Late 19C to Early 20C

Question 1

How did A.C Bradley believe the character of Hamlet should be studied?

Answer 1

He held the view that Hamlet should be studied as one should study a real person ; piecing together his consciousness from the clues given in the play

Question 2

How did A.C Bradley explain Hamlet’s delay?

Answer 2

Hamlet’s delay was one of “great melancholy” which grew from a growing disappointment in his mother

Question 3

How did Freud view Hamlet similarly to A.C Bradley?

Answer 3

As a real person ; who’s psyche could be analysed through text

Question 4

How did Freud view Hamlet’s madness?

Answer 4

Merely a disguise for the truth in the same ways “dreams hide unconscious realities”

Question 5

What did Freud believe caused Hamlet famously to struggle throughout the play?

Answer 5

His Oedipus complex, he is torn largely because of his repressed sexual desires for his mother, which is being acted out and challenged by his Uncle