EMMAUS in HAMLET (Introduction/Index: Multi-Part Series)

In the Luke 24:13-35 Emmaus story:
(1) Mentor and fearless leader Jesus is crucified.
(2) Two troubled disciples (D) head to Emmaus (E);
(3) A stranger joins them, cheers them, explains scripture;
in other words, the stranger does for them a number of the things Jesus had done.
(4) they recognize the stranger as Jesus in breaking of bread
(bread being one of two main elements at table at the Last Supper, the other being wine).

This is not unlike stories from older Greek tales - for example, from Ovid, where Zeus and Hermes, in disguise, are welcomed as guests in the humble home of Baucis and Philemon. The basic idea is that without recognizing them at first, mortals extend hospitality and offer to share a meal with disguised gods or supernatural beings.

In Hamlet,
(1) Mentor and fearless leader King Hamlet is murdered.
(2) Hamlet and Horatio, two troubled Danes (D) head to Elsinore (E).
(3) A stranger/gravedigger cheers them with wit
(in other words, does for Hamlet the kinds of foolery that Yorick had once done),
     and explains death & decay
(a secular version or parody of Jesus catechizing the disciples on the road).
They find a strange skull, and the clown/gravedigger asks if Hamlet knows whose skull it is.
(4) They recognize skull as that of Yorick, a kind of god of fools and "infinite jest,"
and they recognize the gravedigger as Yorick’s drinking buddy and kindred spirit,
figuratively baptized by Yorick in wine
(wine being the other main element mentioned at table at the Last Supper.
Also note that in Jn 13:9, Peter asks to be washed entirely by Jesus, not just his feet;
the gravedigger gets washed in a flagon of Rhenish wine.)

Note that, instead of the ghost of Hamlet's father appearing,
Yorick (affectionate surrogate father) merely appears to Hamlet’s mind’s eye. 
Hamlet describes him as a fellow of "infinite jest," like a god of clowns/jesters/fools,
his spirit & wit incarnate in the clown/gravedigger.

Instead of broken bread (a Last Supper action),
it’s poured wine (another Last Supper action).

Note that Yorick fits the Emmaus structure, so he is the one evoked in the scene;
note that Hamlet’s father does not, though his death set the play's action in motion.

If Providence used pirates to save Hamlet,
who re-centers his focus on God (Providence, not his biological father),
Yorick’s spirit/memory gives to the "airy nothing” of Providence
“a local habitation and a name” (as Theseus of MSND 5.1 says).

[Left: "The Road to Emmaus," between circa 1516 and circa 1517, by Altobello Melone (1491–1543), National Gallery, London, UK. Public domain, via Wikipedia.
Right: Illustration by Henry Courtney Selous, circa 1868, public domain, via Hamlet Studies at triggs.djvu.org.]

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OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

INTRODUCTION: “Emmaus in Hamlet,” 21 May, 2018:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2018/05/emmaus-in-hamlet-in-emmaus-story-1.html

"Emmaus in Merchant of Venice," 7 May, 2018:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/01/emmaus-in-merchant-of-venice-in.html

1. Blasphemy in Hamlet 5.1 Emmaus figures: Part 1
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/blasphemy-and-heresy-in-hamlets-emmaus.html

2. Heresy in Hamlet 5.1 Emmaus figures: Part 2
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/heresy-in-hamlet-51-emmaus-figures-part.html

3. From Fear & Power to Fools & Affection (Emmaus in Hamlet 5.1, Part 3)
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/from-fear-power-to-fools-affection.html

4. Why Rhenish, not Bread? Emmaus in Hamlet 5.1, Part 4
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/why-rhenish-not-bread-emmaus-in-hamlet.html

5. Hamlet, Emmaus, Eucharistic Controversy, and Semiotics: Part 5
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/hamlet-emmaus-eucharistic-controversy.html

6. Emmaus Key Change in Hamlet & Merchant of Venice (Emmaus in Hamlet, part 6)
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/05/emmaus-key-change-in-hamlet-merchant-of.html

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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages or mention religion in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to explore how the Bible and religion influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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Thanks for reading!
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My current project is a book tentatively titled Hamlet’s Bible, about biblical allusions and plot echoes in Hamlet.

Below is a link to a list of some of my top posts (“greatest hits”), including a description of my book project (last item on the list):

https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html

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