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. |
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Page 3
... look upon his like again . ( 1.2.187-88 ) Virtually all the characters in Hamlet still believe in purgatory , angels , saints , and ghosts , and take very seriously the rites of the Catholic church . Denmark is still a Catholic country ...
... look upon his like again . ( 1.2.187-88 ) Virtually all the characters in Hamlet still believe in purgatory , angels , saints , and ghosts , and take very seriously the rites of the Catholic church . Denmark is still a Catholic country ...
Page 7
... look pale and tremble at this chance , / That are but mutes or audience to this act " [ 5.2.339-40 ] ) . The two senses of " act " βto do and to simu- late β are exchanged . Paradoxically , as Hamlet's moral life be- comes radically ...
... look pale and tremble at this chance , / That are but mutes or audience to this act " [ 5.2.339-40 ] ) . The two senses of " act " βto do and to simu- late β are exchanged . Paradoxically , as Hamlet's moral life be- comes radically ...
Page 10
... look pale and tremble at this chance " ) 21 and obscuring the distinction between actors and spectators on the one hand and actors and what they imitate on the other ( " That are but mutes or audience to this act " ) , he says that ...
... look pale and tremble at this chance " ) 21 and obscuring the distinction between actors and spectators on the one hand and actors and what they imitate on the other ( " That are but mutes or audience to this act " ) , he says that ...
Page 13
... look backward and forward both in time and in thought , and to use that capability to act . Notwithstanding his own answer , however , Hamlet is unable to keep the soul's two functions together . He thinks without acting ( " [ T ] he ...
... look backward and forward both in time and in thought , and to use that capability to act . Notwithstanding his own answer , however , Hamlet is unable to keep the soul's two functions together . He thinks without acting ( " [ T ] he ...
Page 15
... look pale and tremble at this chance , / That are but mutes or audience to this act " [ 5.2.339-40 ] ) . Further , nearly everyone feigns , impersonates , or dissembles β or is sus- pected of doing so . Some feign madness , friendship ...
... look pale and tremble at this chance , / That are but mutes or audience to this act " [ 5.2.339-40 ] ) . Further , nearly everyone feigns , impersonates , or dissembles β or is sus- pected of doing so . Some feign madness , friendship ...
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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