SHAKESPEAREAN NARRATIVES IN I. MURDOCH’S NOVEL “THE BLACK PRINCE”

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the specific functioning of Shakespearean narratives in the novel «The Black Prince» by the prominent British writer Iris Murdoch, analyzed through the lens of postmodern poetics. Key motifs, reminiscences, and allusions to W. Shakespeare’s dramatic works, which serve as the philosophical, plot, and worldview matrix of the novel, have been identified and analyzed in detail. It is proven that the tragedy «Hamlet» is the structural framework of the novel, around which a complex network of dialogues with classical heritage is built. The study employs an intertextual approach, as well as the concept of narrative as a specific worldview and the embodiment of an individual author’s myth. The article examines three main Shakespearean narratives in detail. First, the motif of the existential loneliness of the intellectual is analyzed. By comparing the characters of Bradley Pearson and Hamlet, it is demonstrated that they are united by an awareness of society’s hostility and injustice; therefore, for the artist’s personality, isolation from society is a prerequisite for creating a true masterpiece. Second, the motif of love as an irrational, all-consuming element (Dark Eros) is explored. Attention is drawn to Murdoch’s use of Shakespearean techniques of cross-dressing and androgyny (the image of Julian in Hamlet’s costume), which blur gender boundaries and act as a catalyst for the protagonist’s spiritual rebirth through suffering. Third, the narrative «all the world’s a stage» is explored, where social relations appear as a farce. It is found that the author employs postmodern carnivalization: she draws on Shakespeare’s convoluted comedic plots, yet transforms them into an inevitable tragedy. It is concluded that Shakespearean narratives allow Murdoch not only to deconstruct the illusory nature of social roles, but also to affirm the idea of catharsis: only by losing everything and achieving absolute spiritual freedom in prison is the novel’s protagonist able to create a masterpiece, overcoming death and the chaos of existence