This study investigates the language strategies used by Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark （1603）. Emphasis is given to the type of language or register Shakespeare provides his characters with ...This study investigates the language strategies used by Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark （1603）. Emphasis is given to the type of language or register Shakespeare provides his characters with in order to give them genuine or assumed identities. The linguistic register of the three major characters of Claudius, the Ghost, and Hamlet is explored in light of the Elizabethan cultural context. This concern with these three characters stems from the basic assumption of the paper that the play is a struggle between Claudius and the Ghost over Hamlet. Claudius speaks the language of a monarch which is informed by the code of society; the Ghost, who used to speak such language of sovereignty while alive, speaks a language of the dead informed by a newly acquired experience not familiar to human beings. On the other hand, Hamlet＇s use of language is the most peculiar in the play. His register keeps changing according to his tragic growth and his readiness for action. The study indicates that the language functions Shakespeare utilizes in Hamlet are numerous. Language is used creatively for a variety of purposes in addition to communication. The playwright employs language as a shield for self-defense, a tool for defining and hiding identity and misleading and manipulating others, a means of search for reality, and a tool for punishment, among other functions. The study findings invite further research into Shakespeare＇s use of language in his plays. No detailed in-depth studies of Shakespearean language and its implications exist.展开更多
文摘This study investigates the language strategies used by Shakespeare in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark （1603）. Emphasis is given to the type of language or register Shakespeare provides his characters with in order to give them genuine or assumed identities. The linguistic register of the three major characters of Claudius, the Ghost, and Hamlet is explored in light of the Elizabethan cultural context. This concern with these three characters stems from the basic assumption of the paper that the play is a struggle between Claudius and the Ghost over Hamlet. Claudius speaks the language of a monarch which is informed by the code of society; the Ghost, who used to speak such language of sovereignty while alive, speaks a language of the dead informed by a newly acquired experience not familiar to human beings. On the other hand, Hamlet＇s use of language is the most peculiar in the play. His register keeps changing according to his tragic growth and his readiness for action. The study indicates that the language functions Shakespeare utilizes in Hamlet are numerous. Language is used creatively for a variety of purposes in addition to communication. The playwright employs language as a shield for self-defense, a tool for defining and hiding identity and misleading and manipulating others, a means of search for reality, and a tool for punishment, among other functions. The study findings invite further research into Shakespeare＇s use of language in his plays. No detailed in-depth studies of Shakespearean language and its implications exist.
