Wilson Knight Interpretation

I resonate with scholar George Richard Wilson Knight the most when it comes to his interpretation of Hamlet. Hamlet has obviously transformed into a melancholy person. His intelligence, introspection, and depressive traits are magnified by the death of his Father and he begins to withdraw into himself. This withdrawal takes him into a state of almost constant speculation, mainly on the subjects of morality, morbidity, revenge, death, etcetera. He is unable to take any actions towards the circumstances surrounding him because he is locked within his own mind.

I agree with Wilson Knight that the main theme of Hamlet is death. The play begins with the spotting of Hamlet's father's ghost, his father who has recently died, death in it's most physical form. Hamlet soon sees the ghost himself and must decide if the ghost is his father's spirit or a demon and will decide to take action based on that. At the same time his mother's loyalty and fidelity dies as she marries Hamlet's uncle... These combined events are what cause Hamlet's withdrawal. They change the way he sees the world. His love for Ophelia dies, his views on women in general is damaged. In Hamlet's soliloquies, particularily the first three, he becomes obsessed with self destuction. All his former interests, things that made him happy mean nothing to him anymore, he has become 'soul sick'. This sickness infects everyone in the play. Fellow characters are lost to agonizing emotion ( Ophelia- sadness and madness, Laertes- rage, Gertrude- fear and confusion, Claudius- paranoia, etcetera) before they are brought to their deaths- and the majority of the characters are brought to death.

One thing I do not agree with is Wilson Knight's view of Claudius. I do think he is a villain, unlike Wilson Knight. Claudius must have put some serious scheming into his plot to become King and woo Gertrude in only two months. He continues to use Ophelia, Polonius, Rosencratz, and Guildenstern as pawns in his conspiracies. His kind words to Hamlet in the first part of the play are only an attempt to get Hamlet on his side and to understand how much of a threat Hamlet is to him. Once he understands the threat he sends Hamlet away and plans his death as well. This to me is enough to consider his a villain, even if he feels a bit of guilt for murdering his brother.