Shakespeare's Hamlet (part 2 of 2): Reading thought in action
Channel: Eric Luttrell
Date: 2017-12-01

This lecture analyzes the use of theory-of-mind in Shakespeare's Hamlet and attempts to reassess the conventional view of the main character as weak-willed or indecisive. Four focus points:
1. the difficulty of interpreting the text from dialogue
2. the characters' difficulty interpreting each other from dialogue and action
3. the decisions that Hamlet makes and the often-overlooked factors that constrained those decisions
4. Hamlet's ultimate success or failure and the criteria for distinguishing the two.
The lecture presumes familiarity with the play, so read/watch it first.
 For more on Amleth, the proto-Hamlet, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCx1_4xUfe4