David Oakes as Hamlet at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, photograph by Charlotte Graham
Whitehead's Philosophy
and Hamlet's Inner Life
A common and legitimate critique of process philosophy, as influenced by Whitehead, is that it often prioritizes cosmological questions at the expense of attending to first-person lived experience. As a friend puts it: "I can't find any Kierkegaard in Whitehead. Or any Nietzsche. Or, for that matter, any Shakespeare. Where's Hamlet? Where's the conflicted existential hero?"
To be sure, Whitehead's philosophy provides broad generalizations about human experience. Whitehead himself claims that the purpose of his philosophy is to illuminate immediate experience and to pay attention to all forms of experience: experience drunk and experience sober, experience anxious and experience carefree, experience asleep and experience awake. He suggests that we human being are ourselves a series of experiences, each of which is, in its own way, a "subject" of whatever experience is occurring in the moment. He offers guidelines for thinking about who we are as subjects of our own lives.
These statements have an existential feel to them and may indeed be true to life. But they feel insufficient when faced with the complex depth of individual experiences, as vividly portrayed in characters like Hamlet.
To be sure, Whitehead's philosophy provides broad generalizations about human experience. Whitehead himself claims that the purpose of his philosophy is to illuminate immediate experience and to pay attention to all forms of experience: experience drunk and experience sober, experience anxious and experience carefree, experience asleep and experience awake. He suggests that we human being are ourselves a series of experiences, each of which is, in its own way, a "subject" of whatever experience is occurring in the moment. He offers guidelines for thinking about who we are as subjects of our own lives.
- Moment by moment, our experience begins and ends with feeling: physical feelings, to be sure, but also conceptual feelings and imaginative feelings and anticipatory feelings.
- At every moment we re remembering a past actual world and being influenced by it a past actual world that includes our own bodily experiences.
- At every moment we are always anticipating the future and feeling pulled by goals, including even a goal from God.
- Each experience is an act a decision, including a decision to choose what goals to live by in the moment at hand.
- Our experiences includes "others" within their very nature. Experience is an activity by which the many of the universe become one in the immediacy of the moment.
- Always we are striving toward satisfying intensity by creating contrasts between ideas, emotions, and the many worlds we experience. We are seeking beauty, understood as harmony and intensity.
These statements have an existential feel to them and may indeed be true to life. But they feel insufficient when faced with the complex depth of individual experiences, as vividly portrayed in characters like Hamlet.
Hamlet's Concreteness:
Unresolved Tensions
Consider Hamlet. His inner life is by no means simple or reducible to abstractions. It is a rich, complex, and turbulent landscape that shapes his actions and defines his character. His existential musings, moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, and intellectual depth give him a concreteness rarely if every found in Whitehead. Here are six dimensions of his inner life:
Existential Angst and Philosophical Reflection: Hamlet is acutely aware of the uncertainties and transience of life. His famous soliloquy, "To be, or not to be," reflects his contemplation of existence and the nature of suffering. He questions the value of life in the face of pain and contemplates the possibility of suicide, revealing his profound existential crisis.
Moral Ambiguity and Indecision: Hamlet struggles with the morality of revenge. His father's ghost charges him with avenging his murder, yet Hamlet vacillates, torn between his duty and the moral implications of killing. This indecision is a hallmark of his character, as he frequently overthinks and doubts, leading to inaction.
Melancholy and Depression: Throughout the play, Hamlet exhibits signs of deep melancholy, particularly after the death of his father and his mother's quick remarriage to Claudius. His despair is palpable, affecting his relationships and worldview. He becomes disillusioned with the world, expressing a cynical view of humanity's flaws and weaknesses.
Intellectual Curiosity and Wit: Hamlet is highly intelligent and articulate, often using wit and wordplay to explore ideas and navigate his environment. His intellect is both a strength and a burden, as it contributes to his paralysis in action, caught in the web of his thoughts. He overthinks things.
