Hamlet

This book aims to give students the basis for an informed discussion of Shakespeare's play and to explore it as a play profoundly concerned with the business of playing and the tragedy of Hamlet as a actor.

Macbeth clutches an imaginary dagger; Hamlet holds up Yorick's skull; Lear enters with Cordelia in his arms. Do these memorable and iconic moments have anything to tell us about the definition of Shakespearean tragedy? Is it in fact helpful to talk about 'Shakespearean tragedy' as a concept, or are there only Shakespearean tragedies? What kind of figure is the tragic hero? Is there always such a figure? What makes some plays more tragic than others? Beginning with a discussion of tragedy before Shakespeare and considering Shakespeare's tragedies chronologically one by one, this 2007 book seeks to investigate such questions in a way that highlights both the distinctiveness and shared concerns of each play within the broad trajectory of Shakespeare's developing exploration of tragic form.

Despite their diversity in tone and subject matter, Shakespeare's four mature tragedies all have an essential experience in common. Navigate to Chapter Two for the discussion on "Hamlet".

Just as concerts emerge from the interaction of many instruments, so our understanding of Shakespeare is enriched by different approaches to him. Psychoanalysis assumes that creative writers have the need to both reveal and conceal their own inner conflicts in their works. They leave residues in their works that, if we pay attention, can become building blocks that reveal aspects of the unconscious. Using psychoanalytic techniques in analyzing his plays and characters, the author reveals more insights about Shakespeare's hidden motivations and mental health.