THE EFFECTS OF ŽIŽEKIAN READING OF VIOLENCE IN SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET ON READERS

Abstract

Literature has a greater impact on the reader's mind than media, as it activates imagination, visualizes characters, and keeps their actions and behaviors in the reader's mind for longer periods. Famous literary works and authors attract more readers, causing greater effects if not adequately explained. The study, based on the constructivist paradigm, used a phenomenological strategy to show the negative effects of (constant) reading of the violence in Shakespeare's Hamlet, an English play that is one of the most famous literary masterpieces in the world. Participants in this study were educated men and women who had the capacity to comprehend violence in literature. The participants included ten educated individuals with various university degrees, from an associate degree to a doctorate, from different fields of study, and between the ages of 20 and 50. Participants' experiences and feedback were analyzed, and the results demonstrated that violent actions in stories can have great effects on the lives of not only the readers themselves but their families and also the whole society.

Keywords

• effects; violence; mind; literature; media