Dolors's Reviews > Hamlet
Hamlet
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by
Dolors's review
bookshelves: read-in-2015, getting-to-know-shakespeare
Mar 02, 2015
bookshelves: read-in-2015, getting-to-know-shakespeare
Reading for the 2nd time. Most recently started July 30, 2022.
“All that is amiable and excellent in nature is combined in Hamlet, with the exception of one quality. He is a man living in meditation, called upon to act by every motive human and divine, but the great object of his life is defeated by continually resolving to do, yet doing nothing but resolve.”
Lecture XII, STC.
As much as I admire Coleridge and with the boldness of having read Hamlet only once and therefore being aware I haven’t even managed to scratch the surface of the Paragon of Tragedies, I dare to antagonize the poet and proclaim that I resist the idea of linking Hamlet’s moral idealism to reprehensible inaction.
The Prince of Denmark’s obsession is to think, not to act, and in spite of having been dethroned by his duplicitous uncle, he seems to count with the favor of the common people. But Hamlet can’t help being haunted by the sickness of life and he retreats into the abyss of his inwardness. He is plagued by endless questions that paralyze him in meditation: “What a piece of work is a man!... And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust?”.
In the opening scene of Act I, a melancholic dejection has already taken hold of The Prince and, whether in self-preservation or in fear of foul reality, he engages in deluded gibberish easily attributable to a man whose reason has abandoned him.
And yet his inquisitive soliloquies are infused with the elucidating sharpness of a genius, someone with great intellectual capacity who taunts with puns and riddles that contain receding depths and layers and layers of meaning in them.
“The widow being oppressed, the orphan wronged,
The taste of hunger, or a tyrant’s reign,
And thousand more calamities besides,
To grunt and sweat under this weary life,
When that he may his full quietus make,
With a bare bodkin, who would this endure,
But for a hope of something after death?”
Spontaneous philosopher or irredeemably insane?
The world of Hamlet is phantasmagorical, in constant disruption with the burdens of the past, the betrayals of the present and the falsehood of the future. Everybody around him seems to have hidden agendas. He observes, he ponders, he pretends not to see the King’s debasing lust and murderous greed, Polonius’ machiavellian maneuvers, the Queen’s disgusting shallowness, Ophelia’s gullible innocence. Yet his keen eyes discern it all…but at what cost?
“Great wit to madness nearly is allied"
The afflictions of life require greatness of spirit and Hamlet meets his fate fully aware that logic, reason and justice are not enough to disentangle the quandaries of existence. In the course of the action though, a transformation has taken place in him, the doubtful Prince has grown in wisdom and is ready to submit to providence without repudiating the world. The welfare of the Kingdom, the sense of honor, the corroding lust or ambition, all dissolve in the spectacle of beholding the spirit of man blossoming and most triumphant… in defeat.
Lecture XII, STC.
As much as I admire Coleridge and with the boldness of having read Hamlet only once and therefore being aware I haven’t even managed to scratch the surface of the Paragon of Tragedies, I dare to antagonize the poet and proclaim that I resist the idea of linking Hamlet’s moral idealism to reprehensible inaction.
The Prince of Denmark’s obsession is to think, not to act, and in spite of having been dethroned by his duplicitous uncle, he seems to count with the favor of the common people. But Hamlet can’t help being haunted by the sickness of life and he retreats into the abyss of his inwardness. He is plagued by endless questions that paralyze him in meditation: “What a piece of work is a man!... And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust?”.
In the opening scene of Act I, a melancholic dejection has already taken hold of The Prince and, whether in self-preservation or in fear of foul reality, he engages in deluded gibberish easily attributable to a man whose reason has abandoned him.
And yet his inquisitive soliloquies are infused with the elucidating sharpness of a genius, someone with great intellectual capacity who taunts with puns and riddles that contain receding depths and layers and layers of meaning in them.
