Hamlet Our Contemporary: A Case Study Of Shakespearean Texts Reconsidered In The Postmodern Condition

ABSTRACTThis thesis proposes a poststructuralist reading of Hamlet as a case study of Shakespearean texts reconsidered in the postmodern condition. The paper holds that Hamlet's glamour comes from an awareness of uncertainty. Since the acknowledgement of uncertainty is a major attribute of the postmodern thinking, Hamlet is regarded as our contemporary. Postmodern condition is defined from two aspects:incredulity towards metanarrative and deconstruction of process of signification. The trends of postmodem thinking on Shakespearean studies are briefly reviewed, and some relevant poststructuralist concepts are introduced. The textual analysis aims to explore the deconstructive moments of the play and views Hamlet as a play produced with a postmodern consciousness. The analysis concentrates on three aspects:the ghost as a mark of uncertainty, revenge as indicative of the text's incredulity towards metanarrative, and decentered identity.