Hamlet: Poem Unlimited

Rating:
Summary: Bloom has a man crush on Hamlet
Review: "Inferring Hamlet" sets the tone for a book, Hamlet: Poem Unlimited, which disappoints whenever the opportunity presents itself. Bloom insults the reader by presenting insights that they could perceive themselves and by praising the character of Hamlet more often than is acceptable in a single paragraph. The book contains more black pages and excerpts from the play than it does original material.

"'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes between the pass and fell incensed points of mighty opposites," says Hamlet in lines 60-62 (Act V Scene II) after sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern off to their deaths. In "Claudius", Harold Bloom states that not only is Claudius not Hamlet's mighty opposite, but also that there is no Shakespearean character that would be a match for Hamlet, who Bloom calls the, "most formidable ironist ever to walk upon the stage."

To support this claim, Bloom uses a single instance, act IV scene III lines 16-55, in which Hamlet blatantly mocks Claudius. So severe is the humiliation that Hamlet gives Claudius with his wit, that Bloom describes it as, "a minor-league rhetorician confronting an all-time all star."

Bloom goes on to say that Laertes, comparatively, makes Claudius the fool seem like a genius. Their plan, says Bloom, works only because Hamlet lets it. The plot, which Bloom describes as, "absurd and messy," works only because Hamlet wants to accomplish his goal of avenging his father and will agree to any Claudian wager, albeit the risks. Hamlet's, "deliciously outrageous," treatment of his enemies delights Bloom to such a degree that he forgives Hamlet for the murder of Polonius, who he describes as a, "politic worm now the center of a convocation of his peers."

Bloom's blatant favoritism of Hamlet, however is obvious due to his disregard of Hamlet's fault's, such as his often impulsive behavior. One could just as easily say that Hamlet's strength was not his wit but the stupidity of his opponents: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were not good at concealing the motives of their arrival, Claudius's inability to control his emotions revealed his guilt during the play, and Laertes's foolhardiness led to his downfall.

The latter, however, do not affect Hamlet's quick wit, which A.C.
Bradley says, and Bloom's confirms, would overwhelm Shakespeare's other antagonists. Bradley and Bloom conjecture that Hamlet would see through the pretense of Othello's Iago and cause him to commit suicide through satire and ironic mockery, which is a playful supposition of no merit, which is similar to Bloom's exposition about Claudius.

Bloom dedicated five pages to Claudius half of which was an excerpt from the play Hamlet, which leaves two and a half pages, the first and last being a paragraph in length. Bloom's sentiments are best paraphrased by Red Skeleton, who would describe Claudius as a, "Big dummy." A short and uninspired section, "Claudius" seems rushed in an otherwise interesting collection of essays.

In "Horatio", Harold Bloom explains that Horatio is the most relatable character in Hamlet because he is an audience inside of the play. Although readers do not know how Horatio supports himself or what his position is in the court of Denmark, he is always present. Horatio sees the ghost in the beginning and hears Hamlet's dying words. His duty is to be, and he fulfils it.

Horatio's age is ambiguous; at one point, Horatio mentions that he knew King Hamlet during the time of his battles with Norway and Poland, which was when Hamlet was born, says Bloom. Bloom also says that the latter is unimportant, but what is important is Horatio and Hamlet's relationship. Hamlet, who doesn't demonstrate much affection toward his mother or Ophelia, confines in Horatio, much to his surprise. "Give me that man that is not passion's slave, and I will wear him in my heart's core, ay in my heart of heart, as I do thee," says Hamlet to Horatio in lines 72-74 of scene two of act three.

Bloom says, of Hamlet and Horatio's friendship, that Horatio loves Hamlet. Horatio shocks the audience by being so shocked by Hamlet's death that he threatens suicide. Horatio's tribute to Hamlet is enigmatic, Bloom explains, because all we know about Horatio, other than being Hamlet's friend, is that Claudius is unable to exhort information from him. Readers are not made aware of Horatio outside of his friendship with Hamlet. Bloom rejects the assertion of critics that Hamlet finds something in Horatio that he lacks, stating that Hamlet posses all that one may want and Horatio has nothing to offer.

Bloom proposes that Horatio contaminates that play with his presence because he is, "Too drab to be theatrical," meaning that he is the only character with no actual purpose. Bloom wonders how such a dull character musters the eloquence to say, "Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest," as Hamlet dies lines 359-360 (Act V Scene II)

Although Bloom does aptly portray the character of Horatio, he does not reveal any information or present any insights that readers cannot gather on their own, which makes his essay unnecessary. Instead, Bloom belittles the character of Horatio as though he was a boy that went to class with him and he was trying to show off in front of Hamlet. Bloom seems to be jealous of Horatio's relationship with Hamlet;it's fair to say that Bloom has a man crush on Hamlet.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, BUT . . .
Review: As an actor who has all but dedicated his life to Shakespeare, I have a very polarized opinion of Harold Bloom. When it comes to exegesis, I don't think he can be beat--The Visionary Company, Genius, the Western Canon, and Shakespeare are all highly recommended, great reads in literary criticism. However, Bloom has a habit of deifying his subjects (all while running the risk of condescending his audience), and never is it more frustrating than in this book. Hamlet is an incredible role, one I've been lucky enough to play with great success, but Bloom seems to think (both in Invention of the Human and this little book) that it's impossible for a modern actor to be able to fathom, let alone perform, the great Shakespearean characters. In conceding that, he robs the role of one of its strongest assets: its ability to, through the hands of a contemporary actor, convey timeless experiences of the (pretense alert!) human condition.
So, long story short, it's an interesting book, easy to read, and on par with most of Bloom's other critical observations, BUT it can be too patronizing, and it deifies the role of Hamlet too much. This is a role to be performed, after all, and is still well within the mental grips of any skilled actor.

Rating:
Summary: A guide to further study, mediation, and deeper reading
Review: Bloom says that he wrote this book as a postlude to "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human". It is a short book, but it is not a slight one. There is a lot here to meditate over, read again, and argue over. Bloom certainly didn't write this expecting anyone to agree with everything he writes. In fact, a teacher is poorly served by his students if they simply accept what he says as if it were scripture. If the student doesn't understand or isn't persuaded, he must question. If he disagrees, he must argue. If he agrees, he must take what the teacher gave him and take it further. Don't think that because this book quotes extensively from the play and is only 154 small pages long that you won't have a lot given you.

I enjoyed Bloom's "Invention of the Human" a great deal, but I am glad that he has given us more of his insights into Hamlet. Bloom's thoughts about how the play should be presented, what other critics have written, how his own perspectives have changed over the years, what it means to have a play within a play within a play. I also found his discussion of which verse is archaic and which is written to be understood as bad verse quite illuminating. Since my ear cannot hear the shades of Elizabethan English quite so clearly I have to admit that I didn't pick up that the slaughter of Priam was supposed to be taken as awful. I will have to work on hearing the language in all its varieties within this play and the others.

I think it is vital to remember that works like this provide their greatest value by giving us a path to further thought, study, and deeper reading. We waste them by either accepting or rejecting their arguments at face value. This is a book that everyone who loves Shakespeare and Hamlet should read and then make their own judgments. I found this a very valuable book.