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 9
... deeds . The only republican Roman Hamlet ever mentions is Roscius , an actor ( 2.2.386 ; cf. 3.2.239 , 385 ; 5.1.206 ) ... deed " never refers to a noble action . With just one exception , it always refers to a " foul , " " ugly , " " rash ...
... deeds . The only republican Roman Hamlet ever mentions is Roscius , an actor ( 2.2.386 ; cf. 3.2.239 , 385 ; 5.1.206 ) ... deed " never refers to a noble action . With just one exception , it always refers to a " foul , " " ugly , " " rash ...
Page 13
... deed is this ! " [ 3.4.27 ] ) . But even while he thus sets mo- tion and thinking apart , Hamlet tends to collapse the former into the latter . As it turns action into theater and theater into action , Hamlet's self - dramatization of ...
... deed is this ! " [ 3.4.27 ] ) . But even while he thus sets mo- tion and thinking apart , Hamlet tends to collapse the former into the latter . As it turns action into theater and theater into action , Hamlet's self - dramatization of ...
Page 16
... deeds are returned upon those who do them . “ [ P ] urposes mistook / Fall . . . on th'inventors ' heads " ( 5.2.389-90 ) . Laertes and Claudius are killed by Hamlet with the sword and poison with which they had meant to kill him ( “ I ...
... deeds are returned upon those who do them . “ [ P ] urposes mistook / Fall . . . on th'inventors ' heads " ( 5.2.389-90 ) . Laertes and Claudius are killed by Hamlet with the sword and poison with which they had meant to kill him ( “ I ...
Page 17
... deeds . As we see most especially with Hamlet himself , the- ory and practice , art and life , become exchanged or confused . Hamlet not only consciously turns stage - acting into action and ac- tion into stage - acting . He also ...
... deeds . As we see most especially with Hamlet himself , the- ory and practice , art and life , become exchanged or confused . Hamlet not only consciously turns stage - acting into action and ac- tion into stage - acting . He also ...
Page 19
... deed " three times , the first and last times it has pejorative connotations ( 1.2.83-86 , where it suggests that actions merely seem ; and 4.7.124-26 , where it refers to murder ) . The only time the pun is free from such connotations ...
... deed " three times , the first and last times it has pejorative connotations ( 1.2.83-86 , where it suggests that actions merely seem ; and 4.7.124-26 , where it refers to murder ) . The only time the pun is free from such connotations ...
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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 hendiadys 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