“The widow being oppressed, the orphan wronged,
The taste of hunger, or a tyrant’s reign,
And thousand more calamities besides,
To grunt and sweat under this weary life,
When that he may his full quietus make,
With a bare bodkin, who would this endure,
But for a hope of something after death?”
Spontaneous philosopher or irredeemably insane?
The world of Hamlet is phantasmagorical, in constant disruption with the burdens of the past, the betrayals of the present and the falsehood of the future. Everybody around him seems to have hidden agendas. He observes, he ponders, he pretends not to see the King’s debasing lust and murderous greed, Polonius’ machiavellian maneuvers, the Queen’s disgusting shallowness, Ophelia’s gullible innocence. Yet his keen eyes discern it all…but at what cost?
“Great wit to madness nearly is allied"
The afflictions of life require greatness of spirit and Hamlet meets his fate fully aware that logic, reason and justice are not enough to disentangle the quandaries of existence. In the course of the action though, a transformation has taken place in him, the doubtful Prince has grown in wisdom and is ready to submit to providence without repudiating the world. The welfare of the Kingdom, the sense of honor, the corroding lust or ambition, all dissolve in the spectacle of beholding the spirit of man blossoming and most triumphant… in defeat.
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Reading Progress
March 2, 2015
–
Started Reading
March 2, 2015
– Shelved
March 3, 2015
–
48.17%
""What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals; and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?""
page
92
March 4, 2015
–
71.2%
"Queen: Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. Hamlet: Mother, you have my father much offended. Queen: Come, come, you answer with idle tongue. Hamlet: Go, go, you question with wicked tongue."
page
136
March 5, 2015
–
Finished Reading
March 6, 2015
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100%
""There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is't to leave betimes? Let be.""
page
197
July 30, 2022
–
Started Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 56 (56 new)
Oh you do know where to hit the nail, Dolors! It is indeed a curse that Hamlet could never shed, of being the victim who dared or the messiah who cowed. I guess it was never the intention of Shakespeare to erect an ideal hero. His protagonists, across his works, have one thing in common without fail; their moral ambivalence.
This review is a juxtaposition of Shakespeare's brilliance and your artistry and I don't know which one am I likely to quote more often. Exquisite work dearest! :)
P.S. Don't grudge Coleridge; it might be one of his opium blurbs! ;)
"Spontaneous philosopher or irredeemably insane? "
Great approach to the play, Dolors. I have always felt Shakespeare was unwitting..."
Thanks for the link Sama. The edition I read included a short introduction and it quoted only Coleridge’s sentence above, one that I found myself going back to as I advanced reading the play. I am a neophyte in Shakespeare and I find his universe as dense and intricate as human condition is, but I resist the idea of deconstructing his tragedies based on an objective set of criteria, as pointed out by T.S. Elliot. There was indeed some disturbing dynamics between Hamlet and the “fairer” sex in the play, which extended not only to his mother’s “betrayal” and “lewdness of character” but also to sweet Ophelia, whom he doubts, his mind poisoned by loathing against his mother, and pushes away relentlessly.
There are so many possible and disparate interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays that it doesn’t surprise me that the greatest minds have tried for centuries to unlock its mysteries, but I do think there won’t ever be a conclusive postulation, only individual and equally valid responses to a work of art that guarantees its eternity. Thanks for reading and for your interesting post Sama!
Oh you do know where to hit the nail, Dolors! It is indeed a curse that Hamlet could never shed, of being the victim who dared or the messiah who ..."
Hehe, you might be right about Coleridge! I can easily imagine the poet thoroughly examining verse after verse with meticulous concentration and maybe seeing a bit of him reflected in the conflicted Prince. You describe Shakespeare’s genius with so much ease Seemita. His characters carry the inconsistencies of mankind and act like mirrors for the readers, who find themselves trapped in their nuanced, and often bitingly sharp-witted, mental processes. I found it incredible that Hamlet’s predicaments regarding individual choice and freedom echoed what the Existentialists tackled more than 300 hundred years later!
