COMMENTARY ON HAMLET

Preface
Aiyer,through his commentary on Shakespeare's Hamlet,provides to his Readers not only a lucid comparison of different characteristics of this play vis a vis those of the other plays of Shakespeare but also what is more gives an insight into the style of English language writing in vogue in England and elsewhere including India during his time dating back to the early Elizabathian age.This was charecterised by use of Long Sentences,Complex Flow of Writing,liberal use of Hard Hitting Words and the like,all of which is almost extinct in today's world of communication.All these and more can be seen in Aiyer's commentary on Hamlet and I thought it prudent to present an extract of the same,thro'this column of LIGHT READINGS,for the present day youth to have a glimpse of the style of English writing during the bygone days.I do hope those who read this write up enjoy this Light Reading.

Actual Commentary By Aiyer:An Extract of his commentary on Hamlet is as follows -----

The play of Hamlet is perhaps almost unanimously regarded as the very best of Shakespeare's dramas as indeed one of the best productions of human genius in the west.Its greatness,it is also agreed,is due,not merely to its artistic excellence
the daring with which the poet creates interesting and difficult situations,the
wonderful ease with which he handles them,the imagery of the language nor the intoxication of the profoundity of his ideas,in respect to which many others of his plays have a claim to be ranked equal with if not even superior to it but chiefly to the unique greatness of its hero.Wonderfully rich as the creative faculty of Shakespeare was so much so his plays form a new world amongst themselves to what we may call a VISHWAMITRA SHRISHTI in our opinion.Hamlet The Prince Of Denmark is by far the best among his children.

While the other plays reveal to us Shakespeare The Poet lending the gorgeous colours of his fancies and vivifying them with faculty divine, this terrible tragedy of Hamlet reveals to us Shakespeare The Philosopher,whom man does not delight nor woman either and to whom this overwelming filmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire appears to be no other thing less than a "foul,stale ,flat and unprofitable" and the few pleasures that are found therein are nothing but incongrual vapours and who when called upon to act seriously puts to himself the Question which is better "To Be Or Not To Be .Whether tis'nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them?"

Here in this play all the daliance of nature is set aside.Even its love scenes are melancoly unlike those of Romeo and Juliet,The Tempest,As You Like It,Othello and others and has alas a tragic end.And that end too is not blasted by an ignoble compromise as in Romeo and Juliet,not rendered ghastly terrible with jealosy kindled with malice as in Othello but is sorrowful because the gentle emotional love is blasted by a vigorous and a searching philosophy so cynical as to reveal in its consciousness a Sexton's spade.This however by itself is not the end of Philosophy and is only its beginning.But then in the ultimate man goes hoping for something anew but finding there just a gaping void instead of a solid kernal,he burns into an inextinguishsble agony of despair".

Preface By BAIYU
Commentary Compiled By BAIYU