Nizar Zouidi Questions of Authority

Annotation

This book studies the questions of authority and authorship in William Shakespeare's problematic masterpiece Hamlet. It argues that the Bard seeks to eternalize himself through his play, that Hamlet dramatizes the authorial quest for sempiternity. As the epigraph to this book indicates, authors have since the age of the pyramids - and probably before it - sought to live forever. Shakespeare was no exception. However, his medium, that of theatre, is usually associated with the present.This book approaches the strategies of authorial survival from a perspective that is theoretically and historically eclectic. It is, therefore, informed by works that belong to different eras and that are not separated by time alone. They are brought together by the theme of sempiternity. The challenging task of dealing with such a theme is made even more arduous by the nature of the play itself. Hamlet denies its readers the satisfaction they crave. In this play, Keats' negative capability is a luxury that no one can afford, be they critics or characters. In Hamlet, the answer is always with the author who comes in questionable shapes, assuring everyone that he has more to tell. His authority does not hinder the endless proliferation of meaning, however, but, rather, guarantees it.