Episode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare

Episode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare

From Philosophize This! by Stephen West

December 27, 2025 · 31 min

About this episode

This episode discusses Shakespeare's Hamlet, comparing traditional and modern philosophical interpretations.

Today we talk about the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. We compare more traditional takes on the themes of the play to a more modern, philosophical analysis of the play done by Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster. We talk about Hamlet and his inability to take action. Surveillance in 16th century England. Ophelia as the tragic hero of the play. How ultimately Hamlet may best be described as a play about "nothing". Hope you love it. :) Sponsors: Nord VPN: ⁠https://nordvpn.com/philothis ⁠ Better Help: ⁠https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS⁠ Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website:⁠ https://www.philosophizethis.org/⁠ Patreon:⁠ https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis⁠ Social: Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast⁠ X:⁠ https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest⁠ Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Stephen West

Topics covered

  • Hamlet
  • philosophy
  • action
  • tragedy
  • surveillance
  • modern analysis

Keywords

  • Hamlet
  • Shakespeare
  • philosophy
  • Ophelia
  • tragedy
  • action
  • surveillance

Sponsors

Nord VPN, Better Help

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Hamlet

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