Wśród eseistów i filozofów - Hamlet antropologiczny

Abstract

The article is about interpretation of Hamlet, read by modern Polish philosophers (Pannenkowa, Sadowski, Krakowiak, Suchodolski) and essayists (Herbert, Kubiak, Kott, Trznadel). They are like anthropologists who are searching the meaning of ‘an- thropos’ notion. They examine themselves in Danish Prince as in the mirror. In their interpretation Hamlet is a myth, he represents ancient hero’s biography and - contemporaneously - our desires to overrun spiritual limitations and to find within us new integrated, higher identity. Hamlet is an incorporation of the myth of modern man and an intellectualist, too. It is about maturing of humanity. Hamlet shows that we are shaped by our actions, which are not ours, shaped by a predefined scenario. The mask devours the face, the inside of a man, restrains and enslaves him. The only chance is not to be described, not to be enclosed by any defined shape. It means no action since acting describes us very precisely. Besides, Hamlet is named “the truth’s drama” - truth about oneself and about giving a chance to people by making them know the truth about themselves. It is cruel, especially as a category of the tragic: a man needs the tragic caused by a mixture of rationality and emotions. This is the anthropology of Hamlet - humanity destroys itself because it is just humanity; existence is emptiness. But only in this human poverty there is our salvation. This is the most important lesson Hamlet teaches us according to philosophers and essayists.