Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

Shakespeare uses “lazar” only six times, all before Elizabeth I’s death: once in 1 Henry IV , written in 1596-7 ("Lazarus," 4.2, discussed last week) ; twice in Henry V , written in 1599; once in Hamlet , written in 1599-1601 (1.5, "lazar-like"); and twice in Troilus and Cressida, 1600-2. Three evoke Biblical contexts: the ghost in Hamlet , Falstaff in 1 Henry IV , the Archbishop of Canterbury in Henry V . The other three come are comic insults from Pistol (an ensign serving under Falstaff) and Thersites, (a slave serving Ajax, then Achilles, in Troilus and Cressida). [L: Pistol, with Henry V in disguise, illustration by H. C. Selous, c.1864-68, from The Plays of William Shakespeare , edited/annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke; image public domain via ShakespeareIllustration.org . R: Thersites and Achilles, illustration by H. C. Selous, c.1886, from Cassell's illustrated Shakespeare, v 3, p 20. Edited and annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke. ...

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 95 views from the following countries: The blog's analytics are limited in how many countries they can list, and "other" may include views from other nations, or readers whose browsers block the tracking of one's nation of origin. Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.

As I am based in the United States, it makes sense that most of my views come from here. But today I glanced at the view numbers for the week ending today and noticed that views from France were in the lead. Thanks for the views! I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.

Before I conclude my series on the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet , let’s step back and consider his use of “Lazarus” and related terms in other plays. For today, consider: Shakespeare only uses the full word "Lazarus" once,* on the lips of Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I (1613). [* According to the Advanced Search Engine at OpenSourceShakespeare .] This single instance of "Lazarus" comes in a soliloquy in which Falstaff also happens to mention "prodigal," a reference to another tale from Luke's gospel. [Left: Detail from Lazarus and the Rich Man, Meister des Codex Aureus Epternacensis (1035-1040), via Wikipedia . Public domain. Right: Der verlorene Sohn beim Schweinehüten (The Prodigal Son tending the Swine), 1538, by (Hans) Sebald Beham (1500-1550), via Wikipedia . Public domain.] It so happens that there are allusions in Hamlet to both Lazarus ("lazar-like," 1.5.79, Folger) and the prodigal (Laertes 1.3.40, Polonius 1.3.1...

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 170 views from the following countries: The blog's analytics are limited in how many countries they can list, and "other" may include views from other nations, or readers whose browsers block the tracking of one's nation of origin. Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.

I noticed view numbers going up mid-week and wanted to add another thanks: Thank you to readers of this blog for the week ending 9-16 July , which the blog's analytics say came to an unusually high 247 views from the following 19+ countries: The blog's analytics are limited in how many countries they can list, and "other" may include views from other nations, or readers whose browsers block the tracking of one's nation of origin. Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 con...

We are still in the middle of a good raspberry-picking season, but here's a preview of what's coming: LAZARUS: The works of Shakespeare contain the word "Lazarus" only once, in 1 Henry IV, from Falstaff, who also mentions "prodigal" ("lazar" appears once in Hamlet, "prodigal" twice). This is interesting because both Hamlet and 1 Henry IV are about princes (Hamlet, Hal) with strained relationships with distant biological fathers; each finds an affectionate surrogate father in a fool/clown figure (Yorick, Falstaff). ("Prodigal" appears 25 times in Shakespeare's works.) LAZAR: Shakespeare's works use the word "lazar" (derived from the beggar Lazarus in Luke 16) five other times besides in the word "Lazarus": once in Hamlet; twice in Henry V; and twice in Troilus and Cressida. Often "lazar" may simply refer to leprosy or unattractive skin conditions associated with the poor and outcasts. ...

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 230 views from the following 19+ countries: The blog's analytics are limited in how many countries they can list, and "other" may include views from other nations, or readers whose browsers block the tracking of one's nation of origin. Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.

I am still on a bit of a break while researching for my next post in the Lazarus-in-Hamlet series. That next post will step back to examine other instances of "Lazarus," "lazar," "beg," and "beggar" in other works of Shakespeare besides Hamlet. (There are hundreds of instances of "beg," "beggar," "begging," "beggary.") But meanwhile, my daughter is a huge fan of the musical, Hadestown (words and music by Anaïs Mitchell), in which Patrick Page has played the role of Hades. Page has a podcast in which he occasionally discusses Shakespeare and Hamlet . [Image from Patrick Page Podcast . Fair use.] He has played many roles in Shakespeare plays, and also has a new one-man show, All the Devils are Here , via the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C. , a show whose title is taken from a line spoken by Ariel in The Tempest . The show features many Shakespearean villains, and was written and performed...

Thank you to readers of this blog for this past week, which the blog's analytics say came to 144 views from the following 19+ countries: The blog's analytics are limited in how many countries they can list, and "other" may include views from other nations, or readers whose browsers block the tracking of one's nation of origin. Whether your country is listed or not, thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.