Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

To Elizabethans, preparing to die a “good death” involved such things as 1. generosity and love for the community; 2. repentance of mistakes, sins, harm to others; 3. seeking God’s favor, grace, forgiveness; 4. contemplating God at the moment of death.   With these, one might be considered a “peace-parted” soul [1]. In Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that Ophelia’s death not only conforms to all of this, but that she is a kind of priestess [2], mourning in song, offering prayers, flowers, symbolic advice, and blessings. 1. GENEROUS: Ophelia sings of her father’s death [3], and of the loss of Hamlet’s love [4], generously expressing grief that others avoid. She prays for Hamlet [5]; sings, and speaks words of blessing as if directing her congregation to sing [6]; bids Claudius “God [yield] you” [7]; bids Gertrude that her true love will be recognized not as a king but as a pilgrim [8]; speaks of transformation [9]; bids that God will be at others’ table [10]. In place of communion, she ...

Critics, readers, and viewers today may think of Ophelia’s suffering very differently than did devout Christians in Shakespeare’s time. Modern critics sometimes assume that, when characters suffer, when prayers to heaven seem unanswered, this must prove there is no God, or that Shakespeare didn’t believe in one. But many churchgoers viewed undeserved suffering differently. Three times every year (10 April, 9 August, and 6 December), Hebrews 12: 6-11 was read at Evening Prayer: 6 For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth: and he scourgeth every son that he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God offered himself unto you as unto sons: for what son is it whom the father chasteneth not? 8 If therefore ye be without correction, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Moreover we have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: should we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits, that we might live? 10 For they ve...

Ophelia’s brother and father are overly protective of her chastity [1], too suspicious that Hamlet might take advantage of her. Like a lover or spouse, Laertes leaving for France tells Ophelia, “do not sleep, But let me hear from you” [2]. Biblical sayings urge welcome for strangers, which involves risk; but they also discourage fear [3]. Laertes, in contrast, repeatedly urges Ophelia to fear Hamlet [4]. After warning her to be chaste, Laertes tells Ophelia to remember his advice. Ophelia replies, "'Tis in my memory lock'd, / And you yourself shall keep the key of it."[5] Chastity can be a virtue, keeping something of great value secret, disclosed only in an intimate, faithful relationship. Ophelia’s promise to Laertes is analogous: she has the feminine lock and he the masculine key, suggesting a figuratively incestuous relationship. Polonius mistrusts his children’s secret, so he figuratively rapes Ophelia's memory by demanding she disclose it. [6] Ten lines ea...

Often we speak of Ophelia as having really gone mad, while Hamlet only pretends . But in fact the play uses the word “mad” in many ways, as do critics. So, with a nod to Wallace Stevens’ poem title [1], a list: MADNESS AS DEMONIC POSSESSION: Horatio worries that the ghost is demonic and “might deprive [Hamlet] sovereignty of reason / And draw [him] into madness” (1.4.77-82). MADNESS AS FEIGNED: After meeting with the ghost (1.5), Hamlet says he will “put on” “an antic disposition” (1.5.189-192), as did Odysseus, King David, and Amleth in the Saxo Grammaticus source; but Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost may actually be driving him insane… [Edit 9/24/2023: In 3.1.7-10, Guildenstern also comments on Hamlet's feigned madness: "Nor do we find him forward to be sounded, But with a crafty madness keeps aloof When we would bring him on to some confession Of his true state." ] MADNESS AS WHAT LOST LOVE CAN DO: Polonius believes Hamlet has been made insane by the los...

Thanks to readers, 1-31 August, 2023 ~~~~~~~ Thank you to readers of this blog for this past month, which the blog's analytics say came to 1.58k views from the following countries: Thank you for your interest. I am grateful and humbled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INDEX OF OPHELIA POSTS : My 2023 series on Ophelia, and earlier Ophelia posts: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2023/10/index-of-ophelia-posts-2023-series-and.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...