Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

Before I conclude my series on the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet , let’s step back and consider his use of “Lazarus” and related terms in other plays. For today, consider: Shakespeare only uses the full word "Lazarus" once,* on the lips of Falstaff in Henry IV, Part I (1613). [* According to the Advanced Search Engine at OpenSourceShakespeare .] This single instance of "Lazarus" comes in a soliloquy in which Falstaff also happens to mention "prodigal," a reference to another tale from Luke's gospel. [Left: Detail from Lazarus and the Rich Man, Meister des Codex Aureus Epternacensis (1035-1040), via Wikipedia . Public domain. Right: Der verlorene Sohn beim Schweinehüten (The Prodigal Son tending the Swine), 1538, by (Hans) Sebald Beham (1500-1550), via Wikipedia . Public domain.] It so happens that there are allusions in Hamlet to both Lazarus ("lazar-like," 1.5.79, Folger) and the prodigal (Laertes 1.3.40, Polonius 1.3.1...

I am still on a bit of a break while researching for my next post in the Lazarus-in-Hamlet series. That next post will step back to examine other instances of "Lazarus," "lazar," "beg," and "beggar" in other works of Shakespeare besides Hamlet. (There are hundreds of instances of "beg," "beggar," "begging," "beggary.") But meanwhile, my daughter is a huge fan of the musical, Hadestown (words and music by Anaïs Mitchell), in which Patrick Page has played the role of Hades. Page has a podcast in which he occasionally discusses Shakespeare and Hamlet . [Image from Patrick Page Podcast . Fair use.] He has played many roles in Shakespeare plays, and also has a new one-man show, All the Devils are Here , via the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C. , a show whose title is taken from a line spoken by Ariel in The Tempest . The show features many Shakespearean villains, and was written and performed...