『햄릿』에 나타난 아이덴티티의 문제 = Identity in Hamlet

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Hamlet is a tragedy of being which reveals 'the illogical logic of life' very clearly by combining the conventional motifs of the revenue tragedy with several mythical motifs. It has a basic circular structure in that the change of guards in the opening scene parallels that of kings in the last scene, with the result that it effectively emphasizes the theme of identity, and the chief differences between the identity and social role as well as between positive self-assertive roleplaying and negative self-destructive roleplaying. Hamlet's plot can be summarized as the process of developing the guards' "our story" into Hamlet's "my story" through his "my mystery." The change of "We" into "I" implies that of the times in the real world and the play world. But that change is not so much the natural positive one as the artificial negative one brought by personal coveteousness. The new age simply deconstructs the existing basic human and social relationships which are vital for decent living and demands the establishing of new ones. The essential question raised by the play is whether the basic human relationship is the momentous force working society into its proper function or the social relationship makes us social beings. In other words, the play asks us to consider what kind of life we want to lead and how. Hamlet makes enormous efforts to be true to himself, but the world of Elsinore burdens him with the kind of life in which he cannot but betray himself. It is through his insistence on his 'conscious identity' and his peculiar way of behavior under the hostile circumstances that he in the long run establishes his 'social identity' and moreover verifies his 'real identity' even if momentarily. He sets the example for us that it is the individual will which determines the quality of his authentic life. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's plays focusing on the primacy of personal insight without which there can be no authentic life.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 들머리말
• Ⅱ. 아이덴티티의 개념
• Ⅲ. 개막장면과 아이덴티티 문제
• Ⅳ. 아이덴티티게임과 아이덴티티 놀이
• Ⅴ. 맺음말