12/02/14

English Notes

Since Hamlet was first written there have been many interpretations and versions. In Greek culture there were also revenge tragedies.

T.S. Elliot is a modern poet, who wrote many important texts. So let’s read one of his texts in “Hamlet’s Allege Oedipal Complex” to see what emerges from it.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet there is a play inside a play: Hamlet puts on a play about a story very similar to what's going on in Denmark to see Claudius's reaction. During the play when Hamlet sees his uncles reaction, he is sure that Claudius is the one who killed his father. But, when he had the chance to kill him he created an excuse (alibi), even though he had a positive answer to his suspect he still couldn’t take action. Generally we create excuses when we are guilty. So why is Hamlet guilty? It seems to have no sense.

Ernest Jones has many followers because his interpretation seemed more close to reality. He adopted a critical psychological point of view (Freudian Psychoanalysis). Jones believes that Hamlet has a sexual desire for his mother and feel neglected by her new partner. So he was unable to kill his uncle and avenge his father because he was jealous of his mother.

Oedipal complex = comes from a Greek tragedy in which the protagonist kills his father unconsciously so that he could marry his mother.

Vocabulary:

-          The reason why = la ragione perché;

-          As evidence = come prova;

-          He points = sottolineare;

-          To find evidence = trovare prove.