HAMLET and the THIRD COMMANDMENT: Cursing and Swearing (series)
Queen Elizabeth is said to have sworn like a sailor. Her favorite, “‘s’death!” (God’s death) invoked the crucifixion, perhaps projecting power as a woman in what was thought to be a man’s job [1].
In Tudor England, “A Sermon Against Swearing and Perjury" [2] was seventh in the First Book of Homilies (1547). It warned against taking God’s name in vain (Third Commandment), abusing holy names and words, and breaking oaths.
Judging by how often characters in Hamlet abuse holy names and words, you’d think that the sermon was not working.
Characters invoke God, Jesus (Gis), saints, Jesus’ mother Mary (Marry), wounds (s’wounds) and blood (s’blood) of Christ, and Catholic Mass (by the mass) which claimed that the body of Jesus was present in Eucharist (little bodies, “God's bodkin”) [3]. Some swear on the cross-handle of a sword (1.5).
Polonius (often thought to be a satire of William Cecil [4]) swears the most in a single scene (five times in 2.1).
Such words and phrases occur in the following scenes:
1.3: Marry - Polonius to Ophelia (twice)
1.4: Marry - Hamlet to Horatio
1.5: By St. Patrick - Hamlet to Horatio
2.1: By the mass - Polonius to Reynaldo
2.1: Marry - Polonius to Reynaldo (four times)
2.2: God’s bodkins - Hamlet to Polonius
2.2: S’blood - Hamlet to R&G
2.2: ‘Swounds - Hamlet to himself
3.2: Marry - Hamlet to Ophelia
3.2: Marry - Hamlet to Claudius
3.2: S’blood - Hamlet to R&G
3.2: By the mass - Polonius to Hamlet
4.5: By Gis (Jesus) and by Saint Charity - Ophelia to Gertrude and Claudius
5.1: Marry - Second Clown to First
5.1: Marry - First Clown to Second
5.1: Marry - Hamlet to First Clown
5.1: ‘Swounds - Hamlet to Laertes in Ophelia’s grave
This may demonstrate in part that Catholic influences persisted in spite of suppression, and that some oaths were cheapened by thoughtless, casual repetition.
This also relates in part to a key theme in 1.5:
“Swear!” [5][6]
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2026/07/series-index-ten-commandments-in-hamlet.html
NOTES: All references to Shakespeare plays are to the Folger Shakespeare Library online versions: https://shakespeare.folger.edu
[1] See Dorothea Dickerman, “Did Queen Elizabeth I Use Swear Words? How England’s Virgin Queen Used Blasphemy, Brilliance, and Bad Language to Rule Her Realm,”
https://www.dorotheadickerman.com/post/queen-elizabeth-i-swear-words
[2] You can read the entire homily here: https://anglicanheritage.com/homilies/h107/
[3] See Munro, Lucy. “Sblood!’: Hamlet’s Oaths and the Editing of Shakespeare’s Plays.” Chapter. In Shakespeare Survey 70: Creating Shakespeare, edited by Peter Holland, 123–34. Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
[4] Polonius is the chief advisor to Claudius. The parallels were clear in Shakespeare’s time: William Cecil was the chief advisor to Elizabeth I and died a few years before she did (as Polonius dies before Gertrude). Two of his daughters died before her husband, one in a tempestuous marriage. John Dover Wilson and E.K. Chambers are among the major Shakespeare scholars who believe William Cecil was a major influence on the creation of the character of Polonius, previously named “Corambis” in the First Quarto, a word which is thought to have connections to the Cecil family motto. William Cecil oversaw spying on Catholics and having them executed for treason, so his anti-Catholic views were clear, making “marry” and “by the mass” ironic forms of swearing coming from a satire of the man.
[5] In this way, it could be said that Hamlet and his father both command Hamlet's friends to break a commandment by insisting that they "swear" what may be an unholy oath required by an apparition of questionable origins.
[6]: Matthew 5:34-37 - 1599 Geneva Bible (Shakespeare quotes this translation most often)
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God:
35 Nor yet by the earth, for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem: for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thine head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be Yea, yea: Nay, nay. For whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil.
IMAGES:
Upper left: “MARRY.” Giovanni Bellini: Madonna and Child, workshop of Giovanni Bellini, c. 1500; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Public domain.
Upper right: “BY ST. .PATRICK.” Saint Patrick, Bishop of Ireland (1746), by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770). Civic Museums of Padua. Public domain.
Middle left: “BY THE MASS.” The Mass of Saint Giles, circa 1500. National Gallery, London. Public domain.
Middle right: “GOD’S BODKINS” (God’s little bodies, eucharist). Institution of the Eucharist (circa 1441 - 1442), Fra Angelico, Basilica di San Marco, Florence, Italy. Public domain.
Bottom left: “‘SBLOOD” (God’s/Christ’s blood, sacramental wine-made-blood in Catholic Mass). From Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), The Damsel of the Sanct Grael, 1874. Private collection. Public domain.
Bottom right: “‘SWOUNDS” (God’s/Christ’s wounds). Giotto (1266–1337), Crucifixion, circa 1315. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. Public domain.
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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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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 usually post every week.
