Grief is ineffable.
There are not words enough to describe the bottomless feeling. We have all experienced it, and have that much more empathy for others because of our own loss. But life goes on, and we move on, and we forget the pain of our own grief, and can no longer understand others'.
Hamlet almost has a bad rep. We call him moody, morose, whiney, a complainer. His father and king has just died. And no one else in the story seems to care. He is criticized for his grieving process, when none of the other characters in the play appear to be grieving at all. Is it possible that he's questioning his sanity simply because of his loss, and no other person in his life is helping him accept it?
We know very little about the life of William Shakespeare, but we do know he had one son, named Hamnet who died at eleven years old. I think with this evidence, it would be impossible to say that expirience in Shakespeare's life had no influence on A)the
rest of his life ad B) this particular play. Perhaps he is commenting on the
nature of grief, and the darkness and insanity that accompanies it.
Interestingly enough, the theory of Hamnet being the source of Hamlet has been falling in and out of favor since the 18th century. I found a book called "The Death of Hamnet and the Making of Hamlet" by Stephen Greenblatt that talks about Hamnet's death affecting the comedies that Shakespeare wrote right after his line was ended.
ReplyDeleteYeah, actually I have heard the same thing-- dating back to the 18th Century. Some scholars even think that other plays he wrote like Julius Caesar and 12th night were also influenced by the death of Hamnet too!
ReplyDelete