MARY, MARRY, SPELLED CONTRARY: How to Conceal Minced Oaths? (HAMLET & the THIRD COMMANDMENT - Series)
The spelling helped to obscure the “minced oath” invoking the name of St. Mary, mother of Jesus [1], breaking the Third Commandment, not to take the name of God (and other holy persons and things) in vain [2].
In performance, audiences would hear “Mary,” but to get the play approved for performance in the first place, the players would submit the ("Marry"-spelling) script to the Master of Revels for approval or changes. For publication, Elizabethan censors could also approve a text or require changes.
“Marry” is interesting for many reasons: The allusion is to Mary, mother of Jesus. Joseph almost didn’t “Marry” her: He learned she had become pregnant before their marriage and considered quietly calling it off, but after a vision in a dream, he married her anyway.
The play is about a resentful, vengeful ghost who thinks his wife should have been faithful, even after death (1.5).
It’s also about an “incestuous” marriage of a man to the widow of his brother that he had secretly killed.
It’s also about Prince Hamlet, who made to Ophelia “almost all the holy vows of heaven” (1.3.123, which some read as a marriage betrothal or possibly secret “handfast” marriage). “Marry.” But her father requires that she stop seeing him.
It’s also about a widower, Polonius, a meddler and spymaster, who instead of seeking love and a new spouse, he pours himself more into his job, amplifying his vices instead of his virtues. “Marry” is his most frequent minced oath [3].
It’s also in part about King Claudius violating the Ninth Commandment, bearing false witness, lying to hide his sins and crimes.
But if one spells “Mary” as “Marry” to conceal a minced oath, doesn’t this also bear false witness to cover a “sin,” a breaking of the third commandment?
Is Shakespeare’s point that we are not saved by the “works” of always keeping every commandment, but by the mercy of God and community, and repentance after sin? [4]
~~~~~~~
INDEX to this series on Hamlet and the Ten Commandments:
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] The Geneva Bible translation which Shakespeare quoted most often, and which was most popular in Elizabethan homes, spelled it “Mary.” The Bishop’s Bible, used in church services, spelled it “Marie.” In Shakespeare’s use, “Marry” usually either conceals a minced oath, or refers to marriage.
[2] In Tudor England, the First Book of Homilies (1547) had as its seventh homily, “A Sermon Against Swearing and Perjury" [1], which warned against taking God’s name in vain (Third Commandment), abusing holy names and words, and breaking oaths. You can read the entire homily here: https://anglicanheritage.com/homilies/h107/
[3] Six times Polonius swears "Marry" (twice in 1.3, and four times in 2.1).
[4] “The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute to God Himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this:
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.” - Portia, The Merchant of Venice, 4.1.190-208
“Use every man after his
desert, and who should scape whipping? Use them after your own
honour and dignity. The less they deserve, the more merit is in
your bounty.” - Hamlet, 2.2.555-9
IMAGES:
Top: Holy Family - 16th c. Antwerp school. Private collection, public domain via https://www.anticstore.com/DocBD/commerce/antiquaire/nicolas-lente-688/objet/69169/AnticStore-Large-Ref-69169.jpg
Middle: Derek Jacobi as Claudius, Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet, and Julie Christie as Gertrude, dir. Kenneth Branagh, Castle Rock Entertainment, 1996. Fair use via https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/1164985/400full-hamlet-screenshot.jpg
Bottom: Marianne Faithfull and Nicol Williamson in Hamlet (1969), dir. Tony Richardson, Columbia Pictures, fair use via https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064400/mediaviewer/rm742617600/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 usually post every week.
