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1、HamletandHisProblemsFEWcriticshaveevenadmittedthatHamlettheplayistheprimaryproblem,andHamletthecharacteronlysecondary.AndHamletthecharacterhashadanespecialtemptationforthatmostdangeroustypeofcritic:thecriticwithamindwhichisnaturallyofthecreativeorder,butwhichth
2、roughsomeweaknessincreativepowerexercisesitselfincriticisminstead.ThesemindsoftenfindinHamletavicariousexistencefortheirownartisticrealization.SuchamindhadGoethe,whomadeofHamletaWerther;andsuchhadColeridge,whomadeofHamletaColeridge;andprobablyneitherofthesemeni
3、nwritingaboutHamletrememberedthathisfirstbusinesswastostudyaworkofart.ThekindofcriticismthatGoetheandColeridgeproduced,inwritingofHamlet,isthemostmisleadingkindpossible.Fortheybothpossessedunquestionablecriticalinsight,andbothmaketheircriticalaberrationsthemore
4、plausiblebythesubstitution—oftheirownHamletforShakespeare's—whichtheircreativegifteffects.WeshouldbethankfulthatWalterPaterdidnotfixhisattentiononthisplay. 1 Tworecentwriters,Mr.J.M.RobertsonandProfessorStolloftheUniversityofMinnesota,haveissuedsmallbookswhi
5、chcanbepraisedformovingintheotherdirection.Mr.Stollperformsaserviceinrecallingtoourattentionthelaboursofthecriticsoftheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies,1observingthattheyknewlessaboutpsychologythanmorerecentHamletcritics,buttheywerenearerinspirittoShakespeare'
6、sart;andastheyinsistedontheimportanceoftheeffectofthewholeratherthanontheimportanceoftheleadingcharacter,theywerenearer,intheirold-fashionedway,tothesecretofdramaticartingeneral.2 Quaworkofart,theworkofartcannotbeinterpreted;thereisnothingtointerpret;wecanonly
7、criticizeitaccordingtostandards,incomparisontootherworksofart;andfor"interpretation"thechieftaskisthepresentationofrelevanthistoricalfactswhichthereaderisnotassumedtoknow.Mr.Robertsonpointsout,verypertinently,howcriticshavefailedintheir"interpretation"ofHamletb
8、yignoringwhatoughttobeveryobvious:thatHamletisastratification,thatitrepresentstheeffortsofaseriesofmen,eachmakingwhathecouldoutoftheworkofhispredecessors.TheHamletofShakespe
