https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9 UVI en-us 2018-02-28 20:55:18 UTC 2025-12-07 13:06:45 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f480.png rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1281527866 Critical Approaches - A Level English Literature (weebly.com)

Feminist - how does Hamlet reflect a patriarchal society? How are Gertrude and Ophelia portrayed? Consider Ophelia's unquestioning obedience to Polonius's order to end her relationship with Hamlet, and Hamlet's harsh treatment of her. A feminist perspective might also defend Gertrude's right to have sexual desire for Claudius, or indeed argue that Hamlet overemphasises (obsesses over) the sexual side of her relationship with Claudius.

Marxist - how are the political theories of Karl Marx (1818-1883) reflected and explored in texts. Marx believed that there was a class struggle between the upper and lower classes, and that these inequalities were wrong. Consider Claudius's misuse of his position, and the way R and G are portrayed as subservient characters who suffer (it could be argued) a fate which they do not deserve.

Psychological (Freudian) - approaches based on the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Freud thought the plot was an example of the 'Oedipus Complex' - that a boy is subconsciously attracted to his mother and wants to kill his father. Freudian critics are interested in the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude in the play.


]]> 2021-03-08 11:48:38 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1281527866 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1286874385 David Tennant BBC Studios production- use of CCTV cameras to reflect the culture of spying and subterfuge. ]]> 2021-03-09 11:10:16 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1286874385 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1286903391 2021-03-09 11:20:43 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1286903391 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292220589 2021-03-10 10:51:32 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292220589 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292222399 'There is serenity at the end'. Hamlet 'reaches inner peace.' ]]> 2021-03-10 10:52:14 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292222399 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292226090 2021-03-10 10:53:36 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292226090 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292227837 2021-03-10 10:54:17 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1292227837 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1293058169 2021-03-10 14:24:45 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1293058169 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1293224756 2021-03-10 14:51:59 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1293224756 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305567012 David Garrick helped to establish the popularity of the play in the C18th. He introduced lavish costumes and set designs. His version of Hamlet would seem strange to modern audiences - he cut out most of Act V and his acting style was full of dramatic gestures and exaggerated pauses which would seem artificial today.

The early C19th actor Edmund Kean replaced this melodramatic style of acting with more naturalistic emotional energy and passion. He became a huge celebrity in Georgian England.

When the American actor John Barrymore played Hamlet in the 1920s the production used a single, simple design for each scene: a raised platform, an arch and a set of steps. This production emphasises the emotional relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude, with Hamlet in tears in the closet scene.

In the 1950s, Richard Burton played Hamlet and stressed the psychological unravelling and emotional agitation of the Prince.

In the 1989 production. Mark Rylance portrayed Hamlet's madness with wild derangement and insane excitement.

In the 2008 RSC production, David Tennant portrayed Hamlet as a wild, witty character, with rapidly changing moods and unpredictable emotions.

In the 2016 RSC production, Paapa Essiedu is described as a 'graffiti prince' in Simon Billington's review in The Guardian. This production , directed by Simon Godwin, is set in an unnamed African country and features a predominantly black cast and 'vivid Technicolor brightness.' He is an  'intensely likeable Hamlet. He is young, quick-witted and, even in his rootless uncertainty, sportive: to convey his “antic disposition” he dons a paint-daubed suit and goes around doing subversive graffiti and big, splashy canvases like a mixture of Banksy and Jackson Pollock'.]]> 2021-03-13 16:18:16 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305567012 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305602692 Hamlet directed by Laurence Olivier, who also played Hamlet (1948) stressed the psychological aspect of Hamlet, particularly his relationship with his mother. The film is set in a huge, confusing castle with winding stairs and fog.

Hamlet directed by John Gielgud (with Richard Burton playing Hamlet) (1964). Burton played Hamlet as strong and confident but some critics were unhappy about the 'detached' manner in which he delivered some of his lines. 

Hamlet directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played Hamlet (1996). This production was unusual in that it included every scene in the play, meaning it is 242 minutes long. The film makes the most of lavish settings and Branagh emphasises Hamlet's recklessness as well as his indecision.

Hamlet directed by Robin Lough and Lyndsey Turner (with Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet (2015). Hamlet is portrayed as far more balanced and sane than is usual. It is clear that his madness is only a pretence, with Hamlet's humour featuring prominently. Some scenes are moved around in a different order and some lines are spoken by different characters. ]]> 2021-03-13 16:40:36 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305602692 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305626716 Neoclassical Criticism
Refers to the period 1660 to 1798. Writers, critics and thinkers were heavily influenced by classical style of Romans and Greeks. Aristotle produced a very detailed analysis of the 'rules' of Greek tragedy in his work Poetics. Early commentators such as John Evelyn (1620-1706) applied Aristotle's principles to their critique. Evelyn thought Hamlet was too coarse and was offended by the gravediggers scene and the ungentlemanly struggle at Ophelia's graveside. 
Jeremy Collier (1650-1726) who wrote A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage (1698) disliked the play's sexual and religious themes, which he thought immoral. 

Romantic Criticism
This was a movement in literature, painting, music and other areas from late C18th to mid C19th. It rejected the ordered, rational world of neoclassicism and focused on emotions and spontaneous individual responses. Romantic critics were interested in the play as a study of character and emotion, rather than a drama to be judged according to Aristotelian values. The complex, ambiguous personality of Hamlet appealed to Romantic critics. Coleridge (1772-1834) admired the way that Hamlet raised profound questions about life and death, referring to Shakespeare's 'deep and accurate science in mental philosophy.' 
William Hazlitt (1778-1830) called Hamlet the 'prince of philosophical speculators.' 

Early C20th Criticism
C20th critics continued to be focused on the motivation and character of Prince Hamlet. A specific psychological theory was applied by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Freud was an Austrian neurologist (i.e. specialising in treating diseases of the spine and nervous system). He developed the theory of psychoanalysis, examining the subconscious workings of the brain. Freud saw Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude as an example of his theory of the 'Oedipus Complex' - a boy is subconsciously attracted to his mother and wishes to kill his father. 
A C Bradley (1851-1935)  was the author of Shakespearian Tragedy (1904) which includes sections on Hamlet. His approach was analysing characters as though they were real people. He sees Hamlet's hesitancy as a logical result of his circumstances rather than an emotional or psychological condition. 

Late C20th criticism
From the late 1960s new approaches to literary criticism began to develop in Europe, Britain and the United States - e.g. Freudian approaches, Marxist approaches (see literary approaches box), feminist approaches (see literary approaches box) and Historicist criticism looks at texts in relation to their social and cultural context. ]]> 2021-03-13 16:53:46 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1305626716 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307526675 2021-03-14 16:04:47 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307526675 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307528682 2021-03-14 16:05:35 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307528682 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307529567 2021-03-14 16:06:06 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307529567 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307530763 2021-03-14 16:06:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307530763 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307531804 2021-03-14 16:07:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1307531804 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337245459 MASSOLIT]]> 2021-03-22 11:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337245459 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337254072 2021-03-22 11:17:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337254072 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337299803 2021-03-22 11:34:02 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337299803 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337311756 2021-03-22 11:38:11 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337311756 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337326175 2021-03-22 11:43:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337326175 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337333219 2021-03-22 11:45:27 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337333219 rebecca_daville https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337339253 2021-03-22 11:47:25 UTC https://padlet.com/rebecca_daville/mahu4646pfk9/wish/1337339253