"He Descended into Hell": Descent & Redemption in Hamlet
Besides blogging here, I post links to new blog posts on FaceBook forums related to Shakespeare as well as on Twitter and LinkedIn. Last week, on LinkedIn , in a discussion thread below last week's blog post on anagnorisis , Dan Decker noted: " Hamlet is a tale of redemption. It is not a revenge plot." In fact, if one compares Hamlet (as many often do) to The Spanish Tragedy , it's interesting to note not only the many similarities scholars point out, but also how, while the protagonist in TST sinks deeper into revenge before the very bloody ending, while in contrast, Hamlet descends into violent and bloody thoughts, but then reascends after having his life saved by pirates, and after finding the skull of Yorick, identified with the help of the gravedigger. Yes, he still fights with Laertes over Ophelia's grave, but something has changed in him. Yes, after being wounded by Laertes and unknowingly poisoned in what was supposed to be a fair fencing match, ...