Postcards from the Dead

Critical perspectives on theGCSE English Literature texts

“These ideas are too powerful for naïve pupils […]They are emotional dynamite.”

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Karl Marx Key ideas: Society is capitalist as it is based on making profit,

rather than by the interests of all people. The proletariat (working class) make money for the

bourgeoisie (upper class) who control the means of production.

These two social classes are in conflict which will lead to social unrest until it culminates in social revolution.

Key vocabularyo bourgeoisieo capitalismo conflicto divisiono hierarchyo inequalityo profito proletariat

Your A Level Text:Marxist critics would highlight that…

There’s too much of a hierarchy within the courts and this can be seen in the contrast with characters in the exposition of the play – Bernardo – Marcellus – Horatio have a low status, whereas Hamlet – Claudius and Gertrude have a high status and this means that there is a division in the fairness of the societal rules and expectations.Political conflict could be symbolic of the social conflict within the Elizabethan Court in England at the time – Context – “Something rotten in the state of Denmark” highlights this core problem with the courts and with the systems in place.

Carl Jung Key ideas: All people share a ‘collective unconscious’ i.e. a part of

our psyche we are not aware of that operates on an instinctual level.

Part of this is symbolic character types – or archetypes.

As we are not directly aware of them, these archetypes can only be deduced indirectly by examining human behaviour, images, art, myths, religions, or dreams.

Key vocabularyo archetypeo character

typeo instinctualo psycheo symbolico unconsciouso universal

Your A Level Text:Jung’s theory of archetypes would categorise…

Hamlet is a tragic hero = conflict in his psyche – conflict In characters – impulsiveness – recklessness - instinctiveClaudius is a villain – Horatio a sidekick – Ghost is a mentor – Gertrude is powerless without a man – Ophelia is driven mad by desire or despair (weak female)Kings live up to expectations – monarchy has certain level of decorum but are not exempt from

Simone de Beauvoir

Key ideas: Gender is different from one’s biological sex

and is a social construction. Society expects each gender to behave in a distinct way.

Women are oppressed as they are only valued for their looks and their societal function as wives and mothers. This is a restrictive gender role.

Women are ‘the second sex’ as they are seen as less powerful and important to men. Society is therefore patriarchal (male-dominated).

Key vocabularyo autonomyo dominant ideologieso dominant/submissiveo equalityo gender roleo liberationo objectificationo patriarchyo powero reinforce/subverto stereotypical

Your A Level Text:Feminist literary critics might argue that…

Gertrude and Ophelia have much shorter mean length utterance and make very little of the play – “second sex” ideas – less important than the men of the play.Arguably, impossible for Shakespeare to write complex female characters as he never employed females for his play – all were maleOphelia is used in different ways by the males characters: As a pawn by Claudius and Polonius, as a sexual object by Hamlet, (is also criticised for her sexuality “get thee to a nunnery”), warned by Laertes of the dangers of being a sexual female.Dominant ideologies of Patriarchy are evident in keeping both Gertrude and Ophelia in their place. Both are only on stage with other male characters – therefore not given an individual voice.

Sigmund Freud Key ideas: Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis suggests that the

human psyche (personality) has three parts. The id is with us from birth. This part wishes to satisfy

every urge it has immediately, regardless of the consequences. This is why babies cry to be fed, will snatch toys etc.

The ego develops next. It is the decision-making part of our psyche and works by reason and strategy.

The superego develops last. It reflects the values and morals of society which are learned from our parents and others. It is our conscience and means that we experience guilt.

Key vocabularyo conscienceo egoo Freudiano ido infantileo moralso psycheo reasono strategyo superegoo values

Your A Level Text:A Freudian reading would emphasise that…

Hamlet seems to go between the three parts of psyche when deciding if to and how to get revenge for Hamlet Senior. Often looks to act immediately, but can’t when he refers to all the elements. Links to his inaction, as he uses morals and decision making, which deters him from acting. Hamlet’s super ego stops him from killing Claudius, but then the infantile part of him acts impulsively and kills Polonius through the arras.

Aristotle Key ideas: A tragedy must have: a change of fortune from good to bad (peripeteia) suffering that creates sympathy (pathos) in the audience

leading to an emotional release (catharsis) a realisation of the cause of the misery (anagnorisis) The main tragic hero should: be morally good have excessive pride (hubris) make a tragic mistake (hamartia)

Key vocabularyo anagnorisiso Choruso fortuneo hamartiao hubriso miseryo pathoso peripeteiao sufferingo tragic hero

Your A Level Text:The writer has drawn on conventions of Aristotelian tragedy as…

Hamlet has a change of fortune from good to bad. He is the heir to the throne, his dad is alive. Hamlet is dead and his uncle is King and married to his mother. Arguably, accidentally killing Polonius is a change of fortune from bad to worse- suffering that creates pathos – To be or not to be. Although Hamlet is morally good? He does kill Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guldienstern. He does make a tragic mistake due to his procrastination.

Nietzsche Key ideas: Life is without objective meaning, purpose, or

value. There is no God. This belief is called nihilism.

In the absence of a God, superhumans (the ubermensch) who are willing to risk all for to improve society will take his place.

The ubermensch will be able to establish their own values as the way in which others live their lives.

Key vocabularyo atheismo nihilismo purposeo recklessnesso ubermenscho values

Your A Level Text:In light of Nietzschean philosophy…

Hamlet can be seen as an Ubermensch in a society full of religious strife in which good is debated.Willing to risk his life to save his country and remain a usurper of his own values: mainly to seek revenge for his fathers deathHamlet’s religious convictions are in question – he is clearly superstitious in the scene with Claudius praying, but we don’t have aclear idea that he has rejected religion completely.

Jacques Derrida Key ideas: Language is a system of signs; words only have

meaning because of the contrast between these signs. In other words, a concept can only be understood in relation to its opposite e.g. man/woman, white/black.

Within these binary opposites there is hierarchy with one being seen as more important.

A deconstructive reading of a text will try to expose the way these oppositions work and undermine the binary notion of meaning.

Key vocabularyo binary pairo commonalityo conflicto contrasto deconstructiono hierarchyo juxtapositiono notiono opposite

Your A Level Text:A deconstructive reading would highlight that…

The binary pair is the conflict of action and inaction – the good vs the bad – not choosing to kill Claudius when he is prayingClass and hierarchy- shows the contrast between characters through a deconstructive readingClaudius – Evil Ghost Hamlet – Good – Ghost Hamlet – CATALYST for the action in the play used in the exposition of the play to show us or foreshadow that Claudius will fail and be flawed.

John LockeKey ideas: Locke argued strongly against the idea that people

were born sinful or that some people are innately evil.

Instead, he suggested human beings are born with an ‘empty mind’ or tabula rasa which is then shaped by our experiences.

He believed that the way children are brought up has a powerful impact on the adults they become.

Key vocabularyo immoralo innateo moralo natureo nurtureo tabula rasao upbringing

Your A Level Text:The philosopher John Locke theorised that nurture has a more significant influence on human behaviour

that inherent nature. Therefore, it could be argued…

Hamlet’s desire for revenge is as a result of his feelings of injustice, rather than his inherited traits, which could justify his actions as the fact he is so hesitant could link to his true nature in which he struggles to bring himself to take action.Could be said to justify all of the actions of the characters as their behaviour is a result of their experiences and upbringing. People are moulded to do what they do.