Distrust and Isolation: Hamlet's distrust of those around him, including his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and even Ophelia, adds to his sense of isolation. He feels betrayed and alone in his mission, heightening his sense of vulnerability and alienation.
Conflict between Action and Inaction: Hamlet's inner conflict is marked by his struggle between the need for action and his inclination towards reflection. He frequently berates himself for his inability to act decisively, as seen in his self-reproachful soliloquies. This internal struggle embodies the classic tragic flaw, as Hamlet's hesitation to act upon his convictions leads to a series of missed opportunities and ultimately, his downfall.
Of course, even these six characteristics abstract compared to a living embodiment of Hamlet as performed in a play. Still, it is hard to find all of this in Whitehead. Compared to Hamlet, Whitehead seems so abstract. We can understandably ask: Where is Hamlet in Whitehead?
Existential Angst and Philosophical Reflection: Hamlet is acutely aware of the uncertainties and transience of life. His famous soliloquy, "To be, or not to be," reflects his contemplation of existence and the nature of suffering. He questions the value of life in the face of pain and contemplates the possibility of suicide, revealing his profound existential crisis.
Moral Ambiguity and Indecision: Hamlet struggles with the morality of revenge. His father's ghost charges him with avenging his murder, yet Hamlet vacillates, torn between his duty and the moral implications of killing. This indecision is a hallmark of his character, as he frequently overthinks and doubts, leading to inaction.
Melancholy and Depression: Throughout the play, Hamlet exhibits signs of deep melancholy, particularly after the death of his father and his mother's quick remarriage to Claudius. His despair is palpable, affecting his relationships and worldview. He becomes disillusioned with the world, expressing a cynical view of humanity's flaws and weaknesses.
Intellectual Curiosity and Wit: Hamlet is highly intelligent and articulate, often using wit and wordplay to explore ideas and navigate his environment. His intellect is both a strength and a burden, as it contributes to his paralysis in action, caught in the web of his thoughts. He overthinks things.
Distrust and Isolation: Hamlet's distrust of those around him, including his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and even Ophelia, adds to his sense of isolation. He feels betrayed and alone in his mission, heightening his sense of vulnerability and alienation.
Conflict between Action and Inaction: Hamlet's inner conflict is marked by his struggle between the need for action and his inclination towards reflection. He frequently berates himself for his inability to act decisively, as seen in his self-reproachful soliloquies. This internal struggle embodies the classic tragic flaw, as Hamlet's hesitation to act upon his convictions leads to a series of missed opportunities and ultimately, his downfall.
Of course, even these six characteristics abstract compared to a living embodiment of Hamlet as performed in a play. Still, it is hard to find all of this in Whitehead. Compared to Hamlet, Whitehead seems so abstract. We can understandably ask: Where is Hamlet in Whitehead?
Hamlet in Whitehead
The answer, I believe, is nowhere. Whitehead did not seek to be as concrete as Shakespeare or Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. He left concreteness to literature and art and, of course, to life itself. Nevertheless, his own philosophy invites us to recognize that the concreteness itself is more ultimate than the abstractions and his own more abstract ideas can illuminate aspects of Hamlet's concrete inner life.
Existential Angst and Philosophical Reflection: Whitehead's Insight: Whitehead's concept of the "creative advance into novelty" highlights the perpetual becoming and uncertainty inherent in existence. Hamlet's soliloquy "To be, or not to be" mirrors this idea, as he contemplates the nature of suffering and the uncertainty of life. Application: Hamlet’s existential crisis can be seen as a manifestation of the process of concrescence, where he integrates past experiences and future possibilities in a quest for meaning.
Moral Ambiguity and Indecision: Whitehead's Insight: The notion that "each experience involves a decision" is central to Whitehead's philosophy. Hamlet's moral dilemma and indecision reflect the complexity of decision-making in process thought, where each choice is an actualization of potentialities. Application: Hamlet's vacillation can be interpreted as the struggle between competing subjective aims, each representing a different potential future influenced by his past experiences and ethical considerations.
