'We read Hamlet together': Shakespearean Intertextuality in Edward Said's Out of Place. Issue 3 (1st September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hamamra, Bilal; Abusamra, Sanaa
• Is Part Of: Critical survey. Volume 33:Issue 3/4(2021)
• Page Start: 93
• Page End: 106
• Publication Date: 2021-09-01
• Subjects: colonial authority -- contrapuntal reading -- education -- Oedipus complex -- Said's Out of Place -- Shakespeare's Hamlet; English literature -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; 820.90005
• DOI: 10.3167/cs.2021.33030410
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1752-2293

Abstract

Abstract: Inspired by Said's methodology of contrapuntal reading, this article examines Edward Said's reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet (1604) in his memoir, Out of Place (1999) to shed light on his experiences of exile and displacement. We contend that Hamlet gives voice to Said's incestuous desire and his inability, like that of Hamlet, to live up to the standards required of him by his dominating father who, like Hamlet's father, is a ghostly figure that dominates Said's life even after his death. We argue that while Said points out that Shakespeare is an extension of imperial authority, his readings of Hamlet with his mother destabilises the colonising force of Shakespeare and displaces Western hegemony over performance and interpretations.