Critical Analysis of "Black Hamlet: Battening on the Moor" by Patricia Parker
In the journal article "Black Hamlet: Battening on the Moor" (2003) in Shakespeare Studies, author Patricia Parker centered on 'blackness' as one of the emergent symbolism's in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." Parker used blackness as the symbolical representation of important themes that were underscored in the play. Synonymously associating blackness with impurity, malice, death, deviltry, vengeance, and melancholy, the analysis showed how blackness as both a symbol and a concept led to the creation of conflict among the characters in the play, specifically that of Hamlet, Old Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and even Ophelia. Moreover, Parker illustrates how, through the persistence of blackness and its associated themes, "Hamlet" can be truly considered a tragedy. This paper looks into the use of blackness and themes associated with it as the catalysts that led to tragic end of the characters in "Hamlet." Centering on the main characters of the play, Parker demonstrates how blackness created a distinction between goodness and evil between the characters of Old Hamlet and Claudius, and in Gertrude, Hamlet, and Ophelia. More specifically, this paper posits than blackness was utilized in various ways in order to illustra
te (1) the 'Moor-ness' of Claudius against Old Hamlet's 'angel-like' character; (2) the 'stained' or impure characters of Gertrude and Ophelia; and (3) the vengeful, grieving, and melancholic nature of Hamlet. This paper also analyzes how, with these illustrations between blackness and the play's characters, blackness brings together the characteristics that made the play a tragedy, what with the presence of death, vengeance, malice, and impurity. Death and melancholy, however, were just minor elements that comprised Hamlet's black persona; both had been combined to create an even blacker/darker characterization, which took shape through revenge. Seeking retribution from his father's death, Hamlet decided to feign sanity, portraying himself as madman in front of Claudius, Gertrude, and Ophelia. Parker argued how his insanity was symbolically represented by "dirtying" or "muddying," a kind of blackness that described Hamlet's state of mind: he was 'in the dark' about how his father died and who really is the perpetrator that caused his father's death; his eventual decision to kill Claudius also put "mud" in the character of the 'pure' Hamlet (138). As was explicated earlier, Hamlet's association with Claudius inevitably left him tainted until his death, having been killed by the 'strain' of poison put in Laertes' sword while fighting Hamlet. One of the dominant themes discussed in Parker's article was the conflict between and the contrasting natures of the characters of Old Hamlet and King Claudius, Hamlet's father and uncle, respectively. Blackness surrounds the Old Hamlet-Claudius relationship because it is filled with malice: malice for C
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1121
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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