Simulating Hamlet: Questions, Cautions, and Critique

This paper explores the implications of the use of System Dynamics to model dramatic works and examines the model used in Pamela Lee Hopkins’ “Simulating Hamlet in the classroom.†This paper addresses this issue from both a literary and a modelling perspective. It begins by discussing the use of System Dynamics modelling in literature within the framework established by Forrester. Two aspects of the model, motivation and evidence revelation, are then examined against evidence from the text, supported by historical information. Some difficulties inherent in modelling drama are highlighted and the paper concludes that the model does not adequately capture the complexity of the play because System Dynamics modelling is not an appropriate tool for literary analysis.