Hamlet An Artistic Failure example essay topic

During the modernist period in twentieth century, T.S. Eliot, was one of the most important poets. He was also a critic of Elizabethan literature. He wrote this article on how Hamlet is lacking the "objective correlative". Objective correlative is when an author produces an emotion in the viewer, the artist simply accurately reproduces those things that created strong emotion in himself. Eliot makes some great points, but also, I have to disagree with him on some of his opinion. Eliot sees Hamlet as somewhat of an artistic failure due to its confusion between the main plot and the main character.

In his analysis, Eliot recalls the work of other authors who have also critiqued the subject of Hamlet. He states that many authors connect with Hamlet and do not come to realize their own creative potential. These authors come to think of the drama as a classic and therefore see it as an extension of their own artistic ability. Eliot goes on to talk about Thomas Kyd, who wrote Spanish Tragedy and Arden of Feversham. Eliot writes "there are verbal parallels so close to the Spanish Tragedy as to leave no doubt that in places Shakespeare was merely revising the text of Kyd" (pg. 285). I did some research on Spanish Tragedy, and Eliot does have a point.

I did notice similarities. In both plays, the protagonist has lost loved ones to murder and suicide, and these losses drive them to madness. Eliot states, "So far from being Shakespeare's masterpiece, the play is most certainly an artistic failure. In several ways the play is puzzling, and disquieting as in none of the others" (pg 286).

I have to agree and disagree with this statement at the same time. Yes, Hamlet is Shakespeare's masterpiece, but it is not an artistic failure. Hamlet, the character, goes through many changes during the play, but in real life, if what happened to Hamlet, happened to you, you would have crazy mixed emotions as well. It is true that much of the story line in Hamlet is confusing and that the emphasis shifts numerous times from the actual plot to the actions of the main character, but I find that to be what draws me towards the story. Eliot can call Hamlet an artistic failure, but then he can say "more people have thought Hamlet a work of art because they found it interesting, than have found it interesting because it is a work of art. It is the "Mona Lisa" of literature" (pg. 286).

I do believe that Hamlet is an amazing psychological piece written by Shakespeare. This quote is basically stating that Hamlet is interesting to some people because of the intricate lines in the story. Other people find it interesting because it was written by William Shakespeare, and he's a "famous" author. T.S. Eliot then goes on to explain how Hamlet's failure isn't immediately noticeable. He agrees with Mr. J.M. Robertson when he says "the essential emotion of the play is the feeling of a son towards a guilty mother" (pg. 286). I agree with this statement as well, but just like Eliot I don't believe that it's the whole story.

Eliot stats, "Hamlet, like the sonnets, is full of some stuff that the writer could not drag to light, contemplate, or manipulate into art" (pg. 286). This quote goes together with how Hamlet's emotion isn't obvious. It's stating how Shakespeare just doesn't come out and say that Hamlet's source of problem is within his anger towards his mother. You understand that Hamlet is angry, when reading the whole story. It's the big picture. Eliot finally begins discussing "objective correlative".

He states: "The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an "objective correlative"; in other words, a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion; such that when the eternal facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked. If you examine any of Shakespeare's more successful tragedies, you will find this exact equivalence (pg. 286)". Eliot then gives examples of how this works. His examples Include the characters of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, in which Lady Macbeth is walking in her sleep, and Macbeth is hearing of his wife's death. His most important examples are within Hamlet. Hamlet's downfall is his disgust towards his mother for marrying his uncle.

Eliot says, "It is thus a feeling which he cannot understand; he cannot objectify it, and it therefore remains to poison life and obstruct action" (pg. 287). Hamlet faces a difficult situation. He is angered by his mother, but his ghostly father tells him that it is not his mother's fault, it's his uncle's fault. So now he is faced with trying to murder his uncle for revenge to his father.

Not to mention that everybody thinks he is crazy. I believe that T.S. Eliot's main purpose of this article is that Hamlet is lacking the "objective correlative", and because of this, Hamlet is confusing and hard to understand. Eliot backs up this statement by giving examples of other artist's work, and using his own opinions. I happen to agree with many of his thoughts, but I do disagree with a few. Overall this article was an enjoyment to read. I especially like the part of him comparing Hamlet to Mona Lisa.

That is his major strong point.