Thanks as always for your bright and spot-on comment and for alleviating my usual Sunday Night Blues! :)
Oh you do know where to hit the nail, Dolors! It is indeed a curse that Hamlet could never shed, of being the victim who dared or the messiah who ..."
Hehe, you might be right about Coleridge! I can easily imagine the poet thoroughly examining verse after verse with meticulous concentration and maybe seeing a bit of him reflected in the conflicted Prince. You describe Shakespeare’s genius with so much ease Seemita. His characters carry the inconsistencies of mankind and act like mirrors for the readers, who find themselves trapped in their nuanced, and often bitingly sharp-witted, mental processes. I found it incredible that Hamlet’s predicaments regarding individual choice and freedom echoed what the Existentialists tackled more than 300 hundred years later!
Thanks as always for your bright and spot-on comment and for alleviating my usual Sunday Night Blues! :)
Glad to hear that Mona! The introduction of my paperback certainly helped a lot, but I intend to revisit this play sometime in the future and I envision changing my mind every time I do so... that is Shakespeare’s main asset, his elusiveness guarantees fun in future re-reads! Thank you for reading and for your lovely comment, btw. I hope to be able to watch this play performed on the stage some day! :)
Glad to hear that Mona! The introduction of my paperback certainly helped a lot, but I intend to revisit this play sometime in the future and I envision changing my mind every time I do so... that is Shakespeare’s main asset, his elusiveness guarantees fun in future re-reads! Thank you for reading and for your lovely comment, btw. I hope to be able to watch this play performed on the stage some day! :)
Yet there is such stoic heroism in his downfall! I somehow was reminded of Macbeth’s tragic end, both men were tortured by guilt, doubts and ended up losing everything, but Shakespeare assures that their names will be remembered by the ones left behind. I never imagined I would respond so enthusiastically to Shakespeare’s works, so I am the first surprised here! Thanks for your comment & encouragement Henry!
All that is amiable and excellent in nature is found in a Dolors' review! Nothing has made me happier on GR this year than watching your introduction to Shakespeare evolve from respectful interest to confident addiction. You analyze the plays like you have been reading them your entire life. Actually, you came to Shakespeare at the perfect age--with a fully developed interior life (unlike most of us in the English-speaking world who encounter him before we are ready). Of course, your life has been spent reading, thinking, and writing, so you are the perfect reader of Shakespeare. I love how you have boldly declared yourself in the camp of moral idealism rather than indecision when it comes to one of the great mysteries of literary interpretation that has bedeviled critics for 400 years. Oscar Wilde once asked: "Are the critics mad or only pretending to be so?" Hamlet (as a character and as a play) lacks clear-cut resolutions, but, like you suggest, Shakespeare is capacious and includes, consumes, subsumes all interpretations in between his giant polarities of spirit. There is room for everybody in his large tent, and our interpretation of his plays tends to say more about us than it does about Shakespeare. Speaking of broad range-- how interesting to read this review and remember the heaviness of Hamlet after having just read some of his lighter plays like "The Tempest" and "Midsummer Night's Dream." In Hamlet, seemingly healthy exteriors conceal interior sickness. Hamlet, his mind tuned to philosophical matters, is keenly and poetically aware of humanity's fallen condition. I love how you have concluded on an optimistic note. Thus, while suicide serves as part of the plays's imagery of despair, its rejection foreshadows the ultimate acceptance of life and its evils. Knowing that there are other individuals like you who willingly explore a 400-year-old play for wisdom for living today helps me to reject despair and accept life with all its pageantry, simplicity, phoniness, truth, ugliness and beauty. Thank you for another marvelous review and an keen insight into a literary mind--both that of Shakespeare and that of Dolors.
