An Intertextual Analysis of Nutshell and Hamlet

Abstract

As an integral part of the traditional literary creation, adaptation serves as one of the internal impetuses of postmodernist literary creation. Ian McEwan’s novel Nutshell is a contemporary rewriting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The story shifts the setting from the Danish royal court to 21-century London, retelling the conspiracy of the protagonist's mother and uncle to murder his father from the perspective of an unborn foetus. In the new version, all three characters in this love triangle have been given entirely new interpretation. Through this, McEwan unveils the true meaning of the "nutshell" and conveys his anxiety about contemporary society, continuing Shakespeare's concern for new era.