HORATIO GETS “MOTE/PLANK” EQUATION BACKWARDS IN #HAMLET 1.1:
Horatio says King Hamlet fought Fortinbras of Norway, “pricked on by emulate pride.” From their catechism, early audiences knew pride was the worst of the seven deadly sins.
The kings had a signed agreement “ratified by law and heraldry” that the loser would forfeit land, but now the son of Fortinbras is gathering an army to get the land back.
Marcellus notes, Denmark is so busy preparing for war that shipwrights are not even stopping to observe Sunday as sabbath and day of rest, as required by bible and church (note: more sin).
Bernardo says that this must be the reason for the ghost’s visits, since the late king “was and is the question of these wars.”
Then Horatio downplays the seriousness of the situation:
“A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5 says that, if you wish to help take the mote (dust speck) from your neighbor’s eye, you should first take the plank from your own.
Scholars have noted this allusion.
But Horatio gets it backwards, claiming Denmark merely has the speck, implying that Young Fortinbras has the plank.
The irony:
Horatio's "mote" claim is diametrically opposed to what the gospel requires.
This may affect our reading of the play.
#SHAKESPEARE #BIBLE #RENAISSANCE #EARLYMODERN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 6/26/17 on LinkedIn]
Horatio says King Hamlet fought Fortinbras of Norway, “pricked on by emulate pride.” From their catechism, early audiences knew pride was the worst of the seven deadly sins.
The kings had a signed agreement “ratified by law and heraldry” that the loser would forfeit land, but now the son of Fortinbras is gathering an army to get the land back.
Marcellus notes, Denmark is so busy preparing for war that shipwrights are not even stopping to observe Sunday as sabbath and day of rest, as required by bible and church (note: more sin).
Bernardo says that this must be the reason for the ghost’s visits, since the late king “was and is the question of these wars.”
Then Horatio downplays the seriousness of the situation:
“A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5 says that, if you wish to help take the mote (dust speck) from your neighbor’s eye, you should first take the plank from your own.
Scholars have noted this allusion.
But Horatio gets it backwards, claiming Denmark merely has the speck, implying that Young Fortinbras has the plank.
The irony:
Horatio's "mote" claim is diametrically opposed to what the gospel requires.
This may affect our reading of the play.
#SHAKESPEARE #BIBLE #RENAISSANCE #EARLYMODERN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 6/26/17 on LinkedIn]
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