Hamlet is one of the best known works of English literature throughout the world, and its central character one of Shakespeare's most recognisable and enduring creations. Hamlet's first critics in the seventeenth century were, however, concerned with the play's apparent lack of decorum, whilst the Romantics revelled in the melancholy prince's isolation. Caught between a dead father and a remarried mother, Hamlet inevitably provided scope for Freud and the psychoanalytic writers of the twentieth century. The play has retained its fascination for more recent critics and every new interpretation provides fuel for further study. In this Guide, Huw Griffiths traces the history of the play's criticism from the 1660s through to the present day. Readers are provided with substantial excerpts from all the key critical readings - including accounts of the interaction between film versions and critical interpretations. Griffiths places each reading of the play within its own historical context and within the history of literary criticism, offering both students and teachers an approachable introduction to the critical fortunes of this most influential text.

Uncovers the workings of sovereign power in Shakespeare's history plays Presents a sustained, formalist reading of Shakespeare's history plays Reads Shakespeare's history plays for their contribution to political thought, and to theories of sovereignty Delivers a thorough and wide-ranging formal analysis of Shakespearean body parts, both literal and figurative Presents a particular view of Shakespeare's language-use as "baroque", its convolutions contributing to complex articulations of sovereign will Capitalises on current theories of authorship in relation to the history plays in order to assess Shakespeare's particular contribution to how sovereignty is imagined in the late sixteenth century This book provides a sustained, formalist reading of the multiple body parts that litter the dialogue and action of Shakespeare's history plays, including Henry V, Richard III, Richard II, King John and Henry IV. With a starting point in literary critical analyses of these dislocated bodies, the book tracks Shakespeare's relentless pursuit of a specific political question: how does human flesh, blood and bone relate to sovereignty? Griffiths advances our understanding of how human bodies are captured by -- and escape -- the grip of political systems.

Uncovers the workings of sovereign power in Shakespeare's history plays Presents a sustained, formalist reading of Shakespeare's history plays Reads Shakespeare's history plays for their contribution to political thought, and to theories of sovereignty Delivers a thorough and wide-ranging formal analysis of Shakespearean body parts, both literal and figurative Presents a particular view of Shakespeare's language-use as "baroque", its convolutions contributing to complex articulations of sovereign will Capitalises on current theories of authorship in relation to the history plays in order to assess Shakespeare's particular contribution to how sovereignty is imagined in the late sixteenth century This book provides a sustained, formalist reading of the multiple body parts that litter the dialogue and action of Shakespeare's history plays, including Henry V, Richard III, Richard II, King John and Henry IV. With a starting point in literary critical analyses of these dislocated bodies, the book tracks Shakespeare's relentless pursuit of a specific political question: how does human flesh, blood and bone relate to sovereignty? Griffiths advances our understanding of how human bodies are captured by -- and escape -- the grip of political systems.