Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

HAMLET, Polonius, Marry, and the THIRD COMMANDMENT (series) Polonius wins at cursing the most in a single scene in Hamlet [1], and the forms of cursing he chooses to use convey irony. Characters in Hamlet swear or curse (taking the name of God or saints or religious things in vain) [2] as many as 21 times [3]. In a single scene, Polonius swears more than any other character in the play does in a single scene: Twice in the play he swears "by the Mass!" (in 2.1 and 3.2). Six times he swears "Marry" (twice in 1.3, and four times in 2.1), a reference to St. Mary, virgin mother of Jesus. (“Marry” occurs 12 times in the play.)  Instead of saying "for Christ's sake!", to exclaim "Marry" was like saying, "oh, by the virgin mother of Jesus!"  “Marry” is appropriate: When Polonius gives Ophelia a book to read in 3.1, he tells her:  Read on this book, That show of such an exercise may color Your loneliness.—We are oft to blame in this (’Tis...

Queen Elizabeth is said to have sworn like a sailor. Her favorite, “‘s’death!” (God’s death) invoked the crucifixion, perhaps projecting power as a woman in what was thought to be a man’s job [1]. In Tudor England, “A Sermon Against Swearing and Perjury" [2] was seventh in the First Book of Homilies (1547). It warned against taking God’s name in vain (Third Commandment), abusing holy names and words, and breaking oaths. Judging by how often characters in Hamlet abuse holy names and words, you’d think that the sermon was not working.  Characters invoke God, Jesus (Gis), saints, Jesus’ mother Mary (Marry), wounds (s’wounds) and blood (s’blood) of Christ, and Catholic Mass (by the mass) which claimed that the body of Jesus was present in Eucharist (little bodies, “God's bodkin”) [3]. Some swear on the cross-handle of a sword (1.5). Polonius (often thought to be a satire of William Cecil [4]) swears the most in a single scene (five times in 2.1). Such words and phrases occur in th...