Hello Kim! Thanks so much for your lovely comment the recommendation. I just revisited your review on Tom Stoppard's remake of "Hamlet" and it seems not only very creative, but also very funny and full of renewed witticisms regarding life, art and fate. Will also be on the lookout for any production that might come around Barcelona from now on. I mean to watch everything that displays the name "Shakespeare" on it! I can think of many worse "icons" to have than Shakespeare and Steinbeck, as I bet you do!:)
I totally agree with that as well, Deea. Shakespeare's geniality is that his characters are multifaceted and prone to provoke disparate interpretations, which are not excluding. Same goes to the stories in general. And maybe that's the key of his indisputable mastery, for his plays and characters to continue resonating with readers even 400 years after they were penned. And yes! I am surprised at myself, for I never intended to read so many of his plays in a row but I just find myself helplessly drawn to them. I plan on finishing his sonnets sometime soon and take a break though, as I have many authors pending that are piling up on my to-read list. Thanks for stopping by and for your encouraging comment, Deea! :)
There is more substance in your comment than in my review, Steve. Wilde's quote says it all, doesn't it? There have been countless (and doubtlessly also erudite and enlightening) interpretations on Shakespeare's plays, but after having read a few of his tragedies and comedies I have come to the conclusion that the magic of reading The Bard relays in making his characters and stories your own. There is so much ambivalence in the soliloquies that one can detect despondency or hope, anxiety or courage, uncertainty or conviction. A whole world is condensed in each of his plays and the same reader might identify with the different aspects of his characters with every new reading. That makes the richness of these plays inexhaustible and your comment is a living proof of that, Steve.
Also, I read your own interpretation and I learn and my views are expanded. I hadn't considered the dichotomy of Hamlet's apparent calmness and the inner turmoil that consumed him. That could be revealing of the way insightful wisdom implies huge responsibility (and a wearing burden), and so that idea could be an apt example of the old saying that knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss. Hamlet's keen eye might have propelled his downward spiral to the abyss of existential pandemonium, but at the same time, his obsessive dwelling also endorses the right to free will, individual choice and personal awareness that resists indoctrination of all kinds, that arising from duty to our fathers or from social traditions.
Thank you my friend for your unfaltering motivation, your generous words and your invaluable friendship, certainly one of the main assets of this haven that GR has become for me.
Many thanks Cheryl! I have heard Hamlet's inner travails resonate within me, now I only have to wait for a chance to hear him played out on the stage! The roots -and incosistencies- of human condition are planted in every Shakespeare play I have read so far, but in "Hamlet" converges everything that makes us the complex creatures that we are. Thanks for your substantial comment and for always having an inspiring word to make my day! :)
You are right, Billy. Hamlet could be even accused of misogyny and contrarily to Macbeth, who was an unrepentant traitor but who treated his wife equally, he demonized his mother and innocent Ophelia in default-mode simply because she was a woman. So many layers of possible meanings underneath this play! I envision myself reading it in a few years and getting a completely different conclusion...heh, such is the ambivalence and the genius of The Bard! Thanks for stopping by to read and to post such a generous comment, Billy! :)
Thanks Aditi! I am really greateful for your encouraging comments.
Oh, but you did Himanshu! Your encouragement is always invigorating...thanks for reading and for your consistent validation, my friend! I hope you decide to meet the Bard and his conflicted characters some day...
Glad that you thought so, Leonard. You describe Hamlet's essence in just a sentence with great acumen. Thanks for your incisive comment.
