Introduction

Unlike many traditional books on Shakespeare's play Hamlet, this book explores themes and issues which have received very little or no critical attention but they are crucial in understanding the play as a whole. Though in every literary period great philosophers and critics inevitably commented on the play, a host of other issues remained unexplored.

During the last four centuries, theories have surely enhanced the artistic taste of the play but taken the readers away from the text of the play. Hence, the book strikes a balance between the central character of Hamlet and the important technical aspects of the play.

Themes Covered

These themes include art, diplomacy and international relation, natural and unnatural, evolution of conflict, contrast and parallelism, quest for certain knowledge, and Marxism. Though psychoanalysis figures time and again in this book, it offers new dimensions of characters and events.

Purpose and Audience

The ideas contained in this book are original and insightful. The language is simple and lucid, making the book pretty useful to students, teachers, research scholars, amateurs, and common readers who wish to appreciate the play in a new light.

Strengths

Its strength lies in that it helps students and researchers write coherent critical essays on divergent themes and issues that repeatedly figure in the play. It beckons the readers to reinterpret the great tragedy by reading it through various contexts.