Deadly Thought: Hamlet and the Human SoulThe human soul is for pre-modern philosophers the cause of both thinking and life. This double aspect of the soul, which makes man a rational animal, expresses itself above all in human action. Deadly Thought: "Hamlet" and the Human Soul traces Hamlet's famous inability to act to his inability to hold together these twin aspects of the soul. Combining careful attention to detail and interpretive breadth, noted scholar Jan H. Blits deftly illustrates how Hamlet collapses life into thought, and moral action into stage acting, and ultimately comes to see his own life as a stage play. Hamlet, the book demonstrates, epitomizes the intellectualism of the Renaissance and the modern age it began, and so becomes tragedy's first self-conscious protagonist, signaling the end of ancient tragedy. Erudite, innovative, and lively, Deadly Thought is a ground-breaking contribution that will appeal to Shakespeare scholars, political theorists, historians of philosophy, literary theorists and anyone interested in a truly fresh interpretation of this classic work. |
From inside the book
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Page 9
... killed in the Capitol . Brutus killed me " ( 3.2.102-3 ) . In Hamlet , the word " deed " never refers to a noble action . With just one exception , it always refers to a " foul , " " ugly , " " rash , " " bloody , " " bad , " " vile ...
... killed in the Capitol . Brutus killed me " ( 3.2.102-3 ) . In Hamlet , the word " deed " never refers to a noble action . With just one exception , it always refers to a " foul , " " ugly , " " rash , " " bloody , " " bad , " " vile ...
Page 13
... killed his brother , has married his " sometime sister " ( 1.2.8 ) , his brother's widow , making his nephew also his son ( " my cousin , Hamlet , and my son " [ 1.2.64 ] ) and hence Claudius himself Hamlet's " uncle- father " and ...
... killed his brother , has married his " sometime sister " ( 1.2.8 ) , his brother's widow , making his nephew also his son ( " my cousin , Hamlet , and my son " [ 1.2.64 ] ) and hence Claudius himself Hamlet's " uncle- father " and ...
Page 16
... killed by Hamlet with the sword and poison with which they had meant to kill him ( " I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery " [ 5.2.313 ] ) . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are killed by order of the commission that they were carrying ...
... killed by Hamlet with the sword and poison with which they had meant to kill him ( " I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery " [ 5.2.313 ] ) . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are killed by order of the commission that they were carrying ...
Page 17
... killed i'th ' Capitol . Brutus killed me " ( 3.2.102-3 ) . While Hamlet's name derives from ( and is an anagram of ) ... kill Polonius . What Brutus acted in Rome and Polonius enacted in school , Ham- let — Brutus's latter - day namesake ...
... killed i'th ' Capitol . Brutus killed me " ( 3.2.102-3 ) . While Hamlet's name derives from ( and is an anagram of ) ... kill Polonius . What Brutus acted in Rome and Polonius enacted in school , Ham- let — Brutus's latter - day namesake ...
Page 38
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Common terms and phrases
accuses action actors answer appearance Aristotle asks Barnardo birth body cause Christian Cicero Clau Claudius Claudius's conscience corpse Dane Danish dead death deed Denmark describes despite Diogenes Laertius dius double emphasizes explicitly father fear final Fortinbras Fortinbras's fortune Gertrude Gertrude's Ghost God's Gonzago grave Grave-digger Grave-digger's guilt Hamlet says Hamlet seems hath hear heaven Hecuba Horatio imitation incest Jephthah kill King Hamlet King's Laertes Laertes's letter lines lonius lord man's Marcellus marriage means mentions metaphor moral mother murder nature never noble old Hamlet once one's Ophelia Osric play play's Player King Player Queen Plutarch political Polonius Polonius's praise question Quintilian reason refers revenge rhetoric Rosencrantz and Guildenstern royal scene sense Shakespeare silent soliloquy soul speaks speech Stoic Stoicism suggests tell theatrical thee thing thou thought tion tragedy turns twice virtue vows warning words