Explain the concept of intertextuality and provide examples from literary works.

Intertextuality refers to the interconnectedness and referencing of one literary work within another. It is the idea that no text exists in isolation, but rather, it is influenced and shaped by other texts that came before it. Intertextuality can be seen as a dialogue between different works, where authors borrow ideas, themes, characters, or even entire plotlines from previous works and incorporate them into their own.

One example of intertextuality can be found in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." In this tragedy, Shakespeare references and draws inspiration from various sources, including the medieval legend of Amleth, which served as the basis for the plot. Additionally, Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" contains intertextual references to the historical figure of Macbeth, as well as to the works of other playwrights, such as Holinshed's Chronicles.

Another example is T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land." This modernist masterpiece is known for its extensive use of intertextuality, as it incorporates fragments and allusions from various literary works, including Shakespeare's "The Tempest," Dante's "Inferno," and the myth of the Fisher King from Arthurian legends.

Furthermore, the novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys serves as a prequel and response to Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre." Rhys explores the backstory of the character Bertha Mason, who is portrayed as the "madwoman in the attic" in Brontë's novel. By intertextually engaging with Brontë's work, Rhys challenges and subverts the colonial and patriarchal perspectives presented in "Jane Eyre."

These examples demonstrate how intertextuality enriches literary works by creating a web of connections between different texts, allowing authors to engage in conversations with the past and with other writers.