Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. A survey of the theme of death in the tragedies of Shakespeare. 3. The treatment of death in Hamlet with reference to the theme, situation and character. 4. The treatment of death in Macbeth with reference to the theme, situation and character. 5. A comparative view of the theme of death in 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth'. 6. Semiotics: concepts and methods. 7. Aspects of semiotic codification. 8. Death symbolism. 9. Imagery of death. 10. Non-verbal approach to the theme of death. Bibliography. Appendix.

"William Shakespeare still retains his authority and the contemporary celebrity status. This book throws light from a fresh angle on his plays and points out the semiotic aspects in the examination of the death-theme in Shakespearean Dramas with special reference to Hamlet and Macbeth. Semiotics, the science of signs, does not confine itself to language but studies any and all signs-aural, visual and physical. The range, depth and variety with which Shakespeare present death is kept under scrutiny.

From the point of view of the reader, the first order of the present study in thematic and second is semiotic. Semiotic analysis, in turn, comprises of verbal and non-verbal aspects. The study concludes with the non-verbal approach to the plays of Shakespeare.

The prime concern here is in reconstituting Shakespeare's ideas and finding new ways to extrapolate them. This book tries to seek out in Shakespeare a psychoanalysed Christianity or a christianized psychoanalysis. It develops the semiotic correlation of the Freudian, the Christian and the Shakespearean parallel semiotically and thematically."  (jacket)