LAMETH and the 10th Day of Christmas in Churches of Shakespeare's Time, January 3 - Series, Part 10
10TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME, JANUARY 3: Matthew 2 revisits the Epiphany’s wise men, star, and Herod, from the December 28 gospel [1]; Genesis 3 tells of the serpent deceiving Adam and Eve, a Hamlet theme [2]; Romans 2 repeats “circumcision of the heart” (v.29), already heard on January 1. Two readings involve vengeance: - David in Psalm 3 calls upon a vengeful God (has avenged him before) to save him from the rebellion of his son, Absalom [3]. - One mentions a descendant of Cain whose name is an anagram for Hamlet: Genesis 4, at evening prayer, mentions Lamech/Lameth [4], who boasts of his vengeance, and in legend, accidentally kills his ancestor Cain, triggering God’s curse [5]. The Danish source for Hamlet has the prince named Amleth. “Amleth” an anagram of “Hamlet,” but so is “Lameth.” In 5.2, Hamlet regrets acting badly toward Laertes at Ophelia’s grave, and tries to apologize for blindly killing Polonius behind the arras, without publicly admitting his intended ...