Hamlet as an Embryo: Ian McEwan's Recreation of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Nutshell

Hamlet as an Embryo: Ian McEwan's Recreation of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Nutshell

A writer who transcends the test of time is a legend. Shakespeare has crossed all the boundaries of time and space. Even in the 21st century, Shakespeare captures the mind of the readers with his amazing power of words. Shakespearean characters project the good and the evil in every human being. Thus, through his characters and character types he still lives in the mind of the readers. Countless number of adaptations of Shakespearean plays stands as a proof to the never-ending popularity of Shakespeare to date. Ian McEwan, who has gained fame through his extraordinary perspective towards life and works, is the recent one in adapting Shakespeare. His novel Nutshell, published in 2016, is a magnificent reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The novel presents Hamlet as an embryo. As the story progresses through the perspectives of a foetus, the readers can sense the presence of the Shakespearean character type that is present in every human being including the unborn. This paper analyses how McEwan's Nutshell presents Shakespeare's Hamlet as an embryo and focuses on the dilemma which the foetus itself is undergoing as in the case of Hamlet himself.

Recent developments in literary theories have brought tremendous changes in the reading habits of the readers. The interpretation of the reader got more importance than the intentions of the writer. As the reader's response got prominence, innumerable number of textual interpretations achieved important space in the academic circle. Even the classical texts obtained more relevance in the present context. Among the various literary pieces, Shakespearean works were the most reinterpreted. As the text is no longer the repository of fixed meanings, these works got more dimensions and perspectives.