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Textual Positioning in Shakespeare's Hamlet: Unraveling Character Interpretations

Explore how Shakespeare's text offers readers varied positions to interpret characters like Ophelia in Hamlet, leading to uncertainty and debate. Discover if Shakespeare intentionally creates ambiguity in character characterization.

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Textual Positioning in Shakespeare's Hamlet: Unraveling Character Interpretations

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  1. Readings of Shakespeare’s Hamlet characterisation

  2. Textual positioning • Texts offer readers positions to read from. In this way, readers know which character is to be liked or disliked etc. It is, of course, quite possible to resist the positions offered by a text. It is also possible that whatever position the text offers, individuals will read the text differently. • Sometimes it is not clear how a text is asking to be read. These texts produce “positions of uncertainty” or “unresolved debate” from which to read. The reading invites of Ophelia, for instance, is not clear. Is she an innocent victim or a wanton, disreputable woman? Is there a reason for this? Shakespeare normally has a clearly defined victim. Is the play asking questions about young women and how they should behave? • Does Shakespeare deliberately produce positions of uncertainty?

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