Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the Perspective of the Theory of Rasa

Abstract

This article is focusing on analysing the character of Hamlet from the perspective of ‘rasa’ theory. Hamlet as character is considered a tragic one whereas his indecisiveness is considered to be one of the reasons behind his downfall. But this article highlights that Hamlet’s ‘sthayibhavas’ are the reason behind his doom. It’s not his lack of determination in taking the revenge. Instead his instinctual feeling is the main cause behind his downfall. Besides this article analyses various aspects of ‘bhavas’ as noticed in Hamlet and brings into light how these ‘bhavas’ generate various forms of rasa among the spectators and readers.