William Rossky on Hamlet & the Prophet Jeremiah
In the fall of 1979, Hamlet Studies published a wonderful essay by William Rossky of Temple University titled, "Hamlet as Jeremiah." You can find it here: look for the October 1979 Volume 1.2. The list of essays below that October issue seems to have the numbering wrong, as 2.1 instead of 1.2, so look for this:
Rossky, William. “Hamlet as Jeremiah.” Hamlet Studies 1.2. (1979): 101-108.
I have posted in the past on this blog regarding Jonah (here and here), and also John the Baptist (a prophet figure from the Christian scriptures, or "New Testament"), as well as the prophet Nathan in the King David stories of the Hebrew scriptures (or "Old Testament"). But Rossky's essay wonderfully makes clear that ideas and language from the Book of Jeremiah also influenced the language and ideas of the play.
[The Prophet Jerimiah, painted by Michelangelo, circa 1508-12, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, Vatican City; photo public domain by The Yorck Project (2002)]
I wanted to make this the focus of my (very brief) blog post this week not only because Rossky's essay is so good at making a case for the Jeremiah echoes in Hamlet, but also because he died at the age of 84 in a tragic accident 18 years ago this week on March 12.
There is some background here on William Rossky from an obit web page commemorating his life, including the many literary-academic associations he was active in, and you can find a story about the retirement of one of the many younger scholars Rossky mentored here.
I encourage all my readers to go to the link above at Hamlet Studies and read William Rossky's essay. It's very good. People seeking a well-rounded understanding of the many biblical allusions in Hamlet should not skip it!
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Disclaimer: By noting bible passages in this blog, I am not intending to promote any religion over any other, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general. Only to point out how the Bible may have influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading!
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
I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.
Rossky, William. “Hamlet as Jeremiah.” Hamlet Studies 1.2. (1979): 101-108.
I have posted in the past on this blog regarding Jonah (here and here), and also John the Baptist (a prophet figure from the Christian scriptures, or "New Testament"), as well as the prophet Nathan in the King David stories of the Hebrew scriptures (or "Old Testament"). But Rossky's essay wonderfully makes clear that ideas and language from the Book of Jeremiah also influenced the language and ideas of the play.
[The Prophet Jerimiah, painted by Michelangelo, circa 1508-12, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, Vatican City; photo public domain by The Yorck Project (2002)]
I wanted to make this the focus of my (very brief) blog post this week not only because Rossky's essay is so good at making a case for the Jeremiah echoes in Hamlet, but also because he died at the age of 84 in a tragic accident 18 years ago this week on March 12.
There is some background here on William Rossky from an obit web page commemorating his life, including the many literary-academic associations he was active in, and you can find a story about the retirement of one of the many younger scholars Rossky mentored here.
I encourage all my readers to go to the link above at Hamlet Studies and read William Rossky's essay. It's very good. People seeking a well-rounded understanding of the many biblical allusions in Hamlet should not skip it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: By noting bible passages in this blog, I am not intending to promote any religion over any other, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general. Only to point out how the Bible may have influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading!
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
I post every week, so please visit as often as you like and consider subscribing.
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