Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

During the season (and "twelve days") of Christmas, it may be good to consider Egyptian connections in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Prince Hamlet references “Herod,” one of whom (Herod the Great) supposedly precipitates the flight of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus into Egypt after Joseph was warned in a dream. Some Christians take this story as historically true, while others think the writer of the Matthew gospel wished to paint Jesus as a new Moses, so the story may likely be religious fiction that attempts to make a point for the sake of religious instruction (catechesis). Herod wishes to eliminate his successor, foreseen in prophecy, like Laius getting rid of his son Oedipus, and Claudius arranging for the death of Prince Hamlet. But the Egyptian connection may be much older than Herod. As some students and scholars of comparative literature have already noticed, the oldest sources for Shakespeare's Hamlet may be Egyptian, and much older than Saxo Grammaticus (1200 CE). Here'...

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is often analyzed in terms of Freud’s theories that draw upon the Greek tale of Oedipus. When Hamlet blindly stabs Polonius behind the arras, this may resemble Oedipus unknowingly killing his own estranged and bullying father on the road. Hamlet refers to Herod, possibly Herod the Great or his son, Herod Antipas. A few days after Christmas, Christian churches commemorate Herod the Great’s slaughter of innocent boys. The tale claims that Herod heard of the birth of a new king of Israel, so he tried to avoid being replaced by killing all young male infants (collage, bottom right) [1]. Shepherds in the gospel tale choose a different path: They hear from angels of the birth and go to adore the infant Jesus (collage, top right) [2]. The shepherds could be said to mediate between angels and Jesus, who will come to be called a “good shepherd.” . In the Oedipus tale, Laius, father of Oedipus, fears a prophecy that his son will one day kill him; he tells his wife Jocasta...

“...that season … / Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated…” There is a tendency at times for some to approach the Christmas reference in Hamlet as if it is merely about Catholic superstition. But it’s far richer than that. The ghost appears; the cock crows; the ghost disappears (an allusion to Peter’s denial during the passion [1]). Then: MARCELLUS: Some say that ever ’gainst that season comes Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated, This bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad… (1.1.173-176) The cock crowing and season of Christmas point to a large sweep of Christian salvation history.   Even regarding the Christmas reference alone, we might treat it as an invitation to view the play in the mirror of the Christmas season tales, which are in part hospitality tales: Some welcome guests and strangers; others inconvenience, neglect, or kill them. There is a similar contrast in Hamlet : — The Christmas tale requires Annunciation and...

Ophelia hangs coronets on a willow . Why a willow? One of the older known willow poems is Psalm 137,[1] about Israelites taken captive to Babylon, forced to sing for their captors. They hung their harps on willows [2]: "How shall we sing [...] a song of the Lord in a strange land?" [3] “Babylon” became a Protestant metaphor for the corruption of Roman Catholicism in continental Europe and in England under Catholic monarch Mary I. Protestants were internal religious refugees, captives in their own lands. When Protestant Elizabeth became queen, Catholics and Puritans became the new internal religious refugees. [4] Hamlet wants to go back to Wittenberg (associated with Luther), but Claudius and Gertrude oppose it. The censors and master of revels would never allow a play about England’s internal religious refugees (Protestant, Catholic, or Puritan), but Shakespeare could have his prince and internal refugee say,  “Denmark’s a prison.” (2.2.262) For internal religious refugees ...

TRANSCRIPT: Presentation for Post Graduates, N.S.S. College, Kerala, India, 7 December, 2023 Edited planned transcript of remarks delivered on 7 December, 2023, in an online presentation for the Post Graduate program, N.S.S. College, Kerala, India, 7 P.M. IST, 7:30 A.M. CST. (A few words and points below were cut from the live presentation for time considerations, and I made a few additional extemporaneous remarks, but for the most part, this is the transcript.) (I did not have time to talk about allusions that fit into the theme of orphaned children who find transcendent parents in others or in a heavenly parent, but perhaps some other time....) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Informal outline (followed by transcript): INTRODUCTION: [Disclaimers] - Contested times, contested scripture LIST OF BOOKS cataloging Bible allusions in Shakespeare, some open-access: Sleuthing scripture allusions in Hamlet CHANGE THOSE NAMES WITH YOU: Servant-Prince, & Renunciation of Fruits DOUBTING ...

According to Gertrude, Ophelia crowned willow branches with coronets (small crowns) of flowers, perhaps in the same spirit her giving away flowers and herbs to the court: QUEEN: There is a willow grows askant the brook That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream. Therewith fantastic garlands did she make Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples [....] There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds Clamb’ring to hang… 4.7.190-198 Coronets? Why does this detail matter? There are men in Ophelia’s Denmark (Claudius) and from Norway (Fortinbras) who have killed, or are very willing to kill, to keep or grasp at a crown. Claudius is a man willing to kill his own brother and king to gain his crown, willing to kill his nephew, and watch his own wife poison herself without stopping her, just to keep his crown. Fortinbras is willing to enter battle where thousands will die so that he can achieve his victory, and later, he hopes, his crown: HAMLET: Witness this army of s...