Abstract
Hamlet is the only Shakespeare play to have come down to us in three distinctly different versions. The three Hamlets (1603, 1604, 1623) embody different versions of the “closet scene,” in which Hamlet kills Polonius and takes Gertrude to task for having married Claudius. Shakespeare wrote a fourth closet scene in the climactic Othello “death scene,” which also depicts a man enraged at a woman to whom he is deeply attached and who he feels has betrayed him. This paper argues that as Shakespeare moved from version to version of the closet scene, he penetrated a defensive, wish-fulfilling fantasy as well as other defenses. He was then able to access and dramatically symbolize painful and powerful inner states as well as to create a lifelike, three-dimensional character in Hamlet. The process has implications about how Shakespeare worked.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
