ABSTRACT

A great part of Hamlet’s mystery resides in the Mousetrap. Its role is fundamental for the tension of the play, yet its importance extends beyond that. Philosophers and psychoanalysts alike have been fascinated by it. The former have underlined its epistemological aspects and capacity for self-reflection: its power to mirror reality and reveal something new. The latter have placed weight on its ‘primal scene’ character and have underlined its failure to move Hamlet to act. Here I explore the paradox that results from putting philosophy and psychoanalysis together. To illustrate its functions, as well as the different readings of it, I delve into certain moments of the scene and Hamlet several times. Expanding on some remarks made by Lacan about the Mousetrap, I contend that it is a ‘rigging system’, a highly complex mise-en-abyme structure and intersubjective complex unfolded over successive layers. This explains the self-reflectivity discerned by philosophers. Following Benjamin and Lacan, and by means of a detour through Schmitt, I argue at the end that its failure needs to be situated in the historical moment when it was created – a world characterised by the lack of transcendent values – one in which art folds back upon itself infinitely.

摘要

哈姆雷特之谜的很大一部分在于捕鼠器。它的角色是戏剧张力的基础，但它的重要性远不止于此。哲学家和精神分析学家都对它着迷。前者强调了它的认识论方面和自我反省的能力：它反映现实和揭示新事物的能力。后者重视其“原始场景”角色，并强调其未能让哈姆雷特采取行动。在这里，我探讨了将哲学和精神分析结合在一起所产生的悖论。为了说明它的功能以及对它的不同解读，我多次深入研究场景和哈姆雷特的某些时刻。扩展拉康关于捕鼠器的一些评论，我认为它是一个“索具系统”，一个高度复杂的mise-en-abyme结构和主体间复合体在连续的层次上展开。这解释了哲学家所辨别的自我反省。跟随本雅明和拉康，绕道施密特，最后我认为它的失败需要定位于它被创造的历史时刻——一个以缺乏超验价值为特征的世界——一个艺术折叠的世界无限地回到自己身上。