Could Hamlet Be the "Other Shakespeare?" (6)

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When all is said and done, Hamlet's way of coping with an unacceptable and mostly unchangeable world is the way of the artist.  Moving off the plane of everyday reality, he wrestles with the unacceptable on his own terms, ultimately achieving mastery by serving it up more vividly and more knowably than it originally appeared, thereby exposing it to the world for what it ultimately is.

What might Shakespeare have been thinking when he created such a character?  In all his other works, there seems to be no other character whose psychic makeup more strongly proclaims "artist."  Could Shakespeare have failed to realize that in Hamlet, he was showing a good deal about himself?

In addition to being presented with some very important inner dynamics of an artist, we are given some more superficially teasing details in other aspects of the play--such as the use of Hamlet as a mouthpiece for lengthy, detailed, and well-informed views on the theater.

Are these really just coincidences, or was Shakespeare giving hints about his identity--perhaps to the delight of the more sophisticated members of his audience?

(c) COPYRIGHT 1992 ROBERT WINTER.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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