Hamlet & the Beggar-Thief-Rioter-Revolutionary Continuum (Part 9)
In the last few weeks, my research that started with the Lazarus allusion in Hamlet 1.5 ("lazarlike") has moved out in concentric circles or spirals, from Lazarus and the rich man, to King Hamlet and to his stealthy, usurper-brother, Claudius, who has stolen the kingdom - and its queen. So already we have broadened our scope from rich men and beggars, to kings, thieves and usurpers: The king seems to play the role of the rich man, and Claudius may have been like one of the beggars neglected too long , and who finally turned thief and murderer. I also considered how the theft of the commons created more poverty, more beggars, the criminalization of beggars and vagabonds created more hardships , and how Shakespeare was familiar with bread riots, and included such things in his plays . [Coriolan supplié par sa famille (Coriolanus begged by his family), circa 1652-1653, by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), Musée Nicolas-Poussin, Les Andelys. Photographed by Aiwaz....
