The Dreamscape and the Prison Stage Space as Metaphor in The Peony Pavilion and Hamlet: A Philosophical Study

Abstract

This study undertakes a comparative analysis of the theatrical spaces in The Peony Pavilion and Hamlet, aiming to move beyond conventional interpretations centered on "ultimate sentiment" (qingzhi) and existentialism, and instead, to explore the cross-cultural philosophical dialogue encoded within their spatial symbolism. Employing the conceptual frameworks of the "dreamscape of ultimate sentiment" and the "prison of existence," the investigation focuses on the seminal spaces of the garden and the castle. Through close reading and semiotic analysis, it demonstrates how the highly stylized garden in The Peony Pavilion materializes an expressive, sentiment-driven worldview (qingben), while the realistic castle in Hamlet operates as a metaphor for existential confinement and rational inquiry. The research argues that these spatial configurations provide a foundational anchor for cross-cultural theatrical comparison. Their juxtaposition fosters an interpretive paradigm of "interstitial wisdom"—not as a simple binary opposition, but as a means to reveal the dialogic interplay between these two philosophical perspectives through the medium of stage space. This paradigm not only opens new pathways for theatrical theory and practice but also constructs a dialogic bridge, grounded in spatial representation, between the Eastern tszzradition of lyrical expressiveness and the Western tradition of rational speculation in dramaturgical philosophy.