The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 15.0411  Thursday, 12 February 2004

From:           Brian Willis <
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Date:           Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 06:43:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: 15.0375 TLS: The odds against Hamlet
Comment:        Re: SHK 15.0375 TLS: The odds against Hamlet

What is implied by the odds are, it seems to me, more important than the
quantity of the odds. What does the fact that Laertes is a prohibitive
favorite losing handily to Hamlet imply? Is Hamlet guided by a
providential influence (it guides the fall of the sparrow as well as our
protagonist)? Is Laertes allowing Hamlet to win since 'tis almost
against his conscience to proceed with the murder? Perhaps another
answer? But certainly, the important fact of this is not the
quantitative reasoning of the odds but the qualitative aspect that
Hamlet is defeating those odds and is cheated of victory by treachery.

Brian Willis

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