Hamlet and the Sixth Commandment: No murder? (series)
The Sixth Commandment is, "THOU SHALT DO NO MURDER," prominently displayed in all English Elizabethan churches. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, how many people kill another, or attempt to, or are widely blamed for the death of another? 1. In the back-story, King Hamlet and Old Fortinbras try to kill each other in a contest for land; King Hamlet wins [1]. 2. Claudius poisons his brother, King Hamlet [2]. 3. Hamlet kills Polonius [3]. 4. Claudius tries to have England kill Prince Hamlet [4]. 5. When that doesn’t work, Claudius conspires with Laertes to poison Prince Hamlet [5]. 6. Ophelia drowns: Accidental, suicidal, or holy death accepted in peace [6], or murder by Claudius [6.a.] or by Gertrude [6.b.]. 7. Young Fortinbras will wage war on Poland, a worthless patch of land, "an eggshell" (4.4.56), perhaps at a cost of "The imminent death of twenty thousand men" (4.4.63). If the war is unjust, the deaths are on the head of Fortinbras. 8. Laertes and Hamlet fight a...