Hamlet: Antic Disposition

In today's episode, we will be exploring the trope of antic disposition in William Shakespeare's Hamlet and asking the questions: does Hamlet actually go mad, or is he just pretending the whole time? What function did Hamlet's madness (pretend or otherwise) serve for Shakespeare's audience and what does it mean for audiences today?

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was "Korey Leigh Smith".

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

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Works referenced:

McGee, Arthur. “Antic Disposition.” The Elizabethan Hamlet, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 1987, pp. 75–103.

Neely, Carol Thomas. “Reading the Language of Distraction.” Distracted Subjects: Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 2004, pp. 46–68.

Wood, David Houston, et al. “Antic Dispositions: Mental and Intellectual Disabilities in Early Modern Revenge Tragedy.” Recovering Disability in Early Modern England, Ohio State University Press, Columbus, OH, 2013, pp. 73–87.