Investigating the Design of the Social Network in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sumarokov's GamletA Quantitative Study
ISSN: 0211-5913
Year of publication: 2013
Issue Title: Functional Discourse Grammar: Advances and Prospects
Issue: 67
Pages: 161-175
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses
Abstract
The present paper offers new insights into the internal structural organisation of the two plays' Shakespeare's Hamlet (1685) and Sumarokov's Gamlet (1787). The primary aim is to compare the structures of the plays through the identification of the dimensions of structural differences linked to the inter-textual representation of the complexity of the relationships among Hamlet, Claudius and Polonius. A particular emphasis is on how these characters interact with each other as well as with Gertrude, Ophelia and secondary characters. The analysis is based on computational quantitative techniques and systematic qualitative exploration of the empirical data. The key findings show considerable deviations between the structures of the plays per distinct acts associated with their organisation of the social network of the main male characters