s chief desire…is to save Gertrude’s soul.
How does Smith (20th century) describe Gertrude?
Soft, obedient, dependent, unimaginative woman.
What does Klett (21st century) say about Ophelia and Gertrude?
They can be seen as frustratingly one-dimensional.
What does Mabillard (21st century) say about Gertrude’s character?
Gertrude is shallow, and thinks only about her body and external pleasures.
What does Mabillard say about Gertrude’s sexuality?
Gertrude is also a very sexual being, and it is her sexuality that turns Hamlet so violently against her.
What does AC Bradley say about Gertrude’s heart?
The Queen was not a bad-hearted woman.
What does Graf argue about Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius?
Instead of marrying Claudius because of her lack of self control, Gertrude is in fact protecting her son from the man who murdered her husband.
What does Smith say is Gertrude’s main interest?
Pleasing men is Gertrude’s main interest.
What does Heilbrun (20th century) argue about Gertrude?
Other critics fail to see Gertrude for the strong-minded, intelligent, succinct and sensible woman that she is.
How does A.C. Bradley describe Gertrude?
Very dull and very shallow.
What does A.C. Bradley say about Gertrude’s love for Hamlet?
She loves her son, and does not betray him.
How does Pennington describe Polonius?
A bad parent made palatable by the fact that he is funny.
What does Hartwig say about Polonius?
A Machiavellian schemer who takes his plotting to absurd proportions.
How does Bate (21st century) characterize Polonius?
A scurvy politician who does not practice the integrity he preaches.
What does Hazlitt (19th century) say about Polonius?
Polonius is not a fool but he makes himself so.
What does Marshall say about Polonius’ view of the king?
In his eyes the king could do no wrong.
How does Stewart (20th century) describe Laertes’ grief?
Laertes’ grief over Ophelia was genuine while Hamlet was performing for Laertes.
Hamlets mood is not one of sorrow or of love for Ophelia, but purely of rage at Laertes
What does Prosser (20th century) say about Laertes’ character?
Laertes is like a hurricane. He rushes into the palace in an uncontrolled rage, roaring for blood.
How does Magnus describe Laertes?
Fiery, self assured, and impetuous.
What does Jorgensen, a Psychoanalytic critic say about melancholia?
distinguishing mental features of meloncholia are profound painful dejection, self-reporaches and self-reviling
How does Jeremy Collier, a 17th century critic alive during the English Civil War, attack Shakespeare’s representation of Ophelia in 1698?
sully her Reputation, and discover the Rankness of her Breath, was very Cruel.
How does Carolyn Heilbrun defend Gertrude in her 1957 ‘Hamlet’s Mother’ Feminist Essay?
Gertrude has the ‘ability to see reality clearly, and to express it’
‘intelligent, penetrating, and gifted with a remarkable talent for concise and pithy speech’
In Carolyn Heilbrun in 1957 ‘Hamlet’s Mother’ Feminist Essay, what does she admit is Gertrude’s flaw?
‘Gertrude’s flaw
of lust made Claudius’ ambition possible, for without taking advantage of the
Queen’s desire still to be married, he could not have been king.’
What does Maynard Mack say about Hamlet’s Madness in Hamlet’s World?
madness is within ih him
What does Freud says in his ‘Interpretation of his Dreams’ in 1899 about the contradiction of his play?
‘the play is built up on Hamlet’s hesitations over fulfilling the task of revenge that is assigned to him; but its text offers no reasons or motives for these hesitations’
