THE PERFORMATIVE UTTERANCE IN HAMLET

"Hamlet is trapped in a kind of cognitive paralysis, convinced of his duty and yet unable to move that duty from the mental to the real." -Fredrik deBoer

• Locutionary force, illocutionary force, perlocutionary force = performative ability of language
• Hamlet has soliloquies that reveal his inner self because Shakespeare's works were meant to be performed onstage
• mimetic act is Hamlet's fake madness
• This paper answered one of my questions about Act III. I was wondering Hamlet was being so mean and specific towards the actors and now I know that his harsh advice to them was partially advice to himself on how to keep up his act of madness without overdoing it.

Deep down, Hamlet knows what his purpose is and whether or not he is always clear about it shouldn't be mistaken for real madness.