--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the only real referent for…" description: "\"I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama is probably Hamlet. You have the most extreme tragic drama, this sort of blood-boltered thing,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ff/william-monahan-3226_alive_i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybo_27676.jpg" --- # I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama… ![“I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama is probably Hamlet. You have the most extreme tragic drama, this sort of blood-boltered thing, but it's also very funny, which is simply a matter of the playwright being alive and observant and entertaining, and understanding not only the…” quote by William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ff/william-monahan-3226_alive_i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybo_27676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ff/william-monahan-3226_alive_i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybo_27676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ff/william-monahan-3226_alive_i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybo_27676.jpg) > “I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama is probably Hamlet. You have the most extreme tragic drama, this sort of blood-boltered thing, but it's also very funny, which is simply a matter of the playwright being alive and observant and entertaining, and understanding not only the world but what will play.” [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hamlet serves as a benchmark for dramatic writing because it blends intense tragedy with humor, reflecting a playwright's keen observation of human nature and the world. **In simple terms:** Hamlet exemplifies tragicomic depth. Key Takeaway Balancing tragedy and comedy reveals truth. Themes tragedy comedy human nature observation dramatic structure Mood thoughtful ironic reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - writing a play - studying drama - teaching literature - directing theater Key Concepts character complexity conflict irony Practical Applications - analyzing scripts - crafting balanced narratives Questions to Reflect On - How does humor soften tragedy? - What makes Hamlet timeless? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Entertaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertaining/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Hamlet Extreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet-extreme-416922/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Observant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observant/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Probably Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-hamlet-416920/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) [Tragic Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic-drama-416921/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-drama-416919/) ## Related quotes > [“It's love that enslaves us...It is the play within the play, the stage on which the tragic drama of our human lives unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/it-s-love-that-enslaves-us-it-is-the-play-within-the-play-the-stage/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [I didn't study writing or drama or anything like that... that was not really a viable route for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-didn-t-study-writing-or-drama-or-anything-like-that-that-was-not/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [The joy of writing drama is putting yourself into different people's heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/the-joy-of-writing-drama-is-putting-yourself-into-different-people-s/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [Poetry died as a commercial form and then it died as a serious art form. 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Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Learn to look up now and then, just in case a piano is falling from overhead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/learn-to-look-up-now-and-then-just-in-case-a-piano-is-falling-from/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Get out of the office. Roam the frontline. Be observant. Hold your people accountable for creating the new narrative, a new story, in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-silverstein/get-out-of-the-office-roam-the-frontline-be-observant-hold-your/) [Michael J. 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No one serious touches it. 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And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. 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