Performative Utterances in Hamlet

It is a common misconception that Prince Hamlet’s ultimate struggle, his dilemma, is whether or not to avenge his father. However, after studying Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is evident that Prince Hamlet never wavered over that decision. Hamlet resolved to exact revenge on his uncle very early in the play. His true difficulty is in connecting his words and his actions. For example, even though he decides to avenge his father, he repeatedly fails to allow his thoughts to manifest in real-life actions (i.e. killing Claudius). This can be explained through Fredrik de Boer’s paper on performative utterances, in which he explains the character of Hamlet through J.L. Austin’s theory of performativity and Harold Bloom’s idea of self-overhearing.
 
Austin’s theory of performativity explains the power of spoken language by dividing it into three forces: the locutionary, the illocutionary, and the perlocutionary forces. The locutionary force consists simply of the words that are said; the illocutionary force is the way that the words are interpreted, or what is meant/implied; and the perlocutionary force is the response to or the consequence of what was said. Austin holds that these three forces are responsible for language’s ability to create a sense of reality by establishing facts in the world and, in some cases, constituting action.

The character of Hamlet is certainly one of those cases. Hamlet is characterized by his inability to kill Claudius. While some think this is because Hamlet is insane, others think it is because he is depressed and indecisive. The truth, to the contrary, is that Hamlet is neither mad, nor irresolute; he simply lacks the ability to translate his thoughts into action. Thus, his words (thoughts) are his only form of execution. This is why Austin’s theory of performativity is pivotal to understanding Hamlet the character, and in a greater sense, Hamlet the play.

Hamlet’s action exists in the transition from the locutionary to the perlocutionary forces. Since he suffers some kind of psychological paralysis—which will be discussed later on through Bloom’s idea of self-overhearing—Hamlet is incapable of physically taking revenge on Claudius. Therefore he must use his words to manipulate the other characters in the play. Hamlet choreographs his “mad” outbursts to draw certain reactions from Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius, and the others. Forcing everyone around him to concentrate on something as significant as insanity distracts them from Hamlet’s true thoughts and allows him ample time (and opportunity) to kill Claudius. For example, hhhidhhdsgjlhljhgfjbfdsljbgslkjkljnbsbsnlnnnlfdHamlet uses his interactions with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to feign a sort of madness. He reacts to their presence with rage and incomprehensible utterances (locutionary), causing them to believe that he is insane (perlocutionary). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then report back to Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet is still in bad temper. This keeps them wondering what could be troubling him, defining certain plot events and giving Hamlet the time he needs to take out his uncle.

Another example of Austin’s performative language is the play acting in Act II. Hamlet is astonished at how the player’s words, devoid of meaning or context, can be delivered with so much conviction (illocutionary) as to draw such an impressive response from his audience (perlocutionary). This causes Hamlet to recognize his own flaw and reflect upon it.

This reflection comes in the form of what Harold Bloom calls self-overhearing. Self-overhearing is any instance in which a character hears himself speaking and consequently learns about himself or his motivations. Immediately after Hamlet meets the players, he undergoes a self-overhearing process (Act II, scene ii). In this scene Hamlet realizes the power of words and his own inability to act with conviction. He develops. Hamlet continues to develop with every sequential soliloquy. Though it is not a form of action for Hamlet, self-overhearing is his means of growth, allowing him to realize his ultimate flaw and motivate him to act against Claudius.

Just as self-overhearing plays a big role in Hamlet, it has played a big role in my life. When I think about the decisions I have to make I often tend to actually stop and think about why I want to go with a certain option and why that would/would not be a good decision. This self-overhearing session gives me insight into my character and motivations. It also creates a sense of reality. Though I do not believe that it defines who I am, I do believe that it refines my memory of the past. For example, if I tell myself a story about what happened on any particular day, I find myself revising it; I think of things that could have happened to make the situation better or funnier and inadvertently change my memory of the event.

Thus, performative utterances play a tremendous role in the development of the characters in Hamlet and in myself. In Hamlet, Austin’s theory of performativity explained Hamlet’s form of action and Bloom’s self-overhearing explained Hamlet’s character development. Self-overhearing has also had an impact on my sense of reality by giving me insight into myself and motivations, and by minutely altering my memories.