The Question of Hamlet

by Harry Levin

"The air of questioning and mystery surrounding Shakespeare's Hamlet is seen as inherent within the drama's very structure in Mr. Levin's interpretive analysis. Elizabethan rhetoric offers a method, and the history of ideas provides a background, for a series of commentaries which focus intensively on the poetry and the drama." (From the back cover.)

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

professor of comparative literature

Reviews

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Levin also divides the play into three parts, but in terms of themes: he uses the Elizabethan rhetorical theory to discuss it in terms of Interrogation, Doubt, and Irony. The discussion is definitely interesting, though not especially original or different (although he has new insights into many specific passages), and the book would probably be a good introduction to the play for students reading it in a high school or undergraduate class. The additional matter at the end would be more challenging as it makes comparisons not only with Shakespeare's other plays but also with a number of his contemporaries.

[Jamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most lit-crit is ephemeral. This thing has largely been forgotten, but it's really, really good. I'm obviously feeling especially eloquent tonight. Make that really, really eloquent.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s look at Hamlet as others see him

This looks like a lightweight book on seeing Hamlet in a different light. However right from the get-go, the Author says he extrapolates his information from several well-known critical sources.

This book is not the endpoint but the beginning of a study of Shakespeare and hamlet. We find quotes from many popular people in several literary fields.

Be prepared to do a double-take as you have to finish each paragraph to figure out what the title sentence is all about.

A sample from the Presupposition:
“When Hamlet points out a cloud to Polonius, with his hyphenated categories, his objection to certain objectives, and his fondness for others, is a typical critic. His response to what might be called Hamlets ink-blot test-his argument that the cloud resembles now a weasel, then a camel, and again a whale-succinctly foreshadows the process of interpreting the play.”

The version I read is the Compass Books C78 issued in 1961.

[Fred Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Levin looks at the play through the lens of rhetoric, as understood by the Elizabethans. He has a section on the abundance of questions in the play, another on irony. It's clear, accessible, and will be useful the next time I teach the play. Then he pads the (slim) volume out with a few miscellaneous essays.