The play 'Hamlet' has been rightly called the Monalisa of literature as it is much debated and discussed by the critics. This presentation deals with the reasons for the greatness of the play

1. Greatness of Hamlet
“Other work of human mind equal
‘Hamlet’: none surpasses it. There is in
it all the majesty of a monument…
Hamlet is to our mind Shakespeare’s
capital work”
Victor Hugo

2. Critics on ‘Hamlet’:
• John Bailey: “There is no play which is read with such
breathless eagerness, and the eagerness is not satiated
by old acquaintance”.
• S.A. Brooke: “I do not suppose that there is any
produce of modern genius that has been more written
about, or created more curiosity than ‘Hamlet’.”
• John Masefield: “It is difficult to praise the poetry of
‘Hamlet’. Nearly all the play is as familiar by frequent
quotations as the New Testament. The great, wise and
wonderful beauty of the play is a part of the English
mind forever.”
• C.S.Lewis: “…the most popular play in our language.”

3. Characterization of Hamlet
• One of the most memorable / immortal
figures of literature
• His complexity & intricacies – interpreted in
different ways…
• Hamlet is not of an age but of all ages; not of
one country but of all countries… He is
Everyman in his experience and dilemma…

4. Its contemplating and philosophical
nature
• Play is full of wisdom of Shakespeare's maturity
• Mystery of life
• Its meditative element
• Questions posed in the play ‘knocks at every
heart’…
• The problem of moral idealism,,,
– To be or not to be; something after death, evil and
injustice, ‘disproportion between wrong doing &
punishment’…
– It brings vital message to solve the riddle of life (?)

5. Play full of ‘action’…
• It is ‘tragedy of thought and moral idealism, so
also it is the tragedy of action
• It is great acting play
• Major theme is ‘Revenge’…
• It is melodramatic, thrilling & sensational;
‘ghost’, play-within-play, murder mystery,
madness, grave-scene, fencing-duel fight with
poisoned foils.
• Play full of plots and counter plots…

6. Play is full of memorable scenes…
• Every scene is a masterpiece
• Ghost scene, play scene, Ophelia sings mad
songs, graveyard scene, nunnery scene,
Gertrude’s bed-chamber scene, Claudius's
prayer scene, duel-fight scene…
• On the stage it is glorious interplay of action
and inter-action, with ‘reflection’ thrown in
between.

7. Supreme poetry
• Beautiful poetic lines
• Most quotable lines…
• Soliloquy….

8. Wide range of characters
• Hamlet as central character – others around
him serve as foils to him…
• Laertes, Fortinbras, actors…
• These characters help to bring out diversity of
Hamlet’s character.
• Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, R&G…
• Epic dimension
• Audience can relate with common character…

9. Thank you
• dilipbarad@gmail.com
• www.dilipbarad.com