Author: Kenneth Chan

The scene after Hamlet kills Polonius (Act III Scene 4) is theatrically distressing and a source of dismay to the audience because Hamlet displays a callous lack of remorse after accidentally stabbing Polonius, the elderly Councilor of State. Hamlet even proceeds to ridicule the slain man: Hamlet: I’ll lug the guts into the neighbour room. Mother, good night indeed. This counsellor Is now most still, most secret, and most grave, Who was in life a foolish prating knave. Someone who can react in this way hardly fits the image of an ideal hero. Surely Polonius deserves…

The central theme of Much Ado About Nothing may be summarized by three complementary motifs: This same theme echoes through the whole of Romeo and Juliet, with the misperception of reality mainly caused by the error of reifying the labels of “Montague” and “Capulet” to the extent that they define who their enemies are. It creates a dichotomy…

Shakespeare conveys the meaning in each of his plays by making us live through it. It is an emotional encounter designed to illuminate the meaning within the depths of our inner being. The message of the play is not conveyed intellectually; it is experienced. To truly imbibe the message of a Shakespearean play, we thus…

In a Shakespearean play, the main plot provides the key thrust of the message, while interspersed between, are scenes designed to create thematic resonance and allegorical representations of the same meaning. These scenes expand on the message by highlighting aspects of the central theme, broadening its impact. They play a vital supporting role and prepare…

The real “error” in The Comedy of Errors is our distorted perception of reality because we mistake artificial labels as being inherently real. In the play, the labels “Syracusian” and “Ephesian” are considered, by our deluded perception, to be so real that one’s life can be forfeit for merely possessing the wrong label! This deluded thinking introduces a…

The real “error” highlighted in The Comedy of Errors is not that of mistaken identity. It is something deeper. The real error—that the play focuses on—is our distorted perception of reality because we mistake the artificial labels—that we bestow upon ourselves—as being inherently real. In the play, the labels “Syracusian” and “Ephesian” are considered, by this deluded…

For a play long considered the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare ironically weaves into it just about everything possible to reduce its inherent romantic atmosphere. He dampens the romanticism with scenes replete with bawdy jokes; he has Romeo in love with another girl before his fateful encounter with Juliet; and he furnishes Juliet with…

The purpose of the long Trojan war speech in Hamlet is to amplify a key theme of the play: the immoral nature of seeking vengeance. It depicts Pyrrhus, who is the avenger, as being like a messenger from hell inflicting widespread death and destruction. Halfway through this long Trojan war recital, Polonius makes a curious remark about…

How Shakespeare meticulously crafted his plays to convey sage messages to humanity, using the techniques of cohesive unity, thematic resonance and focused allegorical scenes. Learn more. Posts discussing how Shakespeare meticulously crafts his plays to convey sage messages can be found here: The Mystical Art of Shakespeare Learn more. Buy Book. Learn more. Buy book. Learn…

There is great irony in Hamlet’s reaction to the actor’s emotional rendition of the Trojan war speech. Let us examine why. The Trojan war speech is Shakespeare’s commentary on the horror of revenge. The last part of the player’s speech focuses on the terrible toll vengeance exacts on the innocent. 1st Player. But who—ah, woe!—had seen…