Laertes in Hamlet & the Odyssey - Part 2
Can anyone recommend good books or articles that explore connections between Laertes in Hamlet and Laertes in The Odyssey?
Yesterday (8/4/2022) I posted about Shakespeare’s choice of the name Laertes for the son of Polonius. [1] (If that link doesn't work, try here:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-part-1.html ) I observed:
- in The Odyssey, Laertes and his funeral shroud are the alleged excuse Penelope uses for fending off suitors; Laertes helps Odysseus deal with the families of Penelope’s suitors;
- in Hamlet, Laertes and Polonius fend off Hamlet as suitor for Ophelia, and fend off Ophelia as love interest for Hamlet, perhaps similar to the way William Cecil and other advisors micromanaged suitors for Elizabeth, preferring foreign princes over domestic suitors;
- like Penelope at her weaving, Ophelia is at her sewing when Hamlet visits her in her closet, perhaps disguised in feigned madness;
- like Odysseus disguised as beggar, Hamlet is the character most frequently described as poor or begging, and when he returns from his sea voyage, he does not reveal his identity as prince to the gravedigger, who mentions in 5.1 that the prince is mad and gone to England where they’re as mad as he (etc.).
While Penelope’s weaving is explicitly/allegedly for her father-in-law’s funeral shroud, Ophelia’s sewing is not for her brother, but the possible allusion via Laertes’ name might foreshadow her brother’s death.
The Shakespeare Name Dictionary (1995, Davis and Frankforter) and the Arden Hamlet (1982, ed. Harold Jenkins) both mention Laertes in the Odyssey as old, a grandfather, but not as related to fending off suitors, and Jenkins expresses confusion at Shakespeare’s choice of the name:
“...but it is odd to find Shakespeare, who knew that Laertes was the father of Odysseus [...], giving it to a son.” (163)
Jenkins seems to want more of the details to line up perfectly, rather than having an allusion that seems “out of joint” in these ways.
In his book, Shakespeare & Classical Antiquity (2013), Colin Burrow does not mention or connect Laertes in Hamlet and in The Odyssey, although he does mention Homer, Hamlet, and The Odyssey in other contexts.
There are other similarities between Hamlet’s mourning his father and that of Olivia in Twelfth Night, and between Olivia using it as an excuse to fend off a suitor, and Penelope (and the unwed Elizabeth).
Any recommended readings would be appreciated.
~~~~~~~
Federico La Sala commented on LinkedIn:
"Laertes in Hamlet and Laertes in the Odyssey? Very clear Paul Adrian Fried, the bibliography is definitely and fundamentally important, but it is also necessary to get on the ship and try to pass Scillae Cariddi ...
Since it cannot be thought that Shakespeare did not know Homer, one must necessarily imagine that Shakespeare's works are mixed and constructed with materials acquired from other "scenes". And, since most scholars (at least for a couple of centuries), have worked with blinders and, in an increasingly rigid regime of "division of labor", have become structurally blind and lame, as the countless connections between the "parts" and between the "inside and the" outside "of Shakespeare's works (such as Dante's, etc.)?
My hypothesis: in the scene of Laertes, Ofelia, Polonius, the atmosphere of the court of Ithaca emerges on the occasion of the departure of Telemachus, who, urged by Penelope, goes in search of his father Ulysses. Double-check everything and have a good trip: Sapere aude!
My reply to Federico:
Federico, I am noticing the richness of the Telemachus detail:
- Hold Telemachus up as a mirror to Hamlet:
Hamlet goes in search of his father after he receives reports of the ghost; in a larger sense, the play is perhaps about his search for which of his father's virtues he should emulate, and which of his vices he must reject.
- But Hamlet is also like Odysseus, away at sea, and Ophelia awaits his return, as Penelope does for Ulysses/Odysseus.
~~~~~~~
Zahra Hasan, of the Heritage Conservatory School in Islamabad, Pakistan, also commented on LinkedIn:
"Here’s something that I observed:
-Laertes’ character as a parallel for the father wronged as opposed to the brother. There are some later sources which mention Sisyphus as Odysseus’ father and not Laertes… foil for Claudius like the dead king without a shroud?
-Anticlea, died of grief and longing for Odysseus. Suicide by drowning!
-Penelope, never lost hope and waited two decades because of Telemachus as opposed to Gertrude’s two months- a major cause for Hamlet’s grief.
