In “Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays”, what does William Hazlitt mean when he states the following: “We do not like to see our author’s plays acted, and least of all, ’Hamlet’. There is no play that suffers so much in being transferred to the stage” ?

Question

In “Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays”, what does William Hazlitt mean when he states the following: “We do not like to see our author’s plays acted, and least of all, ’Hamlet’. There is no play that suffers so much in being transferred to the stage” ?

Answer 1

A. Hamlet cannot be staged properly because of the complexity of the play’s use of language.
B. Hamlet is not relevant to the Romantic age.
C. The role of Hamlet cannot be properly played by any actor.
D. Hamlet is a work that was written to be read, not performed.

Correct Answer: The role of Hamlet cannot be properly played by any actor. ✔

Last Updated: August 21, 2020