Melancholy and Depression: Whitehead's Insight: "Human experience begins and ends with feeling," and this includes the deep feelings of melancholy and depression that Hamlet experiences. Whitehead’s emphasis on feeling as the foundation of experience aligns with Hamlet’s pervasive sadness and disillusionment. Application: Hamlet's melancholy can be understood as a deep-seated emotion or subjective form (Whitehead's phrase) where the integration of past losses and present disillusionment shapes his current experience.
Intellectual Curiosity and Wit: Whitehead's Insight: "Even thinking is a form of feeling," suggesting that intellectual activity is deeply intertwined with emotional life. Hamlet’s intellectual curiosity and wit exemplify the interplay of thought and feeling in process philosophy. Application: Hamlet’s clever use of language and exploration of philosophical ideas can be seen as an expression of the intellectual feelings that drive his quest for understanding and truth. They are sometimes an escape and sometimes an inquiry - and often both.
Distrust and Isolation: Whitehead's Insight: "Each experience emerges out of relations with others," yet Hamlet’s distrust highlights the breakdown of these relations. Whitehead’s relational ontology underscores the impact of fractured relationships on personal experience. Application: Hamlet's isolation reflects a failure of positive prehensions, where his negative experiences with others prevent the formation of harmonious relationships and lead to his sense of alienation.
Conflict between Action and Inaction: Whitehead's Insight: "Each experience involves a decision" and "every experience strives toward satisfying intensity by creating contrasts." Hamlet’s conflict between action and inaction embodies the tension between different potentialities and the search for satisfying intensity in his decisions. Application: Hamlet’s paralysis can be understood as the struggle to balance contrasting subjective aims, each offering different forms of satisfaction and intensity, ultimately shaping his tragic trajectory.
Bridging the Abstract and the Concrete: Whitehead’s philosophy may appear abstract, but it provides a framework for understanding the dynamics of human experience. The richness of Hamlet’s inner life, with its existential musings, moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, intellectual depth, distrust, and indecision, can be illuminated through the principles of process thought. In addition, and importantly, the more concrete descriptions help complete Whitehead's philosophy. There is something Hamlet adds to Whitehead, that cannot be found in Whitehead otherwise. And something we do, as well.
The Value of Unresolved Tensions: One thing that Hamlet adds is a recognition that contrasts need not be "resolved" for life to have intensity. On the contrary, unresolved tensions can enhance the intensity of experience, providing a richness that might be absent with too much harmony. Or, to put it another way, there can be a "harmony" in unresolved tensions, similar to the harmony found in unresolved chordal progressions in jazz.
Existential Angst and Philosophical Reflection: Whitehead's Insight: Whitehead's concept of the "creative advance into novelty" highlights the perpetual becoming and uncertainty inherent in existence. Hamlet's soliloquy "To be, or not to be" mirrors this idea, as he contemplates the nature of suffering and the uncertainty of life. Application: Hamlet’s existential crisis can be seen as a manifestation of the process of concrescence, where he integrates past experiences and future possibilities in a quest for meaning.
Moral Ambiguity and Indecision: Whitehead's Insight: The notion that "each experience involves a decision" is central to Whitehead's philosophy. Hamlet's moral dilemma and indecision reflect the complexity of decision-making in process thought, where each choice is an actualization of potentialities. Application: Hamlet's vacillation can be interpreted as the struggle between competing subjective aims, each representing a different potential future influenced by his past experiences and ethical considerations.
Melancholy and Depression: Whitehead's Insight: "Human experience begins and ends with feeling," and this includes the deep feelings of melancholy and depression that Hamlet experiences. Whitehead’s emphasis on feeling as the foundation of experience aligns with Hamlet’s pervasive sadness and disillusionment. Application: Hamlet's melancholy can be understood as a deep-seated emotion or subjective form (Whitehead's phrase) where the integration of past losses and present disillusionment shapes his current experience.
