International Journal of Ethics.
Hamlet Author(s): Claude C. H. Williamson Reviewed work(s): Source: International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Oct., 1922), pp. 85-100 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2377179 . Accessed: 26/01/2012 10:27
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HAMLET.
85
HAMLET.
CLAUDE C. H. WILLIAMSON.
EVERY work is either a unity or a nullity; every work is itself and nothing else. Agreed. But the problem for criticism is to discover, in presence of a certain complex of sensations x, whether there is unity or no, and, if there is, what is its nature. Othello has been styled the tragedy of jealousy, Macbeth that of fear; Hamlet is in process of becoming the tragedy of time wasted. The critics are remorseless; they will not leave each other's interpretations alone. Uncreative themselves, they seek in the play a pivot of manoeuvre from which they attempt to recreate the great master in their own image. The lawyers are determined to wrench Shakespeare into the semblance of a jurisconsult; doctors, other than alienists, would like to discern in Hamlet a psycho-physiological study of fatty degeneration of the heart; professors are resolute in finding the playwright in the image of a professor. There is no harm in thinking that Shakespeare is too difficult, and that he ought to have made the play
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to International Journal of Ethics.
http://www.jstor.org
HAMLET.
85
HAMLET.
CLAUDE C. H. WILLIAMSON.
EVERY work is either a unity or a nullity; every work is itself and nothing else. Agreed. But the problem for criticism is to discover, in presence of a certain complex of sensations x, whether there is unity or no, and, if there is, what is its nature. Othello has been styled the tragedy of jealousy, Macbeth that of fear; Hamlet is in process of becoming the tragedy of time wasted. The critics are remorseless; they will not leave each other's interpretations alone. Uncreative themselves, they seek in the play a pivot of manoeuvre from which they attempt to recreate the great master in their own image. The lawyers are determined to wrench Shakespeare into the semblance of a jurisconsult; doctors, other than alienists, would like to discern in Hamlet a psycho-physiological study of fatty degeneration of the heart; professors are resolute in finding the playwright in the image of a professor. There is no harm in thinking that Shakespeare is too difficult, and that he ought to have made the play