Shakespeare: The Critical Tradition Hamlet

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, studied and performed around the world. This new volume in Shakespeare: The Critical Tradition increases our knowledge of how Shakespeare’s plays were received and understood by critics, editors and general readers. It traces the course of Hamlet criticism, from the earliest items of recorded criticism to the latter half of the Victorian period. The focus of the documentary material is from the late 18th century to the late 19th century. Thus the volume makes a major contribution to our understanding of the play and of the traditions of Shakespearean criticism surrounding it as they have developed from century to century. The introduction constitutes an important chapter of literary history, tracing the entire critical career of Hamlet from the beginnings to the present day.The volume features criticism from leading literary figures, such as Henry James, Anna Jameson, Victor Hugo, Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Mary Cowden Clarke. The chronological arrangement of the text-excerpts engages the readers in a direct and unbiased dialogue, whereas the introduction offers a critical evaluation from a current stance, including modern theories and methods. Thus the volume makes a major contribution to our understanding of the play and of the traditions of Shakespearean criticism surrounding it as they have developed from century to century.

A companion to volume 1, Hamlet: Shakespeare: The Critical Tradition, Volume 2 presents key critical accounts of Hamlet from 1885-1964. The volume offers, in separate sections, both critical opinions about the play across the centuries and an evaluation of their positions within and their impact on the reception of the play. The volume features criticism from leading literary figures, such as Sigmund Freud, T.S. Eliot, A.C. Bradley, Helena Faucit Saville and Matthew Arnold. The chronological arrangement of the text-excerpts engages the readers in a direct and unbiased dialogue, whereas the introduction offers a critical evaluation from a current stance, including modern theories and methods. The volume makes a major contribution to our understanding of the play and of the traditions of Shakespearean criticism surrounding it as they have developed from century to century.