I know Shakespeare is not your cup of tea Praj, that's why I appreciate your generous feedback all the more. He is tough work and quite playful in his use of language, almost like an antithesis of the Asian starkness and restrained undertone, but I am charmed by his opulent overtures...I am an Anglophile after all!:))
Shakespeare was always a mandatory school curriculum read and then later during my college days. Thus, Bard had always been more attached to my academia rather than personal literary exploration. So, I can't thank you enough for writings these marvellous reviews :) Thanks again.(view spoiler)
I completely understand that, Praj! I suffer the same affliction when Spanish classics enter the picture. I get a rash everytime La Generación del 27, the Spanish social poets of the 50s or the picaresque novel are mentioned...(view spoiler)
Hello Maria, I am delighted to hear from you, my friend. I hope life is keeping you busy in a good sense. How great to hear that your son is tackling Shakespeare at high school. Next thing you'll know he will performing one of his plays on the stage! You must have heard me say how envious I am of those of you who had the luck of studying The Bard in your teens, but then, as I advance reading, I realize that plunging into Shakespeare now allows me to delve deeper into his works and having so many keen readers as friends in this page, I feel like if I were in an international advanced class with ideas flashing right and through across time and space!:) Reading your thoughts on Shakespeare is a wonderful prospect to have, but I feel utterly contented at the moment only because I have heard from you! Thanks for stopping by to say hello and to post one of your invariable kind comments.
Dearest Garima, I see you have read this play twice, and the second read was only last October, and I infer you have given the tragedy some thought based on your accurate and precise description posted above. My mind was clogged with meaning as soon as I started reading. There were so many philosophical themes speaking to me at once (dichotomy of love vs duty to our fathers, betrayal vs justice, gender discrimination, existential angst, reason vs madness...) that I decided to focus on one and ignore the rest to compose the review, and here you come, condensing all its essence in a couple of lines! You are a treasure of a friend, a keen reader as I have ever seen, and an indefatigable motivator, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your consistent validation and inspiration. You truly make my life sweeter, Garima...and I am not kidding! :) Thank YOU.
Thanks Forrest! I think most people have gone though a similar mental/emotional turmoil at some point in their lives, but not everybody is ready to admit it. It's part of the incongruences of human nature and also what makes us a bit more interesting than the animal kingdom! :)
And thanks to you for allowing me get off on the right foot Karin, that's what your post achieved this morning!:)I love the way you phrase Hamlet's inner conflict and Shakespeare's genius relays in the fact that countless interpretations can be inferred with the same amount of evidence from the text. And like in Macbeth (not so much in Othello, which I found truly tragic and unredeemable), there is a sort of human grandeur in the characters when they meet their "fates". Thank you so much for shedding a bit more of spice into this discussion thread with your insightful remarks! :)
You have taken to Shakespeare as a fish takes to water. Your reviews will guide me as I move closer to his plays. Come them coming!
I'm also thinking if Hamlet's eventual transformation, for the better, is a public service message intended for the ruling kings and queens to fix up the mess, forgo self-interest, and focus on the plebeian good? Given his plays were written for stage (not for print), how much of the content of Hamlet (and indeed of his other plays) can be interpreted in the light of the goings-on at that time?
“Great wit to madness nearly is allied"
This is a familiar thought from various literary traditions in the 'Near East'. Or maybe this is universal in its acknowledgment of a human truth. I'm glad to see this with Shakespeare too!
What can I say after such a generous overview of my attempt to condense the cacophony of themes, philosophical undercurrents and moralistic interpretations of this iconic tragedy that plagued me for days? Comments like yours makes this business of making an effort to write truly rewarding, so many thanks my friend.
"Given his plays were written for stage (not for print), how much of the content of Hamlet (and indeed of his other plays) can be interpreted in the light of the goings-on at that time?"
An inch-perfect elucidation, Jibran! Shakespeare was adored by the masses and it's not uncommon that his anti-heroes bask in the popularity among the common citizens. Take a look at treacherous Macbeth who casts a shadow over the legitimate heir of the crown, Prince Malcom. A similar approach takes place in "Hamlet", whose incantatory speeches beguile not only his audience but also the reader. I tend to fantasize and imagine Shakespeare showed a facet of his multifarious personality in each of his plays, although I wonder how many people contributed into giving shape to the most mysterious figure in the history of literature, right?
