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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark "The Heartache and the Thousand Natural Shocks That Flesh Is Heir To" - the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Popa, Robert. 2019. "The Heartache and the Thousand Natural Shocks That Flesh Is Heir To" - the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Master's thesis, Harvard Extension School. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42004175 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA “The heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” - The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark A Thesis in the Field of Dramatic Arts for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University May 2019 Copyright 2019 Robert Popa! Abstract This thesis proposes that heartbreak is the core of Hamlet’s character, that it is “the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” that defines him, not madness. From the actor’s perspective, it is imperative to gain an in-depth understanding of the thoughts within the character’s mind, as well as all the feelings within the charac- ter’s heart, for a truthful performance. Scholarship suggests that Hamlet is either on a path toward madness, given the visitations of his father’s Ghost, or that he is an intellectual, perfectly sane, and only feigning madness on the path toward avenging his father’s murder. The research methods employed are as follows: we compare six different perfor- mances of Hamlet by professional actors, then we analyze Hamlet’s relationships, and conduct close-readings of the text and selected soliloquies in order to find answers per- taining to Hamlet’s essence. The chief result suggests that Hamlet’s multiple heartaches, in conjunction with his compounded stress, may have induced a psychotic break. More specifically, an acute psychosis, that peaks in intensity and transparency in the Closet Scene. The psychosis is triggered when he confronts and berates his mother. This type of mental illness, or “madness,” would be the most suiting and realistic in portraying the character. My conclusion is that any actor fortunate enough to play the role of Hamlet should focus on the emotions within the character’s heart, truly understand the world sur- rounding our protagonist, contextualize his text, and then decide the fate of his mental health. If the heartbreak is extreme enough, it most definitely affects the mind. ! Author’s Biographical Sketch Robert M. Popa was born on August 2nd, 1978 in Bucharest, Romania, and im- migrated with his family to the United States in 1983. Arriving as political refugees, they were first granted political asylum in Rome, Italy, having escaped the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. Robert grew up in Avon, CT, a suburb of the Hartford metropolitan area, where he had a passion for music and theater. He graduated from the Center for Creative Youth at Wesleyan University - a summer program for gifted students, where he studied Creative Writing and Acting. Upon graduating Avon High School, he followed the advice of his parents and went on to study International Business, with a concentra- tion in Finance, at Ithaca College. After college he went to work in New York City in 2000, until moving out West to Los Angeles in 2002, to pursue a career as an artist. !iv Dedication Dedicated to my wise father, loving mother, helpful sister and caring brother who taught me the important virtues of family, education, and the search for truth. To the love of my life, my wife Andreea Peticaru - thank you for having faith in me and supporting my artistic passions. And to the Peticaru family for all their understanding and support in completing my master’s degree. ! !v Acknowledgments I would graciously like to acknowledge my thesis director Mr. Remo Airaldi, who believed in my abilities and encouraged me from the first class I enrolled in: Acting Shakespeare through the completion of my ALM thesis at Harvard University Extension. To my research advisor Talaya Delaney, I thank you for your insight and guidance, start- ing with the thesis proposal process all the way to the submission and approval of my thesis. ! !vi Table of Contents Author’s Biographical Sketch ............................................................................................iv Dedication ............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................................vi I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................1 II. The Actor’s Perspective ...............................................................................................6 III. Relationships .............................................................................................................42 IV. The Text .....................................................................................................................63 V. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................83 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................87 !vii I. Introduction As Hamlet most problematically quips, “what a piece of work is a man!” (Ham. 2.2.305). It is important to explore the human condition, most notably Hamlet’s heart- break, and theater as a reflection of the human spirit. Humans are God’s masterpiece, in turn the artwork we create not only records but advances humanity. Without art there are no remnants of man, and with the destruction of art, comes the destruction of man; hence the importance of promoting and conserving great pieces of art. I will attempt to be “noble” in my “reasoning,” when exploring the “infinite” scholarship pertaining to William Shakespeare’s play: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; by analyzing and dissecting the “admirable” characters Shakespeare gave “form” and life to with the stroke of a pen, specifically our hero Hamlet. We are all formed from specks of “dust;” grow and evolve into original, creative, communicative, and judgmental creatures, aware of our surroundings and ambitious to learn. However, one day we must all return back into that same earth that gave us life, and all that will remain is our story. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark is quite possibly the most analyzed, most contro- versial, and most misunderstood character in all of theater. Scholars, for hundreds of years, have pondered on and debated Hamlet’s so-called “madness.” His “being” has been exceedingly defined by the motif of madness or theme of insanity. It should be not- ed that madness and insanity are synonyms, and generally used in an interchangeable fashion. According to Dr. Ryan Howes, insanity may be defined as “a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct !1 her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior” (“The Definition of Insanity” Psychology Today). If we could start with a tabula rasa, suspend our knowledge and preconceived no- tions regarding Hamlet for a short while, and fully surrender our imagination to a theatri- cal thought experiment. From the actor’s perspective, this thesis theorizes that the center- piece of Hamlet’s being, the core of his character, is rooted in heartbreak: “the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” (Ham. 3.1 68-69). It is the “slings and arrows” which Hamlet must endure - those particular heartbreaks which cause him great pain and suffering. They are culpable for the state of his mental well-being. As we embody the role of Hamlet, and take the journey into exploring the depths of his charac- ter, we are eventually presented with a fork in the road. To paint a clear portrait of Ham- let’s character, one path diagnoses him with insanity. The other path identifies him as an intellectual and claims him sane. Perhaps by putting the pieces of the heartbreak puzzle together, we can forge a new path, an untraveled trail down the center, to an “undiscov- ered country” if you will, where heartbreak takes precedence over madness. The theme of madness as it relates to Hamlet’s character is well-established and widely accepted. Generally, the evidence brought forth argues that Hamlet displays many indicative characteristics of madness, and his “transformation” all begins with the visita- tion by his father’s ghost. As Eileen Cameron suggests “it appears as though Hamlet be- comes somewhat possessed by this spirit, for it is through his introduction to this menac- ing spirit that Hamlet’s own excursion into madness begins” (163). Furthermore, “Ham- let’s life begins to unravel as a direct result of his own meeting with the ghost” (Cameron 162). According to Roland Frye in The Renaissance Hamlet, Hamlet’s “acute anxiety” !2 comes from not knowing if the Ghost is actually his father, instead “the Ghost may be a devil who will betray his soul” (12). The argument is that the tempting of Hamlet’s soul leads him into madness. A general consensus of scholarship
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