What did TS Eliot say about Hamlet?

What did TS Eliot say about Hamlet?

In the essay, Eliot notoriously deems Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy an “artistic failure,” maintaining that the play represents a “primary problem,” and that it contains certain weaknesses as a whole.

Why do some people compare Hamlet to the Mona Lisa?

When Eliot describes Hamlet as “the Mona Lisa of literature,” what he means is that people think the play is a work of art because they find it interesting, rather than the other way around. The main thrust of Eliot’s criticism is that Hamlet’s complex feelings don’t find adequate expression in the play.

Which critic regarded Hamlet as an intellectual who thinks too much?

Samuel Coleridge, for example, penned a criticism of Hamlet during this period that raises views which continue to this day, saying basically that he is an intellectual who thinks too much, and can’t make up his mind. He extended this to say that Shakespeare’s ultimate message was that we should act, and not delay.

How is Hamlet considered a failure?

One of Hamlet’s flaws is that he over thinks things a lot and it is first shown the most at the prayer scene with Claudius. Once Hamlet sees how Claudius reacts to the play he knows that Claudius killed his father and that the ghost was right, he has a chance to kill him and doesn’t take it .

What devastating question does Hamlet ask himself in what is perhaps the most famous speech in the English language?

In the ‘To be or not be to’ soliloquy Shakespeare has his Hamlet character speak theses famous lines. Hamlet is wondering whether he should continue to be, meaning to exist or remain alive, or to not exist – in other words, commit suicide. His thoughts about that develop in the rest of the soliloquy.

Is Hamlet mad or a misunderstood intellectual?

He is viewed as mad, insane, and a mental infirm, but really, the ones around him have the problem; Hamlet is perfectly sane, while those around him are distorted, ridiculous thinkers. Hamlet is a deep thinker, philosopher, and a man overcome with the weight of what he must achieve.

What are the functions of criticism according to TS Eliot?

According to Eliot, the function of criticism is to quest for some common principles for the perfection of art. This function can only be served when the tradition of art is followed which has been derived from the long experience of ages.

Is Hamlet a failure as a son?

Instead he is engrossed by the fighting, or is filled with a sense of listlessness so great that nothing matters. Hamlet has expressed listlessness from the very first.

What is the reason Hamlet is unable to accomplish his goal?

He was infuriated by Claudius’ conniving treachery. He instantly reacted and murdered Claudius. Essentially, Hamlet does not carry out his vengeance because of the murder of his father like he set out to do. In conclusion, Hamlet became the object of revenge himself by Claudius.

What are the criticisms Hamlet has of himself?

Hamlet was so entrenched in his self remorse that he could not honour his father, and in doing so also neglected his responsibility towards Denmark and Gertrude. William Shakespeare attempted to show that suicide is not a noble act, but a selfish one that contradicts the purpose of life.

Why is hamlet considered an artistic failure?

T. S. Eliot calls that Hamlet is an artistic failure. According to him, Hamlet is the Monalisa of literature, a work that is interesting, but not a work of art. It means the writer is unable to objectify the emotions.

How does Eliot justify his analysis of the play Hamlet?

Eliot justifies his analysis of Hamlet – and the play’s problems – by referring to what he calls the ‘objective correlative’ of the play: the ‘only way of expressing emotion in the form of art’, Eliot tells us, is by finding an ‘objective correlative’.

How is hamlet dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible?

Hamlet is dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible because it is in excess of the facts as they appear. Hamlet suffers from bafflement at the absence of objective equivalent to his feelings and emotions. Hamlet’s disgust is caused by his mother, but his mother is not an adequate equivalent for it.

Is Shakespeare’s comment on Hamlet justified?

Eliot’s comment on Shakespeare’s Hamlet is justified as the play fails to do justice to the original material and it lacks an objective equivalent for the externalization of the repressed emotions and feelings.

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