Hamlet’s “Inexplicable Dumb-Shows” and the Pleasures of Enigma

IF 0.2 3区文学 Q2 Arts and Humanities

STUDIES IN ENGLISH LITERATURE 1500-1900 Pub Date : 2022-03-01 DOI:10.1353/sel.2022.0004

Micah West

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract:When Hamlet assesses dumb shows as “inexplicable,” he means his judgment to be a negative one. This article will not dispute his assessment that this odd early modern theatrical device would have confused playgoers. But it will dispute his verdict’s negative tenor by arguing that the dumb show’s inexplicability suggests that early modern theater could at times be enjoyed even when, or even because, it was not understood. The dumb show’s resistance to easy interpretation suggests the presence and power of a distinctive enigmatic theatricality, one capable of eliciting some of the more peculiar pleasures available to early modern playgoers.

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哈姆雷特的“莫名其妙的哑剧”和谜的乐趣

摘要:当哈姆雷特评价哑剧“令人费解”时，他的意思是他的判断是消极的。本文不会反驳他的评价，即这种奇怪的早期现代戏剧装置会使戏剧观众感到困惑。但它将反驳他的结论的负面基调，认为哑剧的莫名其妙表明，早期现代戏剧有时可以被欣赏，即使它不被理解，或者甚至因为它不被理解。哑剧对简单解释的抗拒表明了一种独特的神秘戏剧性的存在和力量，它能够引发早期现代戏剧观众所能获得的一些更特殊的乐趣。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

STUDIES IN ENGLISH LITERATURE 1500-1900 LITERATURE, BRITISH ISLES-

CiteScore

0.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： SEL focuses on four fields of British literature in rotating, quarterly issues: English Renaissance, Tudor and Stuart Drama, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, and Nineteenth Century. The editors select learned, readable papers that contribute significantly to the understanding of British literature from 1500 to 1900. SEL is well known for thecommissioned omnibus review of recent studies in the field that is included in each issue. In a single volume, readers might find an argument for attributing a previously unknown work to Shakespeare or de-attributing a famous work from Milton, a study ofthe connections between class and genre in the Restoration Theater.