Hamlet and Hamletism through the prism of the creativity of M. Lermontov and A. Blok

Abstract

The author of the article aims to explain world literature through such concepts as the concept of Hamletism and the character of Hamlet in relation to selected works of Russian Romanticism, in particular, the beginning of realism and symbolism as an outstanding current of the Silver Age. Subject of a careful comparative analysis is the works of Mikhail Lermontov ("Demon" and "Masquerade"), then the selected poetic texts of Alexander Blok. In the article, the author tries to show the functioning of Hamlet and the concept of Hamletism referring both to the selected creators, their author's code, and to the general trends in the assimilation of Shakespeare's literature on Russian soil, especially in the era of Romanticism, the formation of Realism and Symbolism. The article shows artistic transformations in their presentation, referring primarily to the reception of amplification in Lermontov and the use of role-playing lyrics and mask lyrics in Blok's poetry. In both cases, Hamlet as a literary character, and the very notion of Hamletism are supplemented with a new content, often of an autobiographical nature, which is especially characteristic of Blok.