Critique of T. S. Eliot’s “Hamlet and His Problems”

During the modernist period in twentieth century, T. S. Eliot, was one of the most important poets. He was also a critic of Elizabethan literature. He wrote this article on how Hamlet is lacking the “objective correlative.” Objective correlative is when an author produces an emotion in the viewer, the artist simply accurately reproduces those things that created strong emotion in himself. Eliot makes some great points, but also, I have to disagree with him on some of his opinion. Eliot sees Hamlet as somewhat of an artistic failure due to its confusion between the main plot and the main character.
In his analysis, Eliot recalls the work of other authors who have also critiqued the subject of Hamlet. He states that many authors connect with Hamlet and do not come to realize their own creative potential. These authors come to think of the drama as a classic and therefore see it as an extension of their own artistic ability. Eliot goes on to talk about Thomas Kyd, who wrote Span...