Is Hamlet an ‘artistic failure’? Give reasons for your answer.

Is Hamlet an ‘artistic failure’? Give reasons for your answer.                    

   Hamlet, according to T.S.ELIOT, “so far from being Shakespeare’s masterpiece, is most certainly an artistic failure.” Though the charge of ‘artistic failure’ against Hamlet is mainly brought by T.S.ELIOT, there are others who point out the artistic blemishes to be found in the play. Robertson calls the play “a stratification of the various Clements of UR –Hamlet.” Some critics point out that there are scenes and episodes hanging loosely and having no bearing upon the play. The confusion is sure to increase if we think of such tricky questions as Hamlet’s age or Horatio’s exact social status. But the ardent supporters of Hamlet would often say that these are only minor imperfections that can easily be ignored.

                Eliot probes deeper and argues that Hamlet is an artistic failure chiefly because its central character is dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible, because it is excess of the facts as they appear. According to Eliot, the only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an ‘objective correlative,’ i.e., a set of things, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion. Shakespeare, according to Eliot, unfortunately failed to provide Hamlet with any such ‘objective correlative’.

                   Two points of Eliot’s criticism seem to be important :( A) Whether the incidents of the play are integrated with the demands of characters and situation;

                     (b) Whether Hamlet’s emotions are really in excess of facts and situation around him.

(a) The silent interview; the nunnery scene; Hamlet’s first soliloquy with its grand generalization- “Frailty, thy name is woman”- all these things apparently seem to be out of tune with the situation around. To all this can be added the question of Hamlet’s antic disposition. It can be pointed out that Hamlet’s feigned madness does not serve any useful purpose.......................................

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