Stuck in her own interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the idea that “human nature is (nearly) the same” worldwide, an American Anthropologist, Laura Bohannan, set off for the Tiv in West Africa (Bohannan 1). Bohannan’s original intent was to learn about the African tribe’s culture and ceremonies, but one morning, when she was sitting with the elders of the tribe, they asked Bohannan to tell them the story of Hamlet, for they have told her many of their stories and found it only fair. In an attempt to translate the play into the Tiv’s language and finding the lack of appropriate words, as well as cultural differences between ideas many Europeans and Americans both agree upon, Bohannan quickly realized her original theory was incorrect. …show more content…
An individual’s ideas and opinions of how everything should be effects ones outlooks, particularly because it stems from that individual’s culture. The Tiv could not understand many concepts Bohannan was trying to explain, and to help them grasp each notion, an elder would reword the ideas from Hamlet to allow it to fit into their cultural beliefs and views before allowing Bohannan to continue. Concepts such as why Hamlet was upset when his mother remarried so soon, or why and how Ophelia drowned herself were disagreed upon, for, and elder explained, ‘“In our country… the younger brother marries the elder brother’s widow and becomes the father of his children,”’ and “Water itself can’t hurt anything. It is merely something one drinks and bathes in” (Bohannan 2; 4). These viewpoints have been instilled in the tribe since they were young, similarly to many cultural beliefs around the world, and having an outsider come in to try and explain their different perspective proved to be a challenge for Bohannan. It seemed to become apparent that food, family, and being cared for are important aspects of the Tiv’s culture, similarly to American’s, but their ways of obtaining these are what differs. Approving of multiple wives to “make beer and prepare food for …show more content…
They did not see anything wrong with Claudius marrying Hamlet’s mother, and with this ideology, this play would have never become popular in Africa. Hamlet could not have tried to avenge his father, and without Bohannan as a cultural mediator, the story would have been accepted more as a common sense piece, rather than an entertaining one. These vast differences discovered here can help individuals in the workplace, and specifically, educators understand cultural differences. Educators do not always have an opportunity to understand students’ lives at home versus at school, but with the help of Bohannan and the Tiv, such barriers can become more obvious and lessened with the patients and works of both teacher and
Described as an “image-based play” that “harmonizes” the usage of physical acting, light, and sound, Yang’s Hamlet aims to limit the usage of dialogue, and to instead focus heavily on symbolism and sensory experiences (OzAsia, 2). This is evident in the artistic design of the production – from the barren stage and the simple and dull costumes, to the exaggerated actions and expression of the actors and the constant rhythmic beating of the drums. The play is filled with a sense of urgency, desolation, and violence, reflecting of the raw emotional state of the characters – a world that is harsh and devoid of warmth. This contrasts starkly with the staging of the shamanist rituals, which while simple, seems to be filled with life and elements of nature – from the bed of rice that surrounds the stage, the usage of water and candles, to the elaborate and colorful traditional costumes. This contrast supports Yang’s production concept: Shamanist rituals as a constant source of warmth and solace, unaffected by however grim or gray the world becomes. It represents the only path characters of the play can regain their harmony in a discordant world, whether they are in emotional anguish, on their deathbeds, or even after
Manning, John. "Symbola and Emblemata in Hamlet." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 11-18.
Even though Hamlet is a prince, he has little control over the course of his life. In that time many things were decided for the princes and princesses such as their education and even who they married. This was more or less the normal way of life for a child of the monarch. But in the case of Hamlet, any of the control he thought he had, fell away with the murder of his father. Having his father, the king, be killed by his own brother, sent Hamlet into a state of feeling helpless and out of control. Cooped up in a palace with no real outlet, he tries to control at least one aspect of his life. Hamlet deliberately toys with Ophelia's emotions in order to feel in control of something since he cannot control the situation with Claudius.
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport: Greenwood, 1998. Print. Literature in Context.
Originally titled The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke, this tragedy has been reproduced more times than any other play written by William Shakespeare (en.wikipedia.org 1 of 9). Prince Hamlet also has the lengthiest appearance of any character in all of Shakespeare's plays (en.wikpedia.org 6 of 9). In the play, Prince Hamlet is caught between balancing his need to avenge his father's death, dealing with the disgust he felt for Gertrude and Claudius' love affair, and maintaining the relationship he has with Ophelia without exposing his plans to kill his uncle Claudius for the murder of King Hamlet.
There are many factors that lead Hamlet into putting himself in a difficult position. There are many incidents where it’s not Hamlet’s poor attitude that gets him in trouble, but his great ambition to uncover the truth. Once Hamlet discovers that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying on him, he never lets them out of his sight. Hamlet suspects that his mother, Gertrude, was an accomplice for the murder of his father. Polonius was slain by Hamlet who had mistaken him for Claudius. His pretense of madness drove Ophelia to her death. All of these incidents show that its Hamlet’s great ambition to uncover the truth that gets himself in difficult positions.
The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, shows human nature to be greedy, self-involved and vengeful. Claudius is driven by his greed to commit murder. Polonius is always looking out for himself, currying favor at the expense of anyone in his way. Hamlet thinks only of vengeance from the moment he finds out about Claudius murdering his father. Human nature has been all of these things, but it has also evolved through the ages. We can be base and cruel, but we can also show great compassion and kindness.
My analysis of Hamlet’s fascination and fear of death has led me to think that William Shakespeare created this play for the people of England. The play was used as a podium that allowed for the concerns of the common English people to be seen and heard. It is not a coincident that Hamlet was written after the Reformation. It is not a coincident that the fears that Hamlet had of death could have been eased with Catholic traditions. Finally it is not a coincident that they all die in the end of the play, because in the end the Catholic traditions died in
Heilbrun, Carolyn G. (2002). Hamlet's Mother and Other Women. 2nd ed. West Sussex: Columbia University Press.
In Hamlet, the value of truth incorporates the theme of appearance as opposed to reality and it links ...
The imagery in the play of Hamlet is composed of disease, poison, and decay this adds to the overall atmosphere of horror and tragedy. First, hamlet uses images of disease to show the state of the country of Denmark and his mother. Second, the imagery of poison is used to describe his father’s death. Lastly, Hamlet describes his feelings toward himself and Claudius and his feelings toward his mother by using images of decay. In Hamlet, as in all literature, imagery adds to reader’s ability to imagine the feeling of the story.
Keys to Interpretation of Hamlet & nbsp; William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions.
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.
In writing Hamlet, William Shakespeare plumbed the depths of the mind of the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, to such an extent that this play can rightfully be considered a psychological drama.
The perfection of Hamlet’s character has been called in question - perhaps by those who do not understand it. The character of Hamlet stands by itself. It is not a character marked by strength of will or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can be. He is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility - the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune and refining on his own feelings, and forced from his natural disposition by the strangeness of his situation.