SUICIDAL CLAUDIUS?
In the David Tennant Hamlet, in the final scene, Hamlet tries to stab Claudius with the "envenomed" sword, but Claudius (played by Patrick Stewart), ever trying to maintain control, grasps the blade that Hamlet is wielding (perhaps still poisoned). Hamlet pulls and Claudius cuts his hand.
People at court cry "Treason," and some (not all) rush to restrain Hamlet from hurting the king.
But this restraint keeps Hamlet from forcing the rest of the poison wine down Claudius' throat, which is a sort of long-standing tradition, and which some claim goes back to the original performances (but which some dispute).
So how does Claudius get the cup? Hamlet offers it, Claudius takes it. Claudius realizes his game is up, he's been exposed as a murderer and coward (not stopping Gertrude from drinking), and he has no more reason to live. He drinks of his own volition, choosing the "Roman" way of suicide that Hamlet soon asks Horatio to reject.
In the 1988 issue of Hamlet Studies, David C.H. Morgan proposed this sort of reading of the end of the play, offering an interesting argument in favor of restrained Hamlet, offered cup, and suicidal Claudius who knows he's at a dead end.
What thinkest thou?
#Shakespeare #Hamlet #Literature #Bible #Religion #Renaissance #EarlyModern #theatre #Drama #literarycriticism #freewill #suicide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 10/30/17
on LinkedIn]
People at court cry "Treason," and some (not all) rush to restrain Hamlet from hurting the king.
But this restraint keeps Hamlet from forcing the rest of the poison wine down Claudius' throat, which is a sort of long-standing tradition, and which some claim goes back to the original performances (but which some dispute).
So how does Claudius get the cup? Hamlet offers it, Claudius takes it. Claudius realizes his game is up, he's been exposed as a murderer and coward (not stopping Gertrude from drinking), and he has no more reason to live. He drinks of his own volition, choosing the "Roman" way of suicide that Hamlet soon asks Horatio to reject.
In the 1988 issue of Hamlet Studies, David C.H. Morgan proposed this sort of reading of the end of the play, offering an interesting argument in favor of restrained Hamlet, offered cup, and suicidal Claudius who knows he's at a dead end.
What thinkest thou?
#Shakespeare #Hamlet #Literature #Bible #Religion #Renaissance #EarlyModern #theatre #Drama #literarycriticism #freewill #suicide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 10/30/17
on LinkedIn]
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