Intellectual Curiosity and Wit: Whitehead's Insight: "Even thinking is a form of feeling," suggesting that intellectual activity is deeply intertwined with emotional life. Hamlet’s intellectual curiosity and wit exemplify the interplay of thought and feeling in process philosophy. Application: Hamlet’s clever use of language and exploration of philosophical ideas can be seen as an expression of the intellectual feelings that drive his quest for understanding and truth. They are sometimes an escape and sometimes an inquiry - and often both.
Distrust and Isolation: Whitehead's Insight: "Each experience emerges out of relations with others," yet Hamlet’s distrust highlights the breakdown of these relations. Whitehead’s relational ontology underscores the impact of fractured relationships on personal experience. Application: Hamlet's isolation reflects a failure of positive prehensions, where his negative experiences with others prevent the formation of harmonious relationships and lead to his sense of alienation.
Conflict between Action and Inaction: Whitehead's Insight: "Each experience involves a decision" and "every experience strives toward satisfying intensity by creating contrasts." Hamlet’s conflict between action and inaction embodies the tension between different potentialities and the search for satisfying intensity in his decisions. Application: Hamlet’s paralysis can be understood as the struggle to balance contrasting subjective aims, each offering different forms of satisfaction and intensity, ultimately shaping his tragic trajectory.
Bridging the Abstract and the Concrete: Whitehead’s philosophy may appear abstract, but it provides a framework for understanding the dynamics of human experience. The richness of Hamlet’s inner life, with its existential musings, moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, intellectual depth, distrust, and indecision, can be illuminated through the principles of process thought. In addition, and importantly, the more concrete descriptions help complete Whitehead's philosophy. There is something Hamlet adds to Whitehead, that cannot be found in Whitehead otherwise. And something we do, as well.
The Value of Unresolved Tensions: One thing that Hamlet adds is a recognition that contrasts need not be "resolved" for life to have intensity. On the contrary, unresolved tensions can enhance the intensity of experience, providing a richness that might be absent with too much harmony. Or, to put it another way, there can be a "harmony" in unresolved tensions, similar to the harmony found in unresolved chordal progressions in jazz.
God's Inner Life
and Hamlet
Hamlet's inner life also raises the interesting question of what God's inner life might be like. In Whitehead's philosophy, God, too, is a subject of experience. God, too, is an act of concrescence: an act of feeling the presence of the world, indeed of the entire universe, and responding to it with an aim at intensity of experience. It is typical to think that God is always at peace, in contrast to the conflicted Hamlet. However, we can entertain the possibility that God, too, experiences conflict—perhaps as much as Hamlet, or even more.
If we entertain the possibility that God experiences inner conflict and complexity similar to Hamlet, we might consider which of the six characteristics God might embody:
Existential Angst and Philosophical Reflection: While traditional theology often depicts God as omniscient and untroubled, Whitehead's philosophy suggests that God feels the world's possibilities and actualities. This might include a form of divine contemplation about the nature of existence and the unfolding of events.
Moral Ambiguity and Indecision: In process theology, God's experience involves perceiving and responding to the world's myriad possibilities. This could imply a form of moral complexity, where God considers various potential outcomes and their ethical implications.
Melancholy and Depression: God, as a deeply relational being in process theology, could experience profound sorrow or empathy in response to the suffering and failures of the world. This characteristic could manifest as a form of divine sadness or mourning.
Intellectual Curiosity and Wit: While God may not display "wit" as humans understand it, the notion of divine curiosity aligns with the idea of God as ever-responsive to the world's creative potential. This could be seen as a form of divine engagement with the unfolding of creation.
Distrust and Isolation: This characteristic might be less applicable to God in Whitehead's view, as God is seen as relational and encompassing all of creation. However, God might experience a form of isolation in the sense of being misunderstood or alienated by human hatred, greed, and envy.
