We are starting the course by reading the play Hamlet. I really enjoy Hamlet because of the superb examples of the psychological character. Writing a tragedy is really nothing new, but, in my opinion, it is the ability of Shakespeare to allow his audience to peer into the internal workings of his characters that really makes the play so universal. At the same time this makes me wonder, if Hamlet were not so complex on the interior would the play still be as marvelous? What is it about a tragic character that seems to fascinate humanity? Are we really that morbid at the core? Because I like to hear it rather than read it, I am attaching here a video clip form Youtube where Kenneth Barnagh recites Hamlet’s first soliloquy. It is really well done.
1 comment:
I'm certainly inclined to agree. We seem to reward insanity and grime in our characters. I wonder if it came with a movement or if it has always been this way. Even in Ancient Greece they worshipped flawed Gods. Tragic heroes like Oedipus Rex were in their literature. Tragic heroes like Julius Caesar led Ancient Rome. Even in the Old Testament, aren't Adam and Eve tragic heroes? For that matter, isn't the God of the Old Testament incredibly morbid and dark? He's certainly a more interesting read.
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