The study of Shakespeare's Hamlet has been one that is very extensive as well as
enormous. Books upon books have been written about this great play. About an equal
amount of books, however, have been written about one character; Hamlet. A critic of
Hamlet once said, "a man set out to read all the books about Hamlet would have time to
read nothing else, not even Hamlet."
What is the great fascination with Hamlet and the characters contained
within. The great intrigue comes from the ambiguity of the play and it's characters.
"Hamlet is the tragedy of reflection. The cause of the hero's delay is irresolution; and the
cause of this is excess of the reflexive and speculative habit of the mind." (Halliday. 217)
The reason that there are so many critics is that there are just as many theories and
speculations. Even in the twentieth century on could create or "discover" a new theory or
criticism based on the play or it's characters.
The character Hamlet, alone, has over two dozen critics from Quinn to
Coleridge. Some critics come up with sane interpretations of Hamlet while others use
wild and crazy themes. Some conclude that the problem with Hamlet, and a classic thesis
used by many students, is insanity versus sanity. The theories progress from there. The
theories range from manic-depressant to homosexual. Some are even very creative; such
as the thesis that Hamlet is actually a female raised as a male. But no matter how many
theories, speculations, or thesis there are, many hold some ground.
This thesis paper will not stress on any of the statements I have listed
above. However, I will take a stand with Coleridge and speak about Hamlet's genius and
cognitive activity. Hamlet's true dilemma is not one of sanity -Vs- insanity; but one
pressing his intellectual capacity. Being a scholar, Hamlet is prone to thought rather than
actions...