Hamlet and the Incestuous Marriages of Claudius and Henry VIII - via John Erskine Hankins

Shakespeare certainly wrote of Claudius and Gertrude’s “incestuous” marriage with Henry VIII in mind. Early audiences recognized it.

In teaching the play, is it a mistake to omit that context?

[Left: Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales (1486-1502), "regarded as the only surviving contemporary portrait"; circa 1500. Anglo-Flemish School. Private collection, Hever Castle, Kent. Public domain. Image via Wikimedia.
Center: Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536), originally identified as Catherine Parr, but now recognized as Catherine of Aragon. Unidentified painter. 16th Century. Lambeth Palace. Public domain, via Wikimedia.
Right: Henry VIII of England (1491-1547), circa 1509. Attributed to Meynnart Wewyck. Denver Art Museum. Public domain. Image via Wikimedia].

From “The Character of Hamlet,” by John Erskine Hankins* (1941), p.101:
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It will be remembered that Henry VII's eldest son Arthur was married to Katherine of Aragon to cement an alliance between England and Spain.
When Arthur died before his father,[1] it was decided to preserve the alliance by wedding Katherine to Arthur's brother, Henry.
A special dispensation from the Pope was secured, and the marriage took place.[2]
After some twenty years, during which Katherine brought him one daughter, Mary, but no living sons, Henry affected to believe [3] his lack of a male heir a divine punishment for his "incestuous" marriage and applied to the Church for a divorce, which the Pope refused to grant.
This disagreement, together with the English clergy's discontent [4] at Italian domination, caused an open break with Rome and the establishment of the Anglican Church.
To Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, was born Elizabeth;
to his third, Jane Seymour, was born Edward.[5]
The first of these children was born while Katherine was still alive and, in Catholic eyes, still the wife of Henry VIII.

Thus for three quarters of a century marriage to a brother's widow became a political as well as a moral issue.
~~~
NOTES (by P.F.):

* [John Erskine Hankins, 1905-1996
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/findingaids/427/ ]

[1] Arthur died 2 April, 1502.

[2] Henry married Katherine June 11, 1509, a little less than two months after his father Henry VII died.

[3] "Affected to believe" - Hankins makes no secret of his opinion, shared by others, that Henry VIII pretended to believe he was being punished for incest and needed a divorce/annulment, when his real reason was his relationship with Anne Boleyn.

[4] It would be more accurate to say "*some* English clergy's discontent at Italian domination": Certainly English clergy held a variety of views.

[5] There was less debate about Edward’s legitimacy as king than about Mary I and Elizabeth I: Henry’s first wife Katherine of Aragon died January 7, 1536, and Anne Boleyn was beheaded May 19 of the same year. Henry VIII married Jane Seymour later that year, May 30, 1536, after both of his earlier wives were dead (and only 11 days after Anne’s execution).

Some claimed that Mary I was a "bastard" daughter and illegitimate queen due to the allegedly incestuous marriage.

Others claimed the first marriage was valid due to papal dispensation, but that Elizabeth was illegitimate both for being conceived out of wedlock, and, if the first marriage was still valid, because this made the second marriage bigamous.

This in part explains some Shakespearean and Early Modern fascination with bastard children, incest, cuckoldry, changelings, and what it means to be a legitimate son, daughter, or monarch.

More in a future post regarding related biblical texts.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES ON THE BIBLICALLY "INCESTUOUS" MARRIAGE OF CLAUDIUS AND GERTRUDE,
AND THE ALLEGEDLY INCESTUOUS MARRIAGE OF HENRY VIII TO HIS FIRS WIFE:

1. Hamlet and the Incestuous Marriages of Claudius and Henry VIII - via John Erskine Hankins - 28 June, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/06/hamlet-and-incestuous-marriages-of.html

2. "Incestuous" marriages of Henry VIII and Claudius: two relevant biblical passages - 30 June, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-bible-henry-viii-claudius-and.html

3. How Hamlet toyed with Elizabethan expectations: Incestuous marriage, adultery, right succession - 5 July, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/07/how-hamlet-toyed-with-elizabethan.html

4. Three challenges to teaching about incestuous marriage in Hamlet - 7 July, 2023
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/07/three-challenges-to-teaching-about.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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https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-20-hamlet-bible-posts.html

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