Deadly Thought: Hamlet and the Human SoulLexington Books, 2001 - 405 pages The 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. |
From inside the book
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... play has already been said , perhaps ad nauseam . There is , of course , a vast body of literature on Hamlet . " For well over a century , " Harold Jen- kins wrote some thirty - five years ago , " almost every writer upon Hamlet has ...
... play has already been said , perhaps ad nauseam . There is , of course , a vast body of literature on Hamlet . " For well over a century , " Harold Jen- kins wrote some thirty - five years ago , " almost every writer upon Hamlet has ...
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... play . The present book studies Hamlet in the same way . Instead of being organized thematically , it begins at the beginning and follows the play through to the end , closely examining Shakespeare's text — his plot , characters ...
... play . The present book studies Hamlet in the same way . Instead of being organized thematically , it begins at the beginning and follows the play through to the end , closely examining Shakespeare's text — his plot , characters ...
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... play , Hamlet's Denmark is marked by the ongoing rediscovery of classical or neoclassical antiquity on the one hand and the rising reformation of the Christian doctrine of salvation on the other . While the Middle Ages still cast a long ...
... play , Hamlet's Denmark is marked by the ongoing rediscovery of classical or neoclassical antiquity on the one hand and the rising reformation of the Christian doctrine of salvation on the other . While the Middle Ages still cast a long ...
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Hamlet and the Human Soul Jan H. Blits. play that Hamlet and Horatio have been studying at Wittenberg ( 1.2.113 , 119 , 164 , 168 ) . Wittenberg , one of only two universities that Shakespeare ever refers to by name , 3 was famous in the ...
Hamlet and the Human Soul Jan H. Blits. play that Hamlet and Horatio have been studying at Wittenberg ( 1.2.113 , 119 , 164 , 168 ) . Wittenberg , one of only two universities that Shakespeare ever refers to by name , 3 was famous in the ...
Page 7
... play ; But I have that within which passes show . ( 1.2.76 , 83-85 ) Only " that within " " can denote [ a man ] truly " ( 1.2.83 ) . In place of action , Hamlet chooses acting . If outward action dis- appears into inward virtue , it ...
... play ; But I have that within which passes show . ( 1.2.76 , 83-85 ) Only " that within " " can denote [ a man ] truly " ( 1.2.83 ) . In place of action , Hamlet chooses acting . If outward action dis- appears into inward virtue , it ...
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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 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