Hamlet 

John Austen's "Hamlet" presents a set of small vignettes executed in monochrome. These miniature scenes, each framed distinctly, create a composite narrative that invites careful visual parsing. Notice how the artist employs a consistent linework—delicate yet precise—across all five panels. This formal choice unifies the set, yet each panel stages unique arrangements of figures and motifs. The use of black and white heightens the contrast, emphasizing the graphic quality and the underlying structure of each composition. Look closely and you'll see Austen isn't just illustrating scenes, but also constructing a visual language. The arrangement of figures within each frame, the density of lines, and the contrast between light and dark: all serve as signs. Austen's "Hamlet" isn't merely an illustration; it's a visual discourse, inviting us to decode its formal elements and thereby unravel its nuanced meanings.