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 34
... Fortinbras . The second ( 1.1.98-110 ) narrates young Fortinbras's attempt to recover by force the lands his father lost in the duel and concludes that his attempt is the cause of the present preparations . The duel , Horatio recounts ...
... Fortinbras . The second ( 1.1.98-110 ) narrates young Fortinbras's attempt to recover by force the lands his father lost in the duel and concludes that his attempt is the cause of the present preparations . The duel , Horatio recounts ...
Page 35
... Fortinbras's attempt to " recover " the lands " his father lost " ( 1.1.105 , 107 ) . If old Fortinbras compares poorly with old Hamlet , young Fortinbras compares no better with his father . Where the father lost lands under terms of ...
... Fortinbras's attempt to " recover " the lands " his father lost " ( 1.1.105 , 107 ) . If old Fortinbras compares poorly with old Hamlet , young Fortinbras compares no better with his father . Where the father lost lands under terms of ...
Page 36
... Fortinbras's enterprise and his men , Horatio suggests that while the enterprise offers the men both rations and a chance to show their courage , the men , who have been collected indiscriminately ( " Shark'd up " ) , are to serve as ...
... Fortinbras's enterprise and his men , Horatio suggests that while the enterprise offers the men both rations and a chance to show their courage , the men , who have been collected indiscriminately ( " Shark'd up " ) , are to serve as ...
Page 45
... Fortinbras's military threat . The two parts are implicitly connected by Claudius's reference to " this warlike ... Fortinbras , he says , either holds a low estimate of Claudius's ability to govern or thinks that the kingdom is in ...
... Fortinbras's military threat . The two parts are implicitly connected by Claudius's reference to " this warlike ... Fortinbras , he says , either holds a low estimate of Claudius's ability to govern or thinks that the kingdom is in ...
Page 46
... Fortinbras's threat , his appeal to the Norwegian king will not depend on anyone's estimate of his abilities or of Danish unity , but on Norway's estimate of Fortinbras's threat to his own interests ( 1.2.27-33 ; cf. 3.1.171-72 ; 4.3.61 ...
... Fortinbras's threat , his appeal to the Norwegian king will not depend on anyone's estimate of his abilities or of Danish unity , but on Norway's estimate of Fortinbras's threat to his own interests ( 1.2.27-33 ; cf. 3.1.171-72 ; 4.3.61 ...
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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