International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Predestination and the Exercise of Free Will: An Islamic Reading of Hamlet
Dr. Ahmed T. Hussein

Abstract
Hamlet has attracted many research projects. It has remained Shakespeare's most-analyzed play. The play and its central characters have been the outlines of several critical studies that dealt with the various perspectives of analysis. Many studies tried to examine Shakespeare's religious faith as projected in the play. Some tried to inspect the touches of Shakespeare's Catholic impact on the play. This paper, however, attempts to explore the notion of inevitability and the dictation of fate in the play from the perspective of Islam. Moslems differ in their view of predestination and the understanding of the doctrine of free will from Calvinists and Catholics. Therefore, an Islamic reading of the play would alter the understanding and interpretation of the role fate plays in shaping the action and the destiny of Hamlet, the protagonist as well as the other characters who fall victims to their fates. The study offers an alternative perspective that diverges from the conventional and traditional readings of the play.

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