-And finally, Hamlet’s journey, and not just on the sea, but the realization compared with Odysseus’ journey; the killing of suitors, a stage filled with murder, ‘playing God’... trying to catch the king while in disguise’.
Pride, greed, murder and vengeance - dominant themes in both works."
These are good connections, dying of grief, awaiting a beloved's return from sea, revenge, pride, etc.
We might add to these a few more themes (not an exhaustive list):
Fidelity to Oaths;
Jealousy;
Women as Husbands’ Property;
Sons’ Duty to Fathers;
Resourcefulness and initiative (Odysseus, in overcoming troubles; Hamlet in using the mousetrap, and reading the letter on the ship to England);
Connecting Distant Wars (Iliad: Troy; Hamlet: Norway/Poland) to Domestic Troubles (Odyssey: Ithaka; Hamlet: Denmark).
~~~~~~~
NOTES:
[1] https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-rich-echoes.html
(If that link doesn't work, try here:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-part-1.html )
IMAGES:
LEFT: “Penelope, Laertes and Telemachus,” unknown author. Miniature taken from Ovid's Héroides, translation by Octavien de Saint-Gelais. Early 16th century National Library of France (BNF). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P%C3%A9n%C3%A9lope,_La%C3%ABrte_et_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9maque_BnF_Fran%C3%A7ais_874_fol._3v.JPEG
CENTER: "Penelope Weaving On Her Loom," from the 1505 manuscript La Vie des Femmes Celebres (Life of Famous Women) by Antoine du Four. Public domain, via College of St. Scholastica Library.
https://libguides.css.edu/c.php?g=41687&p=265098
RIGHT: Detail of a miniature of Penelope weaving, and the slaughter of her suitors.
Origin: France, Central (Paris). Public domain. Image via British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=42326
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
INDEX: Holding up The Odyssey as mirror in Hamlet
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2024/08/index-holding-up-odyssey-as-mirror-in.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YOU CAN SUPPORT ME on a one-time "tip" basis on Ko-Fi:
https://ko-fi.com/pauladrianfried
IF YOU WOULD PREFER to support me on a REGULAR basis,
you may do so on Ko-Fi, or here on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/PaulAdrianFried
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 FOLLOWING.
To find the FOLLOW button, go to the home page: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/
see the = drop-down menu with three lines in the upper left.
From there you can click FOLLOW and see options.
Yesterday (8/4/2022) I posted about Shakespeare’s choice of the name Laertes for the son of Polonius. [1] (If that link doesn't work, try here:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-part-1.html ) I observed:
- in The Odyssey, Laertes and his funeral shroud are the alleged excuse Penelope uses for fending off suitors; Laertes helps Odysseus deal with the families of Penelope’s suitors;
- in Hamlet, Laertes and Polonius fend off Hamlet as suitor for Ophelia, and fend off Ophelia as love interest for Hamlet, perhaps similar to the way William Cecil and other advisors micromanaged suitors for Elizabeth, preferring foreign princes over domestic suitors;
- like Penelope at her weaving, Ophelia is at her sewing when Hamlet visits her in her closet, perhaps disguised in feigned madness;
- like Odysseus disguised as beggar, Hamlet is the character most frequently described as poor or begging, and when he returns from his sea voyage, he does not reveal his identity as prince to the gravedigger, who mentions in 5.1 that the prince is mad and gone to England where they’re as mad as he (etc.).
While Penelope’s weaving is explicitly/allegedly for her father-in-law’s funeral shroud, Ophelia’s sewing is not for her brother, but the possible allusion via Laertes’ name might foreshadow her brother’s death.
“...but it is odd to find Shakespeare, who knew that Laertes was the father of Odysseus [...], giving it to a son.” (163)
Jenkins seems to want more of the details to line up perfectly, rather than having an allusion that seems “out of joint” in these ways.
In his book, Shakespeare & Classical Antiquity (2013), Colin Burrow does not mention or connect Laertes in Hamlet and in The Odyssey, although he does mention Homer, Hamlet, and The Odyssey in other contexts.
There are other similarities between Hamlet’s mourning his father and that of Olivia in Twelfth Night, and between Olivia using it as an excuse to fend off a suitor, and Penelope (and the unwed Elizabeth).
Any recommended readings would be appreciated.
