Literature Review

Hamlet，has been studied by lots of critics from different perspectives，including three revenge lines，the reason of revenge#8217;s failure，the character of Hamlet and so on．

Some scholars considered that the play is full of love and death.

Li Shuhua said that” someone says this story is simple because it is only a vengeance story. However, someone says that it is not only a complex story of revenge, but also a tragedy of disillusionment, because it involves the court battle, the whole country, the whole social situation, and the most important, avenger#8217;s character, so that the revenge plan has not yet succeed, and ultimately sacrificed the eight lives as an ending to completed revenge plan. ” (83)She emphasized the various factors to impede the revenge action, why the work is considered one of the ”Four Great tragedies” .From where I stand, the main reason is that the protagonist himself is died. Meanwhile, although Hamlet avenged for his father , killed Claudius, the price is eight lives.

Zheng Xiufen said ”as one of the characters in the novel, Hamlet has the epitome of the Renaissance. At the same time, this is also a period when humanism began to rise. The position of Theology in western countries has been decreasing. People's cognition of value is slowly improving, and respect for life and pursuit of life value have begun to be recognized.” (138）Hamlet also had two kinds of ideas: On the one hand, he felt sympathy at mother's suffering, On the other hand, he was more angry about mother#8217;s remarriage. He treated the Ghost as a strong belief, but also skeptical about his word. It can be said that Hamlet is a paradox created by Shakespeare. About Hamlet#8217;s character, many critics have studied. He is a hesitating and prudent person. In Act I Scene V , Hamlet said ”Haste me to know #8217;t ,that I with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge ” At that time, he want to revenge for his father immediately. Nevertheless, in the real life, he always hesitated to kill Claudius. He did not trust the Ghost#8217;s word, Hamlet contrived to verify the ghost#8217;s word. He deliberately pretend crazy and scheme a ”play within a play” to sound out Claudius. When everything gradually emerged from the water surface, he had many times to revenge for the former King. He had many misgivings, such as religious factor. Later, he stabbed Polonius accidentally, exposing himself to enemy gunfire directly, at a disadvantage in the struggle. (138)

Cao Dan noted that ”in human nature, to live means choose to survive. However, life itself is full of pain and loneliness, life does not only mean enjoy happiness and joy, but also bears he pain of life itself, and sometimes even survive in pain is far greater than the fear of death. But choose to die means go forever, because death means to take people invincible abyss, the tragedy of Hamlet is just so. (72). ”To be, or not to be ”is a classic question uttered by Hamlet. Death is not a different thing, when you died, you do not see the ugly of the world. The most meaningful thing is that when you know something dark, still insist on there, and use your power to hold the justice in the heart when necessary.

Zheng Jinxia says that ”according to Freud's theory in psychoanalysis, Hamlet had deep attachment to his mother, even had the tendency to exclude his father. Hamlet had no way to hurt the killer(his uncle)because Claudius poisoned his father, which is the realization of his depressed desire in his childhood. Thus, He did not take immediate action to kill his uncle Claudius, because Hamlet himself had Oedipus complex, which finally tie him to lose the ability of action.”(148) In Act I Scene Ⅱ the Queen says to Hamlet ”let not thy mother lose her prayers Hamlet ,I prithee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg, ” and Hamlet answered ”I shall in all my best obey you, madam” .This conversation shows Hamlet#8217;s obedience and respect to his mother.