Conflict between Action and Inaction: God may embody a form of this characteristic through the balance of influencing the world without coercion. In process theology, God lures creation towards the good, yet respects the freedom of creatures, which might involve a dynamic tension between intervention and restraint.
While some of these characteristics might be more metaphorically applied to God than literally, Whitehead's philosophy allows for a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the divine experience, one that may include elements of conflict and complexity.
Conclusion
In Whitehead's philosophy, particularly as interpreted by scholars with theological inclinations, there is a marked tendency to emphasize peace and the resolution of conflicts as the ultimate goal. This interpretation often prioritizes the harmonious over the tumultuous, presenting a vision of life that seeks serenity and unity. However, this perspective may not fully capture the complexities of Whitehead's thought, which also acknowledges the inherent tensions and conflicts within existence.
Hamlet, as a character, embodies the deep, internal struggles that are part and parcel of the human condition. His journey reveals that internal conflicts are not merely obstacles to be overcome but are integral to the richness of life. Through Hamlet, we learn that flourishing involves grappling with, rather than resolving, these conflicts. This aspect of human experience—marked by uncertainty, doubt, and inner turmoil—is essential to personal growth and the depth of our understanding of the world.
Whitehead's notion of "creative advance into novelty" includes the recognition that life is a process of continual change and emergence, where conflicts and tensions are inevitable. They are not just disruptions but are also opportunities for new experiences and insights. In this light, Hamlet's lesson to Whitehead lies in the recognition that internal conflicts are not antithetical to well-being but are, in fact, crucial to the dynamism and vitality of life. They are the very forces that drive us toward deeper self-awareness and a more profound engagement with the world.
Thus, while peace remains an important aspect of Whitehead's philosophical vision, it is complemented by the acceptance and integration of internal conflicts. This duality allows for a more nuanced understanding of well-being—one that embraces the complexities and contradictions inherent in the human experience.
Hamlet, as a character, embodies the deep, internal struggles that are part and parcel of the human condition. His journey reveals that internal conflicts are not merely obstacles to be overcome but are integral to the richness of life. Through Hamlet, we learn that flourishing involves grappling with, rather than resolving, these conflicts. This aspect of human experience—marked by uncertainty, doubt, and inner turmoil—is essential to personal growth and the depth of our understanding of the world.
Whitehead's notion of "creative advance into novelty" includes the recognition that life is a process of continual change and emergence, where conflicts and tensions are inevitable. They are not just disruptions but are also opportunities for new experiences and insights. In this light, Hamlet's lesson to Whitehead lies in the recognition that internal conflicts are not antithetical to well-being but are, in fact, crucial to the dynamism and vitality of life. They are the very forces that drive us toward deeper self-awareness and a more profound engagement with the world.
Thus, while peace remains an important aspect of Whitehead's philosophical vision, it is complemented by the acceptance and integration of internal conflicts. This duality allows for a more nuanced understanding of well-being—one that embraces the complexities and contradictions inherent in the human experience.
Hamlet: A Scholarly Discussion
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Shakespeare's best known, most quoted and longest play, written c1599 - 1602 and rewritten throughout his lifetime. It is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, encouraged by his father's ghost to take revenge on his uncle who murdered him, and is set at the court of Elsinore. In soliloquies, the Prince reveals his inner self to the audience while concealing his thoughts from all at the Danish court, who presume him insane. Shakespeare gives him lines such as 'to be or not to be,' 'alas, poor Yorick,' and 'frailty thy name is woman', which are known even to those who have never seen or read the play. And Hamlet has become the defining role for actors, men and women, who want to show their mastery of Shakespeare's work.
With
Sir Jonathan Bate
Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford
Carol Rutter
Professor of Shakespeare and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick
And
Sonia Massai
Professor of Shakespeare Studies at King's College London
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
With
Sir Jonathan Bate
Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford
Carol Rutter
Professor of Shakespeare and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick
And
Sonia Massai
Professor of Shakespeare Studies at King's College London
Producer: Simon Tillotson.