Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, three characters express anxiety about the missing body of Polonius: Rosencrantz (with Guildenstern), and Claudius. Strangely, this echoes what, in Christian tradition, came to be known as “the three Marys” at the tomb of Jesus, with Mary Magdalene in John 20:11-15 being especially verbal about her anxiety about the missing body. [More information below on these three images.] [Left: العربية: أيقونة المريمات الثلاثة. Icon of The Three Marys. 11th century, Nea Moni of Chios (Byzantine monastery, Greece). Public domain. Via Wikipedia . Right: Three Marys at the Tomb (Polski: Trzy Marie u grobu). Circa 1470, Nicolaus Haberschrack  (1454–1484). National Museum, Kraków. Public domain. Via Wikipedia .] This perhaps offers an ironic and even humorous feminizing of Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern in the comparison. If Shakespeare offers such an ironic and playful contrast to evoke something in his audiences, what is the purpose? First,...

Part 7: Laertes' Labors of Gratitude & Regret: Toxic Masculinity Distracts While Ophelia Drowns ( Hamlet 4.7) This is the latest installment in a multi-part series examining how characters interact in Hamlet, offering opportunities, gifts, planting seeds for future inspiration, or for changes of heart & mind. It follows ideas from Lewis Hyde (“The Labor of Gratitude,” a chapter in his book, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property ). For an index of previous posts in this series, see the end of this post. Sorting Out Hamlet 4.7 The seventh scene of Act Four in Hamlet may seem packed with superfluous details that could be (and probably often are) cut: It’s a long play; usually, cuts are made. Laertes still has questions about his father’s death: if Hamlet intended to kill Claudius, then why didn’t Claudius take action against Hamlet? Claudius shares more flattery with Laertes, conveying to Laertes some things Claudius claims (truthfully or not) that Haml...