Monday, March 21, 2011
Hamlet- "The Puppet Master"
I really thought our class discussion on how Hamlet is the "puppet master" was very interesting considering his previous role in Shakespeare's Hamlet. I think it is a big statement made by Stoppard by portraying Hamlet as almost an evil character. Hamlet's manipulative personality and extremely controlling behavior results in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's actions. I think it is so clever to take a piece of literature and take a main character, turn him into a supporting character and change his personality completely. It makes me think how if our lives were depicted in a play, how would my role differ as a main character in comparison with a supporting character? What do y'all think about Hamlet's "transformation" from one play to the other?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree, Katherine. Stoppard makes a statement on how the postmodern world has changed from Shakespeare's time. In the original play, Hamlet is a very passive and pensive person. He rarely takes action in the entire play. However, Stoppard takes his role and transfers him into the only person who takes definitive action in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Through this transformation, Stoppard comments how the meanings of actions have become even less important or possible in the postmodern world. If a character like Hamlet, who in his time rarely did anything, can be portrayed as a man of action in this time period, the postmodern world has become quite stagnant.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are stuck in the post-modern predicament, since they try to cling on to a more traditional way of thinking, and do not understand the rules of the post-modern world. As a result, the two are unable to make decisions on their own and are often taken advantage of by more powerful figures, like Hamlet. As the "puppet master," Hamlet is aware of the rules and knows how to control them. In one scene, he even controls the light on stage, manipulating it to his best advantage.
I really enjoyed our class discussion about this topic also. It is very interesting how Stoppard dramatically transforms the personality of Hamlet in his novel. Possibly, Stoppard does so to suggest that everyone's interprations are different. Although one person might interpret Hamlet as a heroic and kindly fellow, others outlook on Hamlet (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) see him as a sly, cunning, and manipulative person. Hamlet manipulates the people and even the scenes of the play. For example: Hamlet blows out a candle at the end of an act and leaves the readers in utter darkness.
I think that Stoppard's subtle (and not so subtle) changes to Hamlet's character may be among the most important artistic distinctions between his play and Shakespeare's original. In the original play, Hamlet's tragedy was essentially his slowness to act. Ultimately, however, he managed to successfully carry out his plan against Claudius. The Hamlet that we get is practically the personification of weakness and constant delay. However, in Postmodern literature, the ability to act is practically a superpower! The fact that Hamlet was able to take action at all puts him in a plane above postmodern characters like Ros and Guil, who are hopeless in reference to characters who "know the rules" of the worlds they inhabit. In these terms, Hamlet's transformation from feeble to commanding makes sense.
Post a Comment