The Performative Utterance in Hamlet

Austin’s Idea: Language describes and does.

Language:

• Locutionary force: ability to deliver a message
• Illocutionary force: whatever is done when being said …?
• perlocutionary force: what is achieved by whatever is said

Thoughts/Notes:

• To my understandings Austin is saying that Hamlet is so trapped in between his thoughts and   actions, because he talks out his anger, he uses language, but has not really mastered language to the next step which is action the does part of the definition above.
• What Austin is trying to say is that in order for something to be true it must be said. Feeling is a process? First feeling must go through a mental process than a verbal process or visa versa. It is called going from language to the physical world.
• Pretending- is hamlet pretending to be mad or is has he actually gone mad?
• Hamlet has created an appearance of madness to everyone around him.
• Polonius is Hamlet’s toy b/c he is a firm believer that Hamlet’s gone completely mad.
• Hamlet is using his “madness” to hide what he is feeling from others and to hide is identity b/c he is just royalty, nothing but a title.
• Polonius= vision of pre modern man …?
• Hamlet the man of language becomes a man of action at the end. He does what he needs to do and what has been running through his head.