Eliot criticized Hamlet on the grounds that Hamlets reaction is not in proportion to the situation. I learned Hamlet in school and loved it
I do recommend that readers unfamiliar with Eliot begin with something lighter. The Hollow Men is pretty accessible. Marlon Brando adlibed it in Apocalypse Now.
Quote:
We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar
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