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Hamlet in Pictorial Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

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Hamlet in Pictorial Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature HAMLET IN PICTORIAL ART IN THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES Master’s Thesis Brno 2018 Supervisor: Author: Mgr, Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. Bc. Monika Olejníčková Anotace Tato diplomová práce se zabývá studiem významu Shakespearova “Hamleta” ve výtvarném a divadelním umění. Zaměřuje se především na různé metody zpracování, od maleb a kreseb, přes rytiny, až po fotografickou reprodukci děl, jež byly v osmnáctém a devatenáctém století využívány pro reprodukci hromadnou. Cílem práce je nastínit vzájemný vztah mezi divadelními produkcemi a vizuálními reprezentacemi těchto představení. Práce je rozdělena do čtyř hlavních částí: úvod, způsoby inovace v distribuci kopií v osmnáctém a devatenáctém století, vizuální reprezentace scén z „Hamleta“ a závěr. Klíčová je část druhá, v níž jsou analyzovány obrazy zobrazující důležité scény ze hry, ať už inspirované textem hry nebo divadelními produkcemi. Klíčová slova: Shakespeare, Hamlet, Ophelia, divadlo, obrazy, osmnácté století, devatenácté století, šílenství, rytiny, ilustrace, plátno, litografie, fotografie Abstract This master’s thesis focuses on the study of the importance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the visual and theatrical arts. It concentrates primarily on various methods of production from paintings and drawings, through engravings to photographic reproduction of works that were used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for mass reproduction. The aim of the thesis is to outline the mutual relationship between theatre productions and visual representations of those performances. The work is divided into four main parts: Introduction, Innovations Used for Distribution of Copies of Images in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Visual Representations of the Scenes in Hamlet, and Conclusion. The key part is the third one; in this section, paintings depicting important scenes of the play, inspired either by the text of the play of theatre productions. Keywords: Shakespeare, Hamlet, Ophelia, theatre, pictures, eighteenth century, nineteenth century, madness, engravings, illustrations, oil on canvas, lithograph, photography Declaration: I hereby declare that I worked on this thesis on my own and all the sources used are included in the works cited. Prohlášení: Prohlašuji, že jsem závěrečnou diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatně s použitím pouze citovaných zdrojů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů. Brno, 2018 ………………………….. Bc. Monika Olejníčková Acknowledgements: I would like to thank my supervisor, Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D., for her never- ending patience and willingness to spend a lot of time discussing my work with me, but also for her motivating energy which helped me every time I felt stuck. I must also express my gratitude to my mother and grandmother, who have always supported me during my studies and writing the thesis. Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 6 1 Innovations used for distribution of copies of images in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries ................................................................................................................................... 8 2 Visual Representations of the Scenes in Hamlet ................................................................. 12 2.1 The Beginning ................................................................................................................ 12 2.2 The Council Scene ......................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Lord Chamberlain’s Family Discussion .......................................................................... 16 2.4 Hamlet’s First Encounter with the Spirit ....................................................................... 18 2.5 Hamlet Follows the Spirit .............................................................................................. 23 2.6 The Cellarage Scene ...................................................................................................... 29 2.7 Hamlet Visits Ophelia in Her Closet .............................................................................. 32 2.8 Hamlet with a Book ....................................................................................................... 36 2.9 Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” Soliloquy ....................................................................... 42 2.10 The Nunnery Scene ..................................................................................................... 45 2.11 The Mouse Trap .......................................................................................................... 50 2.12 The Prayer Scene ......................................................................................................... 57 2.13 Closet Scene ................................................................................................................ 62 2.14 Ophelia’s Madness ...................................................................................................... 71 2.15 Ophelia’s Death ........................................................................................................... 80 2.16 The Graveyard Scene .................................................................................................. 84 2.17 The Finale .................................................................................................................... 91 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 97 Works Cited: ............................................................................................................................ 99 Introduction William Shakespeare, widely known as the Bard, has been a very influential and inspirational author ever since his plays first appeared on stage in the seventeenth century. Praise and criticism of his works began during his life, and by the time of his death, he was already considered a major dramatist of his generation, perhaps of his era. His probably most famous and controversial play, Hamlet, was already “en route” for earning its today’s fame (Wofford 182). Shakespeare’s popularity grew to a great extent in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the cult of bardolatry and Shakespeare as a genius were created. During that time, the theatre was a mass entertainment and it was available for various layers of the society, from the richest to the poor. The performances were highly inspirational for different kinds of artists, such as writers, poets, painters, critic, or illustrators, especially when they were played by gifted actors and actresses. Because most of the notable paintings, drawings, engravings and other visual representations were created in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the thesis attempts to map the situation in the visual arts and theatre in these two periods. The aim of this master’s thesis is to study visual representations of Hamlet in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – whether the visual renditions were popular and to what extent, and which parts of the play were influential for the painters, engravers, and illustrators of the day and in what way. The thesis also aims at the mapping of the way in which many of these renditions of Shakespeare’s most renowned play, in turn, inspired changes in the future performances. A part of the research are comments by important critics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries whenever it is possible. Of course, not all of the pictorial renditions were inspired solely by theatre, some scenes (especially the imagined ones, that do not take place on the stage, but not only these) were an invitation for artists to use their rich imagination to modify their work according to their taste and needs. Because both groups of pictures – those inspired by theatre and those that are completely original – were very popular, a selected number of examples of each of them will be provided. For the purpose of the thesis, an extensive research was conducted and, based on its revelations, it might be concluded that almost every major scene of the play was of certain importance for various artists, with the extremely emotional or dramatic ones 6 were the most attractive and transitioned in pictures. Where possible, one example from each of the eighteenth- and one of the nineteenth-century visual representations is provided, firstly from the eighteenth and secondly from the nineteenth century. However, in some cases, a scene was popular in the eighteenth but not in the nineteenth century or vice versa, therefore examples only from one century are presented. There are also some unusual instances of depicting the play in an original and innovative way. Each of the analyses of the pictures aims to put the works into the context of temporary stage conventions and the acceptance of refusal of the critics of the particular period. The chapters of the thesis follow the plot of the play. All the important scenes of all acts are mentioned, only the parts which were less attractive for pictorial artists are presented very briefly because
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