1. Some Theories
So here we go… let’s take a look at some
theories that people use to find meaning in
plays.

2. Liberal Humanism
• Good art is always good and good for you!
• Approach the text with no pre-knowledge of the
artist or the time period.
• Universal themes, moral of the story both important
• “The Individual” can exist independently of culture,
society, class, etc.
• Subtlety is better than being overt/explicit.
Understated feeling, emotions arising from
composition, and ideas/themes emerging through
symbolism are all highly valued.
• Asks “What are the moral and artistic merits of this
pieces of theatre?”

3. Red Riding Hood -
Liberal Humanism
• Good moral
message
• Virtue triumphs
• Fairly explicit,
clearly children’s
literature, so not
worthy of serious
study

4. Freud/Psychoanalysis
• Tries to take psycho-analytic structure and apply to characters and
situations in art.
• Terms
– ID: base, animal desires
– Superego : Hyper-rational/moral thought, keeps things in control
– Ego: The conscious self
– Conscious/Unconscious mind - Division between what we are
aware of, and the influences of repressed or transferred
memories, emotions, experiences.
– Oedipus Complex - The desire on the part of children to supplant
their parents.
• Asks “Why do characters do what they do, and do
they know why they act the way they do?”

5. Hamlet - Freud Style
• Why does it take so long
for Hamlet to kill his
uncle?
• Does Hamlet understand
his own hesitations and
emotions?
• What might be the
symbolic meaning of the
second appearance of the
ghost?

6. Marxist Critique
• Class and economic condition the primary driver of all
human activity/interactions
• Struggle between classes drives human history
• History is on a trajectory that leads to the
“Proletarian Revolution” where the laboring class will
also be the ruling class.
• The ruling class will use its power and influence to
maintain their power and authority.
• Asks “How does economics impact character actions
and events? How does class? How are economics
reflected in the work of art?”

7. Moby Dick - A Marxist Take
• Highlight the brutal
economic system of whaling
- the toll on laborers, their
wives and families.
• Ahab as the symbol for the
voraciousness of capitalism,
whose pursuits can only end
in disaster.

8. Feminist Critique
• Call attention to the role of women in existing works
of art. Delve into works to find examples of both the
historical oppression of women and times where
women had more agency/power than might be
assumed
• Rethink the canon - Why are men so often privileged
over women?
• Asks: “How are female characters represented? Who
is creating the representation? How does gender
impact character actions and events?”

9. Feminist Critique -
Red Riding Hood
• Go back to the roots of the story – there are
several versions
– No woodsman – Red just gets eaten
– Woodsman saves the two women after
their bad decision
– Red escapes on her own
– Woodsman rescues them from one wolf,
then a second wolf comes and Red and
grandma drown him in a trough on their
own
• Each of those says something different about
the role of women, doesn’t it?

10. Queer Theory
• Exploring homosexual relationships and
themes in a text and the author’s own life
• Reexamines the assumption of a heterosexual
norm
• Asks “what is the role of gender and sexuality
in the text and in society? How are
homosexual characters represented? How
are heterosexual characters represented? By
whom?”

11. Hamlet – Queer Theory
• Look at the
heterosexual
relationships – what
are they like?
• Look at Hamlet’s
relationship with
Horatio vs. his
relationship with
Ophelia