I have spent a lot of my reading time with the bard this year and have had the time of my life. I would love to see your extended thoughts on any of his plays, as I know in advance yours will be an impressive performance of boundless intellect and sharp wit! :)
Writers' sources of inspiration, their intellectual pedigree, the people and situations that shape them, their writing process, the reception of their work during their lifetime - all these questions always fascinate me. I think I will look for a good biography of Shakespeare as I make my progress through his oeuvre. Any ideas in this regard Dolors?
And by the way, as I read your review, I reminisced about the pics I took during my visit to Kronborg castle in Helsingør (or Elsinore) a couple of years ago, where the fictional Hamlet had lived. Perfect place for meditation wouldn't you say? Pics dedicated to your beautiful review :)
And yet I'm wondering. Why is Hamlet a prince of Denmark and not of England?
Amazing shots Jibran! That was quite a trip you took some years ago..lucky you! Love the mossy slopes and the azure waters of the picture below, sky and sea the perfect canvas for that stately construction. Reminds me of Scotland...but wait this is not Macbeth we are speaking about, right? ;P
Regarding the setting for "Hamlet", I think the bard borrowed from ancient legends and former Elizabethan plays to pen his plays. According to the introduction of my edition, "Hamlet" is presumably a re-make of another play called "Ur-Hamlet", although some scholars believe he actually created that play with a pseudonym...did we say shrouded in mystery? ;P
As for the biography, I can't provide any recommendation at the moment because I haven't even started exploring myself, but I would be very grateful if you shared your discoveries with me!:)
I també la importància que juguen les emocions en el comportament humà que molt bé exposes aquí:
The afflictions of life require greatness of spirit and Hamlet meets his fate fully aware that logic, reason and justice are not enough to disentangle the quandaries of existence. In the course of the action though, a transformation has taken place in him, the doubtful Prince has grown in wisdom and is ready to submit to providence without repudiating the world.
Gràcies nena! És que Hamlet és polihèdric, complex i contradictori... i bell reflex the la condició humana! Impossible no identificar-s'hi, sobretot quan qüestiona el significat de la vida. Per cert, et recomano The Tempest, és una obra mixta, mig comèdia, mig fantasia. Forces supernaturals en joc, però tinc una teoria personal sobre l'epílog del personatge principal que tanca l'obra i que molaria discutir amb tu! Shakespeare, insuperable! :)
Adding that book to my TBR list, Forrest...it seems a fascinating read according to the GR blurb. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Adding that book to my TBR list, Forrest...it s..."
You're welcome! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
That's deep! The theories and ramblings of the mind appear eventually helpless so many a time against the enigmatic schemes of the universe defying all logic, all rationales. I haven't touched Shakespeare yet for the mere fear of not being able to comprehend the great writer.
That's deep! Th..."
Thanks Soumen! How great to see you after such a long absence. How funny that you mention being a bit cautious to tackle Shakespeare, for I kept postponing reading his plays for the same reason: to feel the works to be of my depth. Well, after quite a few tragedies and a couple of comedies I can only encourage you to take the plunge and submerge into the bard's universe, language might be archaic and bit cryptic some times, but it's extremely witty and also funny and really worth the effort! Thanks again for stopping by to read and for your lovely comment.
"Spontaneous philosopher or irredeemably insane? "
Great approach to the play, Dolors. I have always felt Shakespeare was unwittingly doing much of Freud's work for him by analyzing the hell out of how depression works. But spontaneous philosopher works too. Lovely ending to the review as ever. Your critical voice never loses its lyrical touch. :) I haven't read Coleridge's essay on this one though, must go through Biographia Literaria: Biographical Sketches of my Literary Life & Opinions.
I wonder if you have read T.S. Eliot's essay on the play - a very interesting take in which he says Hamlet is driven by so great a disgust for his mother that it finds no proper expression and he becomes incapable of objectifying his own feelings which only find a channel in his 'mad' ravings and his repetitious use of phrases and puns. Here's the link (not a very long piece) - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn...