Hamlet's Search for Meaning - by Walter N King (Paperback)

About the Book

Theological and psychological interpretations of Shakespeare's most problematic play have been pursued as complementary to each other. In this bold reading, Walter N. King brings twentieth-century Christian existentialism and post-Freudian psychological theory to bear upon Hamlet and his famous problems.

Book Synopsis

Theological and psychological interpretations of Shakespeare's most problematic play have been pursued as complementary to each other. In this bold reading, Walter N. King brings twentiethcentury Christian existentialism and post-Freudian psychological theory to bear upon Hamlet and his famous problems. King draws on the support of Paul Tillich, John Macquarrie, and Nicolai Beryaev, who radically reinterpreted the Christian doctrine of providence, and presents an unconventional thesis. He derives illuminating psychological insights from Erik Erikson, the pioneer in the modern study of identity, and Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy.

Review Quotes

A major study of Hamlet. It draws together a Christian interpretation with solid work in the vein of Erikson and Frankl; the combined focus produces something that is new and convincing.

--David Bevington

About the Author

WALTER N. KING taught at the University of Montana. He is the editor of Twentieth-Century Interpretations of Twelfth Night.