Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

INDEX: Character Arcs: Labors of Gratitude & Regret in Hamlet (Aug. - Dec. 2019) In the second half of 2019, I did a series in which I considered character arcs in Hamlet, using ideas adapted from a Lewis Hyde chapter on “The Labor of Gratitude,” expanding this to include also labors of regret. Posts in this series: Part 1: Gifts & Labors of Gratitude in Hansel & Gretel - (before Hamlet) - 8/12/19 https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/08/lewis-hyde-on-labor-of-gratitude.html Part 2: Hamlet's Descent & Arc Toward Mercy (Labors of Gratitude and Regret) - 8/19/19 https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/08/labors-of-gratitude-and-regret-in-hamlet.html Part 3: Polonius' Labor of Regret - 8/26/19 https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/08/polonius-his-labor-of-regret.html Part 4: Into Dad's Circle of Fear & Flattery: Laertes' Labors of Gratitude & Regret, 1.2 - 9/3/19 https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2019/09/laertes-dyna...

Because Gertrude was paralyzed by guilt and self-pity after the death of Polonius and her talk with her son, might we consider her complicit in Ophelia’s death? I am grateful to Kushi Shah for suggesting Gertrude’s possible complicity [1]. If Gertrude witnessed Hamlet acting in a misogynistic way toward Ophelia, then for Gertrude to do nothing might make her more complicit [2]. It is easy to blame the men as complicit in Ophelia’s death [3]. But Gertrude? She begins scene 4.5 ashamed, not wanting to meet with a distraught Ophelia, saying, “So full of artless jealousy is guilt, / It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.” (4.5.24-25). She may feel guilty for how her marriage to Claudius caused Hamlet’s madness and led to his killing of Ophelia’s father. Gertrude overcomes her reluctance to greet Ophelia, but may be too shocked by Ophelia’s commanding presence, with Ophelia acting like Prince Hamlet’s intended wife – and perhaps rightful queen. Whether in shock at the spectacle, or para...

Part 45: Ophelia's Terrible Awakening and Liberation Ophelia and Gertrude awaken from earlier naivete and become liberated from aspects of an oppressive and inauthentic patriarchy, Ophelia from her father, and Gertrude from her husband. Consider Ophelia: Ophelia had been excited to spend “free and bounteous” time with Hamlet [1], to be wooed by him “in honorable fashion” [2], to receive from him “almost all the holy vows of heaven” [3], probably a marriage proposal, not snares [4] to steal her “chaste treasure” [5] as her brother and father fear and suspect. She is forbidden by Polonius to see Hamlet or receive his letters [6], but used as bait by him and Claudius for their spying [7]. Gertrude tells her that she hopes Ophelia’s “virtues” will help to heal Hamlet [8]. Hamlet does not tell her that he has spoken with an apparition like the ghost of his father, but seems to fear that those he loves most may be at risk at least of suffering purgatory for sins, apparently like his fa...

In Hamlet 5.2, Gertrude suspects poison, [1] but doesn't know for certain — a dangerous mystery: she avoids openly accusing Claudius. This scene is a variation of King Aegeus, saving son Theseus from a poison cup from stepmother, Medea — with some genders switched and stakes raised.[2] Gertrude will test the wine by drinking it, without saying that is her reason for doing so. In this she sets a better, simpler mousetrap for Claudius: If it is poison, he could stop her and confess. If not, maybe “mad” Hamlet was mistaken about Claudius? Hamlet’s “Mousetrap” foreshadows (and sheds light on) Gertrude’s. She cannot pluck the mystery’s heart without drinking from the cup to test it, and to test Claudius. By drinking, in effect, Gertrude tells Claudius: If you would poison my son, you must go through me first. In her closet, Hamlet had told her that he would later beg a blessing of her [3]. Testing the wine for poison is the blessing she offers her son, without his having to ask. This ...

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 more notes on the series and an index of previous posts in this series, see the end of this post. Laertes & Hamlet Fight at Ophelia’s Grave, 5.1 (part 8, Labors of Gratitude & Regret in Hamlet ) (continued from the previous weeks' posts) Act 5, scene 1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet is a rich and problematic scene: Hamlet has returned from his Jonah-like sea voyage but doesn’t seem to have been informed by Horatio of Ophelia’s death. The Queen previously gave an account of Ophelia’s drowning that seemed to blame the broken branch of a tree she was on, and the water that made her clothing heavy. But now in 5.1 we get more meanin...

In last week’s post , I introduced Lewis Hyde’s idea of “The Labor of Gratitude” taken from a chapter by that name in his book, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property (1979 ). If you didn’t read that post or are unfamiliar with Hyde’s ideas in that chapter, I highly recommend reading the excerpts from his book that I included in that blog post . For those who would like a brief summary: Hyde speaks of gifts that are often not material gifts: Elves give a shoemaker and his wife the gift, or favor, of making shoes while they sleep, and this symbolizes the shoemaker’s developing skill or artistic gift for making fine shoes. But many other examples could apply: A child expresses an interest in learning to play a musical instrument, and a parent or relative supplies the needed funds as a gift so that the child might develop their musical gifts. A person who has offended someone and feels regret is forgiven by the offended party, and perhaps through the example and emoti...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New multi-week series: - Lewis Hyde on "The Labor of Gratitude" (in the context of gift economies) in "Hansel & Gretel" & film, and - Next Week: Characters in  Hamlet  Transformed by Labors of Gratitude and Regret ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'd like to take the next few weeks to introduce the idea of characters in Hamlet who are changed by gratitude and/or regret, contrasted with (last week's topic) entitlement and revenge. When we receive life-changing gifts (even if they are mentorship, or opportunities, not material gifts) or when we experience deep regret, we feel we are in another's debt. These experiences of gift/gratitude and regret contrast with entitlement and revenge, in part, because with the latter, we feel others are in our debt. But in order to talk about characters in Hamlet in this way, I want to take some time to explain the ideas of Lewis Hyde that I will be drawing upon. These are from his book, The Gift: Imaginatio...