Hamlet Marxist Criticism
AP Literature and Composition
3 April 2013
Socialism and Shakespeare Throughout the entirety of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, if one looks carefully, one can see many aspects of Marxist thought prevalent in the story. To effectively analyze a story through a Marxist critical lens, the reader needs to pay close attention to how characters of different classes interact with one another, especially in respect to class oppression and social inequity, particularly if the actions or words of a character talk of rebellion against the upper classes. “To Marxist critics, a society's economic base determines the interests and styles of its literature; it is this relationship between determining base and determined superstructure that is the main point of interest for Marxist critics” (Abele). The analyst must also recognize to what social class the author belongs and how that might affect the portrayals of certain characters. The way in which different classes in Hamlet interact, along with how the society is actually structured, are the driving forces behind the events in the play. Within Hamlet, we see a strict representation of the social classes. Every character in the play can, with few exceptions, be placed firmly in one of the three social classes as defined by Marxist theory: Aristocracy, Bourgeoisie, and Proletariat. The aristocracy are usually either in the royal family, or are members of the court. They make all the decisions for society, and as such are usually called the ruling class. The bourgeoisie are just below them, and are wealthy individuals who make their living and wealth by owning and selling resources needed by others in society. The final and lowest class, the proletariat, is known as the working class. These individuals survive by selling their own labor and skills. They usually have no means of influencing policy in society, apart from revolts. Each character in Hamlet can be easily placed in one of these three social classes. Hamlet’s
3 April 2013
Socialism and Shakespeare Throughout the entirety of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, if one looks carefully, one can see many aspects of Marxist thought prevalent in the story. To effectively analyze a story through a Marxist critical lens, the reader needs to pay close attention to how characters of different classes interact with one another, especially in respect to class oppression and social inequity, particularly if the actions or words of a character talk of rebellion against the upper classes. “To Marxist critics, a society's economic base determines the interests and styles of its literature; it is this relationship between determining base and determined superstructure that is the main point of interest for Marxist critics” (Abele). The analyst must also recognize to what social class the author belongs and how that might affect the portrayals of certain characters. The way in which different classes in Hamlet interact, along with how the society is actually structured, are the driving forces behind the events in the play. Within Hamlet, we see a strict representation of the social classes. Every character in the play can, with few exceptions, be placed firmly in one of the three social classes as defined by Marxist theory: Aristocracy, Bourgeoisie, and Proletariat. The aristocracy are usually either in the royal family, or are members of the court. They make all the decisions for society, and as such are usually called the ruling class. The bourgeoisie are just below them, and are wealthy individuals who make their living and wealth by owning and selling resources needed by others in society. The final and lowest class, the proletariat, is known as the working class. These individuals survive by selling their own labor and skills. They usually have no means of influencing policy in society, apart from revolts. Each character in Hamlet can be easily placed in one of these three social classes. Hamlet’s
Cited: Abele, Chris, Liz Cronmiller, Allison DeZurik, and Diana Marinos. "1993 Hypertext Database: Marxist Criticism." Ed. Tim Spurgin. Lawrence University, 3 Oct. 1993. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/english/courses/60A/marxist.html#marxnotes>. USQ Artsworx. University of Southern Queensland, 9 July 2009. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.usq.edu.au/artsworx/schoolresources/hamlet>. Not sure exactly how to cite this <http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ENGL301-CP-FINAL.pdf>