hamlet modern ao5 Flashcards
What does Freud suggest about Hamlet’s hesitations?
The play is built upon Hamlet’s hesitations over fulfilling the task of revenge that is assigned to him.
How does Freud characterize Hamlet in relation to the sinner?
[Hamlet] is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to punish.
What does Bradley identify as the root of Hamlet’s problems?
Melancholia [is] at the root of Hamlet’s problems.
What does Bradley say about the tragedy of Hamlet?
The tragedy is that this involves the waste of good.
What does Bradley suggest about Hamlet’s genius?
[Hamlet’s] genius might even become his doom.
What does Bradley state about Hamlet’s thoughts on suicide?
Nothing stands between Hamlet and suicide except religious awe.
What does Eliot say about Hamlet’s use of language?
The levity of Hamlet, his repetition of phrase, his puns, are not part of a deliberate plan, but a form of emotional relief.
What does Wilson suggest about Hamlet’s breakdown?
A break-down like Hamlet’s is often due to seed of disturbance planted in infancy.
How does Wilson describe Hamlet’s character?
[Hamlet] may even seem a monster of inconsistency.
What does Dusinberre say about Ophelia’s development?
Ophelia has no chance to develop an independent conscience of her own, so stifled is she by the authority of the male world.
What does Edwards say about Ophelia’s story?
We can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet.
What does Hawkes say about the ghost in Hamlet?
The ghost…dominates.. even in his absence.
What does Hawkes say about the war promised in Hamlet?
The war promised at the beginning has not taken place, but at the end the results are the same as if it had.
How does Hawkes characterize Claudius?
[Claudius is] no simple villain, but a complex, compelling figure.
What does Traub suggest about women in relation to men?
Women make men into monsters.
What does Traub say about Ophelia’s body?
Ophelia’s dead, virginal body is fetishised by Hamlet and Laertes alike … [is] a site of masculine competition - the right and rite of sexual possession.
What does Traub say about the causes of Ophelia’s death?
Ophelia’s death is as much an outcome of Hamlet’s rage as it is an expression of her grief, madness, or self-destruction.
What does Holderness say about Hamlet’s self-awareness?
Hamlet is intensely aware of himself as an ‘actor’ which he partially engages, but which he ultimately resists.
How does Neely describe Gertrude’s narration of Ophelia’s death?
Gertrude narrates Ophelia’s death as beautiful, natural and eroticised.
What does Jardine say about Ophelia’s control?
Her closet was the sole place over which she ostensibly exercised total control .. [Hamlet] intrudes.
What does Kerrigan say about the weapons used against Claudius?
The weapons finally used to kill Claudius mark the attack as spontaneous retaliation, not long-nurtured vengeance.
What does Kerrigan say about Hamlet’s thoughts during critical moments?
The audience cannot even tell whether Hamlet is thinking about his father during these critical minutes.
How does Ingram describe the Ophelia figure?
The Ophelia figure was a kind of feminine ideal: totally passive, sexualised and utterly defined by her romantic relationships.
What does McEvoy say about Ophelia and Gertrude?
(Ophelia and Gertrude) represent the two archetypes of women in early modern drama: the virgin and the *****.