~~~~~~~
Federico La Sala commented on LinkedIn:
"Laertes in Hamlet and Laertes in the Odyssey? Very clear Paul Adrian Fried, the bibliography is definitely and fundamentally important, but it is also necessary to get on the ship and try to pass Scillae Cariddi ...
Since it cannot be thought that Shakespeare did not know Homer, one must necessarily imagine that Shakespeare's works are mixed and constructed with materials acquired from other "scenes". And, since most scholars (at least for a couple of centuries), have worked with blinders and, in an increasingly rigid regime of "division of labor", have become structurally blind and lame, as the countless connections between the "parts" and between the "inside and the" outside "of Shakespeare's works (such as Dante's, etc.)?
My hypothesis: in the scene of Laertes, Ofelia, Polonius, the atmosphere of the court of Ithaca emerges on the occasion of the departure of Telemachus, who, urged by Penelope, goes in search of his father Ulysses. Double-check everything and have a good trip: Sapere aude!
My reply to Federico:
Federico, I am noticing the richness of the Telemachus detail:
- Hold Telemachus up as a mirror to Hamlet:
Hamlet goes in search of his father after he receives reports of the ghost; in a larger sense, the play is perhaps about his search for which of his father's virtues he should emulate, and which of his vices he must reject.
- But Hamlet is also like Odysseus, away at sea, and Ophelia awaits his return, as Penelope does for Ulysses/Odysseus.
~~~~~~~
Zahra Hasan, of the Heritage Conservatory School in Islamabad, Pakistan, also commented on LinkedIn:
"Here’s something that I observed:
-Laertes’ character as a parallel for the father wronged as opposed to the brother. There are some later sources which mention Sisyphus as Odysseus’ father and not Laertes… foil for Claudius like the dead king without a shroud?
-Anticlea, died of grief and longing for Odysseus. Suicide by drowning!
-Penelope, never lost hope and waited two decades because of Telemachus as opposed to Gertrude’s two months- a major cause for Hamlet’s grief.
-And finally, Hamlet’s journey, and not just on the sea, but the realization compared with Odysseus’ journey; the killing of suitors, a stage filled with murder, ‘playing God’... trying to catch the king while in disguise’.
Pride, greed, murder and vengeance - dominant themes in both works."
These are good connections, dying of grief, awaiting a beloved's return from sea, revenge, pride, etc.
We might add to these a few more themes (not an exhaustive list):
Fidelity to Oaths;
Jealousy;
Women as Husbands’ Property;
Sons’ Duty to Fathers;
Resourcefulness and initiative (Odysseus, in overcoming troubles; Hamlet in using the mousetrap, and reading the letter on the ship to England);
Connecting Distant Wars (Iliad: Troy; Hamlet: Norway/Poland) to Domestic Troubles (Odyssey: Ithaka; Hamlet: Denmark).
~~~~~~~
NOTES:
[1] https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-rich-echoes.html
(If that link doesn't work, try here:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/08/laertes-in-hamlet-odyssey-part-1.html )
IMAGES:
LEFT: “Penelope, Laertes and Telemachus,” unknown author. Miniature taken from Ovid's Héroides, translation by Octavien de Saint-Gelais. Early 16th century National Library of France (BNF). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P%C3%A9n%C3%A9lope,_La%C3%ABrte_et_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9maque_BnF_Fran%C3%A7ais_874_fol._3v.JPEG
CENTER: "Penelope Weaving On Her Loom," from the 1505 manuscript La Vie des Femmes Celebres (Life of Famous Women) by Antoine du Four. Public domain, via College of St. Scholastica Library.
https://libguides.css.edu/c.php?g=41687&p=265098
RIGHT: Detail of a miniature of Penelope weaving, and the slaughter of her suitors.
Origin: France, Central (Paris). Public domain. Image via British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=42326
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
INDEX: Holding up The Odyssey as mirror in Hamlet
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2024/08/index-holding-up-odyssey-as-mirror-in.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YOU CAN SUPPORT ME on a one-time "tip" basis on Ko-Fi:
https://ko-fi.com/pauladrianfried
IF YOU WOULD PREFER to support me on a REGULAR basis,
you may do so on Ko-Fi, or here on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/PaulAdrianFried
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 FOLLOWING.
To find the FOLLOW button, go to the home page: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/
see the = drop-down menu with three lines in the upper left.
From there you can click FOLLOW and see options.
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