Irony & anxiety in Hamlet about the missing body of Polonius: Three Marys at the Tomb
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, three characters express anxiety about the missing body of Polonius: Rosencrantz (with Guildenstern), and Claudius. Strangely, this echoes what, in Christian tradition, came to be known as “the three Marys” at the tomb of Jesus, with Mary Magdalene in John 20:11-15 being especially verbal about her anxiety about the missing body. [More information below on these three images.] [Left: العربية: أيقونة المريمات الثلاثة. Icon of The Three Marys. 11th century, Nea Moni of Chios (Byzantine monastery, Greece). Public domain. Via Wikipedia . Right: Three Marys at the Tomb (Polski: Trzy Marie u grobu). Circa 1470, Nicolaus Haberschrack (1454–1484). National Museum, Kraków. Public domain. Via Wikipedia .] This perhaps offers an ironic and even humorous feminizing of Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern in the comparison. If Shakespeare offers such an ironic and playful contrast to evoke something in his audiences, what is the purpose? First,...